Hey all,
I know that between school and life, my blogging is pretty much a fail, but I will kindly update you on the progress of my practicum experience thus far.
I'm doing my practicum at Hastings Public Library and at Hastings College. I don't start at HC until the middle of September. I'm excited for that because my first order of business is to plan a mock book burning for banned book week. GET EXCITED!!! I love banned book week and I certainly love the idea of mock book burnings. Never the real thing though. That would be bad.
My current work has me at the Hastings Public Library. I'm doing some awesome fun stuff with programming and collection development. By programming and collection development, I mean doing weeding and planning programs. I LOVE weeding though, so this is a brilliant use of my time. I'm currently weeding the YA collection. We have to move the whole collection from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor. That means about 500 to 700 books have to go. Easy peasy.
The program that I'm developing is a pub quiz at the local watering hole. It's going to be awesome because I get to run it and I have friends that are going to fill the seats for me, giving me the numbers I need to have a successful program. Nothing says love like filling your seats for you. That's what real friendship means.
I'll probably throw up all the papers and other things i've written up in the last two semesters just so that you can see what I have to say about stuff. Also, I'll put up all my fliers that I'm making for my practicum.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
More often than not, when I go into the Library, I have no clue what I want to read. Most times I'll set out at least an hour of time so that I can thoroughly browse every nook and cranny of the building. Recently though, I've discovered two really great online book blogs that have given me some really awesome ideas for books.
The first one is NPR's book blog [www.npr.org/books]. I found out about it on a drive home from work. Let me just point out that the people of NPR are really good at making some awesome reading lists. This summer, they've been doing a blog series of summer reads, ranging from the 100 best thrillers to great "laugh out loud" books for the beach. This last weeks was particularly interesting, because it featured nonfiction books to drag us "back to reality" for the end of summer. Another great piece that the NPR blog features are interviews with authors where we the listener find out what these popular authors have recently been reading. They also have all the reviews and commentary you'd expect from National public radio. One title I’ve recently discovered is Justin Cronin’s The Passage, a vampire book that makes Edward and Bella look like cute little kittens.
The second blog that I frequent that has been really helpful is the Shelf Life blog at Entertainment Weekly’s website [http://shelf-life.ew.com]. Not only do they give me all the great reviews that I like to help me pick a book, they also gave great pop culture tie-ins too. For instance, the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy was recently released, and Shelf Life is asking readers who should play the hero, Katniss, on the big screen. The blog doesn’t do just books either. It also features audio books, new releases in digital books, and graphic novels and comics. Two books I recently found on the Shelf Life blog were The Disappearing Spoon: and other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean and Hot X: Algebra Exposed by Danika McKellar. The Disappearing Spoon makes science and the periodic table both funny and cool, and McKellar’s Hot X makes math sexy again (if it ever was in the first place).
There are certainly many more books to browse through on both blogs, and there are absolutely other blogs out there, but these two give you a little bit of information about nearly everything. So keep an eye out for titles that pique your interest, and be sure to let us know what you want to read. We’ll be happy to oblige if we can.
--
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Awkward library story
Today I was interviewed at the library for a news organization. The broad overview of the story had something to do with the immigration issue in Fremont. For those of you who don't know, Fremont is pretty much the shit storm of immigration issues because most of the people who live here are rubes and bigots and assholes who see any dark skinned individual as a fence hopping, job stealing, ILLEGAL!
Now, my job here at the library is to sign kids up for library cards. I've been doing a pretty good job of it. I also admit that part of my job has been to get more individuals of Hispanic descent into the library, mostly because the Hispanic community in Fremont is an underserved population in terms of services we offer (as an aside, we don't have a single Spanish speaking individual on staff, nor do we have any people of color so I can't imagine why we wouldn't have more people of color in the doors).
Anyway. I just want to vent some frustration about how the interview went down because the library director was like an obtrusive school teacher because she was worried I would get "baited" by the interviewer and give a shitty soundbite.
Grr!
Now, my job here at the library is to sign kids up for library cards. I've been doing a pretty good job of it. I also admit that part of my job has been to get more individuals of Hispanic descent into the library, mostly because the Hispanic community in Fremont is an underserved population in terms of services we offer (as an aside, we don't have a single Spanish speaking individual on staff, nor do we have any people of color so I can't imagine why we wouldn't have more people of color in the doors).
Anyway. I just want to vent some frustration about how the interview went down because the library director was like an obtrusive school teacher because she was worried I would get "baited" by the interviewer and give a shitty soundbite.
Grr!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
US vs Japan in a battle for cultural dominance
Newcomb, A. (2008, December 15). Japan cracking us pop culture hegemony. The Christian Science Monitor.
This article talks about the new trend of popular culture being shaped by counties other than the United States. It talks about the transformation of Japan from economic Juggernaut, challenging the US and other countries for superiority in diverse markets like automobiles, supercomputers and microchips, to the county now setting the trend for what is "cool." According to the article, Japan has the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, with eight of those restaurants earning the top award of 3-stars (there are only 81 3-star restaurants in the whole world). The article also looks at Japans involvement in literary popular culture, including the increase of mangas popularity as an art form and literary style all over the world.
The article is important for the class because it shows us something we haven't really talked about yet and that's the power of other cultures to exert a cultural hegemony on America. We have had a lot of discussion about the cultural power exerted by American LIS and how that affects the world as a whole, but we haven't taken into account the influence that other countries have on us.
Another thing it shows us is that America is not the only hegemony on the block looking to broker influence in the foreign field. This is just an example of popular culture, but imagine what China and the EU are doing to exert their world view on countries in Europe and Asia. And look at the power that the USSR used to have in exerting it's cultural hegemony in the region before it's fall. I feel that we keep forgetting that we are not the only show in town, and this article does us a service to examine the plurality of the hegemony market.
Lastly, I would like to leave it with a quote from the article. It's an observation by Bruce Rutledge about the difference between American and Japanese culture. "I always feel like US culture bashes down doors, while Japanese culture seeps in under the door." I don't think it could have been said any better than that.
This article talks about the new trend of popular culture being shaped by counties other than the United States. It talks about the transformation of Japan from economic Juggernaut, challenging the US and other countries for superiority in diverse markets like automobiles, supercomputers and microchips, to the county now setting the trend for what is "cool." According to the article, Japan has the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, with eight of those restaurants earning the top award of 3-stars (there are only 81 3-star restaurants in the whole world). The article also looks at Japans involvement in literary popular culture, including the increase of mangas popularity as an art form and literary style all over the world.
The article is important for the class because it shows us something we haven't really talked about yet and that's the power of other cultures to exert a cultural hegemony on America. We have had a lot of discussion about the cultural power exerted by American LIS and how that affects the world as a whole, but we haven't taken into account the influence that other countries have on us.
Another thing it shows us is that America is not the only hegemony on the block looking to broker influence in the foreign field. This is just an example of popular culture, but imagine what China and the EU are doing to exert their world view on countries in Europe and Asia. And look at the power that the USSR used to have in exerting it's cultural hegemony in the region before it's fall. I feel that we keep forgetting that we are not the only show in town, and this article does us a service to examine the plurality of the hegemony market.
Lastly, I would like to leave it with a quote from the article. It's an observation by Bruce Rutledge about the difference between American and Japanese culture. "I always feel like US culture bashes down doors, while Japanese culture seeps in under the door." I don't think it could have been said any better than that.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
An awesome thing that I'm doing
Really quick:
I'm automating a library with Tim. Trinity's school library still runs on cards. We are working on an open source ILS that will allow us to catalog the library on a computer and allow them to circulate books using scanners and the like. It's going to be sweet!
Jake
I'm automating a library with Tim. Trinity's school library still runs on cards. We are working on an open source ILS that will allow us to catalog the library on a computer and allow them to circulate books using scanners and the like. It's going to be sweet!
Jake
Funding the Library
Jake Rundle
Public Library
Assignment #2
The topic for the last couple of weeks in class has been centered on the biggest issue I can think of in Public libraries to date: funding. Not only is the economy down, but even when the nation was not in a tanked economy, the library was suffering. Budget cuts and belt tightening are becoming a yearly way of life for librarian professionals. What makes this all the harder is that some libraries are paid for with city property taxes. That means that a weak housing market and foreclosures a new reality in many people’s lives, the library is losing money everywhere it turns. The five articles I have reviewed are all taking a look at how the library pays for itself, and how it pays for itself in this tough economic climate. Some articles, like in Davis, look specifically at library technology and what it costs to sustain this integral service to library patrons. Meanwhile, in one of the Pearson articles, he talks about the community involvement and the creation of Friends groups as a means of helping a library that is losing its public funding more and more often in the yearly budget.
What ties all the articles together, even more than the big theme of “we’ve all got less money and more patrons” is the simple ways these libraries are trying to combat this increasingly alarming issue. Whether it is the creation of a Friends of the Library group or perhaps something as simple as reducing the weekly hours and prioritizing services in the library, the methods approached by the articles were not mind bending mathematics and graduate level accounting tips. These were simple ideas that libraries across the nation have already taken to plug holes in a sinking budget and still offer the highest quality of service that patrons expect to have at their public library. The Smith and Langenkamp article is one exception to the “simple” rule. That article outlines a series of step that can be taken to better use the funds available for purchasing titles for the library. The Davis article is the other exception. It doesn’t give suggestions, but instead gives librarians and other interested parties the hard facts on what it costs to sustain technology in the library. It also gives great information about planning for future technology and what steps the library should take in order to make it happen smoothly.
I think what I find most comforting about all of the articles is that they are relevant to so many libraries at this current point in history. With everyone in the same boat, it’s nice to see that there are still smart people in the library community who are brainstorming for us and giving us the best possible information.
Davis, D. (2009). Challenges to sustaining library technology in a tough economy. Public Library, 48(4), 12-17.
This article is a detailed look at a study done by various library bodies to determine the amount of technology being used in libraries and if there is an increase in library use of technology relative to how far into a recession the country currently is. The ALA Office of Research & Statistics and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded one study, called the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study. It was a three-year study assesses the public access to computers, the Internet and Internet related services (p. 13). The findings showed that demand for the public access to these services was up but the Internet connections the library was hosting were not as fast as they would have liked to be and skilled librarians needed to help give better service to patrons accessing the computers and the internet are not being hired fast enough.
Another finding of the study was that libraries are seeing a shift in where their money comes from and how it applies to the budget as a whole. On of the more startling facts that I read was that libraries are now relying more on “soft money (fees, fines, donations and grants)” to pay for staff salary. That’s startling because that seems like the kind of money that might not be reliable from a year to year basis. Donations might not be as available or people might not be paying their fines in a certain fiscal year, so how does a library continue to operate and pay its staff with a big “what if” for a budget line?
Pearson, P. (2009). Fundraising and advocacy in tough times. Public Libraries, 48(4), 21-23.
In an economic downturn, when everyone in the nonprofit circle is looking for donors and money, it’s hard to think that the library can really complete with big deal charities like the MDA or Breast Cancer research, however, Pearson gives a remarkably thorough outline of the exact steps a library needs to take in an down year to turn lemons into lemonade.
His first point was to show statistics to reassure those reading the article that most donors to the library will probably not disappear into the ether just because the economy is down. He notes that many donors give out of their paychecks and not their stock portfolios, so there is a reasonable assumption that as long as donors still have jobs they will continue to give in some respect. Another interesting fact he noted was that the creation of new non-profit groups in many states has come to a standstill in recent years. This means that there is not a new source to hemorrhage fundraising dollars because it doesn’t exist.
What Pearson does do very well in this article is showcase a library that takes an economic downturn and makes it into a boon year for the library. He mentions the little acts that a library can do to make the current donors feel appreciated and perhaps increase donations as well. One suggestion is to recognize those donors who have been giving more ten years or more. Another is to give recognition to those donors who give more than a certain dollar amount every year. The Library where Pearson works does this by a luncheon or special program for those donors and thanks them in an annual donor edition of the library newsletter.
His final advice is to not suspend capital campaigns just because the economy is down. He points out that new buildings and renovation needs do not go away just because people are losing money in the stock market.
Smith, A, & Langenkamp, S. (2007). Indexed collection budget allocations. Public Library, 46(5), 50-54.
In tough economic times, it’s generally best to know exactly where the money is coming from and where it is going. This is especially true with the book budget, as it is one of the most important expenses the library has in a given fiscal year. Smith and Langenkamp are Texas librarians who speak to how the library they work with manages the collection as efficiently as possible with the funds they have available and how using a budget index with circulation numbers gives a good foundation for developing the collection from year to year.
The article gave a detailed look at how this Texas library took the budget numbers from each of its collection areas and used that with the circulation numbers to find a dollar amount to spend in the next year’s budget. The library does this by applying an algebra equation that plugs in the various numbers from across the library and puts out a number that can be tracked and utilized by the library in the next fiscal year. The Budget index is the other part of the operation. This particular budget index looks at price per unit numbers and circulation numbers as well as what the current budget says needs to still be purchased in a given area of the library to create a number that more accurately shows how much money should be spent within the areas of collection development.
The conclusion of the article informs readers that the tables and numbers given were only one way of using the budget index to creat a more meaningful output of funds. Another plan is to use numbers based on desired acquisition without looking at circulation. The authors did this last work up to show just how flexible and awesome the budget index could be for the library.
Pearson, D. (2009). It takes a village to support a library. Georgia Library Quarterly, 46(4), 6-7.
This article is a short look at some simple ideas to keep a library afloat in the downed economy.
The first suggestion that Pearson gives is to look at the work the Friends of the Library association can do to help. He notes that the Saint Paul public library’s (where Pearson is associated) Friends association utilizes its own advocacy committee to meet and develop proposals to be given to the mayor and the city council for considerations to the library budget. The Friends groups uses that communication with the city planners to make sure that the library and the city are on the same page with regard to where monies need to go and what is being expended.
Pearson says another important role the Friends group needs to play is the role of fund raiser. Particularly important to this endeavor is having a serious group of individuals be appointed to the Friends of the Library board. These people must see the job they are doing as a valued service to the library. If board members and others in charge don’t see their work at needed, then the library could suffer as a result.
A final note from Pearson tells libraries to keep a stiff upper lip. While it is an “unprecedented time for libraries” it is not the end of the world. He notes that a little planning and a little effort on the part of the library and the library’s Friends organization will go a long way toward the support of the library.
Holland, S, & Verploeg, A. (2009). No easy targets. Public Library, 48(4), 27-38.
This article is a compilation of interviews on a grand scale, encompassing libraries of all sizes and the library directors who run and support them. Some of the issues discussed in the interviews cover coping strategies for the tough economy and prioritizing services to become a sustainable resource during what the authors of the article calls a “changing perception” that has patrons seeing the library as an expendable resource instead of a pillar of the community.
The six libraries surveyed for this article come from all over the nation. Iowa, Nevada, Arizona, New York, Illinois and Connecticut are the six states where the libraries are surveyed. The libraries range in size from the Connecticut library servicing a population of less than 10,000 patrons to the Brooklyn library in New York servicing 2.5 million patrons in the borough. The libraries are all different, but as is becoming a trend, many are facing the same problems. The authors of the survey note some of the trends and some of the reactions to these new trends that these and libraries like them are making in this current economic freefall.
The first trend noted is an increase in use. Book sales were down 7% nationwide, with many of those purchasers turning to the local library to be their resource for reading materials. The same is true for the circulation of music and other materials at the library. There are more people utilizing more and more of the services when the individuals cannot afford it on their own.
Another trend is the dialing down of library hours. The Brooklyn Public Library eliminated all of its Sunday services across all of the Brooklyn branches. It is an effort to save money for the coming fiscal year, but it’s a hard decision to make. Hiring freezes and the elimination of programs with large sustainability costs are other efforts libraries are trying to make to stay ahead of the falling market.
Other decisions being made by the libraries are a focus on prioritized service, putting effort into studying what services are utilized at which branches in an effort to make the cost cutting as painless as possible. In some instances, this has been a successful endeavor. The authors noted that all the libraries tried to make as informed a decision as possible in terms of cost cutting while still offering the best service that could be achieved.
Public Library
Assignment #2
The topic for the last couple of weeks in class has been centered on the biggest issue I can think of in Public libraries to date: funding. Not only is the economy down, but even when the nation was not in a tanked economy, the library was suffering. Budget cuts and belt tightening are becoming a yearly way of life for librarian professionals. What makes this all the harder is that some libraries are paid for with city property taxes. That means that a weak housing market and foreclosures a new reality in many people’s lives, the library is losing money everywhere it turns. The five articles I have reviewed are all taking a look at how the library pays for itself, and how it pays for itself in this tough economic climate. Some articles, like in Davis, look specifically at library technology and what it costs to sustain this integral service to library patrons. Meanwhile, in one of the Pearson articles, he talks about the community involvement and the creation of Friends groups as a means of helping a library that is losing its public funding more and more often in the yearly budget.
What ties all the articles together, even more than the big theme of “we’ve all got less money and more patrons” is the simple ways these libraries are trying to combat this increasingly alarming issue. Whether it is the creation of a Friends of the Library group or perhaps something as simple as reducing the weekly hours and prioritizing services in the library, the methods approached by the articles were not mind bending mathematics and graduate level accounting tips. These were simple ideas that libraries across the nation have already taken to plug holes in a sinking budget and still offer the highest quality of service that patrons expect to have at their public library. The Smith and Langenkamp article is one exception to the “simple” rule. That article outlines a series of step that can be taken to better use the funds available for purchasing titles for the library. The Davis article is the other exception. It doesn’t give suggestions, but instead gives librarians and other interested parties the hard facts on what it costs to sustain technology in the library. It also gives great information about planning for future technology and what steps the library should take in order to make it happen smoothly.
I think what I find most comforting about all of the articles is that they are relevant to so many libraries at this current point in history. With everyone in the same boat, it’s nice to see that there are still smart people in the library community who are brainstorming for us and giving us the best possible information.
Davis, D. (2009). Challenges to sustaining library technology in a tough economy. Public Library, 48(4), 12-17.
This article is a detailed look at a study done by various library bodies to determine the amount of technology being used in libraries and if there is an increase in library use of technology relative to how far into a recession the country currently is. The ALA Office of Research & Statistics and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded one study, called the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study. It was a three-year study assesses the public access to computers, the Internet and Internet related services (p. 13). The findings showed that demand for the public access to these services was up but the Internet connections the library was hosting were not as fast as they would have liked to be and skilled librarians needed to help give better service to patrons accessing the computers and the internet are not being hired fast enough.
Another finding of the study was that libraries are seeing a shift in where their money comes from and how it applies to the budget as a whole. On of the more startling facts that I read was that libraries are now relying more on “soft money (fees, fines, donations and grants)” to pay for staff salary. That’s startling because that seems like the kind of money that might not be reliable from a year to year basis. Donations might not be as available or people might not be paying their fines in a certain fiscal year, so how does a library continue to operate and pay its staff with a big “what if” for a budget line?
Pearson, P. (2009). Fundraising and advocacy in tough times. Public Libraries, 48(4), 21-23.
In an economic downturn, when everyone in the nonprofit circle is looking for donors and money, it’s hard to think that the library can really complete with big deal charities like the MDA or Breast Cancer research, however, Pearson gives a remarkably thorough outline of the exact steps a library needs to take in an down year to turn lemons into lemonade.
His first point was to show statistics to reassure those reading the article that most donors to the library will probably not disappear into the ether just because the economy is down. He notes that many donors give out of their paychecks and not their stock portfolios, so there is a reasonable assumption that as long as donors still have jobs they will continue to give in some respect. Another interesting fact he noted was that the creation of new non-profit groups in many states has come to a standstill in recent years. This means that there is not a new source to hemorrhage fundraising dollars because it doesn’t exist.
What Pearson does do very well in this article is showcase a library that takes an economic downturn and makes it into a boon year for the library. He mentions the little acts that a library can do to make the current donors feel appreciated and perhaps increase donations as well. One suggestion is to recognize those donors who have been giving more ten years or more. Another is to give recognition to those donors who give more than a certain dollar amount every year. The Library where Pearson works does this by a luncheon or special program for those donors and thanks them in an annual donor edition of the library newsletter.
His final advice is to not suspend capital campaigns just because the economy is down. He points out that new buildings and renovation needs do not go away just because people are losing money in the stock market.
Smith, A, & Langenkamp, S. (2007). Indexed collection budget allocations. Public Library, 46(5), 50-54.
In tough economic times, it’s generally best to know exactly where the money is coming from and where it is going. This is especially true with the book budget, as it is one of the most important expenses the library has in a given fiscal year. Smith and Langenkamp are Texas librarians who speak to how the library they work with manages the collection as efficiently as possible with the funds they have available and how using a budget index with circulation numbers gives a good foundation for developing the collection from year to year.
The article gave a detailed look at how this Texas library took the budget numbers from each of its collection areas and used that with the circulation numbers to find a dollar amount to spend in the next year’s budget. The library does this by applying an algebra equation that plugs in the various numbers from across the library and puts out a number that can be tracked and utilized by the library in the next fiscal year. The Budget index is the other part of the operation. This particular budget index looks at price per unit numbers and circulation numbers as well as what the current budget says needs to still be purchased in a given area of the library to create a number that more accurately shows how much money should be spent within the areas of collection development.
The conclusion of the article informs readers that the tables and numbers given were only one way of using the budget index to creat a more meaningful output of funds. Another plan is to use numbers based on desired acquisition without looking at circulation. The authors did this last work up to show just how flexible and awesome the budget index could be for the library.
Pearson, D. (2009). It takes a village to support a library. Georgia Library Quarterly, 46(4), 6-7.
This article is a short look at some simple ideas to keep a library afloat in the downed economy.
The first suggestion that Pearson gives is to look at the work the Friends of the Library association can do to help. He notes that the Saint Paul public library’s (where Pearson is associated) Friends association utilizes its own advocacy committee to meet and develop proposals to be given to the mayor and the city council for considerations to the library budget. The Friends groups uses that communication with the city planners to make sure that the library and the city are on the same page with regard to where monies need to go and what is being expended.
Pearson says another important role the Friends group needs to play is the role of fund raiser. Particularly important to this endeavor is having a serious group of individuals be appointed to the Friends of the Library board. These people must see the job they are doing as a valued service to the library. If board members and others in charge don’t see their work at needed, then the library could suffer as a result.
A final note from Pearson tells libraries to keep a stiff upper lip. While it is an “unprecedented time for libraries” it is not the end of the world. He notes that a little planning and a little effort on the part of the library and the library’s Friends organization will go a long way toward the support of the library.
Holland, S, & Verploeg, A. (2009). No easy targets. Public Library, 48(4), 27-38.
This article is a compilation of interviews on a grand scale, encompassing libraries of all sizes and the library directors who run and support them. Some of the issues discussed in the interviews cover coping strategies for the tough economy and prioritizing services to become a sustainable resource during what the authors of the article calls a “changing perception” that has patrons seeing the library as an expendable resource instead of a pillar of the community.
The six libraries surveyed for this article come from all over the nation. Iowa, Nevada, Arizona, New York, Illinois and Connecticut are the six states where the libraries are surveyed. The libraries range in size from the Connecticut library servicing a population of less than 10,000 patrons to the Brooklyn library in New York servicing 2.5 million patrons in the borough. The libraries are all different, but as is becoming a trend, many are facing the same problems. The authors of the survey note some of the trends and some of the reactions to these new trends that these and libraries like them are making in this current economic freefall.
The first trend noted is an increase in use. Book sales were down 7% nationwide, with many of those purchasers turning to the local library to be their resource for reading materials. The same is true for the circulation of music and other materials at the library. There are more people utilizing more and more of the services when the individuals cannot afford it on their own.
Another trend is the dialing down of library hours. The Brooklyn Public Library eliminated all of its Sunday services across all of the Brooklyn branches. It is an effort to save money for the coming fiscal year, but it’s a hard decision to make. Hiring freezes and the elimination of programs with large sustainability costs are other efforts libraries are trying to make to stay ahead of the falling market.
Other decisions being made by the libraries are a focus on prioritized service, putting effort into studying what services are utilized at which branches in an effort to make the cost cutting as painless as possible. In some instances, this has been a successful endeavor. The authors noted that all the libraries tried to make as informed a decision as possible in terms of cost cutting while still offering the best service that could be achieved.
Public Libraries around the world
When we think of libraries of the world, we should probably think about shapes. We all know that there are many different shapes, some with five edges, some with six edges, and some with no edges at all. The same is true for public libraries across the world. While many of them are very similar, most of them all have something a little different about them that makes them unique to the country they reside in and the people they serve.
What I found to be most interesting about all of my articles was the notice given to service. In China, it was noted that though libraries increased in number, they decreased in service. At the same time, libraries in Africa of one type served a completely different role in the community than another type did; and that one type of library a better job than another. One study noted that service to Young adults was available, but lacking. Another looked at the vast presence of public libraries in England and the services provided to its citizens. All were looking at different points of the world, and yet all were focused keenly on the area of service. What is interesting about that is how it pertains to our discussions the last few weeks. We have been looking at mission and location and service to community. It shouldn’t surprise me that other libraries around the world are similarly focused on serving the patron, but it never crossed my mind to think that Africa had the same problems with young adult readers as American librarians have, or that in some places in America, the role of the library is being marginalized to a storage facility just as in China it is being marginalized into a business. The parallels from library to library are the same, even though the countries are in some instances completely dissimilar (i.e. America and China).
Another common thread I found throughout was the dedication of the researcher to find out answers to some tough questions. I have never done a study before, so the idea of surveying 8 different villages in Africa or Library directors and community leaders in China seems daunting to me. That being said, it’s interesting to note the kinds of focus each author brings to the question. I often wonder as I read these journal articles what kind of investment these scholars have in the answers. I wonder about their agenda, or maybe more appropriately, their mission. Scholars do not come with mission statements, just with a desire to find new knowledge in the field they find interesting. I’m curious to see what a study on librarian scholars would find.
To conclude, I think there is something to be said about the similarities shared by public libraries and the people who write about them. Even though each comes from a different place, the institutions and the people tend to share common threads. They are shapes. Sometimes libraries have six sides and sometimes scholars have ten sides, but each aligns to the others in its similarities, even as it celebrates the difference.
Usherwood, B. (2002). The Inspiration and the facts: library and information services in the United Kingdom. IFLA journal, 28(136), 136-152.
Usherwood’s article is about the services and organization of the United Kingdom’s libraries. Since IFLA was to be held in Scotland in 2002, this article was meant to show attendees the types of library services in and around the country. While Scotland is not a part of the UK, it is a close neighbor and is shares some similarities with UK libraries.
The article describes services the UK libraries have offered in recent history, including an expansion of refugee resources; the ties to the “National Grid of Learning” as described in the paper “The learning age” which focused on the socio-political advantages of lifelong learning; the process of digitizing rare collections all over the world so that access can be increased; and the focus on books and reading.
The article also described the means by which the UK library held itself accountable to the country. The library, like many other entities in a country, has to be both sustainable and offer good service. The article notes that government at the time (PM Tony Blair) looked for the library to provide the “best value” to patrons, which tries to be both sustainable and serviceable.
Hart, G. (2006). The Information literacy education readiness of public libraries in Mpumalanga province (South Africa). Libri, 56, 48-62.
Hart’s article investigates one phase of a study about the readiness of public libraries in South Africa to take on a greater role in information literacy education, especially with regard to school-aged children. The study has two phases, and this article is a report on the first part: the interview surveys that will inform the follow up survey, or phase two.
The methodology of the study took careful focus on the design of the first phase because it was the broad survey that would later be used to bring in tighter focus on areas of interest to the researchers. The sampling of the designated area was also a factor taken into consideration. Mpumalanga province has six geographical regions that include both “big” (45,000 books or more) and “small” (having only one staff member).
The study concludes that respondents’ descriptions show a lack in knowledge of information literacy. This can partly be contributed to librarians seeing their job as the brokers of information, thereby not taking the time to educate the patrons on how to access their own information. Another factor to the lack of knowledge can be the limited number of staff or space in a given library where the service of information literacy just won’t do.
Yu, L. and Xu, J. (2006). The Political economy of public library development in post-1978 People's Republic of China. Libri, 56, 117-132.
Yu’s article is an examination of the public libraries in China following the 1978 economic reforms and onward. He notes that an extensive amount of study has been dedicated to the health care and education sectors of China, but not many have taken a deep look at the public library system and how it has been impacted by the rise of economic development of China.
The article looked at two data sources: the first is published statistics from the mid 1980’s to the present, professional literature and published speeches of government officials relating to public libraries. The second is empirical data collected through site visits to twelve local and four province libraries where interviews were taken from local officials and library directors. The four province libraries represent the varied development levels across the whole of China.
The study looked at several different areas of interest to develop some answers. For example, the growth of new libraries across the country is noted as increasing significantly from 1980 to 1999, jumping from 1732 libraries to 2769 libraries. Libraries, it turned out, while being neglected during the Cultural Revolution, were held as a major cultural edifice of urban life and so local governments clamored to construct new buildings or more buildings for libraries. Another focus of libraries that shifted after 1978 was the mission to the public. Prior to 1978, the library was held as an important organization to spread socialist ideology, but following 1978; the library was turned into a means of increasing economic construction.
The problem with this rapid growth of libraries was the methods local governments were turning toward in order to make the library efficient. They put quotas on library labor that could be measured (catalogers, shelvers, etc.) and introduced a management style that was more suited for a business than a library. While more libraries were opening, the level of access and assistance toward the community diminished.
The article concludes that while the economic reforms of China brought libraries into the forefront of economic growth, it has been increasingly marginalized in terms of public service because of its focus on economic growth. Market forces have lowered the level of service given by public libraries in China and the public service ethos of the library is minimal zed.
Kevane, M. (2008). How much do village libraries increase reading? Results of a survey of 10th graders in Burkina Faso. Libri, 58, 202-210.
The article by Kevane is a survey of reading habits in a country in Africa. The author first gives some background knowledge on the impact of reading and the availability of reading materials at a young age. Extensive research has been put forth to show that having access to books will greatly increase learning at the younger age groups. While there are some studies available to look at how many African children are reading for pleasure as opposed to reading for school, they are mostly only looking at a small population or village so no greater insight can really be determined. The introduction also notes the effect libraries have reading for pleasure in Africa. This survey hopes to shed some light on the reading habits of young adults.
The survey was conducted in secondary schools in eight villages in the country of Burkina Faso. The study looked at four villages with secondary schools and a public library and four villages that had a secondary school and no public library. In each village, the participants filled out a questionnaire that asked about socioeconomic background, accessibility of books and reading habits. The questionnaire took approximately one hour to complete.
The results (data sets shown in graphs and tables) were a little complicated. In towns that had nonprofit funded libraries, reading was up compared to towns that did not have nonprofit funded libraries. However, in towns that had government funded libraries, reading was less prevalent compared to the nonprofit libraries. One reason stated for this was the accessibility and depth of the collection between the two libraries. The nonprofit funded libraries are more open to community use, while the government funded libraries are more for the aide of teachers and community leaders.
The conclusions, according to the author, are that reading is quite low in Burkina Faso but villages with nonprofit funded libraries are able to double the reading level as opposed to villages without libraries and villages with government libraries.
Kargbo, J. (2007). Public library programming for the young adult reader: the Sierra Leone experience. Libri, 57, 65-68.
Kargbo’s article is about the issues and attempts to give good service to one of the hardest reading groups in Sierra Leone. He begins by describing the political, ethnic, and monetary standing of the country as well as a brief description of the term “young adult.”
Kargbo’s next point is to describe the agreements made in the white paper on educational development, which was developed by the Sierra Leone government. It called for the establishment of a library board as well as “support [….] programs of adult and fundamental education; provide effective services to children and young adult peoples [….]; provide much needed information and reference services; promote and stimulate reading […and] provide where needed, adequate services for special groups, that is women and girls, language groups […]” The white paper also called for nationwide support and supply of books to primary schools as well as advisory assistance to the teacher college.
The Sierra Leone public library has traditionally been looked at as the “peoples university” and has long been a home for those who are doing independent studies. While this can include the young adults of Sierra Leone, other steps made by librarians to engage young adult readers is to start book clubs and book discussions as well as creating book lists, book displays, and book exhibits for young adults to peruse at school and in the library. Other steps are to bring in live music, poetry, and drama performances into the public library space.
The article concludes that programming with the young adult in mind can be challenging, but the Sierra Leone library board has found a way to provide an acceptable level of service. While it could be much, much better, the country is doing a fine job.
What I found to be most interesting about all of my articles was the notice given to service. In China, it was noted that though libraries increased in number, they decreased in service. At the same time, libraries in Africa of one type served a completely different role in the community than another type did; and that one type of library a better job than another. One study noted that service to Young adults was available, but lacking. Another looked at the vast presence of public libraries in England and the services provided to its citizens. All were looking at different points of the world, and yet all were focused keenly on the area of service. What is interesting about that is how it pertains to our discussions the last few weeks. We have been looking at mission and location and service to community. It shouldn’t surprise me that other libraries around the world are similarly focused on serving the patron, but it never crossed my mind to think that Africa had the same problems with young adult readers as American librarians have, or that in some places in America, the role of the library is being marginalized to a storage facility just as in China it is being marginalized into a business. The parallels from library to library are the same, even though the countries are in some instances completely dissimilar (i.e. America and China).
Another common thread I found throughout was the dedication of the researcher to find out answers to some tough questions. I have never done a study before, so the idea of surveying 8 different villages in Africa or Library directors and community leaders in China seems daunting to me. That being said, it’s interesting to note the kinds of focus each author brings to the question. I often wonder as I read these journal articles what kind of investment these scholars have in the answers. I wonder about their agenda, or maybe more appropriately, their mission. Scholars do not come with mission statements, just with a desire to find new knowledge in the field they find interesting. I’m curious to see what a study on librarian scholars would find.
To conclude, I think there is something to be said about the similarities shared by public libraries and the people who write about them. Even though each comes from a different place, the institutions and the people tend to share common threads. They are shapes. Sometimes libraries have six sides and sometimes scholars have ten sides, but each aligns to the others in its similarities, even as it celebrates the difference.
Usherwood, B. (2002). The Inspiration and the facts: library and information services in the United Kingdom. IFLA journal, 28(136), 136-152.
Usherwood’s article is about the services and organization of the United Kingdom’s libraries. Since IFLA was to be held in Scotland in 2002, this article was meant to show attendees the types of library services in and around the country. While Scotland is not a part of the UK, it is a close neighbor and is shares some similarities with UK libraries.
The article describes services the UK libraries have offered in recent history, including an expansion of refugee resources; the ties to the “National Grid of Learning” as described in the paper “The learning age” which focused on the socio-political advantages of lifelong learning; the process of digitizing rare collections all over the world so that access can be increased; and the focus on books and reading.
The article also described the means by which the UK library held itself accountable to the country. The library, like many other entities in a country, has to be both sustainable and offer good service. The article notes that government at the time (PM Tony Blair) looked for the library to provide the “best value” to patrons, which tries to be both sustainable and serviceable.
Hart, G. (2006). The Information literacy education readiness of public libraries in Mpumalanga province (South Africa). Libri, 56, 48-62.
Hart’s article investigates one phase of a study about the readiness of public libraries in South Africa to take on a greater role in information literacy education, especially with regard to school-aged children. The study has two phases, and this article is a report on the first part: the interview surveys that will inform the follow up survey, or phase two.
The methodology of the study took careful focus on the design of the first phase because it was the broad survey that would later be used to bring in tighter focus on areas of interest to the researchers. The sampling of the designated area was also a factor taken into consideration. Mpumalanga province has six geographical regions that include both “big” (45,000 books or more) and “small” (having only one staff member).
The study concludes that respondents’ descriptions show a lack in knowledge of information literacy. This can partly be contributed to librarians seeing their job as the brokers of information, thereby not taking the time to educate the patrons on how to access their own information. Another factor to the lack of knowledge can be the limited number of staff or space in a given library where the service of information literacy just won’t do.
Yu, L. and Xu, J. (2006). The Political economy of public library development in post-1978 People's Republic of China. Libri, 56, 117-132.
Yu’s article is an examination of the public libraries in China following the 1978 economic reforms and onward. He notes that an extensive amount of study has been dedicated to the health care and education sectors of China, but not many have taken a deep look at the public library system and how it has been impacted by the rise of economic development of China.
The article looked at two data sources: the first is published statistics from the mid 1980’s to the present, professional literature and published speeches of government officials relating to public libraries. The second is empirical data collected through site visits to twelve local and four province libraries where interviews were taken from local officials and library directors. The four province libraries represent the varied development levels across the whole of China.
The study looked at several different areas of interest to develop some answers. For example, the growth of new libraries across the country is noted as increasing significantly from 1980 to 1999, jumping from 1732 libraries to 2769 libraries. Libraries, it turned out, while being neglected during the Cultural Revolution, were held as a major cultural edifice of urban life and so local governments clamored to construct new buildings or more buildings for libraries. Another focus of libraries that shifted after 1978 was the mission to the public. Prior to 1978, the library was held as an important organization to spread socialist ideology, but following 1978; the library was turned into a means of increasing economic construction.
The problem with this rapid growth of libraries was the methods local governments were turning toward in order to make the library efficient. They put quotas on library labor that could be measured (catalogers, shelvers, etc.) and introduced a management style that was more suited for a business than a library. While more libraries were opening, the level of access and assistance toward the community diminished.
The article concludes that while the economic reforms of China brought libraries into the forefront of economic growth, it has been increasingly marginalized in terms of public service because of its focus on economic growth. Market forces have lowered the level of service given by public libraries in China and the public service ethos of the library is minimal zed.
Kevane, M. (2008). How much do village libraries increase reading? Results of a survey of 10th graders in Burkina Faso. Libri, 58, 202-210.
The article by Kevane is a survey of reading habits in a country in Africa. The author first gives some background knowledge on the impact of reading and the availability of reading materials at a young age. Extensive research has been put forth to show that having access to books will greatly increase learning at the younger age groups. While there are some studies available to look at how many African children are reading for pleasure as opposed to reading for school, they are mostly only looking at a small population or village so no greater insight can really be determined. The introduction also notes the effect libraries have reading for pleasure in Africa. This survey hopes to shed some light on the reading habits of young adults.
The survey was conducted in secondary schools in eight villages in the country of Burkina Faso. The study looked at four villages with secondary schools and a public library and four villages that had a secondary school and no public library. In each village, the participants filled out a questionnaire that asked about socioeconomic background, accessibility of books and reading habits. The questionnaire took approximately one hour to complete.
The results (data sets shown in graphs and tables) were a little complicated. In towns that had nonprofit funded libraries, reading was up compared to towns that did not have nonprofit funded libraries. However, in towns that had government funded libraries, reading was less prevalent compared to the nonprofit libraries. One reason stated for this was the accessibility and depth of the collection between the two libraries. The nonprofit funded libraries are more open to community use, while the government funded libraries are more for the aide of teachers and community leaders.
The conclusions, according to the author, are that reading is quite low in Burkina Faso but villages with nonprofit funded libraries are able to double the reading level as opposed to villages without libraries and villages with government libraries.
Kargbo, J. (2007). Public library programming for the young adult reader: the Sierra Leone experience. Libri, 57, 65-68.
Kargbo’s article is about the issues and attempts to give good service to one of the hardest reading groups in Sierra Leone. He begins by describing the political, ethnic, and monetary standing of the country as well as a brief description of the term “young adult.”
Kargbo’s next point is to describe the agreements made in the white paper on educational development, which was developed by the Sierra Leone government. It called for the establishment of a library board as well as “support [….] programs of adult and fundamental education; provide effective services to children and young adult peoples [….]; provide much needed information and reference services; promote and stimulate reading […and] provide where needed, adequate services for special groups, that is women and girls, language groups […]” The white paper also called for nationwide support and supply of books to primary schools as well as advisory assistance to the teacher college.
The Sierra Leone public library has traditionally been looked at as the “peoples university” and has long been a home for those who are doing independent studies. While this can include the young adults of Sierra Leone, other steps made by librarians to engage young adult readers is to start book clubs and book discussions as well as creating book lists, book displays, and book exhibits for young adults to peruse at school and in the library. Other steps are to bring in live music, poetry, and drama performances into the public library space.
The article concludes that programming with the young adult in mind can be challenging, but the Sierra Leone library board has found a way to provide an acceptable level of service. While it could be much, much better, the country is doing a fine job.
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