So here’s the “why,” in bold print, first page: “Passionate librarians make the difference.”
Of course, that’s really what I like to see. Without the librarians working hard to execute all the different facets of the campaign, who would? Dedicated people make for dedicated work, which is probably why this campaign found success. Well, some credit is probably owed to the open-mindedness of Geek the Library participants, but thinking in practical terms, it’s probably the librarians of the pilot areas that deserve the most credit.
Anyway, just a small wrap-up to my exploration of this article. It’s thoroughly intriguing, and an initiative that I hope can find its way across the U.S
p.s. Please let me know if my breakdown of Geek the Library counts as only one post. In which case this is only Entry 8-ish.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Entry 11: Geek the Library, Part 4
The report states that the Geek the Library program did have a good deal of success. What I want to know is the “why”—why is it this program succeeded like it did? And what is the future for it?
The report goes by steps in reporting why it was a success. Step one, for instance, was the goal of raising awareness. Success was found through polling; for example, polling whether or not citizens of the “pilot” library counties noticed Geek the Library signs or not—and more did than did not. Visual advertising apparently became key, as shown in these statistics:
A question the campaign also asked itself (not as an entity but a conglomerate of individuals, I mean) was whether or not people liked the campaign—and the result was positively positive (or neutral)! Those who reacted negatively seemed to have very unimportant quibbles.
Step two in Geek the Library’s mission was “Changing perceptions.” The way a shift in perception was measured was in the asking of about 40 questions concerning library perceptions and attitudes. Results (apparently) were positive and likely to impact long-term support for libraries; for example, the shifting idea of the library as something “nice-to-have” to a necessity. When compared (in the pilot areas) to other public services for a willingness in citizens to raise taxes to fund libraries, libraries failed to top the other services but did increase in percentage from the last voting year. How about that!
The report claims that in pilot areas, people were educated in ways they could help their public libraries, as they didn’t even know before the campaign that libraries were in dire straits financially to begin with. More residents in these areas also began to increase in perception of the transformative values in a library; that the library allows one to pursue passions and interests. Another perception that was changed concerned funding. A great percentage of people who had believed libraries had enough funding to get on with learned that funding was, in fact, insufficient for day-to-day operations.
Step three in the campaign, called “Driving behavior,” focused on taking new awareness and changed perceptions and turn them into action. Because it is still a relatively new campaign, not a great deal of focus was given to how funding had changed; there was, however, a noticeable difference in conversation with regard to libraries. In short surveys in both pilot areas, about two-thirds of respondents said they had begun to take action for their libraries. In these pilot areas, many went from sitting on the fence to supporting a library ballot measure. Although percentages and statistics did not make stunning, high-jumping movements forward or upward, movement is visible.
So this explains, I suppose, how the campaign worked—but I think I recall asking why? I’ll leave this here for now and do some more investigating.
The report goes by steps in reporting why it was a success. Step one, for instance, was the goal of raising awareness. Success was found through polling; for example, polling whether or not citizens of the “pilot” library counties noticed Geek the Library signs or not—and more did than did not. Visual advertising apparently became key, as shown in these statistics:
A question the campaign also asked itself (not as an entity but a conglomerate of individuals, I mean) was whether or not people liked the campaign—and the result was positively positive (or neutral)! Those who reacted negatively seemed to have very unimportant quibbles.
Step two in Geek the Library’s mission was “Changing perceptions.” The way a shift in perception was measured was in the asking of about 40 questions concerning library perceptions and attitudes. Results (apparently) were positive and likely to impact long-term support for libraries; for example, the shifting idea of the library as something “nice-to-have” to a necessity. When compared (in the pilot areas) to other public services for a willingness in citizens to raise taxes to fund libraries, libraries failed to top the other services but did increase in percentage from the last voting year. How about that!
The report claims that in pilot areas, people were educated in ways they could help their public libraries, as they didn’t even know before the campaign that libraries were in dire straits financially to begin with. More residents in these areas also began to increase in perception of the transformative values in a library; that the library allows one to pursue passions and interests. Another perception that was changed concerned funding. A great percentage of people who had believed libraries had enough funding to get on with learned that funding was, in fact, insufficient for day-to-day operations.
Step three in the campaign, called “Driving behavior,” focused on taking new awareness and changed perceptions and turn them into action. Because it is still a relatively new campaign, not a great deal of focus was given to how funding had changed; there was, however, a noticeable difference in conversation with regard to libraries. In short surveys in both pilot areas, about two-thirds of respondents said they had begun to take action for their libraries. In these pilot areas, many went from sitting on the fence to supporting a library ballot measure. Although percentages and statistics did not make stunning, high-jumping movements forward or upward, movement is visible.
So this explains, I suppose, how the campaign worked—but I think I recall asking why? I’ll leave this here for now and do some more investigating.
Entry 10 – Geek the Library, Part 3
“The goal of the Geek the Library project was to design, execute, measure and disseminate a public awareness campaign that uses advocacy and marketing to increase awareness of the vital role public libraries play and library funding challenges.”
This is where I begin reading about the actual execution of the Geek the Library project.
(Well first, one sort of side-note question: on page 2 of this section of the report, it is mentioned that there are guidelines that restrict “lobbying” by libraries. What does this mean? For a library, I mean.)
As has been said before, the main thing that needed to happen for libraries under the Geek the Library program was that perceptions of modern libraries needed to change. As well as the research that went into finding who would and would not support library funding, Geek the Library used effective (and adorable) advertising techniques, such as the appropriation of the word “geek” as a positive construct and even posters showcasing how libraries support all that a person could possibly “geek” over. The campaign also required what were called “pilot libraries,” or the libraries to first test the water, so to speak.
The report talks about its “multipronged marketing approach,” using traditional advertising techniques (“traditional” meaning billboards, posters, radio ads and the like, right?), as well as events and presentations to local communities. There was e-mail marketing, online marketing, public relations initiatives, and even a website (that is still operational).
Community promotional events seem particularly effective to me, as it seems to give a chance for the initiative to present facts one-on-one while receiving the kind of feedback one does not necessarily get from just pasting ads on billboards. But seriously, so many different kinds of advertising tools were employed in this project that it would be better for me to leave it to the report to tell about it. What I’m curious about at this point is: how does one create so much material for advertisement while lacking funding at the home front? I’m sure that will be answered slightly further on.
This is where I begin reading about the actual execution of the Geek the Library project.
(Well first, one sort of side-note question: on page 2 of this section of the report, it is mentioned that there are guidelines that restrict “lobbying” by libraries. What does this mean? For a library, I mean.)
As has been said before, the main thing that needed to happen for libraries under the Geek the Library program was that perceptions of modern libraries needed to change. As well as the research that went into finding who would and would not support library funding, Geek the Library used effective (and adorable) advertising techniques, such as the appropriation of the word “geek” as a positive construct and even posters showcasing how libraries support all that a person could possibly “geek” over. The campaign also required what were called “pilot libraries,” or the libraries to first test the water, so to speak.
The report talks about its “multipronged marketing approach,” using traditional advertising techniques (“traditional” meaning billboards, posters, radio ads and the like, right?), as well as events and presentations to local communities. There was e-mail marketing, online marketing, public relations initiatives, and even a website (that is still operational).
Community promotional events seem particularly effective to me, as it seems to give a chance for the initiative to present facts one-on-one while receiving the kind of feedback one does not necessarily get from just pasting ads on billboards. But seriously, so many different kinds of advertising tools were employed in this project that it would be better for me to leave it to the report to tell about it. What I’m curious about at this point is: how does one create so much material for advertisement while lacking funding at the home front? I’m sure that will be answered slightly further on.
Entry 9 – Geek the Library, Part 2
I suppose I’ll go a bit section by section on this, as it is a long read and I’d like to get through as much as I can in the time that I have. I’ve started now on the section titled “Geek the Library Theory,” which is actually the first actual chapter in the study.
So the questions I had left at the end of the last segment of this seems to have been answered in the first few sentences. I had been concerned about why a library would require funding for increased activity when I had thought library activity had decreased. I was also concerned about where increased activity might be coming from. Apparently, most U.S. public libraries have increased traffic due to an increased demand for computer and Internet access, with people using such resources to find jobs or to “reeducate themselves”. At the same time, however, libraries are facing more and more budget cuts—which I have to admit, I do not in the least bit understand. I suppose that’s another misconception of mine: that places like libraries, post offices, parks and public services are untouchable by a sinking economy. I’m guessing the economy is the reason for budget cuts, anyway.
The report goes on to address the strategies that would be employed in their funding initiative, and it seems that most of the potential funds libraries are looking at are to come from the voting community—not from organizations, banks, or anything like that, that I can see. In researching potential funding groups, the report also mentions the creation of “segmentation,” an important role in advertising and understanding consumer demand, according to the previous report by Kathy Dempsey.
Something interesting to me is that, according to the report, perception and attitude towards libraries and librarians is more important in funding efforts than other demographics, such as age, gender, race, income, and so on. Perception and attitude seem to play a great deal in much of the success this initiative finds, actually. This fun and understandable visual aid was created with the use of segmentation to chart, from top to bottom, who would be the most and least supportive in funding:
I think I now understand where voting plays a vital role in funding initiatives, as voters are segmented as well into those who probably would not vote for a library referendum, those who definitely wouldn’t, and those who definitely would, as well as sub-sections of those categories. One aspect affecting these categories is what people do and do not know about their local libraries—and apparently the average voting population does not know a lot. There is also the perception that those who visit the library most often would be the most likely supporter of their library’s funding, but the two do not necessarily correlate. So perhaps it is not important for funding supporters to know exactly what services a library provides, only that it does provide a community service. This is again where perception plays a role.
There were enough charts and graphs in this section to leave me boggled for hours, so I don’t think I’ll interpret them here. What these charts essentially came down to is the question of “how well do we know our supporters, and how well do our supporters know us?” The report makes the statement in one sub-section that “the library must be repositioned. The library can no longer be viewed as an institution that is ‘nice to have,’ but rather as a vital part of the community infrastructure.” All of this requires a change in perspective for the voter or supporter or whatever else—maybe not a one-eighty transformation, but at least a slight turn of the head in understanding the role of the public library and its importance alongside other public services that require tax dollars and public funding to function.
So the questions I had left at the end of the last segment of this seems to have been answered in the first few sentences. I had been concerned about why a library would require funding for increased activity when I had thought library activity had decreased. I was also concerned about where increased activity might be coming from. Apparently, most U.S. public libraries have increased traffic due to an increased demand for computer and Internet access, with people using such resources to find jobs or to “reeducate themselves”. At the same time, however, libraries are facing more and more budget cuts—which I have to admit, I do not in the least bit understand. I suppose that’s another misconception of mine: that places like libraries, post offices, parks and public services are untouchable by a sinking economy. I’m guessing the economy is the reason for budget cuts, anyway.
The report goes on to address the strategies that would be employed in their funding initiative, and it seems that most of the potential funds libraries are looking at are to come from the voting community—not from organizations, banks, or anything like that, that I can see. In researching potential funding groups, the report also mentions the creation of “segmentation,” an important role in advertising and understanding consumer demand, according to the previous report by Kathy Dempsey.
Something interesting to me is that, according to the report, perception and attitude towards libraries and librarians is more important in funding efforts than other demographics, such as age, gender, race, income, and so on. Perception and attitude seem to play a great deal in much of the success this initiative finds, actually. This fun and understandable visual aid was created with the use of segmentation to chart, from top to bottom, who would be the most and least supportive in funding:
I think I now understand where voting plays a vital role in funding initiatives, as voters are segmented as well into those who probably would not vote for a library referendum, those who definitely wouldn’t, and those who definitely would, as well as sub-sections of those categories. One aspect affecting these categories is what people do and do not know about their local libraries—and apparently the average voting population does not know a lot. There is also the perception that those who visit the library most often would be the most likely supporter of their library’s funding, but the two do not necessarily correlate. So perhaps it is not important for funding supporters to know exactly what services a library provides, only that it does provide a community service. This is again where perception plays a role.
There were enough charts and graphs in this section to leave me boggled for hours, so I don’t think I’ll interpret them here. What these charts essentially came down to is the question of “how well do we know our supporters, and how well do our supporters know us?” The report makes the statement in one sub-section that “the library must be repositioned. The library can no longer be viewed as an institution that is ‘nice to have,’ but rather as a vital part of the community infrastructure.” All of this requires a change in perspective for the voter or supporter or whatever else—maybe not a one-eighty transformation, but at least a slight turn of the head in understanding the role of the public library and its importance alongside other public services that require tax dollars and public funding to function.
Entry 8: Understanding the Information User
Dempsey, Kathy. "The Key to Marketing Success." Information Outlook 14.8 (2010): 6-9. Library Lit & Inf Full Text. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. (Web source here)
It would seem to me that in almost all cases of promoting libraries, it’s necessary to present the library as a product with value, and consider library-goers less as “patrons” and more as “consumers.” In this report, Kathy Dempsey lays out what seems like a model advertising campaign for a large corporation, but actually can have real application in “advertising” libraries. It is a model based on conversation and feedback; know what the customer wants, and you will be able to deliver. It is a model by which businesses and corporations live by.
Even though a library’s end goal is not profit (not currency-wise, that is), that should not impede it from following the same advertising model as any profit venture. Businesses and corporations spend millions of dollars a year researching their target demographics, and so should a library spend the time getting to know how to cater to their patrons. Dempsey posits that the better one knows one’s demographic and how to “segment” them, the better served they are.
After reading this article for a while, I forgot that I was reading anything relating to a library and got the impression I was reading aimed at an entirely different group. But why should it be any different, really, between for-profit and non-profit organizations? The only problem I could see the non-profit encountering is in securing the initial funds for research into demographics of patrons and their needs and then being able to supply the tools needed by the patrons. But I suppose this is where initiatives for library awareness come in, don’t they?
It would seem to me that in almost all cases of promoting libraries, it’s necessary to present the library as a product with value, and consider library-goers less as “patrons” and more as “consumers.” In this report, Kathy Dempsey lays out what seems like a model advertising campaign for a large corporation, but actually can have real application in “advertising” libraries. It is a model based on conversation and feedback; know what the customer wants, and you will be able to deliver. It is a model by which businesses and corporations live by.
Even though a library’s end goal is not profit (not currency-wise, that is), that should not impede it from following the same advertising model as any profit venture. Businesses and corporations spend millions of dollars a year researching their target demographics, and so should a library spend the time getting to know how to cater to their patrons. Dempsey posits that the better one knows one’s demographic and how to “segment” them, the better served they are.
After reading this article for a while, I forgot that I was reading anything relating to a library and got the impression I was reading aimed at an entirely different group. But why should it be any different, really, between for-profit and non-profit organizations? The only problem I could see the non-profit encountering is in securing the initial funds for research into demographics of patrons and their needs and then being able to supply the tools needed by the patrons. But I suppose this is where initiatives for library awareness come in, don’t they?
Entry 7: Geek the Library: A Community Awareness Campaign
(Not entirely sure who to attribute this article to. Web source here)
The entirety of this reading was something like 108 pages, so I did tend to skip around a good deal. I may actually end up breaking this into sections, as there was a great deal to take in and a great deal that caught my attention.
What hooked me first about this campaign was the use of the word “geek” as a verb used to simplify the object of this campaign. To be a geek about something is to compulsively love or obsess, pretty exclusively, over one thing. It’s the love of an object or a craft or a hobby or an anything that, when effort is put forth into the object of geekiness, one can see great returns—like investing in stocks. So to “geek” a library or to be a geek for a library is to put a great deal of dedication and love into the organization. It would seem, however, that there is not much return or growth in the area of libraries for the geek. They don’t seem to receive the attention they deserve, being always in the public eye. But libraries seem to be getting something like the billboard effect, where a public billboard may always be in sight, but could lose meaning or relevancy to the eye the more one sees the same billboard. They’re matter-of-fact and they can be ignored, consciously or unconsciously.
“Geek the Library” wishes to put libraries back into public vision in a big way, and not in the way a billboard works. The report spells out exactly what could bring about public awareness for libararies:
“A successful community awareness campaign has to do three things:
1. Wake up potential supporters to the fact that the library is relevant in the 21st century
2. Put libraries squarely in the mix of important community infrastructure, alongside fire, police and schools
3. Activate conversations about the vital and transformative role that the library plays, and its value to the community.”
Point number 2 seemed especially significant to me. The report mentions often the necessity of opening up a dialogue about libraries with those on a level kind of “outside.” That is to say, it would do no good to raise awareness about libraries within the library infrastructure itself—that’s just preaching to the choir. Instead the initiative should be taken to all facets of the community, and made relatable to those who don’t necessarily “geek” libraries.
It’s the way in which the campaign seeks (sought?) to make libraries relatable to everybody—to find out what people “geek” about—and show how libraries support all kinds of geeking.
All of this geeking was for the goal of generating funding for public libraries. A point is reached in the report where I admit I was reading more and taking notes less, so I’m not certain how to summarize or explain how the campaign was first launched. It seems that what contributes most to campaign success starts first with some kind of voting, and the categorization of voters who would be less or more helpful toward success of the campaign. On page 13 of the report, there is a run-down of different ways in which people support libraries and the perception of this support, and some actually surprised me. If I’m interpreting this correctly, it seems most people would rather support their library financially from a distance—that is, without actually using the library. Perceptions of librarians themselves also seem to factor into financial support of a library. However, of the voters mentioned earlier, many do or would support their library.
What I love about this campaign is that it is not a “poster campaign”—these librarians want people talking about what is important to them and how the library can support that.
One thing I’ll admit to not quite understanding—maybe because my own perceptions of public libraries are rather skewed—is the reason why public libraries required additional funding (something really noticeable in 2005, the report says). According to the report, funding was required because of the demands being placed on libraries. My own perception has always told me that libraries are kind of a dying thing, and library awareness was something necessary to resuscitate them. However, the report talks about heavier demands on resources, staff, and so on, which makes me think that people must be utilizing their libraries fairly well for the demand being created. There’s something in the middle here I believe I’m missing.
I’ll stop here for now and pick up on this article later, as it is kind of a demanding read. I’ll post a part two to this later on.
The entirety of this reading was something like 108 pages, so I did tend to skip around a good deal. I may actually end up breaking this into sections, as there was a great deal to take in and a great deal that caught my attention.
What hooked me first about this campaign was the use of the word “geek” as a verb used to simplify the object of this campaign. To be a geek about something is to compulsively love or obsess, pretty exclusively, over one thing. It’s the love of an object or a craft or a hobby or an anything that, when effort is put forth into the object of geekiness, one can see great returns—like investing in stocks. So to “geek” a library or to be a geek for a library is to put a great deal of dedication and love into the organization. It would seem, however, that there is not much return or growth in the area of libraries for the geek. They don’t seem to receive the attention they deserve, being always in the public eye. But libraries seem to be getting something like the billboard effect, where a public billboard may always be in sight, but could lose meaning or relevancy to the eye the more one sees the same billboard. They’re matter-of-fact and they can be ignored, consciously or unconsciously.
“Geek the Library” wishes to put libraries back into public vision in a big way, and not in the way a billboard works. The report spells out exactly what could bring about public awareness for libararies:
“A successful community awareness campaign has to do three things:
1. Wake up potential supporters to the fact that the library is relevant in the 21st century
2. Put libraries squarely in the mix of important community infrastructure, alongside fire, police and schools
3. Activate conversations about the vital and transformative role that the library plays, and its value to the community.”
Point number 2 seemed especially significant to me. The report mentions often the necessity of opening up a dialogue about libraries with those on a level kind of “outside.” That is to say, it would do no good to raise awareness about libraries within the library infrastructure itself—that’s just preaching to the choir. Instead the initiative should be taken to all facets of the community, and made relatable to those who don’t necessarily “geek” libraries.
It’s the way in which the campaign seeks (sought?) to make libraries relatable to everybody—to find out what people “geek” about—and show how libraries support all kinds of geeking.
All of this geeking was for the goal of generating funding for public libraries. A point is reached in the report where I admit I was reading more and taking notes less, so I’m not certain how to summarize or explain how the campaign was first launched. It seems that what contributes most to campaign success starts first with some kind of voting, and the categorization of voters who would be less or more helpful toward success of the campaign. On page 13 of the report, there is a run-down of different ways in which people support libraries and the perception of this support, and some actually surprised me. If I’m interpreting this correctly, it seems most people would rather support their library financially from a distance—that is, without actually using the library. Perceptions of librarians themselves also seem to factor into financial support of a library. However, of the voters mentioned earlier, many do or would support their library.
What I love about this campaign is that it is not a “poster campaign”—these librarians want people talking about what is important to them and how the library can support that.
One thing I’ll admit to not quite understanding—maybe because my own perceptions of public libraries are rather skewed—is the reason why public libraries required additional funding (something really noticeable in 2005, the report says). According to the report, funding was required because of the demands being placed on libraries. My own perception has always told me that libraries are kind of a dying thing, and library awareness was something necessary to resuscitate them. However, the report talks about heavier demands on resources, staff, and so on, which makes me think that people must be utilizing their libraries fairly well for the demand being created. There’s something in the middle here I believe I’m missing.
I’ll stop here for now and pick up on this article later, as it is kind of a demanding read. I’ll post a part two to this later on.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Entry 6 - The Ivory Tower as Preparation for the Trenches: The Relationship Between Library Education and Library Practice
Article by Robert P. Holley.
Original source: College & Research Libraries News 64 no3 172-5 Mr 2003 (web source here)
"Why can't library education and library practice get along better?" is the opening question of Robert Holley's article, a question that also opens the floor to addressing several issues within the library community. Mr. Holley's article I found positively reassuring after reading Mz. Bates' article. Though Mr. Holley does propose change in several areas of the field, he embraces also several "old world" practices (my terminology).
(If I could take an aside here: I find it kind of disturbing that both articles, regardless of stance, use the term "the L word" to refer to Libraries, or when talking of removal of the word from teaching establishments. Is this such an issue? I really had no idea.)
Mr. Holley, in his article, seeks to offer a "dual perspective"--and he really does deliver. He divides his article into three parts, concerning "program name, the curriculum, theory versus practice, and accreditation." The first matter on the agenda actually addresses my earlier aside about the removal of "L word" from program names. While Mr. Holley addresses the fact that the removal of the word "library" from program names and so forth could alienate some, as words like "information" are incredibly open to interpretation, he also can see the need for such a change; he reports that, in creating "information schools," closures of schools have decreased dramatically. Better to have the "L word" removed than the schools, I suppose.
The article's next point concerns the shaping of a curriculum for schools, and seems almost a direct attack on Mz. Bates' article on how programs should be programmed to make students more marketable. Bates a remarks that there is a rigidity already in library programs that is almost equivalent to what a lawyer might have to go through in his or her education. There is, of course, the recognition that the programs in a library school of thirty years ago would, of course, fail to meet the new technological and information standards of today, so of course programs would have to meet those standards.
The next section, "Theory versus Practice," flows right from the last section. Where Bates' article seemed to argue that graduates of LIS programs should have the kind of hands-on experience that would prepare to them to attack a first job readily, which seems almost an unrealistic expectation for me. Holley seems to argue that the first job out of a library program is really the kind of hands-on experience that librarians will get to prepare them for a career in the field, as students will prepare for a first job through theory, research methods courses, and so on. This I feel more inclined to agree with; it seems a more natural process.
The next section in Holley's article talks about the importance of accreditation in LIS programs--but I admit to not understanding, really, a word of it. What I believe I understand of accreditation is that a committee determines criteria shaped for a school's curriculum, this criteria determines what a student must have under their belt to be properly graduated--but that's about it. This is something I think I should definitely know more about.
Holley concludes his article talking about the fact that practice and education have more in common than they think they do, and wishes they (a kind of big "they," I don't suppose to know exactly who "they" are) would realize the congruence between the two. I agree with a great deal in this article--and not only because I'm most comfortable, at all times, in a more moderate position, but because these two aspects, education and practice, do make up one large whole, which seems kind of obvious.
Original source: College & Research Libraries News 64 no3 172-5 Mr 2003 (web source here)
"Why can't library education and library practice get along better?" is the opening question of Robert Holley's article, a question that also opens the floor to addressing several issues within the library community. Mr. Holley's article I found positively reassuring after reading Mz. Bates' article. Though Mr. Holley does propose change in several areas of the field, he embraces also several "old world" practices (my terminology).
(If I could take an aside here: I find it kind of disturbing that both articles, regardless of stance, use the term "the L word" to refer to Libraries, or when talking of removal of the word from teaching establishments. Is this such an issue? I really had no idea.)
Mr. Holley, in his article, seeks to offer a "dual perspective"--and he really does deliver. He divides his article into three parts, concerning "program name, the curriculum, theory versus practice, and accreditation." The first matter on the agenda actually addresses my earlier aside about the removal of "L word" from program names. While Mr. Holley addresses the fact that the removal of the word "library" from program names and so forth could alienate some, as words like "information" are incredibly open to interpretation, he also can see the need for such a change; he reports that, in creating "information schools," closures of schools have decreased dramatically. Better to have the "L word" removed than the schools, I suppose.
The article's next point concerns the shaping of a curriculum for schools, and seems almost a direct attack on Mz. Bates' article on how programs should be programmed to make students more marketable. Bates a remarks that there is a rigidity already in library programs that is almost equivalent to what a lawyer might have to go through in his or her education. There is, of course, the recognition that the programs in a library school of thirty years ago would, of course, fail to meet the new technological and information standards of today, so of course programs would have to meet those standards.
The next section, "Theory versus Practice," flows right from the last section. Where Bates' article seemed to argue that graduates of LIS programs should have the kind of hands-on experience that would prepare to them to attack a first job readily, which seems almost an unrealistic expectation for me. Holley seems to argue that the first job out of a library program is really the kind of hands-on experience that librarians will get to prepare them for a career in the field, as students will prepare for a first job through theory, research methods courses, and so on. This I feel more inclined to agree with; it seems a more natural process.
The next section in Holley's article talks about the importance of accreditation in LIS programs--but I admit to not understanding, really, a word of it. What I believe I understand of accreditation is that a committee determines criteria shaped for a school's curriculum, this criteria determines what a student must have under their belt to be properly graduated--but that's about it. This is something I think I should definitely know more about.
Holley concludes his article talking about the fact that practice and education have more in common than they think they do, and wishes they (a kind of big "they," I don't suppose to know exactly who "they" are) would realize the congruence between the two. I agree with a great deal in this article--and not only because I'm most comfortable, at all times, in a more moderate position, but because these two aspects, education and practice, do make up one large whole, which seems kind of obvious.
Entry 5 - Is an M.L.S. Still Relevant?
Article by Mary Ellen Bates (Bates Information Services)
Originally published in Online 34 no2 Mr/Ap 2010 p. 64 (websource here)
My knowledge of Library Education is rudimentary at best; what I know comes from the articles I've read and the blogs I've perused, and still I have not really obtained a good knowledge of how a modern (modern being within, say, the last five years) MLS or LIS program or however they'd like to title it these days actually functions and what it produces. I have discussed library education with those I've interviewed and those librarians I've just happened to meet, and the answer I seem to get most of the time, when I ask about education, is something along the lines of "Well, things have really changed since I was there (some number of years) ago."
And this is true, things have changed--and according to the author of this article, Mary Ellen Bates, things are still changing and need to change even further still.
As far as I can gather from the article (which, admittedly, is not a lot), Mz. Bates looks quite a great deal from the view of the potential employer of the person of the MLS or LIS or information- or library-related schools. It's something I suppose I had never considered, Librarianship as a competitive venture. That a degree in such programs could be used to look for jobs in fields outside libraries is something I had not thought of.
I suppose what Mz. Bates is looking at in her article is not to introduce the fact that this is a competitive field, for certainly any field of employment is. What she seems to be looking at is what is being "produced" through LIS programs, and whether these programs are producing people with skills that are "marketable," to libraries and otherwise.
As far as I can tell (and I hope I'm seeing this correctly), the author's beef is not with the "product" itself, really, but with the production process. What are LIS programs doing to market their graduates? Are theory and lessons in cataloging and so on as important a learning tool as hands-on experience? Mz. Bates brings up the fact that those looking to practice law, medicine and so forth are all required to have some kind of hands-on experience in their education. So is the lack of practical experience where LIS programs fail in producing marketable employees? I can't say I know a great deal about the job market for librarians or those graduated from LIS programs looking to work outside the library field, so I'm not certain exactly sure how Mz. Bates' argument for change in LIS programs stands. Is the job market a difficult operation for LIS graduates? Or is Mz. Bates simply precipitating a coming difficulty for LIS graduates?
Either way, should I be concerned right now?
Originally published in Online 34 no2 Mr/Ap 2010 p. 64 (websource here)
My knowledge of Library Education is rudimentary at best; what I know comes from the articles I've read and the blogs I've perused, and still I have not really obtained a good knowledge of how a modern (modern being within, say, the last five years) MLS or LIS program or however they'd like to title it these days actually functions and what it produces. I have discussed library education with those I've interviewed and those librarians I've just happened to meet, and the answer I seem to get most of the time, when I ask about education, is something along the lines of "Well, things have really changed since I was there (some number of years) ago."
And this is true, things have changed--and according to the author of this article, Mary Ellen Bates, things are still changing and need to change even further still.
As far as I can gather from the article (which, admittedly, is not a lot), Mz. Bates looks quite a great deal from the view of the potential employer of the person of the MLS or LIS or information- or library-related schools. It's something I suppose I had never considered, Librarianship as a competitive venture. That a degree in such programs could be used to look for jobs in fields outside libraries is something I had not thought of.
I suppose what Mz. Bates is looking at in her article is not to introduce the fact that this is a competitive field, for certainly any field of employment is. What she seems to be looking at is what is being "produced" through LIS programs, and whether these programs are producing people with skills that are "marketable," to libraries and otherwise.
As far as I can tell (and I hope I'm seeing this correctly), the author's beef is not with the "product" itself, really, but with the production process. What are LIS programs doing to market their graduates? Are theory and lessons in cataloging and so on as important a learning tool as hands-on experience? Mz. Bates brings up the fact that those looking to practice law, medicine and so forth are all required to have some kind of hands-on experience in their education. So is the lack of practical experience where LIS programs fail in producing marketable employees? I can't say I know a great deal about the job market for librarians or those graduated from LIS programs looking to work outside the library field, so I'm not certain exactly sure how Mz. Bates' argument for change in LIS programs stands. Is the job market a difficult operation for LIS graduates? Or is Mz. Bates simply precipitating a coming difficulty for LIS graduates?
Either way, should I be concerned right now?
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Entry 4 - Reconnecting with Reading
By Robert Rua, Communications Coordinator for Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library; article pulled from website Public Libraries Online
Fairly recently, in 2008, a library system in Ohio—the Cuyahoga County Public Library system (CCPL) began a rather astonishing initiative to re-boot, one could say, and bring attention to what the members of the CCPL system believe to be the “core values” of public library services: “books and reading.” This article is a story of success—or at least the beginnings of a successful campaign—to get the patrons of the CCPL system, as the population of the County itself drops, to revitalize an interest in reading among its patrons.
The initiative started by CCPL, focusing on the “core values,” with a focus on “organization efforts toward finding ways to improve customer convenience, increase accessibility, and, ultimately, connect customers with books” was titled Reconnect with Reading. To help efforts, in 2008, a Cleveland research team was led to conduct phone surveys of adult reading levels in Cuyahoga County, the results of which were to be compared against from the 2007 study to Read or Not to Read, conducted by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), which examined adult reading levels on a national scale. (A small run-through of the NEA study can be found here.
I feel I ought to step back some at this point to avoid simply summarizing and quoting the entire article, but to talk simply about what I found most interesting in this project—an enormous endeavor on the part of the library staff of the CCPL system—and also try to draw some conclusions from their success story.
What I found most astounding about this project to inspire reading was what as titled “Phase Two” of the project: an enormous ad campaign, driven by celebrities, local and otherwise, as well as the use of internet avenues such as Google Advertising, billboard advertising, airport ads, radio ads—all utilized in order to keep in the public eye the importance and the appealing nature of the “core values” of public library services. And although “books and reading” are the primary values in the mission, one of the Library world’s Superstars was brought in—Nancy Pearl (website here)—to help reinforce the importance of the modern library in contributing to modern literacy, apparently dropping in on library staff of the CCPL system monthly to conduct various workshops for subject specialists, helping to increase enthusiasm among library employees for the initiative. Some “helpful tips” given by Nancy and shared within the article I must also share here, as they feel incredibly relevant to myself, being interested in the works of the reference librarian:
• Always remember that RA (Reference Assistance?) isn’t about the books you think people ought to read. It’s about engaging people and talking with them about the books they enjoy—and really listening to what they have
to say.
• Ask, what was the last great book you read? What did you like about it? The way your customer talks about it will tell you how they found the doorway to that book. Then suggest a book with the same doorway.
• Look for openings to get a conversation going. For example, display a book at the checkout desk. People will take a look. This is your opening to start a conversation.
• When you’re giving RA, get out from behind your desk and into the stacks so you can give the person your undivided attention. Don’t let your desk be a barrier between you and your customer.
• Hand your customers the book as you recommend it. Let them hold it and read the flap. Do this and you’ve broken another barrier—and your customer will be more likely to check out the book.
• Prepare a small list of “can’t miss” books that you are comfortable recommending to customers.
With these tips from Nancy, the bond between an initiative for reading and the spark for finding that initiative in a library setting was cemented. I was, initially, concerned for the Reconnecting with Reading initiative as its main focus seemed to be solely on reading—but Nancy’s tips make clear that libraries play an essential role in not only getting people to increase their own intake of written materials and information, but that librarians play a most key role in guiding library-goers toward materials they might enjoy or need and to become more independent readers.
The implementation of advertising technologies is something I thought rather astounding, as its usage is not something one might immediately connect with libraries. But the success of the program, as explained by the article’s author, makes it seem to me that more county and state library systems should begin implementing the same kinds of tools, which are readily available and produce an almost immediate feedback. In my past experience, the extent of advertising libraries decide to utilize seems to be restricted to paper print-outs tacked on signboards within the library itself, or tucked away in the advertising columns of a local newspaper. And not only that, but the advertising for library programs and services seem very self-contained—that is to say, systems don’t seem to work together to advertise; rather, a single library within a system is left alone to advertise whatever it can offer to its particular town or city setting. It is kind of a sad thing to me that these technologies are not being utilized currently; it seems almost the next logical step in a world where libraries are more and more becoming dependant upon technology services to aid patrons.
However, this study being fairly recent (about 2009), I am hopeful that the success of the reading initiative started in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County will soon begin to catch on. If advertisements for library patrons and workshops for library employees are what it takes to get people’s noses in books once more, I do believe this is the logical and progressive step that libraries all over the U.S. need to be making.
Fairly recently, in 2008, a library system in Ohio—the Cuyahoga County Public Library system (CCPL) began a rather astonishing initiative to re-boot, one could say, and bring attention to what the members of the CCPL system believe to be the “core values” of public library services: “books and reading.” This article is a story of success—or at least the beginnings of a successful campaign—to get the patrons of the CCPL system, as the population of the County itself drops, to revitalize an interest in reading among its patrons.
The initiative started by CCPL, focusing on the “core values,” with a focus on “organization efforts toward finding ways to improve customer convenience, increase accessibility, and, ultimately, connect customers with books” was titled Reconnect with Reading. To help efforts, in 2008, a Cleveland research team was led to conduct phone surveys of adult reading levels in Cuyahoga County, the results of which were to be compared against from the 2007 study to Read or Not to Read, conducted by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), which examined adult reading levels on a national scale. (A small run-through of the NEA study can be found here.
I feel I ought to step back some at this point to avoid simply summarizing and quoting the entire article, but to talk simply about what I found most interesting in this project—an enormous endeavor on the part of the library staff of the CCPL system—and also try to draw some conclusions from their success story.
What I found most astounding about this project to inspire reading was what as titled “Phase Two” of the project: an enormous ad campaign, driven by celebrities, local and otherwise, as well as the use of internet avenues such as Google Advertising, billboard advertising, airport ads, radio ads—all utilized in order to keep in the public eye the importance and the appealing nature of the “core values” of public library services. And although “books and reading” are the primary values in the mission, one of the Library world’s Superstars was brought in—Nancy Pearl (website here)—to help reinforce the importance of the modern library in contributing to modern literacy, apparently dropping in on library staff of the CCPL system monthly to conduct various workshops for subject specialists, helping to increase enthusiasm among library employees for the initiative. Some “helpful tips” given by Nancy and shared within the article I must also share here, as they feel incredibly relevant to myself, being interested in the works of the reference librarian:
• Always remember that RA (Reference Assistance?) isn’t about the books you think people ought to read. It’s about engaging people and talking with them about the books they enjoy—and really listening to what they have
to say.
• Ask, what was the last great book you read? What did you like about it? The way your customer talks about it will tell you how they found the doorway to that book. Then suggest a book with the same doorway.
• Look for openings to get a conversation going. For example, display a book at the checkout desk. People will take a look. This is your opening to start a conversation.
• When you’re giving RA, get out from behind your desk and into the stacks so you can give the person your undivided attention. Don’t let your desk be a barrier between you and your customer.
• Hand your customers the book as you recommend it. Let them hold it and read the flap. Do this and you’ve broken another barrier—and your customer will be more likely to check out the book.
• Prepare a small list of “can’t miss” books that you are comfortable recommending to customers.
With these tips from Nancy, the bond between an initiative for reading and the spark for finding that initiative in a library setting was cemented. I was, initially, concerned for the Reconnecting with Reading initiative as its main focus seemed to be solely on reading—but Nancy’s tips make clear that libraries play an essential role in not only getting people to increase their own intake of written materials and information, but that librarians play a most key role in guiding library-goers toward materials they might enjoy or need and to become more independent readers.
The implementation of advertising technologies is something I thought rather astounding, as its usage is not something one might immediately connect with libraries. But the success of the program, as explained by the article’s author, makes it seem to me that more county and state library systems should begin implementing the same kinds of tools, which are readily available and produce an almost immediate feedback. In my past experience, the extent of advertising libraries decide to utilize seems to be restricted to paper print-outs tacked on signboards within the library itself, or tucked away in the advertising columns of a local newspaper. And not only that, but the advertising for library programs and services seem very self-contained—that is to say, systems don’t seem to work together to advertise; rather, a single library within a system is left alone to advertise whatever it can offer to its particular town or city setting. It is kind of a sad thing to me that these technologies are not being utilized currently; it seems almost the next logical step in a world where libraries are more and more becoming dependant upon technology services to aid patrons.
However, this study being fairly recent (about 2009), I am hopeful that the success of the reading initiative started in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County will soon begin to catch on. If advertisements for library patrons and workshops for library employees are what it takes to get people’s noses in books once more, I do believe this is the logical and progressive step that libraries all over the U.S. need to be making.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Entry 3 - What a Great Place to Work! by Robert F. Moran Jr.
In reading this article, which deals with finding enjoyment or satisfaction in the library profession, I found myself relating very much to Mr. Moran Jr. I think it’s safe to say that, like me, Moran Jr. is somewhat of an Idealist. There is a terrific quote in which he gives his take on the role of the library:
“Libraries are about service, about helping people.
They exist to help children learn about the value and satisfaction
in reading and investigation. They exist in
conjunction with schools-to help teens develop their
minds and discipline through reading and research. They
exist to help adults solve problems and to grow intellectually.
They exist to provide enjoyment of mind and heart for
seniors. They exist as a bonding force in the community, a
growing force for the community.”
Being an Idealist, of course I would relate to this. This is the kind of thing I like to hear. However, Moran Jr. adds practical thought to his ideals, asking “why shouldn’t librarians enjoy their work?” Specifically, why shouldn’t librarians be satisfied and happy in their work the way an artist finds satisfaction in creation?
Most of this article has the feel of being addressed specifically to library managers, with Moran Jr. suggesting ways in which personal fulfillment and job fulfillment should be able to overlap. On the first page under the heading “What Have We Learned About Personal Fulfillment and Satisfaction in the Workplace?” Moran Jr. posits some ideas about the workplace that would make staff “feel more human and less like unthinking tools.” His workplace assessment seems rather general and applicable to almost any working environment. So how does he make the library a particularly special place to work?
The truth is, as far as I can see, he really doesn’t. Besides his savory, Idealistic view about the library that I quoted, most every instance where suggestions are made to improve the library work environment, the word “library” could be replaced by almost any other kind of job. So although Moran Jr. makes some great suggestions to help librarians in their environment, this article could just as easily have been about job satisfaction in any other environment.
“Libraries are about service, about helping people.
They exist to help children learn about the value and satisfaction
in reading and investigation. They exist in
conjunction with schools-to help teens develop their
minds and discipline through reading and research. They
exist to help adults solve problems and to grow intellectually.
They exist to provide enjoyment of mind and heart for
seniors. They exist as a bonding force in the community, a
growing force for the community.”
Being an Idealist, of course I would relate to this. This is the kind of thing I like to hear. However, Moran Jr. adds practical thought to his ideals, asking “why shouldn’t librarians enjoy their work?” Specifically, why shouldn’t librarians be satisfied and happy in their work the way an artist finds satisfaction in creation?
Most of this article has the feel of being addressed specifically to library managers, with Moran Jr. suggesting ways in which personal fulfillment and job fulfillment should be able to overlap. On the first page under the heading “What Have We Learned About Personal Fulfillment and Satisfaction in the Workplace?” Moran Jr. posits some ideas about the workplace that would make staff “feel more human and less like unthinking tools.” His workplace assessment seems rather general and applicable to almost any working environment. So how does he make the library a particularly special place to work?
The truth is, as far as I can see, he really doesn’t. Besides his savory, Idealistic view about the library that I quoted, most every instance where suggestions are made to improve the library work environment, the word “library” could be replaced by almost any other kind of job. So although Moran Jr. makes some great suggestions to help librarians in their environment, this article could just as easily have been about job satisfaction in any other environment.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Entry 2 - General Interview Questions for Library Employees!
Hey! So here's what I've got.
Of course, there’s no predicting how these interviews will go precisely, but I’ve drafted 10 questions for potential Interviewees, which I hope focus in enough on the Realistic and the Now, as opposed to the Ideal to which I'm always inclined to focus on.
1) Please briefly describe your Title/Position.
2) Can you describe what a typical work week would be like for you?
3) [At this point I will probably ask about the demographics particular to the library I am focused on. Questions will most likely focus on age, gender, and racial statistics and how they effect how that particular library operates.]
4) Since you’ve entered this field, do you find that it is what you expected? How so?
5) How do you view the need for Degreed Librarians?
6) What kinds of changes would you like to see in the future, pertaining both to [this library] and the greater library system? Why?
7) Are there any kind of changes happening now that you are excited about? Why?
8) Do you have any particular regrets concerning your job? What would you have done differently?
9) Do you have any advice for an aspiring librarian—particularly for one who is perhaps more Idealistic than Realistic?
10) What is your view on Graduate programs for Library Science? If you see them as necessary for someone wanting to enter the field, do you have any advice regarding finding the right program/getting accepted/[anything else]?
I hope these questions are straight-forward enough! And realistic. Let me know if I need to go over them further!
Dana
Of course, there’s no predicting how these interviews will go precisely, but I’ve drafted 10 questions for potential Interviewees, which I hope focus in enough on the Realistic and the Now, as opposed to the Ideal to which I'm always inclined to focus on.
1) Please briefly describe your Title/Position.
2) Can you describe what a typical work week would be like for you?
3) [At this point I will probably ask about the demographics particular to the library I am focused on. Questions will most likely focus on age, gender, and racial statistics and how they effect how that particular library operates.]
4) Since you’ve entered this field, do you find that it is what you expected? How so?
5) How do you view the need for Degreed Librarians?
6) What kinds of changes would you like to see in the future, pertaining both to [this library] and the greater library system? Why?
7) Are there any kind of changes happening now that you are excited about? Why?
8) Do you have any particular regrets concerning your job? What would you have done differently?
9) Do you have any advice for an aspiring librarian—particularly for one who is perhaps more Idealistic than Realistic?
10) What is your view on Graduate programs for Library Science? If you see them as necessary for someone wanting to enter the field, do you have any advice regarding finding the right program/getting accepted/[anything else]?
I hope these questions are straight-forward enough! And realistic. Let me know if I need to go over them further!
Dana
Friday, October 8, 2010
Start Again! Entry 1 - Analysis of Reading: "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Sources"
Hey! Back to business. For my first reading, I chose to take a look at the article "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources". I downloaded this report as a .PDF and was surprised to find that this report is rather... lengthy. About 290 pages of lengthy. It is, however--mercifully--split into five sections, with an Introduction and Conclusion. As I don't think I'd be doing it (or my brain) much of a service by trying to summarize or interpret 290 pages in one post, I've decided to cover my analysis in parts, as well, starting today with the Introduction.
Introduction to Perceptions of Libraries and Information Sources
As readers, we are first introduced to a concept apparently first presented in a report from 2003, that posits an overall "dissonance" between "library consumer" and Libraries, I suppose, as a person-less entity. This dissonance is derived from what the library consumer seems to desire from a library experience but which the Library--or the 2003 Library-Entity--does not seem to provide. The idea of a disconnect between library consumers and Libraries causes some rather probing questions in the author(s) of the PLIS report (we're calling it that now): How are libraries perceived by today’s information consumer? "Do libraries still matter? On what level? Will library use likely increase or decrease in the future?"
To answer these and other questions, the OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) Market Research Team with the aid of other OCLC staff and hundreds of Librarians conducted a study, the goals being to know more about " . . . people’s information-seeking behaviors, how familiar people are with the variety of e-resources libraries provide for their users and how libraries fit into the lives of the respondents."
In large part, the study seems to deal primarily with the library consumer's awareness of electronic resources available and how library consumers perceive what the author(s) refer to as the "Library" brand. Though I think the technicalities of the survey for the most part were well over my head, I did gather that the availability of Internet resources and the library consumer's awareness was key in the study--which, in the end, proved more to "confirm" ideas than to illuminate.
As I said, a great deal of the Introduction was well over my head as it discussed results of the various surveys, even though there were several helpful (and colorful!) charts provided. If I have more to add to the reading of the Introduction I certainly will do so, but I feel I should probably end here, as there is a great deal to wade through in Part 1 of PLIS!
As readers, we are first introduced to a concept apparently first presented in a report from 2003, that posits an overall "dissonance" between "library consumer" and Libraries, I suppose, as a person-less entity. This dissonance is derived from what the library consumer seems to desire from a library experience but which the Library--or the 2003 Library-Entity--does not seem to provide. The idea of a disconnect between library consumers and Libraries causes some rather probing questions in the author(s) of the PLIS report (we're calling it that now): How are libraries perceived by today’s information consumer? "Do libraries still matter? On what level? Will library use likely increase or decrease in the future?"
To answer these and other questions, the OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) Market Research Team with the aid of other OCLC staff and hundreds of Librarians conducted a study, the goals being to know more about " . . . people’s information-seeking behaviors, how familiar people are with the variety of e-resources libraries provide for their users and how libraries fit into the lives of the respondents."
In large part, the study seems to deal primarily with the library consumer's awareness of electronic resources available and how library consumers perceive what the author(s) refer to as the "Library" brand. Though I think the technicalities of the survey for the most part were well over my head, I did gather that the availability of Internet resources and the library consumer's awareness was key in the study--which, in the end, proved more to "confirm" ideas than to illuminate.
As I said, a great deal of the Introduction was well over my head as it discussed results of the various surveys, even though there were several helpful (and colorful!) charts provided. If I have more to add to the reading of the Introduction I certainly will do so, but I feel I should probably end here, as there is a great deal to wade through in Part 1 of PLIS!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Illness, Anxiety, and the Lot: How This Just Became Personal
I know that I started this blog with a mission: to complete a guided course, worked out for myself so that I might have a better understanding of the career I was getting myself into. By the end of Winter Term 2010 at WOU, I was supposed to have completed a number of blog entries, interviews with library employees, job shadows, and a couple papers in order to receive a grade. However, things fell through. I got sick. I got very, very sick. I did not receive a grade at the end of the term.
Over the past few months, however--during bouts of fever, stomach viruses, pneumonia, panic, depression--I was giving this blog a lot of thought. I was giving my chosen career path a lot of thought. Some days, too sick to move and too tired to even blink, I thought about libraries. I began to think of becoming a librarian as my mission in life. It began to seem almost like a heroic destiny. By becoming a librarian, I would help people. Long before I was born and to this day, people fight injustices. People seek to right the wrongs in the world. Some travel to other countries to provide clean water, because humans, as a right, should have clean drinking water. People have fought in wars, big and small, so that people could exercise the human right to be free. People fight and have fought for equality on all levels, regarding race, class, the right to speak freely, the right to practice religion on one's own terms, the right to live comfortably and without fear.
I thought about these people, the ones who give themselves wholly to a cause. I think about the people in trouble, people in crisis who everyday face injustice. In some of the worst hours of my illness, I would station myself in front of a TV, a book, a magazine, learning as much as I could about these people. They had help in many varieties, but it never seemed to be enough. A few cents donated to build a well in a small African village; some old coats to go to children who need them; some volunteer work at a shelter. But the unfairness of the situations of the people in need still hurt. Why do bad things happen in the world? I wondered. I'm not a cynic; I don't believe that people have evil in their nature, to begin with, but that people, intrinsically good, can be misguided. Some don't know that there is anything better.
Watching a documentary one day on WWII, it was presented as fact, with the face of Mister A. Hitler himself on screen, that those in power are those who control the information presented to the people. Information can be presented falsely, it can be controlled, and it can be taken away. And suddenly I was struck with an idea that had been brewing in my head for a very, very long time: it is in every way inhumane to deny people the right to educate themselves. For almost countless centuries, those in power have sought to control those in their charge by keeping them ignorant. If people do not know they are being mistreated, if they do not know that there is any other option, it is unlikely the people or subjects will revolt. Re-reading the novel Germinal recently, it struck me that the phrase "Knowledge is Power"--a phrase that, over the years, has taken on almost humorous connotations because of its relations to children's programming--was far more powerful than I had thought. As the protagonist of the novel, who was not by any means an intellectual but was, at least, literate, began to teach the illiterate citizens of a French mining town, ideas were stirred. Injustices were no longer to be born silently; concessions had to be made, rights had to be fought for. This, all because the education of a people.
It has become my opinion that the right to be educated, to be able to educate oneself on one's own terms, is as much a right to be fought for as anything in history ever has been. Knowing this, I feel I more deeply understand what the purpose of the library is: to provide, indiscriminately, information and education to those who would seek it out. Ignorance should not be tolerated; it is my profound belief now, as I've had these few months to let it stew in a sometimes feverish mind, that ignorance, that the unavailability of information to a people, is one of the main causes for injustices throughout history and in even now. Schools and make-shift classrooms across the globe do what they can to provide a base for a person's education, but a library can take a person further. a librarian can help a person to expand and to refine their education in a manner suited to them. Even those who have access to a good education and who see libraries as more of a place of recreation, of a quiet respite from the troubles of daily life, are in a way taking their education into their own hands, choosing themselves what they seek to put in their minds, if somewhat unconsciously.
This age we live in now, the age of the internet, of satellite television reaching millions, of books being published in every medium possible, is the most important time for the library. Libraries are not an institution for the intellectual or the elite, and should never be. As information becomes wider and more available, it should the job of a library to be as an escort, guiding those who crave some kind of enlightenment.
For these past few months, through clouds of sickness and sometimes delusion, I feel I've been led clearly to the conclusion that the way--my way--to help those I so desperately feel for and sympathize with is to become a librarian--to help others help themselves. When one is educated, one is empowered; when one is empowered, incredible things can happen. Access to information is where change can begin.
I must admit that I was not expecting to rattle off this post tonight, but I feel so keenly right now the ideas that have been welling up in my head. As I start to really recover, I hope to start conducting interviews again with librarians and others, and I hope to start posting more of my own observations in this blog again. I hope this will ease some of the tension of the curriculum, and make my transition back into daily education after a long illness much smoother. Janeanne, if you're reading this, I hope you've enjoyed it and don't think I'm just a mental case. But this has become deeply personal. Librarianship for me, now, is no longer just a career choice, but a cause! I really hope that's understandable.
Cheers,
Dana W
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Did You Know?
First off: Apologies, Janeanne! I've been trying my best to keep this updated but, as you can see, it's been tough. And although I know this isn't assigned, I thought this was not only interesting, but highly relevant in thinking about the evolution that information technologies--including Library Science--has been undergoing in just the last few years.
What inspired this post was this video: Did You Know?
It's a rather fast-paced and packed look at the developments in Information Technology. What caught my attention was the section that looked briefly at Google: in just four years, the number of Google searches has risen from 2.7 billion searches annually to 37 billion in a single month.
Has the demand for information increased over that time, or just the availability of almost anything a person could dream up?Either way, this would seem to be a terrific time to be entering into jobs in the information field. Some might think access to technologies like Google and all the information therein might be over-saturation; should we really have all this information open to just anybody? And just what are people getting out of emerging technologies? Faster internet, online archives, internet access on mobile phones--are these creating a smarter society, more earnest to learn, or a more vapid one, drowning in a flood of too much, perhaps unimportant, information?
Myself, I have always believed that access to information--the ability to educate oneself--should be considered as important as any other of a human being's inalienable rights. It's my hope that technologies progressing today will see benefit all over the globe. Access to information should not be a privilege kept by those in industrialized nations but a right to all those who should want it. I could say much more on this subject, but I'll keep it here for now!
What inspired this post was this video: Did You Know?
It's a rather fast-paced and packed look at the developments in Information Technology. What caught my attention was the section that looked briefly at Google: in just four years, the number of Google searches has risen from 2.7 billion searches annually to 37 billion in a single month.
Has the demand for information increased over that time, or just the availability of almost anything a person could dream up?Either way, this would seem to be a terrific time to be entering into jobs in the information field. Some might think access to technologies like Google and all the information therein might be over-saturation; should we really have all this information open to just anybody? And just what are people getting out of emerging technologies? Faster internet, online archives, internet access on mobile phones--are these creating a smarter society, more earnest to learn, or a more vapid one, drowning in a flood of too much, perhaps unimportant, information?
Myself, I have always believed that access to information--the ability to educate oneself--should be considered as important as any other of a human being's inalienable rights. It's my hope that technologies progressing today will see benefit all over the globe. Access to information should not be a privilege kept by those in industrialized nations but a right to all those who should want it. I could say much more on this subject, but I'll keep it here for now!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Week Two (ish) - Keirsey Temperament Report
If my answers about myself are at all reliable, it would seem that I am an Idealist.
I have to say, I'm rather pleased with this result. The report lists these as the basics of the Idealist:
Anybody who knows me I think would agree with at least that brief description. But more convincing to me was the report itself. Though brief, I thought there were a few things described that fit me rather well. Here are a few quotes that I think speak of my personality, as best as I can perceive myself:
"Idealists strive to discover who they are and how they can become their best possible self -- always this quest for self-knowledge and self-improvement drives their imagination."
"Idealists are sure that friendly cooperation is the best way for people to achieve their goals. Conflict and confrontation upset them because they seem to put up angry barriers between people."
"...Idealists are incurable romantics who prefer to focus on what might be, rather than what is."
"Highly ethical in their actions, Idealists hold themselves to a strict standard of personal integrity. They must be true to themselves and to others, and they can be quite hard on themselves when they are dishonest, or when they are false or insincere."
"Conscience looms large for you; in almost any situation, you feel compelled to measure yourself, other people, and the conditions of the environment against your personal morality."
Friends and Family, weigh in! Does this sound like me?
Going further, already knowing from previous tests that I am an INFP, of the four sub-sections of Idealist (Champion, Counselor, Healer, Teacher), I can deal myself into the Healer category. Now here is something! Take a look at the paragraph on career choices for the Idealist Healer:
"The most sensitive of the Idealists is the Healer (INFP). While their list of jobs may echo that of other Idealists, they are more drawn to express their own unique vision of the world than all other types, so their work cannot help but be unique. They interpret their visions in the world of music, art, entertainment, or dance. As a professor or teacher, counselor or social worker, they often unlock the mysteries of life for those they encounter. In business they are drawn to organizational development and human resources careers. They may have a religious calling or seek work as a librarian. Their careers need to be in alignment with their personal values."
Seems I've got it about right! And I'm in good company: apparently also belonging to the Idealist Healer category are Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn, and George Orwell--to name a few.
Anyway, it's good to know I'm looking in about the right place, career-wise. This was kind of a nice confidence boost! Now just to narrow the field, I think :)
I have to say, I'm rather pleased with this result. The report lists these as the basics of the Idealist:
Anybody who knows me I think would agree with at least that brief description. But more convincing to me was the report itself. Though brief, I thought there were a few things described that fit me rather well. Here are a few quotes that I think speak of my personality, as best as I can perceive myself:
"Idealists strive to discover who they are and how they can become their best possible self -- always this quest for self-knowledge and self-improvement drives their imagination."
"Idealists are sure that friendly cooperation is the best way for people to achieve their goals. Conflict and confrontation upset them because they seem to put up angry barriers between people."
"...Idealists are incurable romantics who prefer to focus on what might be, rather than what is."
"Highly ethical in their actions, Idealists hold themselves to a strict standard of personal integrity. They must be true to themselves and to others, and they can be quite hard on themselves when they are dishonest, or when they are false or insincere."
"Conscience looms large for you; in almost any situation, you feel compelled to measure yourself, other people, and the conditions of the environment against your personal morality."
Friends and Family, weigh in! Does this sound like me?
Going further, already knowing from previous tests that I am an INFP, of the four sub-sections of Idealist (Champion, Counselor, Healer, Teacher), I can deal myself into the Healer category. Now here is something! Take a look at the paragraph on career choices for the Idealist Healer:
"The most sensitive of the Idealists is the Healer (INFP). While their list of jobs may echo that of other Idealists, they are more drawn to express their own unique vision of the world than all other types, so their work cannot help but be unique. They interpret their visions in the world of music, art, entertainment, or dance. As a professor or teacher, counselor or social worker, they often unlock the mysteries of life for those they encounter. In business they are drawn to organizational development and human resources careers. They may have a religious calling or seek work as a librarian. Their careers need to be in alignment with their personal values."
Seems I've got it about right! And I'm in good company: apparently also belonging to the Idealist Healer category are Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn, and George Orwell--to name a few.
Anyway, it's good to know I'm looking in about the right place, career-wise. This was kind of a nice confidence boost! Now just to narrow the field, I think :)
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Week One Cont'd - Library Blogs
Following blogs related to Library Science is something relatively new to me. I hadn't thought of blogs as a means toward better understanding Libraries, but through some of these blogs I've been able to find insight into almost all aspects of careers in Library Science, from personal blogs detailing the day-to-day, to blogs focused on the improvement and development of the modern library. Here are just a few I've come to follow closely in the last year:
Awful Library Books
Awful Library Books
This Blog is one that first caught my attention simply for its entertainment value, but which soon led to greater discoveries in the world of Library Blogging. Though it is good for a laugh, this website deals with a very serious issue in the library world today: that is the issue of keeping up with the times in the modern library. How can one expect a library to help educate and help the public when gems like this, though hilarious, pollute shelves? I'm not so sure any teen in this decade looking for a "Survival Guide" would go looking to Dee Snider for advice. The idea of "weeding"--or the removal of out-dated, unhelpful, or just plain silly books from library shelves and catalogs--led me on a search to find out more about what steps people are taking in the library community to keep up with the times--or keep ahead.
Of note: the two librarians who keep up this entertaining blog also keep personal blogs about their own trials within and ideas about modern libraries, to be found here and here.
Librarian.net
One of the first and longest-running library blogs, the blog's author, one Jessamyn West, seems to touch on every aspect relevant to the Library Sciences. Having discovered this particular blog only a few months ago, I've had the fun task of wading through the archives, dating back to September 2003. It is a literal smorgasbord information, the author offering up links to articles, web resources, charts, graphs, and lists documenting--well, anything, really--links to and reviews of library events, and accounts of her personal experiences as a librarian visiting libraries all over the country and further. This blog really is not so much an information engine as it is a deeply personal look into the life of a person who doesn't just make a career out of librarianship, but an entire lifestyle. It is something truly inspiring, and well worth the effort of digging through the archives.
The Annoyed Librarian
Another highly entertaining blog, authored by the library world's leading polemicist. Keeping things anonymous, the Annoyed Librarian seeks, in almost always a comic way, to inform the reader of the latest news in the library world while at the same time giving it a good one-two punch. The AL keeps things light, but very expertly exposes what is problematic about the changing atmosphere of Library Science. It is most definitely a very different (though always informative and hilarious) way to digest library news.
In the Library With the Lead Pipe
Finally, probably the most interesting of the blogs is this collaborative journal from six librarians from all walks of life. The blog itself focuses on the composition of articles by which the authors dispel myths and explain the truths regarding the Library Sciences. For me, it has not only been exceedingly interesting but very helpful, as I make my way through the archives, in understanding libraries and their role in communities, schools, universities, and so forth, with six different voices (and sometimes guest-contributors) to give perspective.
Though these four are the blogs I follow most closely (or rather, regularly), there are more blogs of note, for their educational value or simply for how fun they are. Here are a few:
The Days & Nights of the Lipstick Librarian! - A fun little jab at the stereotypical, silence-obsessed, "Marion the Librarian."
Librarian Avengers - Blog of the author of the famous "Why you should fall to your knees and worship a Librarian." Read it!
Closed Stacks - A quirky and funny collaborative blog with a greater focus on the reading aspect of Library Science.
Library Lover's LiveJournal - A highly interactive LiveJournal community open to all those interested in or simply in love with libraries. Not just for librarians!
These are just a few of the library blogs to be found on the internet, but favorites of mine in the way they have helped me speed up and maintain my interest in Library Science. The entertainment value of these blogs seems key, as these blogs are accessible to most anyone. They are also testament to me that the library world is thriving and moving forward each day! This really is an exciting time to be entering the field.
Of note: the two librarians who keep up this entertaining blog also keep personal blogs about their own trials within and ideas about modern libraries, to be found here and here.
Librarian.net
One of the first and longest-running library blogs, the blog's author, one Jessamyn West, seems to touch on every aspect relevant to the Library Sciences. Having discovered this particular blog only a few months ago, I've had the fun task of wading through the archives, dating back to September 2003. It is a literal smorgasbord information, the author offering up links to articles, web resources, charts, graphs, and lists documenting--well, anything, really--links to and reviews of library events, and accounts of her personal experiences as a librarian visiting libraries all over the country and further. This blog really is not so much an information engine as it is a deeply personal look into the life of a person who doesn't just make a career out of librarianship, but an entire lifestyle. It is something truly inspiring, and well worth the effort of digging through the archives.
The Annoyed Librarian
Another highly entertaining blog, authored by the library world's leading polemicist. Keeping things anonymous, the Annoyed Librarian seeks, in almost always a comic way, to inform the reader of the latest news in the library world while at the same time giving it a good one-two punch. The AL keeps things light, but very expertly exposes what is problematic about the changing atmosphere of Library Science. It is most definitely a very different (though always informative and hilarious) way to digest library news.
In the Library With the Lead Pipe
Finally, probably the most interesting of the blogs is this collaborative journal from six librarians from all walks of life. The blog itself focuses on the composition of articles by which the authors dispel myths and explain the truths regarding the Library Sciences. For me, it has not only been exceedingly interesting but very helpful, as I make my way through the archives, in understanding libraries and their role in communities, schools, universities, and so forth, with six different voices (and sometimes guest-contributors) to give perspective.
Though these four are the blogs I follow most closely (or rather, regularly), there are more blogs of note, for their educational value or simply for how fun they are. Here are a few:
The Days & Nights of the Lipstick Librarian! - A fun little jab at the stereotypical, silence-obsessed, "Marion the Librarian."
Librarian Avengers - Blog of the author of the famous "Why you should fall to your knees and worship a Librarian." Read it!
Closed Stacks - A quirky and funny collaborative blog with a greater focus on the reading aspect of Library Science.
Library Lover's LiveJournal - A highly interactive LiveJournal community open to all those interested in or simply in love with libraries. Not just for librarians!
These are just a few of the library blogs to be found on the internet, but favorites of mine in the way they have helped me speed up and maintain my interest in Library Science. The entertainment value of these blogs seems key, as these blogs are accessible to most anyone. They are also testament to me that the library world is thriving and moving forward each day! This really is an exciting time to be entering the field.
Week One - Brief Intro
Though this blog may only be seen by one person (hi, Janeanne!), it seems important to me that it be personalized. In this way, the blogging of my exploits as an intern at WOU's Library seems less of an arduous task and more of an exploratory journey. It's important to me that this term be spent understanding all the ins and outs of the modern library--I want to understand every little bit, deeply immersing myself in the world of Librarianship; the ways in which a library functions, the jobs and opportunities to be found in all different environments--just everything. I've spent my life romanticizing the role of libraries in communities; I think it's high time I sought out the realities.Let's get to work!
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