Public Libraries and Library Boards:
Where are the Librarians on Public Library Boards?
I have been employed at a fairly large public library for more than ten years. For the past three of those years I have worked as a librarian in the Adult Services and Reference Department. While I plan to pursue hard research in this area, actual experience has shown me that this library’s board as well as a number of public library boards in the surrounding area and beyond, remain comprised of prominent members of the community, none of whom are librarians. Yet, the Library Director must address the Board in nearly all aspects of governing the library. I am honestly perplexed and taken aback at the thought that individuals who are non-librarians play such a large part in determining the direction a public library will take in meeting the needs for items and services of that community’s demographic. Who better than librarians who are charged with knowing the realities of a community’s demographics, and in turn that community’s needs and desires from their public libraries, than librarians themselves? In matters ranging from drafting a feasible budget which will serve as the understructure in requesting referenda, through the selection of items which will comprise the collection, though a continuously open line of communication between patrons and librarians, to the most appropriate design of the library building itself, again, who better to serve in this capacity than librarians who will address these matters from a professional’s realistic and workable perspective? For these are the matters which will form the substance that will shape the library into the type of entity that best serves the needs of the community at this point in history and beyond.
With all due respect to those library boards which are comprised of individuals who strive to best meet the library needs of their respective communities, could it be that the matter of having at least one-third of a six panel library board for example, consisting of librarians, is an idea that needs to be thoroughly investigated and ultimately implemented as a long overdue standard in public librarianship in the twenty-first century?
(rsav72 – May 23, 2011)
Monday, May 23, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Who Will Mind the Memory?
Digital Memory and Hot Chocolate
for Us All
Do you remember? It is a question as vital as our name and address, social security number, favorite food; the one thing that never fails to comfort during a storm…Memory is a very abstract thing in of itself. In the mind we have pictures from childhood, occasions seemingly unimportant that bring back the sense of harmony and peace.
At this moment I have the memory of a rainy afternoon at a lakeside cabin playing a board game with my brother and sisters as my mother heated hot chocolates for us. A fire roared in the background. We had played all day, swam, went fishing, and explored the island on the lake when it began to rain. We came in cold. My father started a fire; my mother towel dried my hair and scolded me as she searched for marshmallows in the cupboard above the sink. It was a feeling of being attached to time and place.
In another memory I am finishing my last class in library school. It is a warm spring day. I walk out sensing the transition. I am a librarian. I am part of the world around me and have a purpose, a calling, a job, and can place myself in the world as part of it. Again that I am here, I was there, and that feeling of being comes into focus…
Last month I read an interesting article in Scientific American in their Tech Files. In the article David Pogue writes about the uncertainty of digital formats and the records it will leave behind. Most storage formats do not last even into double digits. Hard drives crash, flash drives get lost, cell phones are trashed for the newest and better. Storage space in the virtual world is even more uncertain. There are businesses that specialize in storing valuable data for nominal fees. They can go out of business. Poof! It’s all gone. You can email your important files to yourself. But your account can be erased in a micro second or when you cancel that account with your Internet provider you lose all of it.
In the old days of the analogue world we had printed hard copies of everything produced because that was the only way to display your holiday snaps or whatever it was you were documenting. It’s not that people set out to keep an accurate record. Things just had a better chance of showing up as an accidental record. From the yard sale and grandma’s basement come a trunk of old snaps. We may not even know the name of whom or what we are looking at. Yet it is some kind of record. People don’t print as many photos now as they did in the past. Photos go from cell phone or digital camera to computer, and that is if the person remembers to do so.
The issue at hand would seem to be not of just the odds of a digital file making it past its origins, but the question of its format. Well, what is to be done? Human habit is to take the easy route. No one is going to expect people to find ways to preserve our social history. It would be of interest to librarians, or rather should be to a certain extent. It must be something that supports the needs of our collection as it serves our patronage. The digital format is as abstract as any memory in our head. It needs remembering. It needs reinvestment and attention as only caretakers are able to give to such issues.
Right now Google is attempting to digitize it all, all of our recorded knowledge in print formats. The altruism of such an endeavor has its appeal to open source advocates like myself. The practicality of it is daunting, however. Is Google going to be around 500 years later like the plays of Shakespeare are to us now, and if not, who will be minding the billions of files so painstakingly recorded?
What exactly is our stake in this game?
Any thoughts?
Check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_preservation
http://easydigitalpreservation.wordpress.com/
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/info/guidelines.html
http://www.archives.gov/ncast/
http://www.case.edu/its/archives/Records/digipres.htm
http://agogified.com/tools-and-services
http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/partners/pioneers/detail_spencer.html
http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/tutorial/technical/technicalC-01.html
(Dhvibe-May 14, 2011)
Digital Memory and Hot Chocolate
for Us All
Do you remember? It is a question as vital as our name and address, social security number, favorite food; the one thing that never fails to comfort during a storm…Memory is a very abstract thing in of itself. In the mind we have pictures from childhood, occasions seemingly unimportant that bring back the sense of harmony and peace.
At this moment I have the memory of a rainy afternoon at a lakeside cabin playing a board game with my brother and sisters as my mother heated hot chocolates for us. A fire roared in the background. We had played all day, swam, went fishing, and explored the island on the lake when it began to rain. We came in cold. My father started a fire; my mother towel dried my hair and scolded me as she searched for marshmallows in the cupboard above the sink. It was a feeling of being attached to time and place.
In another memory I am finishing my last class in library school. It is a warm spring day. I walk out sensing the transition. I am a librarian. I am part of the world around me and have a purpose, a calling, a job, and can place myself in the world as part of it. Again that I am here, I was there, and that feeling of being comes into focus…
Last month I read an interesting article in Scientific American in their Tech Files. In the article David Pogue writes about the uncertainty of digital formats and the records it will leave behind. Most storage formats do not last even into double digits. Hard drives crash, flash drives get lost, cell phones are trashed for the newest and better. Storage space in the virtual world is even more uncertain. There are businesses that specialize in storing valuable data for nominal fees. They can go out of business. Poof! It’s all gone. You can email your important files to yourself. But your account can be erased in a micro second or when you cancel that account with your Internet provider you lose all of it.
In the old days of the analogue world we had printed hard copies of everything produced because that was the only way to display your holiday snaps or whatever it was you were documenting. It’s not that people set out to keep an accurate record. Things just had a better chance of showing up as an accidental record. From the yard sale and grandma’s basement come a trunk of old snaps. We may not even know the name of whom or what we are looking at. Yet it is some kind of record. People don’t print as many photos now as they did in the past. Photos go from cell phone or digital camera to computer, and that is if the person remembers to do so.
The issue at hand would seem to be not of just the odds of a digital file making it past its origins, but the question of its format. Well, what is to be done? Human habit is to take the easy route. No one is going to expect people to find ways to preserve our social history. It would be of interest to librarians, or rather should be to a certain extent. It must be something that supports the needs of our collection as it serves our patronage. The digital format is as abstract as any memory in our head. It needs remembering. It needs reinvestment and attention as only caretakers are able to give to such issues.
Right now Google is attempting to digitize it all, all of our recorded knowledge in print formats. The altruism of such an endeavor has its appeal to open source advocates like myself. The practicality of it is daunting, however. Is Google going to be around 500 years later like the plays of Shakespeare are to us now, and if not, who will be minding the billions of files so painstakingly recorded?
What exactly is our stake in this game?
Any thoughts?
Check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_preservation
http://easydigitalpreservation.wordpress.com/
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/info/guidelines.html
http://www.archives.gov/ncast/
http://www.case.edu/its/archives/Records/digipres.htm
http://agogified.com/tools-and-services
http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/partners/pioneers/detail_spencer.html
http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/tutorial/technical/technicalC-01.html
(Dhvibe-May 14, 2011)
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Guess who is back?!!
As it happened I let my blog go quiet for a long time. I can’t think of who was reading it. But I have reason to post today and hopefully more often.
I am posting to announce that I am opening my blog to some of my colleagues who will be posting on the blog too.
I think it will really make it a better blog, and I hope that WE can create a dialogue in the future.
Stay tuned….
Any thoughts?
Please comment below.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Kids and Internet
Where the Action is: You Tube Taken Over by Users on All Fours.
It should be no surprise that the Internet is where the future of entertainment, news, and information is exchanged. Despite Rupert Murdock's miscalculation of it, we have known, those of us who are aware of what is happening, that the format is getting better and better for such exchanges. But the group to watch are the group which is not even old enough to vote or drive a car.
According to a new study from Nielsen Online, the largest number of tykes and preteens go to YouTube for video (or 4.1 million viewers aged 2 to 11), followed by the Disneychannel.com at a distant second, with 1.3 million viewers in that age bracket for the month of April. MySpace.com, NickJr, and Google Video also showed up on that list.
Their habits could signal TV's future. On average, the kids watched 51 video streams from home during April, spending almost two hours on video clips. That usage outstrips the average of nearly 75 million adults who regularly view video clips at sites like ESPN.com and CNN.com. On average in April, adults of voting age watched 44 video streams, for about 1 hour and 40 minutes of their time.
We see this happening in the libraries too. Many questions arise from this, but the big ones are meeting the needs of these information consumers, and also creating zones which are safe for users who are not always capable of distinguishing between what is safe and what is dangerous. I have spoken before about You Tube in the past. Its a great resource for educators and librarians. In the hands of people who want to put it to use for educational purposes and light entertainment it is great. As a source of independent learning it is also a wonderful free for all.
It has problems though. The regulation of offensive material is handled in an uneven manner, and often Children can come across material that is a result of poor search terms. The results can lead a child to content which sometimes contains graphic depictions of violence, obscene or profane language, and even adult sexual situations.
Librarians, particularly library management need to consider how a child may be exposed to this if left unsupervised. I think that of course a lot of this depends on what is happening at home, and for my discussion it is out of bounds. However, The fact that a whole generation has almost now matured into adulthood on line, it is one of the most important issues facing educators librarians and parents across America.
The following are some sites that concerned parents and the like may wish to visit for resources:
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/foryoungpeople/youngpeopleparents/especiallyyoungpeople.cfm
http://www.google.com/Top/Computers/Internet/Child_Safety/
http://www.fosi.org/resources/parents/
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=7978
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/family/default.mspx
http://www.nch.org.uk/information/index.php?i=209
http://onguardonline.gov/socialnetworking.html
These are a few of the many wonderful options for getting a head start on the topic. It is a community thing. Everyone is familiar with the notion of the village raising the child. It simply means that we all have a role in making public places safe for all age groups. Freedom comes with a great deal of responsibility. For example, if you are in the library and see a child unattended then inform the staff of this. If you are looking at web sites in a public place, library or otherwise, please consider the needs of others. If it has content that is not safe for a child then you probably shouldn't be viewing it in a public space. Common sense, the kind mom taught you will tell you when you are exceeding your rights. The whole point is that public space belongs to the PUBLIC.
I welcome any comments on this post. I am an uncle with several really cool nephews and nieces. So I do spend a lot of time thinking about the world I am leaving behind for them.
Any thoughts?
The story mentioned in this article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9963543-7.html?tag=nefd.top
It should be no surprise that the Internet is where the future of entertainment, news, and information is exchanged. Despite Rupert Murdock's miscalculation of it, we have known, those of us who are aware of what is happening, that the format is getting better and better for such exchanges. But the group to watch are the group which is not even old enough to vote or drive a car.
According to a new study from Nielsen Online, the largest number of tykes and preteens go to YouTube for video (or 4.1 million viewers aged 2 to 11), followed by the Disneychannel.com at a distant second, with 1.3 million viewers in that age bracket for the month of April. MySpace.com, NickJr, and Google Video also showed up on that list.
Their habits could signal TV's future. On average, the kids watched 51 video streams from home during April, spending almost two hours on video clips. That usage outstrips the average of nearly 75 million adults who regularly view video clips at sites like ESPN.com and CNN.com. On average in April, adults of voting age watched 44 video streams, for about 1 hour and 40 minutes of their time.
We see this happening in the libraries too. Many questions arise from this, but the big ones are meeting the needs of these information consumers, and also creating zones which are safe for users who are not always capable of distinguishing between what is safe and what is dangerous. I have spoken before about You Tube in the past. Its a great resource for educators and librarians. In the hands of people who want to put it to use for educational purposes and light entertainment it is great. As a source of independent learning it is also a wonderful free for all.
It has problems though. The regulation of offensive material is handled in an uneven manner, and often Children can come across material that is a result of poor search terms. The results can lead a child to content which sometimes contains graphic depictions of violence, obscene or profane language, and even adult sexual situations.
Librarians, particularly library management need to consider how a child may be exposed to this if left unsupervised. I think that of course a lot of this depends on what is happening at home, and for my discussion it is out of bounds. However, The fact that a whole generation has almost now matured into adulthood on line, it is one of the most important issues facing educators librarians and parents across America.
The following are some sites that concerned parents and the like may wish to visit for resources:
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/foryoungpeople/youngpeopleparents/especiallyyoungpeople.cfm
http://www.google.com/Top/Computers/Internet/Child_Safety/
http://www.fosi.org/resources/parents/
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=7978
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/family/default.mspx
http://www.nch.org.uk/information/index.php?i=209
http://onguardonline.gov/socialnetworking.html
These are a few of the many wonderful options for getting a head start on the topic. It is a community thing. Everyone is familiar with the notion of the village raising the child. It simply means that we all have a role in making public places safe for all age groups. Freedom comes with a great deal of responsibility. For example, if you are in the library and see a child unattended then inform the staff of this. If you are looking at web sites in a public place, library or otherwise, please consider the needs of others. If it has content that is not safe for a child then you probably shouldn't be viewing it in a public space. Common sense, the kind mom taught you will tell you when you are exceeding your rights. The whole point is that public space belongs to the PUBLIC.
I welcome any comments on this post. I am an uncle with several really cool nephews and nieces. So I do spend a lot of time thinking about the world I am leaving behind for them.
Any thoughts?
The story mentioned in this article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9963543-7.html?tag=nefd.top
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Shush!
Grumpy Patrons: a Ongoing Lesson
Modern libraries
11:01 - 08 May 2008
SIR, - I am writing in response to the letter from Norman Hart (Herts Advertiser, April 24) concerning noise in the Maltings Library, St Albans. In responding to the changing needs and culture of the community we serve, we are aware that sometimes the library is noisy and this may not suit everyone. Ultimately however, the library is there to serve the community as a whole, which includes an increasingly diverse range of interests and needs, so part of our job is to try to strike a healthy balance between them.
On Tuesday mornings we have two lively and increasingly-popular Baby Rhyme Time sessions, followed by Storytime on Tuesday afternoons. These are provided to encourage children to establish the reading habit from an early age - and admittedly their enthusiasm can make these sessions rather noisy. Apart from these times, during the rest of our 65 hours of opening each week the children's area is for reading and toys are not provided. We are aware that some of our users prefer not to visit during these activities so our suggestion that Mr Hart avoid these times was meant to be helpful rather than "impertinent".
The issue of noise in the modern public library goes along with its changing environment, which is directly influenced by the needs of it's patrons. Libraries must compete with bookstores and cyber cafes for patrons.
The common complaint that I often hear is music (Ipods and Mp3 players) and cellphones. Next is inappropriate use of computers for watching videos or looking at pictures that are offensive to others. Another big problem is how to best deal with the homeless. The open policy is that anyone may come in and use the library so long as they do not disturb other patrons. And last, and most disturbing, patron sex in bathrooms.
Some of these are easy to solve. Most people will be embarrassed and put that phone down or turn their players off. Most people are reasonable.
The second set are those problems which cause direct and harmful environments. Patrons who look at adult videos or who have sex in public places are a threat to other patrons. This is especially dangerous for parents and their children. Direct steps must be taken and kept in check to prevent any incidents in which another child or adult patron may be harmed.
No librarian questions these. Most librarians must, however, be careful in how they deal with such issues. Libraries may easily become libel for injuries or harassment of patrons accused of such violations of the library policies. What some patrons forget is that patrons guilty of offenses have civil and legal rights too. That means the library could get taken to court.
Large libraries can often afford to have full time security who are specially trained in this. I don't know what library students are being taught these days in school, but when I was a student it was discussed, but we never learned what steps to take in handling circumstances.
When I read this article I shrugged. Some people have no idea of the complexities of these issues, and it is unfair of patrons to expect the typically under maned reference desk. The idea of complaining about a children's story time makes me laugh though. Come on, do everyone a favor and save it for a really big bitch.
Any thoughts?
http://www.hertsad.co.uk/content/herts/postbag/story.aspx?brand=HADOnline&category=Postbag&tBrand=HertsCambsOnline&tCategory=PostbagHAD&itemid=WEED08%20May%202008%2011%3A01%3A50%3A253
Modern libraries
11:01 - 08 May 2008
SIR, - I am writing in response to the letter from Norman Hart (Herts Advertiser, April 24) concerning noise in the Maltings Library, St Albans. In responding to the changing needs and culture of the community we serve, we are aware that sometimes the library is noisy and this may not suit everyone. Ultimately however, the library is there to serve the community as a whole, which includes an increasingly diverse range of interests and needs, so part of our job is to try to strike a healthy balance between them.
On Tuesday mornings we have two lively and increasingly-popular Baby Rhyme Time sessions, followed by Storytime on Tuesday afternoons. These are provided to encourage children to establish the reading habit from an early age - and admittedly their enthusiasm can make these sessions rather noisy. Apart from these times, during the rest of our 65 hours of opening each week the children's area is for reading and toys are not provided. We are aware that some of our users prefer not to visit during these activities so our suggestion that Mr Hart avoid these times was meant to be helpful rather than "impertinent".
The issue of noise in the modern public library goes along with its changing environment, which is directly influenced by the needs of it's patrons. Libraries must compete with bookstores and cyber cafes for patrons.
The common complaint that I often hear is music (Ipods and Mp3 players) and cellphones. Next is inappropriate use of computers for watching videos or looking at pictures that are offensive to others. Another big problem is how to best deal with the homeless. The open policy is that anyone may come in and use the library so long as they do not disturb other patrons. And last, and most disturbing, patron sex in bathrooms.
Some of these are easy to solve. Most people will be embarrassed and put that phone down or turn their players off. Most people are reasonable.
The second set are those problems which cause direct and harmful environments. Patrons who look at adult videos or who have sex in public places are a threat to other patrons. This is especially dangerous for parents and their children. Direct steps must be taken and kept in check to prevent any incidents in which another child or adult patron may be harmed.
No librarian questions these. Most librarians must, however, be careful in how they deal with such issues. Libraries may easily become libel for injuries or harassment of patrons accused of such violations of the library policies. What some patrons forget is that patrons guilty of offenses have civil and legal rights too. That means the library could get taken to court.
Large libraries can often afford to have full time security who are specially trained in this. I don't know what library students are being taught these days in school, but when I was a student it was discussed, but we never learned what steps to take in handling circumstances.
When I read this article I shrugged. Some people have no idea of the complexities of these issues, and it is unfair of patrons to expect the typically under maned reference desk. The idea of complaining about a children's story time makes me laugh though. Come on, do everyone a favor and save it for a really big bitch.
Any thoughts?
http://www.hertsad.co.uk/content/herts/postbag/story.aspx?brand=HADOnline&category=Postbag&tBrand=HertsCambsOnline&tCategory=PostbagHAD&itemid=WEED08%20May%202008%2011%3A01%3A50%3A253
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