Books, Bytes, Buildings, and Bodies: Public Libraries in the 21st Century.
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| Title: | Books, Bytes, Buildings, and Bodies: Public Libraries in the 21st Century. |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Hage, Christine Lind |
| Source: | American Libraries. Jan 1999 30(1):79-81. |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 3 |
| Publication Date: | 1999 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Descriptors: | Change, Electronic Libraries, Futures (of Society), Librarians, Library Materials, Library Personnel, Library Role, Public Libraries, Skill Development, User Needs (Information) |
| ISSN: | 0002-9769 |
| Abstract: | Considers the changing roles of public libraries and challenges facing them in the future. Topics include core skills needed by library professionals, print and nonprint materials, the inclusion of new formats, blending traditional and electronic library resources, the expanded roles and responsibilities of librarians, meeting user needs, and library staff. (LRW) |
| Journal Code: | CIJOCT1999 |
| Entry Date: | 1999 |
| Accession Number: | EJ582277 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwFYWEMoa7XPZJqdbiKPWz0fAAAA4TCB3gYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHQMIHNAgEAMIHHBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDKaAKRfSv2l117tjPQIBEICBmZY7w5EcHkf-Av6dBA8jltokikMXEJRpK1Z53F3VFNUg_pPHXilzEKqB7kWxSJ_5EFeVkeW1fi9bFVFJHYSY-QX3UAx6kyugZF9uNN_bzlaSFtfw8U7O46Nc1ILIUaARY83vrGNU86yeQA_-VSLMXP2ClXNYu3CH-s8rKmgkxYIQWX5HPAt_uYOc7cHjpeaFX8Nax5L6IQz6Gg== Text: Availability: 1 Value: <anid>AN0001409169;AML01JAN.99;1999Jan12.15:57;v2.3</anid> <jsection id="AN0001409169-1"> PROFESSIONALISM</jsection> <title id="AN0001409169-2">BOOKS, BYTES, BUILDINGS, AND BODIES: PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN THE 21ST CENTURY </title> <sbt id="AN0001409169-3">DESPITE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES, THE BASIC TOOLS OF LIBRARIANSHIP REMAIN REMARKABLY THE SAME</sbt> <p>The 19th-century French author Alphonse Karr observed, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." </p> <p>This holds true in public libraries, even considering all the recent advances and demands created by digital libraries and the expanded access issues raised by the Internet. </p> <p>Traditionally, the tools of libraries have been defined as books, buildings, and bodies. Even though the library world has evolved in unpredictable ways, these tools still articulate the essence of libraries and their public mission. Library holdings are no longer limited to leather-bound tomes, but the foundations of collection management have remained true to tradition. </p> <p>Like other sciences, library science is dynamic and evolving to meet the new demands of the coming millennium. And like any successful service organization, libraries tailor their services to the individual needs of their customers and community. Collections must be as diverse as the needs and desires of the users, so information should be available in a multitude of formats. Bytes are now an important part of the tool box. </p> <p>The emerging digital library has reshaped the core skills needed by library professionals. No longer solely managers of paper publications, librarians now administer computers, phone lines, and video and audio resources as well as human resources. We serve the political function of shaping acquisition and physical-plant budgets as well as being defenders and proponents of free speech. We remain the guardians and managers of books, buildings, and bodies; but the profession has evolved so as to require a broad spectrum of professional activity from each of us. Librarians must serve the diverse needs of a diverse world. </p> <p>Public libraries provide the bridge from the past to the future by archiving the old, managing the new, and preparing for future information resources, no matter what format they take. </p> <hd id="AN0001409169-4"> Books </hd> <p>In the last 25 years, libraries have sought to formulate a workable, realistic, and affordable balance between print and nonprint, traditional and emerging materials. We must be both futurists and archivists. In the 1970s, public librarians chose audiocassettes over reel-to-reel tape as the preferred format. In the 1980s, we struggled with the choice between Beta and VHS videocassettes. In the 1990s, the compact disc nudged the LP out of most library collections, and we were tempted by digital audiotape, the digital compact cassette, and the minidisc. </p> <p>The common factor in all of this is that progressive libraries must be the vanguards and advocates of new formats, welcoming them into collections gradually and sharing with the public those resources that will be hallmarks of information gathering and processing, no matter what format they take in the future. We must balance radical and revolutionary information media with the mundane and traditional. This role is what distinguishes us from bookstores: We are not just dispensing information but evaluating it, advocating it, and educating with it. We must be sensitive and responsive to trends while being professionally alert to the underlying issues that shape those trends. The constant is that successful public libraries must be libraries that the public can use efficiently and with ease. This means we must customize our often-limited resources to the individual needs of our communities. But we also need to understand that as the digital era explodes the walls of the library, our definition of community takes on worldwide dimensions. </p> <p>Every time public libraries add new formats to their collections, new challenges are created. How do we budget for these new formats? What priority do we give these formats in our ordering? How do we process and store the materials for public use? How do we circulate and publicize the new formats? Do we drop older formats for the newer? Which ones do we keep for historical value and which ones do we weed? </p> <p>Although the decisions we've made regarding nonprint resources have been challenging, they pale in light of the challenges presented by emerging electronic resources. Former categories of print and nonprint have almost merged into a general nonelectronic collection, as opposed to resources available through electronic connections. </p> <hd id="AN0001409169-5"> Bytes </hd> <p>Balancing the availability old favorites such as of hardcover fiction with new materials in electronic formats now challenges librarians. The blending of traditional and electronic library resources provides an opportunity for customizing information based on user needs, tastes, and abilities. Until the hardware and software become as completely intuitive as a toaster, library users will need assistance in identifying and using appropriate electronic resources. </p> <p>Libraries must lead the culture without leaving it behind. We must challenge customers to learn and use the new information resources without being too challenging. Librarians will need to become more savvy about such issues as electronic licensing, bandwidth, and networking. We must now be educators, mentors, lab technicians, facilitators, and mediators of information. Our budgets must address the need to invest in new formats and the technology to support and develop them. Expensive research materials, formerly out of reach of most public libraries, can now be obtained on a pay-per-use basis. Once again, we have an opportunity and a challenge paired in a way that demands our professional judgment and discretion. </p> <p>One of the new dilemmas is that instead of buying material just in case we eventually need some of it, we can rent the portion 6f the material customers need now. This saves libraries money and space. It provides "just for you" service to users. Through the use of electronic resources, customers receive the most current information, when they need it and in the most convenient format for that individual's use. But professional librarians must be aware of the full spectrum of these resources--a daunting task since we now live in a world where technology redefines the landscape of learning every year. </p> <p>To cope effectively with this challenge, librarians are becoming increasingly specialized; however, they are still held accountable for having a solid overview of all information systems. This task is compounded by the fact that many library users view computers, in particular the Internet, as the answer machine to all questions. The public's naivete is sometimes astounding. Just before Christmas 1997, the Internet workstation was stolen from the Palm Springs (Calif.) Public Library. Fortunately, the equipment was returned with little damage because the thief was disappointed that the computer didn't have the Internet inside. This assumption places a heavy burden on librarians to not only explain the technology but to assist users in navigating and identifying the appropriate information to meet their needs. </p> <p>To remain effective professionals, we must embrace our expanded roles and responsibilities, have the technical training and capacity to provide the services, and assume responsibility for being information centers in their community. Librarians don't have to make the choice between books and bytes; they just need to be familiar enough with these tools to use them in the appropriate way and situation. The successful integration of electronic resources into modern library service will ensure that libraries continue to be vital and valuable institutions. </p> <hd id="AN0001409169-6"> Buildings </hd> <p>People often view the public library as bricks and mortar rather than a merger of materials, services, staff, and facility. However, many of today's library facilities can provide a formidable challenge to the inclusion of electronic resources. Shifting from traditional library resources, both print and nonprint, can free up floor space for the computer workstations required to access today's electronic information. On the other hand, just because there is floor space doesn't mean there is sufficient wiring to connect those workstations to local-area networks, wide-area networks, or the World Wide Web. The reality of the virtual library is one of the primary challenges facing our profession in the next decade. </p> <p>Library equipment budgets will continue to be placed under stress as libraries work to keep up with the necessary hardware to access electronic resources. Additionally, the evolution of assistive technology for people who have disabilities presents another source of evolving and dynamic change and opportunity. In institutions that are used to keeping furniture and equipment for 30, 40, or 50 years the concept of planned technical obsolescence in three to five years is a complete paradigm shift. We must reframe and articulate budgets to address these new patterns in expenses for training, service, and expansion. </p> <p>The challenges extend beyond equipment and attack the very ambiance of stereotypical public libraries. Reports of customers' preference for super-bookstores over libraries (AL, Nov. 1998, p. 28) confirms what many public librarians have recognized for years. People enjoy the relaxed browsing atmosphere evident in Borders and Barnes &amp; Noble. People want to relax with a cup of coffee while they peruse the newest releases. For years Charlie Robinson, director emeritus of the Baltimore County Public Library, has said, "Give 'em what they want!" And I would add that if public libraries do not, commercial bookstores will--at our expense. </p> <p>Today's public library user wants materials on the past and present represented in a setting that is as fresh, attractive, and comfortable as the local bookstore. The fast pace and glitzy presentation of children's television conditions even the youngest public library user to more sophisticated usage patterns. Children raised on Sesame Street, Power Rangers, and Rugrats can find it difficult to slow down, quiet down, and read in the traditional, stodgy library environment. Public librarians need to attract young children and keep them coming back as library users by providing a welcoming environment in which to explore the world of reading and information gathering. </p> <p>Add to this demand the reality that Americans use many self-service products. Our increasingly busy schedules teach us to rely upon and expect ease of use in areas such as ATMs and electronic banking, mail-order catalogs, and carry-out food. Not only do these activities "give 'em what they want," when they want it, and in the format they want, they provide the privacy many people demand. </p> <p>Libraries are no different and are being held to the same high levels of expectation. With the advent of self-checkout equipment, patron-placed holds and renewals, dial-in access, automated phone attendants, and voice mail, e-mail, and fax at the reference desk, the public library user has become more self-sufficient, thus shifting the librarian's role to one of anticipatory service. Many users appreciate the opportunity to serve themselves rather than waiting in a line and making small talk with library staff when simple, routine service is required. This trend toward self-service and automation not only saves libraries money, it can have a dramatic impact on every library's most important resource--the staff. </p> <hd id="AN0001409169-7"> Bodies </hd> <p>Many libraries spend between 60 and 70% of their budget on staff wages and benefits. The promise of automation in the 1960s to reduce staff has not proven to be accurate. In fact, quite the opposite is true! Even with all the talk of outsourcing, libraries still find staff issues to be some of the most difficult to manage. As in many of life's situations, there is no one right way to run a library. Riverside County, California, has completely outsourced its library service (AL, Aug. 1997, p. 19). On the other hand, last year Sun Microsystems "insourced" its library by converting outsourced workers into regular staff. </p> <p>Today's public libraries hire technical experts who have the skills to plan, install, and maintain technology that allow the library to offer the kinds of services and resources the public needs and wants. Library technicians need sensitivity and thoughtfulness to blend the appropriate technologies with information resources to make an end product that the public library patron can use intuitively. There is stiff competition for employees who possess hightech skills, yet who are willing to work within the limited pay scales of libraries. The thought of paying any staff member more than a librarian is one that hasn't been accepted by many library directors. </p> <p>Continuous training on new equipment, new resources, and new methods of service takes commitment, time, and money. With the implementation of services like self-checkout, those library users interacting with circulation staff members will need more specialized assistance. After all, the customers with no fines, no holds, no overdue materials, and a current library card can check materials out at the self-checkout terminal. That leaves people who need to pay fines, pick up holds and interlibrary loans, verify record information when applying for library cards, or who have a general gripe with the library to wait in a line for personalized staff assistance. The circulation staff member goes from solving one problem to the next without downtime between customers. Stress levels for staff will continue to increase as self-checkout gains in popularity. </p> <p>In anticipation of this, today's library staff must be well-trained, patient, pleasant, understanding, flexible, energetic, enthusiastic, inquisitive, self-motivated, and able to work with a less-than-ideal public in sometimes less-than-ideal situations. How wonderful it would be to have a staff completely made up of these types of professionals. But in the real world, we have all kinds of employees working with all kinds of customers. The public library is the publics library and that public varies greatly from one community to the next, as do the libraries. </p> <p>These are only some of the challenges ahead in the future of the public library; undoubtedly, others that we cannot even imagine lie in wait in the new millennium. Even so, the opportunities are almost unlimited. The management and merger of the old and new--the books, bytes, buildings, and bodies--promise to make library work even more rewarding in the coming century. </p> <aug> <p>By Christine Lind Hage </p> <p></p> <p>CHRISTINE LIND HAGE became director of the Clinton-Macomb Public Library in Michigan January 4. She is also president of ALA's Public Library Association. </p> </aug> |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 3 StartPage: 79 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Change Type: general – SubjectFull: Electronic Libraries Type: general – SubjectFull: Futures (of Society) Type: general – SubjectFull: Librarians Type: general – SubjectFull: Library Materials Type: general – SubjectFull: Library Personnel Type: general – SubjectFull: Library Role Type: general – SubjectFull: Public Libraries Type: general – SubjectFull: Skill Development Type: general – SubjectFull: User Needs (Information) Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Books, Bytes, Buildings, and Bodies: Public Libraries in the 21st Century. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Hage, Christine Lind IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 1999 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 0002-9769 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 30 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: American Libraries Type: main |
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