BlogJunction » Library Services

Local Governments use Libraries to Provide Services

chrystie — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:37:48 +0000

Recently, there have been a number of studies, grants, presentations, and articles published about how governments are utilizing their public libraries to address local needs and to provide new services to their communities. Many of these are related to job hunting or gaining access to unemployment services. Check out these links to learn more:

Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2008–2009 – ALA’s most recent report on this project shows that more than 71 percent of libraries report they are the only source of free access to computers and the Internet in their communities. Only 14.6 percent of all libraries indicate they provide no e-government services – down from 25.9 percent two years ago. Two-thirds of public libraries rank job seeking services among the most crucial online services they offer – up from 44 percent two years ago. Handy one page summaries are included for each state. About the study: http://www.ala.org/ala/research/initiatives/plftas/index.cfm.

Advancing Leadership and Innovation in Public Libraries – International City/County Management Association discusses Public Library Innovation grant recipients and links to their projects.

“Online at the Library” was published by Ellen Perlman in Governance Magazine on Oct 20, 2009.

International City and County Management Association Newsletter includes notice and summary about the Libraries Connect Communities report.

Best Practices in Helping Job Seekers in the Library (webinar) – with speakers Bernice Kao, Raye Oldham, Megan Pittsley iincludes links to presentation and materials related to the topic.

Hard Times Resources is a new website supporting librarians and the public developed by the Washington State Library. The team presented at WebJunction’’s Technology Essentials Conference yesterday and a number of other projects are referenced in their presentation materials.

Public Libraries & E-government Services – published Summer 2009, this ALA brief highlights how public library technology supports public access and use of e-government information and resources.

The ning community on Library 2.0 has a group on E-government for Public Libraries.

If you have additional resources to share, please post a comment and we’ll keep building out this list.

Originally published by Valerie at Collaborative Librarianship News. Re-posted and expanded with permission.

Get a bearing on workforce resources

blg3 — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:43:58 +0000

WebJunction’s Workforce Resources topic is growing. Since I first introduced it earlier this month, we are building momentum with new documents and links to information.

New:

Economic Gardening: libraries help to grow local economies
Find out how libraries can nurture this exciting idea.
Community and Library Services Analysis Tools
Analysis worksheets created by Kitty Yancheff of the Humboldt County Library in Eureka, California to assess community and library services to triage social services.
Speaking of Kitty, she is one of the presenters in Thursday’s (Jan 28) webinar on Libraries and Workforce Recovery. If you miss it, there will be an archive.
In fact, there’s a collection of links to Webinar Archives related to Economic Recovery.
There is a new addition to the Impact Studies and Reports document— a link to ALA’s report A Perfect Storm Brewing: Budget cuts threaten public library services at time of increased demand.

Workforce Resources will continue to grow. We welcome your contributions. Tell us what your library is doing to guide patrons toward recovery. Share your stories of patrons who were steered toward success with the help of the library.

Project Compass: libraries providing direction in tough times

blg3 — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:48:09 +0000

On September 10, 2009, IMLS announced a grant awarded to WebJunction and the State Library of North Carolina to support public libraries’ efforts to meet the urgent and growing demands of our communities as they struggle with the loss of jobs and the needs of the unemployed. The team chose the name of Project Compass as an apt metaphor for the intention of assessing the present situation of workforce development in libraries and for setting direction toward future recovery. The compass is also symbolic of the direction that libraries provide to their patrons and their communities, especially in turbulent times. There is abundant evidence that people are turning to libraries as to the North Star, depending on this community institution to provide guidance through the economic downturn.

Libraries have already responded to the critical needs, creating or augmenting multiple and robust resources and services. The variety of responses to the Library Responses to Economic Tough Times survey brings to light the energetic guidance that is emanating from libraries all over the country. Highlights of the survey responses are captured in the Compass Survey Summary; the details of individual state responses may be read in the collection of Compass Snapshots for each state.

If you have followed any of these links, you’ve had a glimpse of what is a budding resource on WebJunction. In addition to the Project Compass section, which will collect information pertinent to the project and participants, there is a new Workforce Resources topic. This nascent topic area will grow over the coming year. We hope that everyone involved in workforce development issues will help that growth. We are interested in contributions on tools, resources, and services that any library—large or small, state or local— has deployed toward workforce recovery.

WebJunction’s January webinar will focus on Libraries and Workforce Recovery.

Join us on January 28 to learn about successful library programs and best practices that address the increase in patron job-related needs. You’ll hear about strategies for triaging social services and how to analyze your library’s services in relation to existing community social services. You’ll discover new ways to create partnerships with community agencies to leverage workforce development efforts. Finally, you’ll get tips on tactics that can be implemented on a shoestring or non-existent budget to respond to patron workforce development needs.

As the Project Compass Coordinator, I welcome everyone’s questions, suggestions, ideas, etc.

Announcement to Participate in Legal Resources Training Conference

SharonS — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:55:36 +0000

With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the National Center for State Courts, the Center-hosted Self-Represented Litigation Network, in cooperation with the Legal Services Corporation, is presenting:
A Training on Public Libraries and Access to Justice
January 11-12, 2010, Austin, Texas

Information on Application Process
With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the National Center for State Courts, the Center-hosted Self-Represented Litigation Network, in cooperation with the Legal Services Corporation, is presenting a two-day conference that addresses how public libraries can improve access to online legal information at libraries. The conference will be a unique opportunity for participants to meet with public librarians and with legal and court experts to discuss strategies for integrating access to legal information into their programs, including how to locate the best content and tools, how to talk about the content with library patrons, how to work with content partners to make sure that needed content is developed, how to share what they have learned statewide, and how to use successful programs to advocate for the importance of public libraries as gateways to government institutions.

The conference organizers plan to select between 10 and 15 teams of two to three people from across the country to attend the conference. These teams will learn about a broad range of currently available print and online, customer-friendly legal tools developed by courts, bar associations, law libraries, and legal aid programs that support people without access to legal aid or counsel. The participants will learn how to access this information, facilitate sharing among libraries and legal agencies and participate in the enhancement and customization of these tools.

Preference will generally be given to teams that include a person who plays a statewide library staff educational or organizational role; a local librarian with a strong interest in expanding the use of public libraries for access to justice; and one of the following: a legal aid staff member; or a court online information expert or member of a self help center currently not using online tools to provide services. Applicant teams are encouraged to put together a group that will be the most effective in their area of service to spread the word in their states. The decision of the selection group will be final.

Conference participants will receive travel and hotel costs (subject to certain caps described in the application). Participants will also be eligible to apply for post-conference funding to implement some of the tools learned at the conference. Such grants, which will range from $750 to $1,000, might be used for travel to conferences at which training would be shared, development of marketing materials, and so on.

For additional immediate information, contact Richard Zorza, richard@zorza.net.

Application materials can be found on:
SelfHelpSupport: http://www.selfhelpsupport.org/libraries
WebJunction: http://www.webjunction.org/legal-information/-/articles/content/86970844

Food for thought (or fear?)

SharonS — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:05:44 +0000

I read this post (excerpted below) on Seth Godin’s blog, and it resonated with me–both the specific example of apples and the overall point he was making.

In our industrialized world, people are now afraid of apples. Afraid of buying the wrong kind. Afraid of making a purchasing mistake or some sort of pie mistake.

And they’re afraid of your product and your service. Whatever you sell, there are two big reasons people aren’t buying it:

1. They don’t know about it.

2. They’re afraid of it.

If you can get over those two, then you get the chance to prove that they need it and it’s a good value. But as long as people are afraid of what you sell, you’re stuck.

The place for Text Message Reference?

Jen — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:28:02 +0000

The recent WebJunction Digital Reference Summit (full archive and related resources) included a presentation by Alison Miller about the rise of text message reference services. At the beginning of the session we polled participants and discovered that just 17% of the nearly 200 in attendance were providing text reference services, but that’s sure to change.

Alison provided a wealth of data to illustrate the current trends in mobile reference services and referenced the nearly 100 libraries offering SMS (text) reference service listed on the Library Success Wiki. There were a handful of questions raised during the webinar about whether or not the 160-character limit allows for an adequate reference exhange or if it only serves to provide quick answers to quick queries.

There are multiple responses to these questions in the recent Library Journal article by Ellyssa Kroski which asks, Text Message Reference: Is It Effective? In the article, Ellyssa references interviews with a half a dozen or so academic reference librarians and presents their answer as a resounding YES! She summarized:

The 160-character limit does not seem to be an impediment; librarians simply send multiple messages or ask patrons to call or come into the library for further help with more complex questions.

Libraries are receiving a wide variety of questions via text messaging such as troubleshooting, directional, circulation, and reference queries, with some libraries receiving between 50-90 questions per month via patrons’ mobile devices.

And it doesn’t seem to matter that the reference interview may take multiple text exchanges, according to these librarians—the content and quality of the answers is more important than the medium of delivery.

Whether or not your library is providing text message reference, I think the verdict is clear. The libraries who remain technologically nimble in our changing times are where their users are.

National Medal for Museum and Library Service

Jen — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:46:07 +0000

Heads should turn and take notice when 10 institutions are awarded the nation’s highest honor for outstanding museum and library service. Thanks to the bloggers at BlogJunction Illinois for the great write up featuring Illinois’ own Gail Borden Public Library. I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with Denise Raleigh, the library’s director of marketing, development and communications and the force behind the StoryTubes project, a collaborative effort with partner libraries and publishers across the country.

The Gail Borden Public Library is the heart and hub of exciting activities in Elgin, Illinois. Its motto, “Learning is a Journey…Start It Here,” has been the inspiration behind many activities, including the Dr. Torres Library Card Challenge, a month-long program that resulted in 8,000 new library cards for local kids; the A Tapestry of Freedom project, which encouraged residents – especially foreign-born patrons – to share their stories of struggle and triumph with fellow Elgin citizens; and the GIANTS: African Dinosaurs and SPACE: Dare to Dream programs that brought to the library prehistoric visitors and objects from far flung galaxies. With all of the fantastic programs and events at the Gail Borden Public Library, community members ask just one question: “What next!”

The full cast of winners are as diverse as the nation’s cultural landscape: small and large, urban and rural. They have one thing in common: they have developed innovative ways to serve their communities.

Winners of the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service are:

Nominations for the 2010 award are due on February 16. Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your library’s award winning community service!

Library competency seedlings are sprouting

blg3 — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:29:01 +0000

I feel like I’ve spent much of the winter and spring planting competency seeds and I’m finally seeing the seedlings push up the soil and greet the light of day. So here’s what’s growing in the WebJunction competency garden …

♣ The Competency Index

Competency Index for the Library Field is a compilation of competency statements that address a broad spectrum of library practice and service. We aggregated and de-duped twelve leading competency sets from the field and then subjected them to a vigorous review by subject matter expert practitioners. We invite you to download the resulting publication and remix and reinvent it in whatever way best serves your library’s size, structure, and personnel development needs.

♣ Competency-course-content connections

We have integrated a fourth set of competencies from the Index with the WebJunction catalog—The Personal/Interpersonal competencies. Also referred to as soft skills, foundational or behavioral competencies, they apply to most job roles and form the underpinning of effective and stellar practice and service. Start on the Competencies tab of the WebJunction Courses page and discover connections to courses and resources aligned with specific skills and knowledge statements. You can also explore learning opportunities related to library management, core technology, and systems & IT.

♣ Competency evaluations

The results are in from the two competency evaluations WebJunction conducted in March and April. We asked respondents from across the field to evaluate themselves on a selection of skills and knowledge statements for library management and technology. Read the summaries and look for the detailed results in the PDF attached to each summary.

Library ROI: A Brief Webliography

George — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:15:41 +0000

First, a confession. I’ve been holding this list for months. Don Reynolds sent this to me back in the fall of 2008, and I’ve been meaning to post it ever since. Today, the guilt finally overwhelmed me, so I went in and checked all the links, tossed out or updated the bad links, arranged the list in chronological order from oldest to newest, and threw myself on the mercy of the court.

REPORTS ON CALCULATING A LIBRARY’S RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Compiled by Don Reynolds, Past President of the Association of Rural and Small Libraries, and Director, Nolichucky Regional Library, Morristown, Tennessee
Updated February 20, 2009

Public Library Benefits Valuation Study. St. Louis Public Library, April 2001.

Library’s Contribution to Your Community. Illinois Regional Library Systems, 2002/3.

Libraries: How they stack up. An OCLC Report. OCLC, 2003.

Value of Public Library Service. Massachusetts Library Association, October 2003. Also available: “Estimated retail value and Values explained” and Calculator work sheet

The Economic Impact of Public Libraries on South Carolina. January 2005.

Taxpayer Return-on-Investment (ROI) in Pennsylvania Public Libraries. Pennsylvania Library Association, September 2006.

Value for Money: Southwestern Ohio’s Return from Investment in Public Libraries. November 2006. Report Summary

Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development. Urban Libraries Council, January 2007.

Worth Their Weight – An Assessment of the Evolving Field of Library Valuation. Americans for Libraries Council (Libraries for the Future), May 2007. Two notes:
1.) This report summarizes all the various valuation projects from around the country.
2.) I was having some trouble getting this to download, but was told by Libraries for the Future that the website issue is being addressed.

Vermont Library Association’s Library Use Value Calculator – What is your library worth to you? August 2007. (Note: Follows Massachusetts model.)

Return on Investment for Public Libraries. Library Research Service (Colorado), 2007/8. Note: This site also includes numerous case studies of individual libraries. Individual ROI Calculator.

Return on Investment (ROI). North Suburban Library System (Illinois), 2008. (Note: Two calculators are available here, one for a library’s return on investment to the community, one for the ROI for an individual.)

Maine State Library’s Library Use Value Calculator. Updated 2008. Note: This approach also follows Massachusetts model.

New York Libraries: How They Stack Up! Revised October 2008. Printable brochure version, also revised October 2008

Librarians ready for new action

blg3 — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:40:59 +0000

Change is in the air. Renewal and energetic forward motion are the order of the day. Which makes me think it’s time for a new icon for librarians, a new librarian action figure.

Don’t get me wrong. I have tremendous admiration for Nancy Pearl, the model for the original Librarian Action Figure. In fact, I have so much appreciation of her vitality and infectious love of literature, that I was disappointed in the reinforced stereotypes of the doll cast in her image. Nancy Pearl is not dowdy and I’ll bet she never shushes (except when posing for a photo-op). Yes, I am the proud owner of my own LAF and I recognize the great publicity and attention that it has generated.

But I think it’s time to move on. So, I have imaged the next generation of the LAF. Two arms and a stack of books are just not enough to convey the range of activities and services provided by library staff.

What is the key action of this librarian? She (he) enables.

Check out the photo on Flickr for details of the actions she holds in her hands. What actions would you add?