Let me introduce the topic by going back to my teen years. I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, and hit my teens in the late 1960s. Funk was everywhere. Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band’s song “Express Yourself” sticks in my mind to this day. There is a line about halfway through the song that says “Some people have everything, and other people don’t, but everything don’t mean a thing if it ain’t the thing you want. Express yourself!”

So now I get to the point. I may have fallen into library work without intention, but I stayed because I love it. There are parts of it that I am really good at and parts that I am not, but there is seldom a day that I do not want to get out of bed and go do it again. I am surrounded by people both in this organization and in others that feel the same way. But I am also realistic enough to know that there are plenty of my colleagues who do not feel that way.

Those people have a thousand excuses for why they cannot go do what they really love. Some of those reasons are more legitimate than others. We all need reminders, however, that this is the only life we get, and rather than making the best of it, we need to make it the best.

Perhaps you are familiar with the phrase opportunity cost, or the measure of any activity in terms of the value of any other activity not chosen. Wikipedia refers to it as the “sacrifice” related to an alternate choice.1 Opportunity cost is assessed not only in monetary or material terms, but also in terms of anything which is of value. For example, if I choose to spend an hour watching some mindless television that I don’t even like, I not only lose that hour, I lose the productive thing I might have done with that hour.

Opportunity cost impacts you and your library in multiple ways. First, by choosing to stay in a career or job that is not satisfying, you choose to limit your time doing the thing you truly love, or perhaps you choose not to even pursue it at all. If you are a comic book artist at heart and choose to sit behind a desk and answer reference questions, you are making a sacrifice—a big one. Secondly, your choice is a critical opportunity cost for your organization. You are taking the position of someone who truly loves this library thing more than anything else, someone who could be an inspiration to your customers and a creative problem solver for your team. Sound harsh? Sometimes the truth is.

There are two things happening in my life right now that make the critical nature of opportunity cost important to me. First, I am only a few years away from transitioning (retiring) into the next new me. While that is a great new adventure, it is the second thing that I want to focus on. In thirty-four years in  libraries, I have never had to lay off anyone. Unless something big changes in the next few months, that will no longer be the case. Many of our colleagues, in major urban libraries as well as small rural or suburban systems, have had the same heartbreaking decisions to make. It is painful for the people losing their positions. It is painful for the decision-makers. If there is one small high note that I could encourage the newly laid off with, it would be the clichéd idea that this is an opportunity. Easy for me to say currently, but I have not always played it safe either. Opportunity to disrupt our lives comes from the inside as well. We sometimes choose a new career, a new city, a new partner, new child, elective surgery, you name it; change is not always thrust up on us.

The process of self disruption has many fans in academia, corporate America, and across the blogosphere. From Apple and Dell to entrepreneurs of every type, there are multiple examples of leaders who have taken hold of the creativity that self disruption offers and come out better because of it. It is more than just a matter of rebranding yourself; it is a deeper struggle to identify and grab a hold of your next new creative venture. One of the wonderful things that libraries and their staff do is help people navigate those changes through books, information, and moral support.

Some of you will argue that I make this case to let myself off the hook for the life-changing decisions that are made in the name of bad budget times, but I  will argue back that you never have better opportunity to make improvements in your life and self than when life is disrupted for you. The thing that I will not say is that you have to feel good about it. Change is generally painful. Ambiguity can be painful. But if you don’t have a choice, why not embrace all of it and dig in? At the very least, you are a fine example to your family, friends, and colleagues of making the most of what you have. And who knows, there may be a bestselling memoir in there somewhere.

As a part of Grand Rapids Public Library’s annual GR Reads program (whose concept was borrowed liberally from the fantastic programming that the Chicago Public Library does), my library will be promoting a Day of Change this summer. The concept behind it is a simple one: Do something. It could be personal, it could be civic, it could be altruistic, but most important to me is do something important for yourself because “it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t the thing you want.”

REFERENCE

1. Wikipedia, s.v. “Opportunity Cost,” last modified Apr. 13, 2012.

The post An Examined Life first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

A growing number of librarians are making a concerted effort to take the cause to venues far beyond the standard echo chamber¹ of library conferences,  blogs, and (ahem) magazine columns. There’s even a bounty out there (“The Great Librarian Write-Out,” created by librarian Patrick Sweeney²) for people looking to get published in a non-library-centric publication.

And now we’re starting to see librarians making presentations at tech conferences such as South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi). The prospect of talking to a group of techier-than-thou scenesters may seem daunting, but we have much to gain by sharing our stories with these new audiences. Whether you’re speaking at a tech conference or simply to a small group of locals, getting non-librarians excited by library technology can go a long way toward advancing your organization’s mission. Via email, I recently interviewed Nate Hill of San José (Calif.) Public Library and community library technologist Jessamyn West, who lives in Vermont, about their experiences in preparing to speak at SXSWi.

Public Libraries: Tell us a bit about what you’re presenting and the audience you’re speaking to.

Hill: I’m speaking on a panel at SXSW 2012 called “Making Stories: Libraries and Community Publishing.”³ My piece is specifically about public libraries and how they can and should strategically position themselves as community publishers. I’m going to present two different components of a system that would truly reposition the public library as a local publisher.

West: I am on a panel [“A Penny Press for the Digital Age“⁴] that is actually taking place in the journalism track. Basically talking about how major news organizations are sort of abandoning less affluent readers in their quest to stay “relevant” and the effect this has on how people interact with the news and what sort of news they actually wind up getting. I’m talking about the digital divide, sort of the statistics part of it and how this affects professionals like
ourselves who have a mandate to serve the entire public and not just the ones who can afford to access our services.

PL: Do you feel like non-librarian audiences have certain preconceptions or stereotypes about libraries? How do you overcome those beliefs?

West: Absolutely. I think it’s important to be a living example of “Hey, libraries and librarians are doing more than you think.” I think a lot of people specifically don’t know about our anti-censorship work, about how we protect children’s rights to read and how we are a truly public space in a country that is seeing public spaces eroding and disappearing.

PL: What’s the most important thing these audiences stand to learn about libraries?

Hill: Speaking to tech folks at tech conferences outside of the library bubble gives us a chance to show off where we are conceptually, while reminding them of the scarcity of resources we are working with.

West: That we’re for everyone, rich and poor, and that we’re democratically run. The distributed nature of the public library system in the US means that each library is simultaneously an individual unit but also part of this vast interoperable system. It’s like the world’s best free file-sharing network, with clean bathrooms and people there to help you use it.

PL: What do you think libraries stand to learn by speaking outside the echo chamber?

Hill: Libraries and librarians are full of ideas, but we lack the expertise and funds to follow through on many of them. There’s a lot of good will toward libraries in the greater tech community, and in my experience many people see the endless possibilities of what a public library can evolve to be in the twenty-first century. What they don’t understand . . . is how to get from point A to point B.

West: Seeing the sort of flexibility and responsiveness the tech world can bring to the table is useful I think. I still live somewhere where the library website won’t reflect if the library is closed for a snow day. While I understand why the library systems are the way they are, I think it’s worth shining some light on the fact that they don’t have to be this way, that at some point in time decisions were made and maybe they haven’t been revisited recently enough, or that people’s expectations have changed as they’ve experienced other systems.

PL: What do you hope to gain from your audience? Do you think they can contribute something back to the library world?

Hill: Grand, sweeping ideas are easily presented on a panel or in a speech. Details of implementation are better discussed individually or in smaller groups. I hope that at SXSW I’ll be able to spark the imaginations of some of the audience, and then make time to talk through bits and pieces of the way libraries work afterward.

West: I want people to go get library cards and be an active part of their library community. In my particular case, I want people to understand the digital divide better, both from a personal perspective . . . as well as what they might be able to do from their positions in the tech world. Make the web as usable as the public library, in short. Make it for everyone.

PL: What advice would you offer to other folks trying to preach the “wired library” gospel?

Hill: When you are looking to step outside of the library bubble and talk about technology and service delivery as it relates to technology, be prepared for people to not understand why you can’t “just do it.” The thing that a tech-savvy librarian brings to a conversation outside the bubble is their knowledge of how libraries, local government, and our self-imposed bureaucracies work. I like to think that the best administrators are the ones who clear the road so that their creative staff can do their work, while the worst ones offer all the reasons that the answer is no. When presenting your tech ideas to an audience outside the library bubble, you should make time to act like a good administrator would. Explain the roadblocks in place that prohibit change.

West: Be clear that if you are not preaching to the converted that you need to make this sort of thing into a genuine option for people, not just a “you should do it because it’s cool” situation. A lot of this stuff comes about because there is one motivated and passionate person who is in a position to say yes to a technological choice or innovation, or say no to something that doesn’t work. Be ready to make that decision when it comes to you and work to get yourself to that decision-making position. It’s a long game, but patience and passion can really pay off.

REFERENCES

1. For a terrific breakdown of the “library echo chamber,” see Ned Potter and Laura Woods, “Escaping the Echo-Chamber,” July 13, 2011, accessed Feb.22, 2012.
2. Patrick Sweeney, “Great Librarian Write-Out (Round Two),” PC Sweeney’s Blog, accessed Feb. 22, 2012.
3. “Making Stories: Libraries and Community Publishing,” South by Southwest Program Schedule, accessed Feb. 24, 2012.
4. “A Penny Press for the Digital Age,” South by Southwest Program Schedule, accessed Feb. 24, 2012.

The post Preaching to the Unconverted: Talking to Non-Library Audiences about Libraries first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Public Libraries: You have stated there are many ways to define and measure success in public library services. What measurements do you think are most important in determining a library’s success?

Dziedzic: I think the ultimate measure is the community’s opinion of the library. At NPL, we conduct both customer satisfaction surveys and community surveys—so we know that both library users and non-users have highly positive opinions of the library, its services, its value for the tax dollar, and its value to the life of the community. NPL achieved an overall approval rating above 90 percent in customer surveys.

PL: NPL is known for seeking a 360-degree view of how the library is doing. What are the key components of getting a 360-degree view of a library?

Dziedzic: To say that NPL is “data rich” is an understatement! Internally, a great deal of thought and analysis is put into data and anecdotal measures. The numerical data is broken down into two gross categories: (1) data that need to be kept for various formal reports and (2) data kept for elements the library has deliberately determined it wants to track. For example, NPL periodically measures the length of time it takes to answer reference questions. It proved very helpful to be able to tell elected officials that although the number of reference questions is stable or down, the length of time it takes to respond to a patron question has increased considerably.

In addition to the formal data gathering methods mentioned, customers are able to comment in person, on specific forms in the facilities, and online. This information is used to make services and operations more customer friendly and, often, more effective. If the user leaves contact information on the  comment, we respond to that person. In addition, there’s a spot on the library’s website called “You spoke, we listened” where we report changes made
because of the public’s input.

It’s important to remember that management has internal customers called staff. In addition to public opinion of the library, staff’s opinion is tremendously important to helping to maintain morale and to improve the corporate culture. The library conducts employee surveys regularly and then works to resolve issues of concern—or dissolve myths that have popped up—and lets staff know what can be done, what has been done, and what’s just not within our control.

External measures, such as the HAPLR ranking, are also valuable in having a 360-degree view of how the library is doing. Because each ranking views the library’s statistics from perspectives different from each other and from the library’s, analyzing them in tandem broadens our understanding of where we excel and where we may improve. And yes, they do have useful public-relations value as well.

I also think it’s important to seek measures outside of the library world where possible. For example, going through the “101 Best Places to Work in the Chicago Area” review process was truly valuable in identifying positive and negative aspects of the library workplace and gave us great feedback on which to work. Winning the award proved very beneficial in gaining the attention and respect of the local business community.

PL: How has NPL developed the community’s understanding of getting the best possible library service return for the tax dollar?

Dziedzic: Being a valuable service that’s also a great value for the tax dollar was part of nearly every community presentation given by key staff for close to fifteen years. The NPL board and staff are committed to being good stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars. The library has also been able to buttress that concept with hard numbers that demonstrate clearly its dedication to a positive cost to service/operation ratio. For example, NPL has a low cost per item checked out, high number of visits per capita, and high number of checkouts per staff member. I think people who work in libraries are often very cost conscious. NPL took it one step further by bringing continuous quality-improvement training to all staff and by encouraging a highly collaborative approach. Teams now form spontaneously and continuous review is embedded in the corporate culture. These pay off tremendously in terms of improvements, efficiencies, and job satisfaction.

PL: How has the recession challenged the ability of libraries to provided quality library services?

Dziedzic: There’s no question decreased funding has had a negative effect. NPL was actually in the process of bringing its tax rate down for several years prior to the effects of the financial crisis, so it is often possible to do more with less. But, once the effects of the economy were felt, our budgets were hit hard, reductions of more than a million dollars over several years. For NPL, it has meant reductions in staff benefits, staffing hours, public services, and IT. We have a more limited materials inventory, so patrons are not seeing as many new titles or copies. We’ve also eliminated paid-for public programming, which seriously affected our senior population. For several years, we have not had staff benefits such as merit or market increases. At the same time, staff is paying more for healthcare. So, the public is not seeing services to which they are accustomed and there is an understandable negative effect on staff morale.

However, funding shortages do not necessarily mean innovation shortages. As one example, thanks to thoughtful and creative staff, we now have more public programming than before the budget reductions began. In addition, we have maintained many local partnerships that have supported public programming through sponsorships. Soon, NPL will have a new website and will dive deeper into interactive service and social media. With solid training, with a feeling of freedom despite financial restraints, and with the selection and retention of great staff, it is just plain awesome how creatively staff members have responded to what have been some pretty crummy circumstances.

PL: NPL has been recognized as one of the best organizations to work for in the Chicago area. What policies and best practices in human resources management contribute to a library being an excellent place to work?

Dziedzic: In truth, I think it’s not so much the policies or practices. I think it’s what I call the philosophy or the corporate culture from which those policies arise. A negative environment isn’t likely to produce positive policies. While we aren’t always perfect, we try very hard to be as honest, open, and congruous as possible. I’m sure no organization ever communicates enough, but we do work hard to communicate with staff, even if it is to say “We don’t know anything more about this issue than we did last month.”

We hold staff meetings on difficult issues, such as the hefty budget cuts we’ve survived, taking any and all questions from staff and responding to the best of our ability. We explained upfront that while there were no guarantees, we would do our best to not cut staff or reduce open hours. Congruity counts. When we did have to reduce or eliminate staff, it wasn’t random. We cut where we had decided to reduce services—fewer materials purchased meant fewer technical-services hours; fewer paid programs meant fewer community-service hours. In these situations, the good news was that, although staff may not have liked our responses to their questions, they did appreciate that we explained the situation and provided them the opportunity to ask anything—with no negative repercussions.

PL: What advice do you have for librarians who wish to pursue careers in library management based on your successful work with many types of library organizations?

Dziedzic: Know yourself, surround yourself with people who are not like you, be comfortable with not being universally loved, have professional courage, and don’t hire schmucks.

Also, if you are offered a mentoring program, take advantage of it. Find or create an opportunity to shadow a library director. Once, I was a guest speaker for a class in library administration. At the beginning of that class, I asked the students to call out what they thought a library administrator did in the course of his or her day. Then, I handed out a diary I had kept for the two weeks prior, tracking each activity I performed during that time. Needless to say, the assembled were a little surprised at the difference between the two lists.

PL: Given that you are active in the World Future Society, what do you think is the future of libraries?

Dziedzic: Building future scenarios tends to depend on information you have at the time and how you interpret and put together that information. What it can’t really account for is what I call the “fluke factor” — that big unknown that whacks you upside the head and takes you by surprise. OCLC Online Computer Library Center did a study which shows that “books” are now more than ever the library brand.³ My personal interpretation of that is that people
really mean “reading” when they say “books.” People are reading in all types of formats—paper, electronic, multimedia. I have a feeling that will be around for a while.

At the same time, you need to have good information—hard data and anecdotal evidence about the communities that libraries serve. This information provides big clues to the directions we should be looking. Libraries are more and more a gathering place—sometimes I think we have more coffee klatches in the library than at Starbucks. Now and in the future, successful libraries must provide an environment, a touch-and-feel experience, that people like and want to support.

REFERENCES

1. Thomas J. Hennen Jr., “2010 HAPLR Index Released,” American Libraries, Apr. 20, 2010, accessed May 16, 2012.
2. Keith C. Lance and Ray Lyons, “Star Data by Peer Group,” Library Journal, Nov. 1, 2011, accessed May 16, 2012; 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For, “Chicago 2009 Winners,” accessed May 9, 2012.
3. Cathy De Rosa, Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources: A Report to the OCLC Membership (Dublin, Ohio: OCLC Online Computer Library Center, 2005).

The post What Makes an Award-Winning Public Library Successful? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Disasters, defined by the Suburban Emergency Management Project¹ as events that are somewhat widespread and intense enough to overwhelm affected areas to the extent that they need external intervention, can send victims fleeing to distant localities, forcing communities to quickly accommodate and relate to large, unfamiliar groups. The library literature is full of examples of public libraries rising to the challenge, helping large influxes of residents or out-of-towners who seek their services in the wake of disasters. Public librarians adopt many different roles² to meet community needs. To do so, they must quickly assess changing user needs during disasters and adapt their services on the spot.³

While victims know, or quickly figure out, that libraries can provide necessary assistance to them during disasters, the emergency management community has slowly come to understand the value of public libraries as disaster response resources. In fact, the first formal recognition of public libraries as essential community organizations came in January 2011 when the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) decided to make libraries eligible for temporary
relocation during major disasters and emergencies under the FEMA Public Assistance Program.⁴

FEMA’s recognition of public libraries is a first step, but this awareness now needs to extend to other groups that respond to disasters, including healthcare professionals, public health workers, and mental health counselors who work with disaster victims. Likewise, public librarians should hone their knowledge of online resources that can aid these disaster response workers—either in providing the workers with information that will help them or the disaster victims they assist.

Supporting Emergency Response Roles of Public Libraries

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) is one organization that is well-positioned to be a liaison between public libraries and emergency responder groups. Coordinated through the National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine, NN/LM is a network of organizations which includes all types of libraries, public health departments, and community-based organizations.⁵ Its mission is to improve access to quality health information—particularly National Library of Medicine resources—to both health professionals and the general public through promotion, training, and increased access to technology. NN/LM has eight network offices located in medical libraries throughout the United States, which lead the network in pursuit of its mission. In recent years, NN/LM has initiated services to address the health information needs of users during disasters.

One NN/LM network office has, by necessity, paid particular attention to disaster preparedness among its libraries. That network office serves the South Central Region (NN/LM SCR), coordinating a particularly disaster-prone area comprising Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. NN/LM SCR network members have faced tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, the Oklahoma City bombing, and environmental disasters, including the BP oil spill. These events have caused network members in the region to forge a well-functioning system of support which allows them to help each other provide continuity of service in times of disaster. While this support system is strongest among health sciences and hospital libraries, public libraries need to be involved as well.

NN/LM SCR has its share of public library network members and recognizes that they can be key partners in helping to improve access to health information to consumer groups, so NN/LM SCR staff decided to reach out to public libraries in the region specifically in relation to disaster response. Inclusion of more public libraries in the network would expand NN/LM SCR’s reach in helping emergency responders and the general public with disaster response. Additionally, the public libraries could gain credibility with emergency management agencies, emergency response groups, and health professionals by becoming affiliated with a National Library of Medicine program.

In 2009, the NN/LM SCR network office initiated a project to explore ways to support the emergency response of public libraries in the region. While it targeted those libraries that faced an almost continual stream of emergencies—coastal public libraries—the lessons learned about supporting this group of public libraries could be generalized to public libraries facing other types of disasters.

The first step in the project was to form a partnership with the state libraries in the two states in the region that faced hurricane threats—the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the State Library of Louisiana. Representatives from both state libraries worked with NN/LM SCR in all phases of the needs assessment and action plan.

How NN/LM SCR Assessed Public Libraries’ Needs

NN/LM SCR began its project with a needs assessment because, as public librarians who have experienced community disasters will attest, well-intentioned but misguided assistance in times of disasters simply adds stress to an already difficult situation. The NN/LM SCR team wanted to provide assistance that would provide support, not increase stress.

NN/LM SCR worked with a program evaluation consultant to design and conduct the needs assessment, which took place in two phases. The first phase involved telephone interviews that lasted one to two hours with library directors and staff in managerial or reference positions. The second phase consisted of advisory group meetings with public library directors, at which the NN/LM SCR project team requested feedback about strategies it had developed based on information gathered in phase one. The advisory groups provided feedback about proposed services and added other suggestions.

The State Library of Louisiana and The Texas State Library and Archives Commission helped NN/LM SCR identify public libraries that stepped up to help their communities through disasters caused by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike. State library representatives gave an enthusiastic endorsement to the project, which helped NN/LM SCR garner participation from public library staff for both the interview and advisory groups. Representatives from both libraries helped to plan and attended the advisory group meetings and agreed to seek ways to work with NN/LM SCR to implement strategies in their states.

The telephone interviews and advisory groups involved twenty-nine library directors, library managers, and reference librarians from eighteen libraries in Louisiana and Texas. The communities served by these libraries ranged in size from less than five thousand to more than two million users.6 Some libraries in the sample were damaged badly by hurricanes and their staff members talked about recovering along with their communities. Other libraries were not damaged directly by these particular storms, but instead served waves of evacuees that sought refuge in their communities.

The interviews were summarized and thematically analyzed to identify the needs of public libraries. To validate the analysis, findings were presented to the advisory groups, which had both public librarians who participated in the interviews and those who did not. Their feedback indicated that conclusions drawn by the project team were valid. Based on information gained in the needs assessment, the NN/LM SCR developed and is pursuing the strategies described ahead.

Promoting Public Libraries to Emergency Responders

In the interviews, public librarians’ descriptions of their assistance to their communities showed that they were highly resourceful and effective. Yet at the time of the storms, few of these libraries had formal roles to play in their counties’ or cities’ emergency response. In the needs assessment, some librarians said their response to the hurricane caught the attention of city leaders, and the library directors have since joined the emergency preparedness teams. However, most believed that their resources needed to be promoted more broadly to emergency responders of all types. They believed that working with NN/LM SCR, with its connection to National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine, would enhance their profile among healthcare providers and emergency responders.

This request aligns beautifully with NN/LM SCR’s role in locating and promoting resources to its user population.

As it hones its message to these groups, NN/LM SCR plans to promote the following public library qualities that make them highly valuable to disaster response:

• Library staffs are skilled at assisting the general public in locating information. The everyday task of being a public librarian demands a combination of customer service, information search, and technology skills. Public librarians serve all who pass through their doors—a user population that ranges vastly by age, cultural background, literacy and technology skill levels, even mental health status. During the hurricanes, evacuees sought help with Internet searches for relatives, FEMA forms, community services, and information about the flood status of their neighborhoods. These evacuees were emotionally burdened with anxieties, grief, and mental issues that required a great deal of sensitivity from library staff. The interviews with public librarians showed how they rallied all of their resources to help hurricane response: bilingual staff helped translate signage, technologically savvy workers entered evacuees into a statewide database, and youth librarians entertained frightened children.
• Librarians are masters at mobilizing and distributing information. The public perceives public libraries as the hub of community information, so it was almost instinctive for public librarians to respond to community disasters by pulling together information for evacuees and community residents in troubled times. Some library staff members went to great lengths to compile information. One librarian said the staff, feeling like spies, volunteered at emergency phone banks organized by emergency assistance agencies in hopes of finding more contact information for the evacuees.
• Public libraries are a comforting place for disaster victims. Public libraries belong to the public, so they take public service quite seriously. The libraries from the project sample that were not directly hit by storms worked at providing a safe, welcoming space for everyone. One library was attached to the building used as the shelter; and the library director commented that, if the shelter was the evacuees’ bedroom, then the library was their “living room.” The libraries in our sample that were damaged by the storms worked toward restoring some level of operation within days of the storm, with the goal of bringing a sense of normalcy to the community. In one coastal parish in Louisiana, the public library was the first and, for a long time, the only organization open at night after the storm. Public libraries in the sample also became bases of operation for organizations providing service to disaster victims, including school districts, to enroll displaced children; banks, to open accounts for victims to receive FEMA money; and home stores, to provide workshops on power tool use. One public library in this project served as a location for mental health professionals to meet with storm victims who were returning home after evacuating for Katrina.
• Multi-purpose spaces in public libraries can be adapted for many uses. Librarians in this needs assessment gave examples of how they converted different spaces in their libraries to accommodate the needs of disaster victims. One public library turned a new meeting room into a makeshift computer lab. Another public library served as housing for emergency responder groups, a staging area for volunteers, a nursery for children, and a location for public showers.
• Most public libraries are wired. Many public libraries now have Wi-Fi connections that can be accessed from their parking lots when their buildings are closed. Some public libraries also offer videoconferencing and satellite conferencing, which emergency responder groups can use to hold meetings among workers in dispersed areas.
• Libraries serve more than local residents. Out-of-town victims and emergency responders may not be aware that public libraries extend service beyond local residents. Library cardholders do receive special privileges, such as remote access to some databases or the ability to borrow books, but public libraries extend many services and support to users without screening for place of residence. The services described in this article, including reference assistance, computer use, and Wi-Fi access, was provided to whoever came to the public library after the storms.

Other Support

Along with promoting public libraries to both emergency responders and healthcare providers, the NN/LM SCR project team developed other strategies to help public libraries build capacity to serve the needs of both consumers and health and emergency response professionals. NN/LM SCR will work with the state libraries to develop and promote the following strategies, all of which have been endorsed by the public librarian advisory groups:

• Networking opportunities with emergency responders. NN/LM SCR offers funding for events called “Community Preparedness Days,” which are similar to health fairs for community residents but feature exhibits from community preparedness and response organizations. A number of such events have been held in the South Central and other NN/LM regions and public librarians who ran the events said they believed the projects raised awareness of their role in community disaster response among emergency responder groups. The event allowed public libraries to work with planning committee members and exhibitors representing emergency management agencies, community-based preparedness organizations, and hospitals. Consequently, representatives of these organizations became aware of how well public libraries can meet the needs of disaster victims.
• Providing training on consumer health information resources. The National Library of Medicine has an extensive free consumer health database called MedlinePlus7 that includes information that could help disaster victims to both plan for and respond to disasters. The public librarians in this study said that, shortly after hurricanes, evacuees and residents needed information about first aid, vaccinations, and insect bites. In the longer term, residents in affected areas needed information about environmental issues related to home repair, such as mold remediation. Some disaster victims needed health information in Spanish and other languages, all of which can be located by visiting MedlinePlus.
• Providing mental health information to public librarians. Unlike healthcare and mental health professionals who are taught how to set emotional
  boundaries with patients, such training is seldom offered to public library staff. Library directors in this study said their staff members found themselves mentally and emotionally drained from helping streams of evacuees for weeks on end. In collaboration with a social worker or healthcare provider, NN/LM SCR will develop some type of educational program, such as a webinar or tutorial, called “Mental Health for Librarians during a Disaster,” to help librarians provide professional reference services to the public without crossing professional boundaries or burning themselves out.
• Providing printed information during emergencies. Public library computers were in demand in the aftermath of storms, particularly because FEMA applications were online. Many of the evacuees had low technology skills and required assistance from library staff. Consequently, public librarians said that printed handouts containing health information would have been more useful than electronic health information because they needed to use computers for information that was only accessible online. NN/LM SCR will work with the state libraries to ensure that the public libraries will get MedlinePlus patient handouts when they are unable to print this type of information themselves due to power or Internet outages.
• Networking assistance to obtain support from network members. Public libraries can contact NN/LM SCR at any time when they need help locating answers to medical reference questions for their users. To increase convenience of this service to public libraries when they may be stretched during community disaster response, NN/LM SCR plans to develop a graphic that could be placed temporarily on a public library’s website, referring users to the NN/LM SCR toll-free number when a disaster is imminent or in the aftermath. Librarians that call the toll-free number, or refer a user to it, will be directed to a medical library in the NN/LM SCR network that has agreed to answer medical reference questions for the public.

Conclusion

This evaluation study focused on the needs of libraries in a specific location responding to a specific type of disaster, but many of the findings can be generalized to other situations. For example, a 2011 article described the Springfield (Mass.) Public Library’s (SPL) response to a tornado that hit in May 2011.8 SPL’s activities bear similarities to the response of the public libraries who participated in this project. NN/LM SCR believes that the strategies it
developed to support coastal public libraries may benefit their other public library network members in other parts of its region. Through strong partnership with the state libraries, NN/LM SCR will assist public libraries to build capacity to meet the needs of their users and advocate for them as a key resource to those facing emergencies and disasters. PL

REFERENCES

1. Suburban Emergency management Project, “Disaster Dictionary,” accessed Apr. 24, 2012.
2. Robin Featherstone et al., “Library Roles in Disaster Response: An Oral History Project by the National Library of Medicine,” Journal of the Medical Library Association 96, no. 4 (Oct. 2008).
3. Lisl Zach and Michelynn McKnight, “Special Services in Special Times: Responding to Changed Information Needs During and After Community-Based Disasters,” Public Libraries 49, no. 2 (Mar./Apr. 2010).
4. Michael Kelley, “ALA Midwinter 2011: FEMA Recognizes Libraries as Essential Community Organizations,” Library Journal, Jan. 11 2011, accessed Apr. 24, 2012.
5. The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, “About the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM),” accessed Apr. 24, 2012.
6. State Library of Louisiana, Public Libraries in Louisiana 2005 Statistical Report, accessed Apr. 24, 2012; Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Texas Public Library Statistics for 2007, accessed Apr. 26, 2012.
7. MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine, accessed Apr. 24, 2012.
8. Beverly Goldberg, “Massachusetts Mayor: Library Service Is Essential after Tornado.” American Libraries June 8, 2011, accessed Apr. 24, 2012.

The post Connecting Public Libraries with Community Emergency Responders first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Human libraries originated in Denmark back in 2000² but the idea has since taken off. The first human libraries in the United States were held in 2008 by the Bainbridge Public Library (BPL) in Bainbridge Island, Washington, and the Santa Monica (Calif.) Public Library (SMPL).³ BPL’s event completely filled up with readers. By the end of the program, the branch had begun to let small groups check out the books together in order to let more people participate. SMPL’s two events, which lasted a total of nine hours, had more than 250 participants.⁴ In Lismore, Australia, public demand led the city to establish a regular, monthly human-library program.⁵ Conversations there continue to frequently run over the official checkout period. In June 2011, the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association (ALA) even sponsored a human library at the ALA Annual Conference.⁶

Why Public Libraries Should Conduct Human Library Programs

The human library was modeled after existing libraries, which makes a library well-prepared for holding one of these events. A human library requires the creation of a catalog with short descriptions of each of the books, the issuing of library cards, the establishment of a checkout procedure, and the adherence to other functions that libraries perform on a daily basis.⁷ The need to provide a wide selection of materials in order to develop a “balanced collection” transfers from the public library to the human library.⁸ Librarians’ experience facilitates the organization and the operation of the human library. In addition, patrons who already utilize the public library as a community resource may stumble upon the program and become readers. Public libraries provide a suitable setting for this type of program.

Furthermore, the human library meshes with the intention behind public libraries. The public library serves as a public forum and as a place for the exchange of ideas.9 Most public libraries also define themselves in part as places for people to find information and as places where people learn.¹⁰ The human library provides a place for people, both readers and books, to frankly explore ideas through one-on-one dialogues.¹¹ As Deborah Jacobs, former city librarian at Seattle Public Library, noted, this sharing of information continues libraries’ efforts to present multiple viewpoints for users to consider.¹² The library’s mission of providing a neutral, safe space for learning provides an open environment which invites readers to ask probing questions.¹³ The human library acts as an extension of the mission that drives public libraries.

The human library project presents public libraries with opportunities to reach out to other organizations. Judd, MacDonald, and Foyt,¹⁴ for example, reached out to new organizations as well as to those they had worked with previously. They reinforced existing relationships and fostered new connections. Networking extends to other libraries or organizations, within the US and abroad, that have already held a human library.¹⁵ BPL and SMPL, the organizers of the first two human libraries in the United States, conversed and shared resources after discovering each other.¹⁶ Partnering with these other organizations increases the library’s resource base, people power, and reach, an it raises the library’s profile in the community. Such cooperation counteracts, to some extent, the idea that the library is expendable. Strengthening ties to other organizations, through the human library and other programs, reinforces the library’s value to the community.

More importantly, the human library further connects the library to the public. The organizers, ideally, match the program to local circumstances. Because the books and the readers come from the community, local context necessarily influences the program. Through the program, the public library shares the  community with itself,providing a venue for individuals to articulate their experiences and to communicate with one another.¹⁷ Books tend to have little opportunity to share their experiences during their day-to-day lives. Participating in the human library provides them with a chance to be heard. Books and readers bond and find the interaction beneficial. The enthusiastic response most events have received indicates that the human library fulfills an unmet need. Making these personal connections brings the community together. Providing the human library program weaves the library more tightly into the fabric of the community.

Media attention and public interest demonstrate the program’s worth and also promote the library. By holding a human library, the public library seems innovative.¹⁸ Public libraries may capitalize on the idea’s newness. SMPL received local, national, and international press coverage for its program and the BPL event generated considerable publicity and many notes of thanks in local newspapers.¹⁹ The Human Library Organisation agrees, having stated that: “Events such as this help to reaffirm the public library as an integral part of developing community relations and social cohesion. The library becomes a place for meaningful social interaction among its patrons, and this adds some new dimensions to the diversity of activities already taking place in the public library sector.”²⁰ This program acts as positive public relations for the library.

Hosting a Human Library Program

Although each library hosting a human library will need to determine specifics, the general process is the same. First, the library needs to contact the Human Library Organisation and register the event with them.²¹ In addition to granting permission to use the human library concept, they provide a guidebook and other helpful support. Then, the library should establish a planning committee, which can be as few as two people. This committee decides how to recruit books, where and when the event will be held, how long the event will be, how long an individual checkout period will be, and other logistical details.²² As with any library program, the library needs to market the event. The committee should work with each book to create a brief but informative catalog entry to let readers know what is unique about that book and then collate these descriptions into one easy-to-use catalog.²³ Before the actual event, the committee should hold at least one orientation session to let books know what to expect, allow them to practice, and to introduce the books to one another.²⁴ With careful planning, each public library will create a human library that will be successful in its community.

Because others have set a precedent, public libraries may benefit from accumulated experience. International organizations have been holding human libraries since the year 2000. In that time, these organizations have learned from mistakes, formulated strategies, and developed resources. The Human Library Organisation collects much of this information on its website. Those who have held human libraries have provided detailed guides, analyses of individual libraries’ experiences, and sample documents for others to use. Suggestions from these experienced sources include interviewing potential books before the event,25 holding the program during normal library hours, and holding the event in one central location. Recruiting Books is the most demanding part of organizing a human library. The work of these pioneering libraries saves time and effort for those interested in holding the program.

Conclusion

More public libraries in the United States should join the international movement to hold human libraries. The function and perception of the library accommodate the human library program. Similarly, the objective of the public library supports the mission of the human library. By implementing human libraries, public libraries integrate themselves even further into the community, making them stronger. Public libraries may follow the example set by preceding programs to implement a human library without wasting time, energy, or resources. The crucial time has arrived; momentum for the program has built but enthusiasm has not yet waned. PL

REFERENCES

1. Rebecca Judd, Julie MacDonald, and Rachel Foyt, “Living Library Project: Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” [webinar], accessed May 16, 2012.
2. The Human Library Organisation, “The History of the Human Library,” accessed Apr. 25, 2012.
3. Judd, MacDonald, and Foyt, “Living Library Project.”
4. Ibid.
5. Lucy Kinsley, “Lismore’s Living Library: Connecting Communities through Conversation,” Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services 22, no. 1 (Mar. 2009): 20–25.
6. ALAConnect, “2011 Annual Conference and Exhibition: The Human Library: Where People are the Books,” accessed Apr. 25, 2012, http://connect
   .ala.org/node/137087.
7. Judd, MacDonald, and Foyt, “Living Library Project”; Nick Little et al., Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover: The Living Library Organiser’s Guide 2011 (Budapest, Hungary: Youth Department of the Council of Europe, European Youth Centre Budapest, 2011), accessed May 7, 2012.
8. Judd, MacDonald, and Foyt, “Living Library Project.”
9. Kinsley, “Lismore’s Living Library”; American Library Association, “Guidelines for the Development and Implementation of Policies, Regulations and Procedures Affecting Access to Library Materials, Services and Facilities,” accessed Apr. 25, 2012.
10. Kevin Harris and Linda Constable, “‘Like a Light Going On:’ The Report on the Local Living Library Project,” accessed May 10, 2012.
11. Judd, MacDonald, and Foyt, “Living Library Project”; The Human Library Organisation, “What Do the Books Say about Being on Loan,” accessed Apr.25, 2012, http://humanlibrary.org./what-do-books-say.html.
12. Michael Wood and Deanna Sukkar, “They Call It the Living Library” [podcast], InfoSpeak 1, no. 2, accessed May 10, 2012.
13. Harris and Constable, “Like a Light Going On”; The Human Library Organisation, “What Is a Living Book?” accessed Apr. 25, 2012.
14. Judd, MacDonald, and Foyt, “Living Library Project.”
15. The Human Library Organisation, “How to Become an Organizer,” accessed Apr. 25, 2012.
16. Judd, MacDonald, and Foyt, “Living Library Project.”
17. Harris and Constable, “Like a Light Going On.”
18. Judd, MacDonald, and Foyt, “Living Library Project.”
19. Ibid.
20. The Human Library Organisation, “Settings for a Human Library,” accessed Apr. 25, 2012.
21. The Human Library Organisation, “How to Become an Organizer.”
22. Judd, MacDonald, and Foyt, “Living Library Project’; Abergel et al., Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover.
23. Ibid.
24. Ibid.
25. The Human Library Organisation, “Recruiting Books,” accessed Apr.25, 2012.

The post The Human Library: Sharing the Community with Itself first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The second approach is an occasion where the decision has been made to outsource not just the library’s director position but also the entire library staff. The decision to outsource has been based on a few initiating factors. Some municipalities have never managed their own library system. An example would be a city that has always contracted library service out to the county. At some point the city decides to explore other means of managing the library and finds that it would like to continue outsourcing, only now with a private vendor. In other communities, disagreements between two governmental bodies that govern the library have led to outsourcing. In one community, a member of city council was a supporter of outsourcing, in general, and his interest was the initiating force that led the municipality to consider outsourcing. In many communities where this has taken place substantial budget shortfalls made outsourcing seem appealing as it was seen as a potential money saving move.

Management contracts are generally three to five years and are renewable. The contractor is then responsible for the staffing and the daily operations of the library. The library still has a board of trustees and the library is still considered to be a public library in that state. Library materials, equipment, and buildings are still owned by the municipality and all materials acquired while the contract is in place are also owned by the municipality.

The main difference in operation between outsourced public libraries and publicly managed public libraries concerns staffing. Once a contract is in place, current library staff are transferred or let go, but are encouraged to apply for a position with the contractor. The final contracts normally stipulate that current library staff will be interviewed for appointments with the contractor. When the library reopens, the library’s director and staff are all employees of the contractor and not the municipality. Often a new director is brought in, one who is already employed by the contractor, but the staff usually consists of a mix of previous library employees and new ones. The contracted staff are then in charge of selecting, ordering, processing, weeding, programming, and policy creation under the guidance of the library’s board.

The first municipality to employ this form of management for its public library system was Riverside County, California, in 1997. Riverside County had previously contracted its library system’s management to the City of Riverside.¹ Due to its unfamiliarity with running its own library system, its familiarity with contracting those services out, and a budget crisis, Riverside County contracted with a private firm to manage all of its library operations.² While there was much interest and criticism at the time, some wrote the situation off as a unique solution to a unique problem or as a refreshing new approach.³

Outsourced library management has by no means become a widespread phenomenon, but the solution utilized by Riverside County was not unique as other municipalities adopted this form of management. In the fifteen years since Riverside County changed its management, nineteen municipalities have switched to private management (see table 1). Seventeen systems are currently operating under outsourcing contracts. The libraries are not size- or geographically bound. These seventeen library systems are in California, Texas, Kansas, Tennessee, Oregon, and Florida, the libraries range in size from one-building operations to a thirty-three–branch library system.⁴ At least seventeen other municipalities had considered outsourcing their libraries’ management but chose to remain publicly managed (see table 2). Four municipalities have at one point outsourced their management but not staff (see table 3).

How Does This Come About?

The decision to explore outsourcing the public library is usually made with input from the community and the library staff, but in other cases the entity responsible for governing the library—be it the city, county, library board, etc.—decides on its own to explore the issue without input from other stakeholders who might be interested in the process.⁵

The contracting process begins with the creation of a request for proposal (RFP) written by the municipality that outlines the expected services that a contractor would provide as well as assessment criteria for a possible contract. RFPs generally include background information about the community and the library, the type of library services expected to be offered by the entity that wins the contract, as well as sections describing specific contract provisions.

The RFP outlines the responsibilities of the contractor that successfully bids for the service and lists some assessment criteria for the contract. Responsibilities listed in previous RFPs include such things as conducting library programs; processing materials in a timely manner; re-shelving materials promptly; hiring qualified personnel; establishing short-and long-term goals; and making sure the library qualifies for membership with the state library.⁶ The RFP communicates what the municipalities believe are the most important features of the library. The focus areas chosen to represent the library are part of the criteria that will be used to assess the contractor’s performance in the final contract.

The second step in the contracting process is the submission of proposals from bidding vendors in response to the RFPs. The proposals elaborate on how the contractor would provide service within the parameters of the RFP. In an ideal situation, there are multiple contractors who compete to win a contract, allowing municipalities to have greater leverage in the contracting process and empowering them to get the best deal. In a monopoly there is only one provider, who has a large amount of power over what, how, and to whom service is provided. When looking at public libraries, there are numerous examples of vendors that provide library services for most of the various operations of the library. There are multiple vendors who provide books, databases, marketing, reference services, cataloguing, and processing, just to name a few. There are a large number of companies that offer their services to libraries to cover many aspects of library operations, but when the focus is on public library management there is only one company in the United States that is currently providing this service, Library Systems and Services, LLC. In most communities there is only one proposal submitted in response to the RFP, but in at least three cases there have been two proposals. In some municipalities the library staff or the library staff’s union have been asked to submit a counter proposal. The library staff is made up of public employees, and not outside entities, so they do not operate in the capacity of direct competition to LSSI for a contract.

The group that evaluates the proposals varies. In some communities, the evaluation and final decision are made by the library’s board of trustees or the city council. In other communities, the municipality brings together a group of community members, library staff, and municipality representatives to evaluate proposals. Proposals are also released to the public for comment. There have been at least two occasions where the contractor did not want its proposal to be open for public comment because they claimed the proposal contained proprietary information.⁷ After community outcry, the contractor allowed the proposal to be released to the public.⁸ The proposals are evaluated and the final decision about whether or not to contract can be influenced by the proposals themselves as well as public opinion. In some cases, the perceived benefits of contracting resulted in the outsourcing of the public library, while in others there seemed little benefit to outsourcing as no money would be saved. Negative public perception of outsourcing seems to be a factor in keeping the library publicly managed even with proposed substantial savings that may come from a contract.⁹

Contracts, once in place, are overseen by some representative of the municipality. Few contracts name a specific position (like the city manager or the county librarian) and instead state that the contract will be overseen by a representative of the municipality. Riverside County is the only municipality that has chosen to appoint a librarian to oversee the library management contract.10 Riverside County created the position of county librarian, the sole position to oversee the library outsourcing contract. It is likely that the sheer size of Riverside County’s library system provided the impetus for the creation of this position.

As mentioned previously, library staff sometimes chooses to submit a counter proposal to the contractor’s bid. In one community, the library staff bid on the job in competition with the private vendor and won, but this does not mean that the library staff members then become contractors. The proposal as set forth by the library staff becomes a working document for future service levels and funding, but the staff members remain public employees and there is no contract in place. When the private contractor wins the contract, they bid to provide service at a certain level for a certain price, and what is not spent through library services is overhead and profit for the company.

Library Staff

Public library employees have participated in the outsourcing process in various ways. In some cases the library management and staff have actively and willingly assisted in the contracting process that they most likely viewed as a way to have access to a greater number of resources than they had previously. In other communities the library staff participated in the process by helping the municipality create the RFP even if the staff’s general sentiment was against outsourcing. In at least two communities, the library management and staff had no knowledge of the RFP or the possibility that the municipality might outsource the library until the RFP was made public by the municipality. In other communities the library staff has had a contradictory role in the contracting process. Library staff members were asked to help create the RFP and then were encouraged to submit their own proposal to compete with the proposal from the private vendor.

The library staff’s role in helping to create the RFP and then submitting their own proposal would seem to put them in an advantageous position in the contracting process, but the truth is more complex. The library staff have advantages in that they are well versed in the content and meaning behind each section of the RFP and they are able to create a proposal that is much more specific about the services and operations of that particular library as they are the group that knows it best. But the format of the RFP may work against the library staff because of its focus on a private market solution to the issues related in the RFP. One library director noted that he and his staff were encouraged to submit a proposal, but they were, “troubled by the format of the RFP which seems tailored for private companies only.”¹¹ The library staff is not generally a legal entity so it cannot actually enter into a contract. Additional areas of the RFPs relate specifically to a private company’s response and are irrelevant to a group like the library staff who, if chosen, would not be contracted employees.

Also going against the probability of the library staff’s success in winning the contract is that the library staff does not have the same level of experience dealing with the contracting process that the contractor has. The library may have some experience on one side of contracting, that of creating an RFP and contract, but are not likely to have written a proposal before. The contractor, on the other hand, has a lot of experience writing detailed, effective proposals, specifically for the purpose of getting library management contracts that have been successful.

The focus here has been directly related to library staff submitting a proposal, but it needs to be noted that they are not the only entity besides the private contractor to submit a bid. In Medford, Oregon, the union that represented the public librarians submitted a proposal and in Nevada County, California, the Friends of the Library submitted a proposal to run their respective libraries. In Oregon, the municipality chose in favor of the private contractor, but the library remained publicly managed in California.

Recommendations

There are three strategies outlined below for public libraries to consider, each covering a different aspect or opinion on library management outsourcing. In all cases, information is the best tool for understanding the situation. (For a list of additional resources, see the end of this article, after the reference list.)

1. For library staff that wish to participate in an outsourcing contract. If you want to participate in the outsourcing contract process, the best strategy is to work closely with the municipality to help create the RFP. Make sure the RFP is detailed as to what services and level of service are expected from a contractor. Develop clear, distinct, and measurable contract assessment criteria. It is not enough to just say that the contractor should provide reference service. Should reference be provided at certain times or during all hours the library is open? Who should provide reference service? Make sure that the final contract describes in detail the kinds of services that are wanted for the library. Work with the municipality to ensure that the contract covers everything you think it does. In one community, an additional contract, with additional costs, was necessary for the contractor to clean up records in the catalogue.¹² Another community considering outsourcing found that the contractor did not think the contracted library budget should have to pay to incorporate RFID technology in the library. Instead, the contractor expected, “the city would purchase the RFID system out of savings generated by the contract.”¹³ Who will oversee the library contract and will that person have knowledge of libraries? Riverside County is the only municipality known to have its library management contract overseen by a librarian. The other municipalities designate a representative of the municipality and that person may or may not have knowledge of libraries.
2. For library staff that would like to submit a counter proposal in response to an RFP for library management contracting. The best strategy if you wish to submit a counter proposal is to arm yourself with knowledge. The RFPs, proposals, and contracts of the libraries that are currently outsourcing management are public documents and can provide a wealth of information in preparing your own proposal. The documents provide a guide to the contracting process as well as a guide to the language used in successful proposals. Knowing the language in which these documents are written provides a strong base for the creation of a public-based proposal. The library staff may find it beneficial to work with another entity in creating the proposal. In various communities, the library staff has worked with the library’s board of trustees, Friends group, and the library staff’s union to submit a proposal to operate the library. Be aware that almost any proposal created by library staff will undoubtedly cost more money than the proposal created by the private vendor. In every case so far where library staff or some other entity has created a proposal, the private vendor’s proposal cost the municipality less. Since it is difficult to win the numbers game, it is important to highlight the unique aspects of being a public entity. A proposal written by library staff should highlight how a publicly managed library has no overhead and would use the entirety of funds to operate the library. There would be no profit. The library staff already has a long experience with the municipality and the community. They would provide local management and would be the only “customer” of the municipality. Additional strategies would be to highlight any patron satisfaction surveys or other documentation that outlines the satisfaction the community has with the current management.
3. For library staff that wish to resist a potential outsourcing of library management and staff. The best way to avoid outsourcing is to make sure that your library is a vocal organization in your community. Does your municipality know what the library is and what it does? Making sure that the library has a strong relationship with the local governance and the broader community makes it less likely that this type of outsourcing scenario will be a surprise. If your municipality is interested in outsourcing library services and you are opposed to the idea your first step is to understand why the municipality is seeking this as a possible goal. What do they hope to gain from outsourcing? Is it to fix a problem? Can the problem be fixed some other way? Is it to save money? Will money actually be saved? Robert Ward’s study and a paper from the library board of trustees for Dartmouth (Mass.) Public Libraries
   (DPL) found that little, if any savings resulted from library management outsourcing.¹⁴ In many of these cases, two seeming common factors in libraries remaining public are (1) a negative perception of outsourcing by the community and (2) an increased interest by the local and national media. Once the conversation began about outsourcing the public library, word spread through the community and the idea was broadcast widely in the media. Articles
   about DPL and the Tewksbury (Mass.) Public Library appeared in the Boston Globe.¹⁵ Other stories about library outsourcing have been published by the New York Times and the Associated Press. In some communities, public disapproval of library outsourcing seems to have had an influence on the choice to keep the libraries publicly managed. Public sentiment against outsourcing (including 1,686 petition signatures) and worries that there would be high staff turnover because of reduced salaries led Bedford (Tex.) Public Library to remain publicly funded.¹⁶ Community disapproval seems a deterrent, but it is not always an effective one. In at least one municipality, the library system was outsourced despite seeming widespread disapproval of the idea in the community. Some municipalities in Florida have considered outsourcing, but there is concern that private management will disqualify the libraries’ status as public libraries in the State of Florida and thus disqualify them from receiving state aid. Additionally, the State Library of Florida has petitioned to add text to a state statute describing the requirements for libraries eligible to receive state aid. Even with changes to the state code to more strictly
   define public library designation, Osceola County, Florida, contracted its library system to LSSI in 2011.

Throughout each of these three strategies is the idea that knowledge of the existent library outsourcing documents is imperative. The RFPs, proposals, and contracts from the existing contracts are public documents and provide information on how the contracts are negotiated, what successful proposals look like, and what can be expected in a final contract.

Conclusion

From 1997 to 2007, thirteen library systems were outsourced, and then from late 2007 to early 2010 there were no new contracts. Since 2010, five more systems have been outsourced and there is growing international interest. Communities in the United Kingdom are exploring outsourcing and recent challenges in the Toronto Public Library System have flamed rumors of possible outsourcing. It should also be noted that all municipalities that have made the decision to outsource the management and staffing of their libraries to a contractor are all still under contract, except two. The Calabasas (Calif.) Public
Library switched back to public management in mid-2007 and the Lancaster (Tex.) Veterans Memorial Library changed back to public management in October 2008.

The future of public library management outsourcing is unclear. What seemed a stalled trend in early 2010 now appears to be a swiftly growing phenomenon. The municipalities that have considered outsourcing their libraries in the last few years may have been looking for a monetary fix as the economy took an extreme downturn. Substantial savings have yet to be proven.

REFERENCES

1. Rob Seitz, “Outsourcing Helps Library Meet Demand,” American City & County 113, no.5 (May 1998): 72.
2. Ibid.
3. Ronald J. Baker, “Outsourcing in Riverside County: Anomaly, not Prophecy,” Library Journal 123 no.5 (Mar. 1998): 34–37; Ron A. Dubberly, “Why Outsourcing is Our Friend,” American Libraries 29, no.1 (Jan. 1998): 72.
4. Heather Hill, “Outsourcing the Public Library: A Critical Discourse Analysis” (PhD dissertation, University of Missouri, Columbia, 2009).
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Bedford Texas City Council minutes, Aug. 14, 2007.
8. Norman Oder, “Bedford, TX City Council, in 4–3 Vote, Rejects Outsourcing Library to LSSI,” Library Journal, Aug. 29, 2007, accessed May 4, 2012.
9. ———, “Bedford Mayor Nixes Library Outsourcing,” American Libraries, Aug. 1, 2007, accessed May 4, 2012.
10. ———, “When LSSI Comes to Town — Public Libraries, Private Company: The Outsourcing Compromise,” Library Journal, Oct. 1, 2004, accessed May 4,
    2012.
11. ———, “TN PL Considers Outsourcing,” Library Journal 131 No.6 (4/1/2006): 19.
12. City of Moorpark, California, Amendment No. 1 – LSSI.
13. Bedford Texas City Council minutes, Aug. 28, 2007.
14. Dartmouth Public Libraries, “Privatization/Outsourcing Report,” Dec. 2008, accessed May 11, 2012.
15. Connie Paige, “2 Towns Weigh Privatizing Libraries: Cost Cutting Idea Troubles State Board,” Boston Globe, Mar. 20, 2008, accessed May 4, 2012.
16. Oder, “Bedford Mayor Nixes Library Outsourcing.”

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

American Library Association, “Outsourcing and Privatization,” accessed May 4, 2012.

Florida Department of State, Division of Library & Information Services, “Outsourcing and Privatization of Public Libraries” accessed May 4, 2012.

Hill, Heather, “Outsourcing the Public Library: A Critical Discourse Analysis” (PhD dissertation, University of Missouri, Columbia, 2009), accessed May 4, 2012.

Martin, Robert S., The Impact of Outsourcing and Privatization on Library Services and Management: A Study for the American Library Association (Chicago: ALA, 2000), accessed May 4, 2012.

Ward, Robert C., “The Outsourcing of Public Library Management: An Analysis of the Application of New Public Management Theories from the Principal-Agent
Perspective,” Administration & Society 38 (2007): 627–48.

The post A Look at Public Library Management Outsourcing first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

OCLC Online Computer Library Center recently announced the launch of the OCLC WorldShare Platform, which will enable library developers, partners, and other organizations to create, configure, and share a wide range of applications that deliver new functionality and value for libraries and their users. The OCLC WorldShare Platform facilitates collaboration and app-sharing across the library community, so that libraries can combine library-built, partner-built, and OCLC-built applications. This enables the benefits of each single solution to be shared broadly throughout the library community. OCLC will also deploy data centers around the world in support of OCLC WorldShare and other services. Over time, OCLC will bring together additional OCLC services and applications under the OCLC WorldShare name, including resource sharing, consortial borrowing, metadata management, and additional applications. OCLC’s currently deployed library management solutions will continue to be maintained and enhanced in line with libraries’ ongoing requirements under their current brand names. WorldCat will continue to serve as the name for shared data, including registries and the knowledge base, as well as discovery services such as WorldCat.org and WorldCat Local.

Credo Reference Launches Literati by Credo

Credo Reference, recently named “Best Overall Reference Database” by Library Journal has announced that their new solution, Literati by Credo, is now available to libraries worldwide. Literati by Credo is a collaborative research platform that promotes research effectiveness and information literacy by combining Credo’s well-regarded content with innovative, library-centric technology. Beyond the platform, Literati by Credo offers customized tools and services, so that libraries can brand and enhance their end-user experience. The announcement of general availability marks the end of Literati’s beta period in which a select number of institutions utilized and tested the new solution. The beta group included institutions such as Columbia University, Marshall University, South University, Lancashire Libraries, and the American University of Paris.

YALSA Announces Teen Book Finder App

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has announced the launch of its first app, the Teen Book Finder, for Apple devices. The free app will allow teens, parents, librarians, library staff, and anyone who loves young-adult literature access to the past three years’ of YALSA’s awards and lists on their smartphone. The app is currently in beta testing. App features include:

• a homepage, refreshed daily, featuring three titles from the database;
• the ability to search for books by author, title, award/list year, genre, award, and booklist;
• a Find It! button, powered by the OCLC WorldCat Search API, that will show users where to find the book in a nearby library;
• a Favorites button, to create an individualized booklist; and
• the ability to share books from the Teen Book Finder on Twitter and Facebook.

An Android version of the app is planned for later in 2012. The app is funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

SirsiDnix Releases SirsiDynix Social Library & BookMyne+

SirsiDynix recently released SirsiDynix Social Library solution, the library industry’s first fully native Facebook application. SirsiDynix Social Library enables library users to search their library’s catalog, place holds, and perform My Account functions without leaving Facebook. Patrons of SirsiDynix Social Library can securely log in to their library via Facebook, just as they do today at their physical library using the same credentials. Among other capabilities, the SirsiDynix Social library solution also enables library users to:

• search their local library catalog and place holds on materials of interest right from the library’s Facebook page;
• access My Account features including checkouts, hold management, and payment history; and
• share and “like” library materials within the social environment where users worldwide currently spend more than 700 billion minutes each month.

The SirsiDynix Social Library solution benefits libraries as well, enabling them to increase user registration and circulation by providing easy access to the library for current and prospective users. SirsiDynix also recently unveiled a new version of the BookMyne mobile app. BookMyne+ can be customized for a fee, and syncs with the SirsiDynix ILS. BookMyne+ provides push notification for events, Twitter and Facebook alerts, and reading lists. The “virtual bookshelf” design is also available for customization. Project Gutenberg content is supported on the free and customized versions of the app, which is available for both iPhone and Android devices.

Booktrack Launches New E-Reader Platform

Booktrack, the creator of a new way to read by matching synchronized music, sound effects, and ambient sound to the text of your favorite e-books, recently announced the debut of the Booktrack Bookshelf, which consolidates the Booktrack experience into a unified application. Now users can browse Booktrack’s entire catalog, try free previews, purchase titles, and view their entire libraries, within a single app. Booktrack also announced that its The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Speckled Band was downloaded more than 100,000 times from the Apple iTunes App Store in 105 countries, making it one of the most globally downloaded e-books of 2011.The Bookshelf application gives readers the opportunity to try Booktrack for free. Booktrack (currently available from the iTunes App Store, Android marketplace, and for PC operating systems) delivers a new chapter in the evolution of storytelling by creating synchronized soundtracks for e-books.

Gale Gateways is New Web Portal

Gale announced Gale Gateways, an innovative program for public libraries, at the PLA 2012 National Conference in March. Designed to represent the unique way in which a community interacts with its public library, Gale Gateways brings together thematic products and services to provide an organized way for patrons to find and use information. Gale Gateways is a suite of products and services that include a customizable SEO-enabled website, Gale products, marketing collateral, and special training and programming support for the Gateway theme. Web support includes the customizable Gateway web portal tool and search engine optimization. The Gateway portals can be linked from the library’s main website, are easy to configure, and can link directly to any library resource—whether it be a Gale resource or not. Customization is a key feature of the portal tool; from content to logos, colors, and text, librarians have full control of the Gateway look, as they are the ones that serve the community and know them best. Ccustomers can give their Gateways any name, allowing them to tap into their current library branding if they choose, along with localizing their site with relevant community information. Customized marketing materials, library staff training, and direct-to-the-public training, as well as templates and tools, will help staff create their own relevant community workshops around Gateway themes. The themes of the first Gateways to be released include business; job and career; health and wellness; homework help; and home, hobbies, and entertainment.

Baker & Taylor Introduces Axis360

Baker & Taylor recently announced the development of Axis360, a digital media platform that provides a state-of-the-art system for accessing digital content and Baker & Taylor’s Blio software app. Axis 360 surfaces content on a Magic Wall and makes it quick and easy for patrons to check out the e-books they want. Libraries will be able to order e-book titles through Title Source 3 at the same time that they order print titles, and MARC records will be available in a day or so for those titles. Benefits include ILS integration; holds notification and management; immediate activation of ordered titles; and a library-branded platform. Axis 360 integrates with MyLibraryBookstore for e-commerce service. Patrons will be able to browse the Magic Wall by subject, get recommendations for additional reading, and contribute book reviews.

OverDrive Launches Over Drive Help

OverDrive Help has hundreds of newly written help articles covering everything users need to know to enjoy e-books, audiobooks, music, and video from digital library collections. Articles contain screenshots, software download links, and links to related articles. Each article can be printed, emailed, or shared via Facebook, Twitter, and other sites using the “share this page” button available at the top of most pages. OverDrive Help will replace the FAQs that are currently linked at customer libraries’ OverDrive-powered website. When users visit OverDrive Help via your library’s OverDrive-powered website, there will be a “support” button in the left-hand navigation bar. Users will click this link to return to your site and find the Support button to contact your library directly.

OCLC Offers Website for Small Libraries

The Website for Small Libraries (WSSL) project, which began as an OCLC Innovation Lab experiment in 2011, is now available as a beta service for any library wishing to set up its own website. Participating libraries will be able to quickly set up a website that provides basic functionality for making small collection information available on the Web; setting up users; checking materials in and out; placing holds; and providing library contact, location, service, and event information.

OCLC’s research showed that half of libraries with one or two employees do not have a Web presence. This product will provide an economical way for libraries with collections of 20,000 items or less to have a functional Web presence. In order to make the site as easy to use as possible, it relies on simple editing of predefined templates to populate the Web presence. It can take just a few minutes to have a library site up and available to patrons on the Web, as well as on mobile and tablet devices. The service uses a set of wizards to import collection and user information in a wide variety of formats. It uses statistical algorithms and WorldCat to determine structure and field contents to ease the import processes. Complexity is kept to a minimum by focusing on the minimum fields necessary to make collections accessible.

WSSL is not intended to be a full-featured library management service, but an option for those small libraries that have not been able to take advantage of traditional library systems due to size, cost, or technological restrictions. Libraries interested in signing up can do so at http://beta.worldcat.org/lib. Participation in the project costs $500 per year and comes with a ninety-day trial period. Libraries are free to import and export their collection and patron data as they try the service, as well as through the product life. Four South Dakota libraries, as well as the South Dakota State Library, were part of the project’s pilot.

Innovative’s Decision Center is New Decision-Support Product

Innovative Interfaces recently announced Decision Center, a new decision-support product that can dramatically improve a library’s collection and operational efficiency. Decision Center generates recommendations that span collection development and weeding; circulation and transit; budgeting; and more. Decision Center utilizes Innovative’s Dynamic Library Intelligence, which pairs current and complete data with library-selected performance targets. Decision Center actively supports library staff by:

• recommending areas for collection growth as well as weeding strategies;
• providing guidance for effective budgeting;
• using library-determined thresholds and strategic targets to optimize operations;
• streamlining item availability to drive higher circulation; and
• using Dynamic Library Intelligence for complete and up-to-date analysis.

Unlike inventory-only products, Decision Center considers a wider swath of data that spans holds, circulation, expenditures, transit times, item locations, and patron demographics. Decision Center’s database is updated daily and examines continuous data through time. Offloading data to a third-party vendor is unnecessary because Decision Center is an integrated solution and operates seamlessly with either Millennium or Innovative’s new Sierra Services Platform. The product will be offered as a hosted service. A late 2012 initial release is planned.

Gale Launches DemographicsNow: Business & People

Gale has announced the availability of DemographicsNow: Business & People, an online business and residential reference tool that provides detailed demographic data on more than 23 million businesses and 206 million consumers. Designed with an intuitive interface, interactive mapping tools, and comprehensive data, this new resource makes it easy for all types of researchers to collect, analyze, and act upon information, all from one location.

DemographicsNow: Business & People not only offers demographic information on any US geography—including information on income, housing, race, age, education, retail spending, and more—but it also allows users to compare multiple geographies and drill down to data on a specific county, zip code, congressional district, and more. A unique mapping tool within the resource also allows users to map their results, create custom geographies, and view demographic variables in thematic coloring scales. The “Business” tab includes data on 23 million businesses (with more than 4 million classified as out-of-business since the year 2000) with the ability to search by company name, business type, number of employees, and other limiters, while the “Households” tab contains data on more than 206 million US residents (approximately 135 million households) and enables users to search by name, address, or a variety of US Census data averages. Once the necessary data is collected, users can export the information into MS Word, Adobe PDF, or MS Excel reports for further analysis and application. DemographicsNow: Business & People can be used by all types of users — from small business owners, entrepreneurs, and sales people, to jobseekers, students, community leaders, and nonprofit organizations.

Computype Introduces Peel N Shield Labels

Computype has announced the availability of the Peel N Shield labels, the all-in-one spine label and label-protector. Designed for in-house label printing, the Peel N Shield label combines a spine label and protector together in one label. Libraries can print and protect labels in one easy motion, simplifying workflow. The Peel N Shield also features an aggressive adhesive that adheres to a variety of book surfaces.

The post New Product News – May/June 2012 first appeared on Public Libraries Online.