Updates to help you serve more readers for less

Designed to make managing your metered access content easier and more efficient, our new Metered Access Manager allows you to create customized plans based on specific criteria like format, price, language, checkouts remaining, and more! You can create as many plans as you’d like, view results on demand, manually build carts from plans, or choose to have cars carts created automatically.

Looking for cost-effective ways to maximize impact and serve more readers for less? Under the OverDrive MAX model (also known as Metered Access Concurrent Use or MACU), libraries can stock bundles of up to 100 loans for popular digital books with no expiration date. With each MAX title, the cost to serve each reader is typically the lowest available cost for libraries and schools for lending the ebook or audiobook.

With our new Patron Interests Dashboard, you can increase patron satisfaction and become the go-to resource for content discovery by helping your community find content NOT yet in your collection. Readers use Deep Search in Libby and can indicate titles of interest with the Notify Me tag. Your team can access real-time data for these tags in the Dashboard.

In 2023, 56 million OverDrive magazines were borrowed from digital libraries. That was a 75% increase over 2022, and for good reason: Sold as an all-in plan of over 4,000 titles, OverDrive Magazines have no circulation cap and allow unlimited simultaneous use access, so patrons can enjoy every issue of every magazine. This includes TIME Magazine, which has recently been added to the package! New features make it easier than ever for users to discover and engage with digital magazines from your library including streamlined access and the ability to subscribe to a title.

Amplify your brand in Libby with new customization tools

Leverage advanced curation tools, add your logo and colors to Libby, and add personal notes to specific titles with Shelf Talkers.

Have programs and initiatives you want to promote to Libby users? New Call-to-Action campaigns can be used to promote community reads, fundraising initiatives, and other special programs. In the coming months, you’ll be able to use new self-service tools to create featured title campaigns for book clubs and more.

There is a new way for users to access Libby Extras from your library! In addition to discovering Extras through the Libby app, users can now access Extras through new, optimized direct links to each of the services your library offers. These direct links provide an alternative method for your library to help users discover these services, including posting direct links on your library website, including direct links in social media posts promoting Libby Extras, and more!

Lights! Camera! Kanopy!

Each thoughtfully curated subscription Kanopy PLUS Pack provides your users with 250-300 unlimited use titles. Kanopy launched a new Documentaries PLUS Pack to go along with the other 6 packs including British Cinema and TV, Episodic Series, Easy Watching and others. These subscription packs are the most cost-effective way to provide your community with unlimited, simultaneous streaming video. Combining Kanopy PLUS Packs with the popular Kanopy Pay-Per-Use (PPU) model provides you with flexible options to best leverage your budget to meet demand.

Encourage the children in your community to watch, learn, and grow with Kanopy Kids. Access subscription pricing when you add Kanopy Kids to any PLUS Pack or PPU program. With over 2,000 films and growing, Kanopy Kids provides a wealth of streaming video content that is age-appropriate and safe for kids, including favorite characters and storybooks that encourage literacy and learning languages in a playful format for little ones.

Recently, Kanopy switched from credits to tickets to provide users with more clarity on viewing periods and how many tickets a title will use. In addition, based on librarian and user feedback, users from public libraries with a PPU platform now see a new “Tickets” filter as the top option in the “Filters” menu. This filter allows users to filter search results by how many tickets are required to watch a title.

Looking for more updates from Kanopy? Join us on Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 2:00 PM ET for our next Kanopy Town Hall for North American Public Libraries!  Register here.

The post Check Out the Latest News From OverDrive: Your Partner. Your Library. Forward Together.  first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Having unused or expired prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medicines at home is not something new or uncommon. Leaving expired prescriptions and OTC medicines at home can increase the potential for misuse either by yourself or others. You may be asking yourself, “When should I dispose of medicines?” This section will discuss resources on when and how to dispose of medicines safely. First, we will dive into MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), which offers a short guide on unused medicines. According to the guide, you should get rid of medicines when:
● Your prescription is changed but you still have some medicine left.
● You feel better and your provider says you should stop taking the medicine.
● OTC medicines that you no longer need.
● Medicines are past their expiration dates.
Medicines that are past their expiration date may not be as effective or could be dangerous to take due to changes in the ingredients (Medline Plus, 2022). These drugs could also be misused accidentally or intentionally by others in your home. Before taking any medication, always read the label first for directions on intended use and expiration date to avoid misuse.

Role of Public Libraries
Now that we know about the potential misuse of prescription drugs in your home, you may be asking “How can my library get involved?” Libraries can engage with their communities and patrons by developing programs on safe drug disposal. Library programs can include: assisting local law enforcement or public health departments by giving an educational presentation, creating book displays, and printing educational flyers on safe ways to dispose of drugs. Libraries can also share information on drug disposal sites in your community. Prescription drug disposal programs are a great way to increase health literacy, reduce misuse, and collaborate with partners such as local law enforcement or public health departments.

Pharmacy
Sometimes a medicine may have disposal instructions on its label or informational guide. If not, your local pharmacist may be able to help. In addition to offering advice, retail pharmacies like CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens along with hospitals may offer on-site medicine drop-off boxes, mail back programs and other ways to help you safely dispose of unused medicines. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) website has a list of authorized drug collection sites in your community.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
You may also want to check if there is a drug-take-back program happening in your community. Drug-take-back programs safely dispose of medicines by burning them (MedlinePlus, 2022). The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) hosts the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in April and October each year. The program offers anonymous disposal of unneeded drugs at over 4,000 locations. The aim is to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. In April 2023, this program was responsible for collecting 663,725 lbs. (332 tons) of drug at 4,955 collection sites located in 49 states (Drug Enforcement Agency, 2023).

It is important to know where to safely dispose of these drugs before potential misuse occurs. Typically law enforcement agencies host disposal locations, but the library may be a less intimidating option. You can learn more about partnering with your local law enforcement agency to set up a collection site at your library by visiting the DEA for a list of law enforcement agencies that are participating in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. You can also contact your local public health department for more information on Prescription Drug Take Back programs in your area. This could be a great way to partner with organizations in your community and educate your patrons. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day runs on October 28, 2023, from 10 AM – 2 PM. How will your library participate?

Public libraries can provide accurate, high quality healthcare information about the misuse of prescription and over the counter drugs to your patrons. Libraries can also promote local and national programs, such as the National Take Back Days that encourage the safe disposal of these drugs in your community.

This article was written by the Substance Use Disorder Working Group of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM). The SUD Working Group explores a variety of health topics and their connection with substance use disorder. Visit the Substance Use Disorder Subject Guide for more information on resources and webinars on substance use disorder that you can use in your library. The NNLM is dedicated to making accurate health information available through libraries and helping those in your community lead healthier lives.

Resources
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol and Substance Misuse. Atlanta, GA: CDC; 2008 [reviewed 2018 Feb 1; cited 2023 Sept 18]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/health-strategies/substance-misuse/index.html
• Drug Enforcement Agency. Take Back Day. Springfield, VA: DEA; 2018 [reviewed 2018 Feb1: cited 2023 Sept. 15]. Available from: https://www.dea.gov/takebackday#results
• MedlinePlus [Internet]. How and when to get rid of unused medicines; Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); [updated 2020 Jun 24; reviewed 2022 Oct 10; cited 2023 Sept 18]; [about 5 p.]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000943.htm

NNLM Substance Use Disorder Working Group members: Chavis, Health Literacy Librarian, Brandon Kennedy, Health Information Strategist, Dana Abbey, Engagement Specialist, Jessica Kilham, Associate Director, Kathy Downing, Digital Library Coordinator

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During the pandemic, the tremendous need to get devices, internet access, and digital literacy training to everyone who does not have access became clear. Libraries are well-positioned to meet that need. Public libraries across the country are working to increase the skills of adults by weaving technology-based learning tools and practices into their education and workforce development services. In 2018, the Providence Public Library, in partnership with World Education, designed the Propagating Promising Practices for Literacy and Workforce Development in Libraries Project (P3) to support libraries as they adopt three evidence-based practices that support adults working toward concrete goals (such as a high school credential, citizenship test, or job application) as they develop transferable literacy and digital skills. Piloted in nine libraries, diverse in size and location, these practices are being documented on a project website that includes planning tools, implementation examples, and key lessons learned. The three practices are

Learning Lounges – informal learning spaces that are staffed to offer “just-in-time,” no-appointment necessary support in using technology to meet education and employment goals. Learning Lounges may be situated at the library or with community partners, such as a housing authority or employment center.

Mobile Learning – support for accessing mobile-friendly learning resources. Cellphones are ubiquitous but underutilized tools for learning. Libraries can help patrons make use of their phones and devices by coaching them in how to download and navigate learning apps, demonstrating how to use their smartphones to study, and following up to answer questions and encourage persistence. Mobile learning increases access to learning for adults who may not have access to the internet or a computer, or who face other barriers to learning.

Learning Circles – lightly facilitated study groups for learners who want to take an online course together. In this informal environment, peers provide motivational support that reinforces learning and persistence. The facilitators guide a discussion process but are expressly not content experts teaching a course.

The original goal of the P3 Project was for libraries to initiate or strengthen their use of these three practices in order to more fully integrate technology into their educational services, especially services for patrons seeking to build academic, digital, or employment skills. However, as the pandemic
accelerated libraries’ overall use of technology in new and innovative ways, the three practices evolved as well. Learning Lounges, once constrained by limited in-person staff hours, explored more flexible
scheduling as an online service; Mobile Learning, initially implemented as a discrete practice, was embedded in the supports offered by Learning Lounges; and Learning Circles, originally organized around
packaged online courses, were seen as potential vehicles for introducing library-produced content, such as online tours of the library’s own resources. These developments demonstrated the adaptability of the three practices to new settings and purposes.

As we look for cross-library patterns and underlying lessons, two preliminary takeaways have emerged. First is the importance of engaged library leadership that encourages innovation and promotes collaboration internally and with community partners. Library leadership in the Riverside County Library System, for example, authorized their new mobile van to include a Learning Lounge, enabling the library to bring computer access and personalized support to rural residents. Second, successful onboarding of patrons to any of these practices relies on a thorough intake and orientation process. A brief one-time introduction is unlikely to prepare patrons—many of whom are not comfortable with technology—to continue on independently. All of the practices are more fruitful when they start from an understanding of what the patron is looking to learn and what they already know.

A simple conversational assessment of their experience with technology and then careful mentoring to navigate the necessary devices, websites, or apps is key to preparing adults for success. This initial onboarding may require multiple meetings and some hand-holding!

Post-pandemic, the need for strong digital literacy skills will continue to increase as more educational opportunities will be offered virtually, more employees will be working remotely, and more services remain online. The P3 Project aims to assist these patrons and to further the position of public libraries as welcoming community hubs for lifelong learning, digital inclusion, and economic empowerment.

The post Helping Patrons Keep Up in the Digital Age–Promising Practices in Libraries first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

“Tribal library connectivity is a lifeline for people on tribal lands, where residential broadband is sometimes nonexistent,” said Susan Feller, president of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums (ATALM). “Removing obstacles to E-Rate eligibility is an obvious starting point for tribal residents’ access to digital collections, e-government services, legal information, distance learning, telemedicine and many other essential community services.” 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently and unanimously adopted new E-Rate rules that will make it easier for tribal libraries to participate in this vital universal service program. The new FCC rule could significantly advance digital equity for tribes—and addresses concerns raised by the American Library Association and ATALM.  For the new rule to be effective, it’s critical that word gets out to tribal library professionals about the E-Rate program. Preliminary results of a 2021 digital inclusion survey of tribal libraries commissioned by the ATALM indicate that 38 percent of respondents were not aware of the program. Now the agency and advocates are embarking on an extensive outreach campaign to raise awareness of the E-Rate program, educate prospective library participants, and provide training for the application process.  

“We’ve now put new rules in place that make it clear Tribal libraries are eligible to participate, and we are eager to get the word out,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.  “We are excited to partner with ALA, ATALM, and federal partners like IMLS to raise awareness in Tribal communities about this important funding opportunity.”

What does E-Rate support?  

E-Rate funding can be used to pay for or build out broadband connections to a library facility and pay for internal facility equipment, wiring, and basic maintenance costs. The program covers 20 to 90 percent of the cost, depending on the library location (i.e., rural or urban), and the level of poverty in the area.  

When can my library apply for E-Rate? 

The current application window for funding year 2022 (July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023) closes on March 22. The first step in the application process is completing FCC Form 470, which requests bids for E-Rate eligible equipment and services.  This form must be filed by February 22, to comply with the 28-day waiting period after the form is posted on USAC’s website, and allow time to file an application by March 22.  

Many tribal libraries may find it easier to begin planning now to apply for E-Rate support in funding year 2023 (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024).  The FY 2023 FCC Form 470 will be available to complete and submit by July 1, 2022.  Built by E-rate, an ALA case study of libraries’ pivotal role in establishing two tribally owned fiber networks, lays out individual components of the application process which require advance preparation, including: 

• Reach out to your state E-Rate library coordinator to learn more about E-Rate mechanics and processes. 
• Assess your libraries’ broadband needs now.  
• Determine current availability of broadband services and pricing. 
• Engage with tribal councils and local management to obtain approval for the project and identify a funding source(s) for the non-discounted costs not covered by the E-Rate program. 
• Identify potential partnerships to help with the application process. For example, if there is a nearby school that participates in the E-Rate program, consider working together on the Funding Year 2023 FCC Form 470 to request bids for the equipment and services to be provided at both locations, the school and the tribal library, on the same form.  If you have an tribal information technology (IT) department or division, consider working with your Tribal IT professionals to help determine what equipment and services you will need to provide broadband connectivity to your tribal library community.  As long as these individuals are not also service providers participating in the E-Rate program, they can help you with completing the FCC Form 470 and could also serve as the FCC Form 470 technical contact person as well.    

Where can I learn more?  

• Sign up for trainings and news briefs provided by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC).

ALA is committed to advocating for tribal libraries and working with stakeholders to increase tribal libraries’ awareness and access to E-Rate funding. ALA will host a session on tribal libraries and E-Rate at its Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., in June 2022, and  will have new resources available for prospective tribal applicants. ALA will continue to collaborate with federal agencies and stakeholder groups to raise visibility and awareness of existing training and resources; propose and develop new resources; and explore ways to simplify the E-Rate application process, especially for small and tribal libraries.  

“ALA applauds the Commission’s decision to expand the definition of ‘library‘ so that more tribal libraries are eligible for E-Rate,” said ALA President Patty Wong. “By leveraging library and school access to E-Rate funding, Tribal communities can dramatically increase their internet access speeds and decrease costs. 

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The post Advancing Digital Equity by Expanding Tribal Library Access to E-Rate first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Libraries, of course, should offer both informational and imaginative materials on asexuality as part of their overarching service mission. Somewhat easier said than done, however, as this topic still arguably lacks the broad public awareness of, say, transgenderism or bisexuality. But all is not lost: while we await the appearance of additional resources, here are a few selective nonfiction and fiction titles to jump-start an ace collection.

First, a hat-tip to the internet — a search for “asexuality” produces a more-than-respectable number of hits, with dedicated sites and YouTube channels offering everything from ace myths to be debunked to colorful flags and jewelry for purchase. A first stop for those exploring the topic should perhaps be the website AVEN, the Asexual Visibility and Education Network. Created by David Jay in 2001, it offers chat forums, Q&As, and links to relevant resources. For patrons less inclined to hit the bookshelves, or even for those who are, AVEN will provide much.

As for print resources, titles by Angela Chen and Anthony Bogaert should be somewhat helpful for seekers, though Bogaert writes from an academic/statistical perspective and Chen can be both scattershot and enlightening at times. For those seeking a one-stop-shopping ace option, however, I recommend a work that should be front and center on library shelves.

The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality by Julie Sondra Decker (Carrell Books, 2014) is the undeniable core title for this topic. Decker, who is herself aromantic asexual, begins with basic definitions and then guides readers into the ace world with clarity and accessibility. She offers much one-on-one guidance to those questioning their orientation, and as an invaluable bonus, concisely charts and defines all those ace-related compound descriptors threatening to leave readers light-headed. Finally, she emphasizes her key points in bold-face type: what’s not to appreciate? Julie Sondra Decker’s excellent book is not to be bypassed.

For those “graphic” fans of any stripe, Rebecca Burgess gives us a humorous taste of ace life, in bright cartoon colors. In her How To Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2021), the British author recalls her youth feeling alienated from a world seemingly obsessed with sex, though her life did find its happy ending. Burgess’s story is engrossing, but I especially appreciate how she periodically interrupts her narrative panels to offer facts and myth-busters about asexuality, thus making her work painlessly informative as well as entertaining. While this unique title cannot supplant Decker’s book as a factual source, I am encouraged by its very existence.

On the ace fiction front, however, I believe the situation is fair to middling. To be sure, a Google search for “asexual characters in fiction” will result in numerous titles, but a closer look reveals another story. Many cited characters appear only tangential to the novels’ main plots, and, since most of the titles appear to be YA sci-fi/fantasy, those ace personae doubly embody the sense of being “other.”

However, a few of these YA titles do inspire consistently positive online reviews and deserve mention. They include: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Tordotcom, 2016); Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland (Square Fish, 2021); Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann (Square Fish, 2019); and Sea Foam and Silence by Lynn E. O’Connacht (Independently Published, 2021).

Based on my admittedly cursory study, aces in contemporary, realistic settings seem somewhat hard to find, which is disappointing. But I have unearthed three titles whose asexual characters are grounded in the real(er) world.

In Thaw by Elyse Springer (self-published, 2018), our ace heroine is semi-stereotypical public librarian Abby. When she encounters Gabrielle, a glamorous model and woman-about-town, the two women immediately bond, though Abby knows she must share her true orientation with her new would-be-romance. After initial surprise, and some discussion, Gabrielle seems willing to continue deepening their relationship, minus sex. The novel concludes with hope on both sides that they will remain together as an admittedly singular pair. Totally plausible, considering their personal differences? Maybe not, but readers are able to witness the creation of a unique relationship; the prose may not be award-winning, but I credit Springer for the attempt.

In her Perfect Rhythm (Vlva Publishing, 2017), German romance author Jae offers perhaps the most intricate depiction of an adult ace/non-ace relationship I’ve discovered so far. Leo is a famous lesbian pop/rock singer summoned back to her small Missouri town due to her father’s illness; she quickly falls for his home care nurse Holly, who is homoromantic asexual. Once Holly tells Leo about her orientation, we watch the women working together to construct a sexless relationship that still brings physical and emotional satisfaction to each. The writing is not always stellar, but I give Jae high marks for broaching ace/non-ace issues as they impact a couple sincerely in love. Her effort deserves a place in most collections.

I happily conclude this discussion with a simply amazing novel by celebrated British YA author Alice Oseman, who self-identifies as aromantic asexual. Her latest title Loveless (Scholastic, 2022) gives us teenage “uni” freshman Georgia who comes to realize that she feels neither romance nor sexual desire towards anyone. This revelation stuns and demoralizes her, as she pictures a “loveless” adult future. Her roommate and small circle of close friends become involved in her plight as they all learn about love’s differing varieties and what really counts in relationships.  This sci fic/fantasy-free novel should be required reading for “questioning” folks of any age, as it positively depicts asexuality as simply another way to be. It’s a superb effort that I was so delighted to experience.

Unless it’s accidentally omitted, “A” for Asexuality usually appears at the tail end of what’s become the standard mass abbreviation for the gay/lesbian/bisexual, etc. community. But, to paraphrase a cliché, aces are also everywhere, and deserve their place in the ever-expanding sexuality rainbow, along with a spot on public library shelves.

The post Asexuality On the Shelves first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Orlando Guzman, an Advanced Level Library Assistant at Bay Point Branch of CCCL, holds that the way to make libraries more diverse is by “opening [jobs] to people with alternative yet compatible, beneficial skills and experiences for today’s public library world, and serving the public in a more experiential and expansive way.”

This sentiment has been growing for about a decade. In 2013, in a Library Journal editorial, Michael Kelley challenged “can’t we have a fraternal, respected, and smart profession without over-reliance on an expensive and unnecessarily exclusionary credential?[1] Last year our neighbors to the north, the Ontario (Canada) Library Association held a series of three live panel discussions about this very topic, with librarians at a range of career-levels and job descriptions. The first panel was asked the following: “A master’s degree in library science should be required for anyone wanting to be a librarian. True or False? And why?”[2] Three of the four panelists did not consider the MLS to be indispensable to the profession.

Minimum qualifications vary by state, and California has no formal requirement of certification,[3] but Bay Area libraries have had a practice of requiring the MLIS for public librarian positions. The precedent goes back over seventy years.

Library schools have been training librarians in this country since 1887, most issuing a Bachelor of Science (BS) until a 1923 report by C.C. Williamson, paid for by the Carnegie Corporation, advocated for librarian training to be more theoretical and to follow a foundational four year
education. Colleges increasingly began offering the MLIS and, by 1951, almost all library programs were graduate level when the American Library Association (ALA) Board of Education for Librarianship stipulated the master’s as a professional standard for librarianship.[4]

As the library community begins to look at rolling back the prescriptive MLIS, fresh staff development opportunities and challenges are exposed. Library administrators are tasked to consider what is fundamentally necessary for performing well in this vocation, and what are the ethical responsibilities underlying library services, in which all library
staff should be fluent.

A LOOK AT 3 EAST BAY (CA) LIBRARIES

ALAMEDA COUNTY LIBRARY
ACL is a ten-branch system that spans one of the most racially and culturally diverse counties in the nation. Deputy Director Deb Sica
says that the decision to drop the MLIS requirement developed out of library administrators’ respect for the institutional knowledge of career staff. So they expanded prerequisites to include an alternative of two internal years as a Library Assistant II, which built upon experience as a Library Assistant I. Though the Librarian III position does still require an MLIS, and is reserved for more specialized central roles, like collection management and systemwide coordination of services, Sica believes the requirement may be reconsidered for this classification, as well.

What is new these days at ACL is that they have added a new Library Assistant position, which is for them an intermediate classification between a paraprofessional and a professional, what Sica describes as librarian neutral: “When people walk into the library, they look at everybody as librarians. They actually don’t care what your degree is as long as
you can help them. They do care if you’re reflective of themselves.” This position offers paraprofessionals a significant salary bump and empowers front line staff to assist with either circulation duties or reference, following service needs as they evolve.

At ACL, orientation of all staff, from Library Page to Librarian, is the same. New library employees are onboarded together for hands-on training and an introduction to a shared vision for the organization. The aim of this strategy is to foster cross-classification discussions and mutually supportive cohorts as employees settle into their respective jobs.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY LIBRARY

CCCL expanded
their definition
of “professional”
qualifications to
encompass exper-ience and education outside of an MLIS, a process that has been in the works for three years, with library board approval granted in September of this year. In this revised classification model, while a Librarian II is considered to have journey-level aptitude, meaning they have fully mastered the knowledge and skills required for the job, and can be a mentor to others. Like at ACL, the Librarian III is considered a specialist position, yet this position no longer requires an MLIS at CCCL. Still in the works is a comprehensive internal training program to prepare librarians who get hired without the MLIS. Library Director Alison McKee says that right now they are gathering information and assessing their internal training program to develop an onboarding strategy. She says, “I think what’s needed in the community and on the job has changed drastically over the last couple of decades whereas what has traditionally been taught
as part of the MLIS program have been skills that aren’t necessarily required anymore, these hard . . .librarian skills . . . as opposed to things you can learn on the job or learn through community education.”

OAKLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY

Oakland Public Library
Not far behind, OPL administrators
are being deliberate in their
approach, observing neighboring
libraries and reaching out to gather
information about how other systems
are moving forward. OPL is an
incorporated urban library system located in the county seat of Alameda County. It is mediumsized, with a Main Library, an African American Museum and Library (AAMLO), and sixteen branches throughout the vibrant city of Oakland.
Nina Lindsay, the Deputy Director at OPL, is particularly interested in the idea of offering entire career ladders that run through all library and management positions for candidates with broader education and experience outside of the MLIS: “We have staff at a lot of different levels of education, all of whom really contribute at a high level in public
service and have real initiative and unique ideas.”

At OPL, Library Assistant positions, for which the requirement is a bachelor’s degree or two years of college in conjunction with two years of library experience, perform basic reference, assist librarians with programming and outreach and, with extra training, they may offer storytime or aid in selection of parts of the collection. Senior Library Assistants have supervisory roles and a lot of independence, as well as pay that is comparable to librarians. However, Library Assistant advancement opportunities have a notable cap because there is no track to management positions from there.[5]

WORKFORCE DIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE

Workforce diversity initiatives and concrete equity goals are propelling this transformation. As library leaders recognize the importance of cultivating teams of library staff that better reflect the communities they serve, they are investing resources and energy into attracting capable local candidates who bring knowledge not attainable through the MLIS. In a profession that is still overwhelmingly white, female, and middle-class,6 the focus is shifting to hiring librarians who have cultural competency and shared backgrounds with library patrons and the greater community. Another objective is to be able to recruit and promote from within an organization and mitigate the attrition of valued employees. Often public libraries have seen excellent staff come and go when they bump up against the barrier of
the MLIS. Patrick Remer describes this frustrating situation: “We’re seeing so much talent within our organization, folks who are in that paraprofessional class . . . they’re capable and skilled at doing the work and they could be working at a professional level, but they’re not permitted to do the work because of strict rules around what tasks are appropriate for which classifications, and that’s a shame. We want to see folks moving up internally.”

Although going back to school to obtain the MLIS works out for some library support staff, obstacles to pursuing an advanced degree are many.
The Bay Area has one of the highest costs of living in the country, with average pay for nonprofessional workers not even remotely approaching a living wage. Most full-time Bay Area Library Assistants and Library Technicians earn somewhere in the range of $5,000 per month.7 Considering that average rent is $2,365 per month for an 826 square
foot apartment in the East Bay, [8]which would not suffice for, say, a family of four, the added expense and time away from work and family to further one’s education is not in reach for many library workers. A master’s degree at the iSchool program at San Jose State University (SJSU), which is the local, relatively economical, online option, costs more than $20,000 in tuition and fees and takes two years of full-time participation to complete.[9]

A central principle of equity work is that individuals must have unhindered access to opportunities. [10] Though many public library systems support
paraprofessional employees in pursuing an MLIS through time off and tuition reimbursement, and there are scholarships, grants, and student loans available, pursuing the MLIS can be a hardship for some and extraneous for others. Hiring managers have observed that getting the degree is at times merely a formality that has little to do with a staff member’s capacity or the needs of library patrons. Nina Lindsay puts it this way: “The money and the time that they would have to invest might be asking too much from people who are already very qualified and need some very specific and targeted training. Can we look at a path where we identify where the gaps are for this one person and then how do we train to fill those gaps?”

As well, the public library community is questioning what benefit the MLIS is bringing to new librarians,[11] compared to competencies and transferable skills that are not taught in library school. In Deb Sica’s view, “Having a community outreach librarian that knows the community is much more important to me than having a fresh MLIS graduate coming in to try to figure out what’s going on in acommunity . . . if there’s dissonance because of [the MLIS] within the service model then I think it can
be destructive and not constructive.”

While there are undoubtedly graduate-level course offerings that are relevant and applicable to the modern-day public library setting, most courses are elective, so an MLIS graduate applying to be, for example, a children’s librarian could conceivably come having had no coursework or practical experience at all that deals with children’s literature, literacy,
programming, education, or early childhood development.

Consider the potential applicant from another field, who could bring those skills, may already have an advanced degree in another field, is ready to bring their talents to public libraries, but thinks better of it after seeing the compulsory hurdles. From Nina’s perspective, “there’s significant value in master’s level education in various fields that is really important and informative to librarianship as a whole. There are people who come with a master’s in social work or education or public administration, attracted to work in libraries.” Broadening the view of what qualifies someone for librarianship and how candidates can illustrate these aptitudes to get through the screening and ranking processes, brings more quality candidates to the table. It gives hiring teams the discretion to address the needs of specific positions regardless of classification levels.

THE FUTURE OF THE MLIS
Looming over this discussion in the library community are important considerations, including concerns over delegitimization of the library profession, as well as salary degradation.[12] Some wonder, does expanding the possible minimum qualifications devalue an already misunderstood profession? Will library institutions’ funding be further threatened if it seems anyone can do what library professionals do? Further, without the nationally codified set of competencies conveyed by the possession of an
MLIS, is the bar on professional aptitude in fact being lowered?

For many librarians, the traditional linear MLIS career path has opened the door to fulfilling careers, providing a robust scholarly foundation, as well as hands-on practicum opportunities. In the academic environment one builds a professional network,creating relationships and finding lifelong mentors. The hiring managers at ACL, CCCL, and OPL recognize the merit of an MLIS. Patrick Remer emphasizes that acceptable alternative credentials “would have to be compelling; there has to be some real experience and even commensurate education to meet with that.”

Imagine that libraries can promote their most qualified and talented paraprofessional employees, and now they are in satisfying positions at pay grades that might make the MLIS more attainable. Says Patrick, “if we can basically put a steppingstone so that we can accelerate that development
then we all win, right?”

So, if an advanced degree will no longer be considered the only qualifying credential nor even necessarily the best credential for public service and outreach librarian roles, foremost in the minds of library leaders will be what additional training new librarians will need. Deb Sica is clear that all library staff need the library fundamentals: “I think that theoretical pedagogy that comes with the MLIS is what people are worried about forfeiting and I agree with that. I wouldn’t want to forfeit those
principles.”

ONBOARDING NON-MLIS LIBRARIANS
Administrators at ACL, CCCL, and OPL have ready ideas about areas they are planning to provide extra training and fill in knowledge deficits, whether a new librarian hire has an MLIS, experience working in a library, or expertise from another field or life experience altogether.[13] These include early childhood development, trauma-informed services, restorative justice practices, and library ethics and principles, such as topics of access and the user experience, privacy, intellectual freedom, and development and maintenance of library collections.[14] Additionally, a thorough training program would include curriculum around tangible skillsets, like cataloging. This could encompass the practical, such as Resource Description & Access (RDA) data elements for creating library resource metadata, as well as consideration of larger theoretical questions around the purpose of cataloging information, what the impacts are of choosing one way versus another, and deciding which fields are used for what information in the catalog, or Integrated Library System (ILS).[15]

Training can come through internal channels and resident experts, with libraries developing their own training programs and sharing them throughout the library community. What’s more, the library learning universe is abundant, by way of undergraduate, graduate, and post-degree coursework and ongoing professional development available in all
areas of librarianship.

For example, Infopeople is a project of the CalifaGroup, which is a nonprofit consortium of more than 230 California libraries, that offers one model of training available to California libraries. Continuing education opportunities are tailored to library needs, with custom course design available to individual libraries.[16 ]In addition, the Public Library Association offers a robust menu of learning selections.

Perhaps most useful of all, applied skills will be taught on the job. “Historically, people have mostly learned by doing,” writes Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a professor of business psychology at
University College London and at Columbia University, “and there is a big difference between communicating the theoretical experience of something and actually going through that experience.”[17]

EMBRACING THE CHANGE
There is a shift happening in East Bay Libraries, and in libraries throughout the country. Its increasing tremors seem to be crumbling the staid certainties once conferred by an MLIS degree. The ambiguity of not having one clear track can be uncomfortable in a profession that has a long history of categorized and certified expertise, as well as a troubling record of exclusion.[18] Although unraveling the MLIS constraint is unlikely to solve the complex dilemma of libraries’ problematic lack of representation,
it brings the profession another step closer to reaching Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) ideals.[19] With each step, libraries will continue to do
what they have always done best: They will adapt and evolve.

READ MORE

Knowledge Justice: Disrupting Library and Information Studies through Critical Race Theory edited by Sofia Y. Leung and Jorge R. López-
McKnight. The MIT Press, 2021

Ask, Listen, Empower: Grounding Your Library Work in Community Engagement by Mary Davis Fournier and Sarah Ostman. ALA Editions. 2020

Library Professionals: Facts, Figures, and Union Membership by the Department for Professional Employees. AFL-CIO, June 10, 2021. https://www.dpeaflcio.org/factsheets/library-professionals
-facts-and-figures.

REFERENCES

1. Michael Kelley, “Can We Talk About the MLS?” Library Journal,
   April 29, 2013.
2. “Librarians Need an MLIS: True or False?” Open Shelf (blog),
   Ontario Library Association, March 9, 2020.
3. “State/Regional Certifications (Primarily for Public Library
   Staff ),” ALA-APA, 2014, https://ala-apa.org/certification-news
   /stateregional-certifications/.
4. Grace Butkowski, “History of LIS Education,” Hack Library
   School (blog), April 27, 2016, https://hacklibraryschool.com
   /2016/04/27/history-of-lis-education/.
5. “Library and Information Studies and Human Resource Utilization
   Policy Statement,” American Library Association, December
   14, 2011, http://www.ala.org/educationcareers/careers
   /paths/policy.
6. “Diversity Counts,” American Library Association, July 9, 2019,
   https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/diversity/diversity
   counts/divcounts.
7. “25-4031 Library Technicians,” US Bureau of Labor Statistics,
   March 31, 2021, https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes254031
   .htm. “43-4121 Library Assistants, Clerical,” US Bureau of Labor
   Statistics, March 31, 2021. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current
   /oes434121.htm. “Library Technicians and Assistants: Occupational
   Outlook Handbook,” US Bureau of Labor Statistics,
   September 8, 2021. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-train
   ing-and-library/library-technicians-and-assistants.htm.
8. “East Bay, CA Rental Market Trends,” Apartments for rent—
   RENTCafé, 2021, https://www.rentcafe.com/average-rent
   -market-trends/us/ca/east-bay/.
9. “Fees—SJSU: School of Information,” SJSU, October 5, 2020,
   https://ischool.sjsu.edu/ischool-fees#regular.
10. Urban Libraries Council, “Leadership Brief: Anti-Racist Executive
    Leadership for Public Libraries,” https://www.urbanlibrar
    ies.org/files/ULC-Leadership-Brief_Anti-Racist-Executive
    -Leadership.pdf.
11. Siobhan Stevenson, “What Is the ‘VALUE-ADD’ of the MLIS in
    Public LIBRARIES? Perspectives From Today’s Library Leaders
    and Their Rank and File,” Library Quarterly 90, no. 1 (January
    2020): 38–55, https://doi.org/10.1086/706307.
12. Meredith Farkas, “‘Devaluing’ the MLS vs. Respect for All
    Library Workers,” Information Wants to Be Free (blog), June 28,
    2018e, https://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2018/06/28
    /devaluing-the-mls-vs-respect-for-all-library-workers/.
13. Shorlette Ammons-Stephens et al., “Building Core Competencies
    for Library Staff,” Faculty Publications, UNL Libraries
    (Spring 2009): 63–74.
14. “Core Values of Librarianship,” American Library Association,
    September 28, 2020, https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom
    /corevalues.
15. “What Librarians Need to Know,” American Library Association,
    December 14, 2011, https://www.ala.org/educationcareers
    /careers/librarycareerssite/whatyouneedlibrarian.
16. “All Upcoming Training,” Infopeople, The Califa Group,
    accessed October 2, 2021, https://infopeople.org/training.
17. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, “Should You Go to Graduate
    School?” Harvard Business Review, accessed September 28, https://hbr.org/2020/01/should-you-go-to-graduate -school.
18. Chris Bourg, “The Unbearable Whiteness of Librarianship,”
    Feral Librarian (blog), March 3, 2014, https://chrisbourg.word
    press.com/2014/03/03/the-unbearable-whiteness-of-librarian
    ship/.
19. “ALA and Affiliate Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statements,”
    American Library Association, September 15, 2020, https://
    www.ala.org/advocacy/ala-and-affiliate%C2%A0equity
    -diversity-and-inclusion-statements.
    PL Online

The post We All Win — Training and Advancement for Non-MLS Library Workers first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

In May 2020, at my new home in Urbana, Illinois, I received word of her sudden death in Dallas from a heart attack: “my blood ran cold” was no longer a fanciful phrase to me. To lose such a vital comrade from my life, and at age 61 to boot, was unfathomable, and still is.  All I can do now is to hold her memory close, and relish the amazing legacy she left behind, including outstanding nonfiction written ostensibly for teenagers but easily embraced by adults as well.

Blumenthal was born and raised in Dallas, studied journalism at Duke University, and later earned an MBA at Southern Methodist University. During her 25 years with the Wall Street Journal, she became its Dallas bureau chief and personal finance columnist, also serving at one point as the Dallas Morning News’s business editor. But her tides would eventually turn, launching my gifted communicator friend in a new direction.

Noticing a lack of appealing nonfiction books for teenage readers like her own daughters, Blumenthal decided to tackle this gap herself with her characteristic creativity and determination. She would eventually write nine books on pivotal moments and exceptional people in American history, beginning in 2002 with Six Days In October: The Stock Market Crash of 1929 (Atheneum). 2005 saw her Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX (Atheneum). “Story” was such a fitting word in that latter title, as her approach to history was indeed akin to storytelling, highlighting important individuals and concrete events, while explaining more complex yet necessary concepts with total respect for her readers’ intelligence.

She continued to examine American moments leading to massive societal change, as chronicled in Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine and the Lawless Years of Prohibition (Square Fish, 2014) and Tommy: The Gun That Changed America (Roaring Brook Press, 2015). 

In these works, Blumenthal never just states hard facts and moves on, and never shies away from including cogent analysis of events’ underlying ramifications, such as the rise of organized crime and gun control, respectively. She frames what in other hands could become a one-sided argument in as broad, concise, and balanced a way as possible. In these two books, especially, I think she succeeds superbly; I always take away new insights upon re-reading them.

But she also believed that history was shaped by unique individuals influencing events for good and sometimes not. The final decade of her life witnessed her new focus on biography. Since biographies/memoirs are my #1 favorite genre, I was always delighted to meet her “chosen people,” including Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different (Square Fish) in 2012; Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Woman Living History (Feiwel & Friends) in 2016; and, in a nod to Karen’s Texas roots, Bonnie and Clyde: Making of a Legend (Viking) in 2018.

No glossing over bad celebrity behavior for this author: her subjects are shared with readers in both their glory and infamy. In addition, her narratives are always enlivened by well-chosen illustrations, sidebars, and other tools facilitating a smooth journey through her people’s lives.

Blumenthal’s final book, appearing in early 2020 shortly before her death, may be her finest work of all, or at least in my opinion, as she tackles one of the most volatile issues of our time. Her Jane Against The World: Roe v Wade and The Fight For Reproductive Rights (Roaring Brook Press) is a masterful examination of the abortion debate from early days to the Trump era, highlighting the many personalities and setbacks involved in both sides’ struggles to see justice done. I have learned so much from my multiple readings of this book; in light of more recent Texas abortion access developments, I regret we won’t have a chance to see her updated edition.

All of Blumenthal’s nonfiction works are “good for research,” as she provides copious bibliographies, endnotes, and contact information for her sources. But simply experiencing her books for the sheer love of a true-to-life story is worth the effort as well. Her titles appeal to readers with both scholarly and casual reading motives, as evidenced by the number of awards and “best of the year” lists for which she was frequently cited. I was always eager to know what her next book would be. She often devoted years to researching her projects, but I never minded the wait.

That’s a brief look at Karen Blumenthal the author. But we ignore Karen Blumenthal the activist at our peril.

Libraries truly had no better friend. As both a researcher and everyday patron, she actively supported all facets of the Dallas Public Library (DPL) system, including the needs and concerns of its staff. Blumenthal served as President of the Friends of the Dallas Public Library for two years, and was also a member of the city’s Municipal Library Board. In times of fiscal crisis (of which there were several during our shared time as Dallas residents), Her offers of assistance and support to library administration were automatic. Her spirited and laser-focused campaign a decade ago to convince the Dallas City Council to increase DPL funding received extensive local coverage and met with eventual success.

But she never let the broad picture overshadow the importance of libraries within her own Dallas backyard. Her small neighborhood branch, the Forest Green Library, had long been in need of expansion and technological upgrading, and Blumenthal exercised her unflagging persuasive talents in raising funds for just that purpose. Sadly, she wasn’t there for the September 2021 opening of the gloriously renovated so-called “Library That Karen Helped Build,” but she is nonetheless posthumously honored at that locale. The building’s state-of-the-art auditorium officially bears her name in gratitude and remembrance, only one of several civic honors bestowed upon her since her death.

An outstanding author, a library humanitarian, and a generous friend: Karen Blumenthal graced my life in all those capacities, and I take great comfort in knowing that she will not be forgotten any time soon. The sense of personal loss in my heart will never disappear, but the legacies she left me, her family and colleagues, her beloved hometown, and the publishing world are as immutable as the bricks, mortar, and materials sustaining the Dallas libraries she cherished and fought for so passionately.  She is missed.

The post Missing Karen first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

How do we create sustainable RA practices that empower staff and embed Readers’ Advisory fully into libraries? Even pre-pandemic, libraries were not only about lending books. Libraries are creative spaces, not only for individuals, but also teams and communities. They are idea incubators and learning hubs. They open doors for curious minds, and they help our
communities find the fuel and the spark to ideas and opportunities. Most of all, libraries are the entry points to the digital world. They are the way for everyone to embrace technology and seek to close the digital divide.

In 2015, while I was earning my MLIS degree from the University of Washington iSchool, I enrolled in a great readers’ advisory course for adult genres. Basically, every two weeks, the course covered a particular genre for adult readers. During the module focusing on graphic novels, I happened to cross paths with one of my colleagues at Multnomah County Library, who was then on the My Librarian team. I asked them if they had any graphic novel recommendations for me, and they obligingly launched into my first readers’ advisory interview in which I was the advisee, rather than the adviser. I ended up being really surprised by two aspects of our conversation: one was how surprisingly difficult it actually was for me to
articulate my own reading preferences.
Here is a sample of how it transpired:

Them: “Do you like plot-driven books or character-driven books?”
Me: “Ummm. . .“
Them: “Well, do you like books with strong female protagonists?”
Me: “Sometimes. . .? But sometimes I kind of find them annoying, too. . .?”
Them: [scratching head bemusedly] “I see. . . .”

The other aspect that I found both remarkable and surprising was how intimate the interaction felt to me. It seemed as if I was allowing them to enter into my own interior monologue – as a benign and helpful observer, but it still felt as if I was pulling back a curtain for them that I didn’t even realize existed.

Both the course and talking through the readers’ advisory interview taught me a great deal about the level of trust surrounding this process, and how those who participate in readers’ advisory must earn and sustain that trust.

Readers’ advisory provides us with a crucial opportunity to forge a space for patrons to become fully themselves as readers. In essence, readers’ advisory provides the opportunity to communicate, “It’s safe here. Let’s
explore and discover together.” It is a transformational moment, not a transactional one. A time to create the feeling that your next book is just around the corner – even more perfect than can be imagined.

As Ali Smith writes in her 2015 work, Public Library and Other Stories,
“This book wishes you well. It wishes you the world. It wishes you somewhere warm, safe, well-lit, thoughtful, free, wide open to everybody, where you’ll be surrounded by books and all the different possible ways of reading them. It wishes you fierceness and determination if anyone or anything threatens to take away your access to space, time, thought, knowledge. It wishes you libraries — endless public libraries.”[1]

Through reading, we all expand, and become expansive, as we open ourselves to new worlds and new experiences. Being present at the moment of connection, during the spark of creativity, is the highest privilege that I can imagine – and one of the many facets of my own library love story.
As Nick Hornby describes in the novel High Fidelity, that is the moment when working in public Libraries, for me, becomes “as routinely transcendental” as “a midwife or an artist.”[2] And that’s why I love Readers’ Advisory. And why I believe it deserves a valued place in each and
every library. But how, you may ask? The answer may be closer than you think. . . . Each library’s best resource is its staff. As a whole, library staff members tend to be an exceptionally talented group! Libraries that don’t harness and celebrate the talents of their staff leave an incredible amount of potential on the table. The key to all of this is time and training. Put in the time, put in the training, and form a real commitment with library staff.

We Can Do This By:

Emphasizing openness and authenticity with patrons.

Providing an environment of welcome, acceptance, and trust.

Sharing practical guidance, ongoing maintenance of RA resources, and opportunities to practice

This is how to play and win the Readers’ Advisory Short Game, where you give your staff the training and tools they need to meet their community’s RA needs.

To play and win the Readers’ Advisory LONG Game, you have to prepare for the future. You have to preserve the hard-won knowledge of innovation-on-the-fly and embrace the possibilities even after the current crisis subsides. A lot of RA activities can be pretty easily incorporated into this pandemic-filled world. In my experience during this time, I’ve found that what our customers really, really miss most is the ability to browse. So, how can we integrate, replicate, and adapt the act of “browsing” into the virtual world? In terms of emerging technologies, fields like virtual and augmented reality are changing the way we think about the experience of browsing. Augmented Reality (AR) is a hot topic in the tech world and people are curious about its deployment in various domains, from medicine to gaming. So why not implement it in libraries too and combine digital with reality? AR’s ability to enhance what already exists is what makes it a perfect fit for libraries. One of the future perspectives of library services is a personalized interaction between the system and the user. Whether this is an interactive game projected onto the floor for children to find their next book, digital exhibitions featured on screens, big screens in libraries that can be used to inspire users to find certain books or even a simple display that allows taking a ‘selfie’; libraries can use technology to create a digital experience for the user.

What Makes RA Daunting for Library Staff?

Let’s talk about some of the common barriers to RA that public library staff face. According to a survey developed in 2013 by Library Journal with NoveList and the Readers’ Advisory Research and Trends Committee, the biggest cause of RA anxiety is just keeping up with books and genres. Just the sheer volume of materials published can be really overwhelming, Nearly as many respondents also noted their discomfort with unfamiliar genres. In addition, the majority of respondents felt good about their adult RA work, but when it came to advising children and young adults, significantly fewer respondents thought that their abilities were up to par. Circumstances and frustrations like these are completely understandable. These concerns are really even more applicable with each passing year, in which the “book world” now includes even more publication sources and formats to keep up with. Overcoming this particular barrier is where RA tools and resources can really make a difference. Resources like understanding how to apply factors like Nancy Pearl’s four doorways, or NoveList appeal terms and themes, provide a practical basis for recommending titles — even in genres which might not be the staff member’s absolute fave, or with which the staff member might not be familiar.

Is It the Fear of Getting it Wrong?

Library staff might find RA intimidating because they really don’t want to recommend a book that a patron absolutely hates! There can also be the fear of a “trickle-down” effect, where they may be apprehensive that a negative RA experience could damage the patron’s relationship with the library itself or with library staff. And there’s a definite vulnerability and an
underlying trust that comes with RA territory. Library staff want to respect that trust, and they definitely don’t want to lose it. To overcome this particular barrier, we can work to change the perception of “failure” in
Readers Advisory, by changing the perception of “success.” Success in RA is the connection and conversation that is established with the patron. Even if a patron doesn’t love a title you recommend, or it doesn’t exactly change their life, it’s pretty likely that they’ll want to tell you all about it. In this way, the RA connection and conversation continue – which actually
translates into “Success!”

Is It Not Having the Right Tools or Training?

Not all library staff thrive at RA in the same way, using the same tools, the same approach, or the same methods of communication. Each of these approaches can be valuable, and each can be supported in different ways, with different tools and opportunities. How do we help – not just to overcome – but to banish these barriers? Well. . . here’s a radical thought. What if . .? We thought of Readers’ Advisory as a Sixth Law of Library Science? We all know and love the Five laws of Library Science as the theory proposed by S. R. Ranganathan in 1931, which detailed the principles of operating a Library System. [3] But what if we re-framed Readers’ Advisory as an essential aspect of operating a library system, and one which is supported by all five of the original “laws of Library Science?” Now, I’m not expecting them to re-write all the Library Science textbooks! But I think it may be worth considering. When considered in this light, each of the five laws of Library Science lends itself effortlessly to the skill, the art, the gift of Readers’ Advisory.

The (Six) Laws of Library Science

Within some library environments, not every staff member can be expected to offer extensive, direct, or possibly even indirect RA, based on their job classifications. However, even within the structure of staff hierarchy, I believe that all library staff can participate, to some extent and at some level, with RA initiatives — even if it’s just a particularly warm referral to another staff member. For those of you who have Clerks, or Pages, or Shelvers, or any classification where RA isn’t expected, these folks are still in the stacks and interacting with your customers. These folks also need to know about your Book Bundles, open RA hours, staff databases – whatever RA options that your system offers. These staff will come across these RA questions with your customers, and so these staff will also need to know how to answer them – warmly, kindly, efficiently, and – to some degree – knowledgeably.

You can empower your staff at all levels – and this is how. Wrap your staff in the armor of RA knowledge and send them forth to conquer any and all RA needs in your community! And if you happen to be a library staff member in one of these classifications, and you’re actually salivating at the thought of having more of a Reader’s Advisory part to play; you’re in the right place. Professional development through engaging fully with topics on your own time, or library associations can provide experience with aspects of library work that you may not be able to find in your current library role.

Citations

1. Smith, Ali. Public Library and Other Stories. Anchor Books: New York City; 2015.
2. Hornby, Nick. High Fidelity. Riverhead Books: London. 1995.
3. Ranganathan, S. R. 1931. The five laws of library science. Madras: Madras Library Association.

The post Readers Advisory Reimagined first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Five reasons why your library should complete the survey:

1. Library leaders need up-to-date and accurate information about staffing and diversity.
2. Contribute to powerful, actionable, and inspirational results for library staff across the country – and you might even get some ideas for new initiatives for your library from the survey questions.
3. The result will provide nationally representative data to inform and engage elected officials, the media, and funders to increase awareness of and support for library workers.
4. Your participation helps PLA create tools, resources, and professional development opportunities that are more useful for you in building and advancing equity in your library.
5. The 2021 survey data will create a baseline. When this survey is next administered in 2024, we will be able to see how the field has evolved. We will be able to track and share these trends with the profession.

Requests for up-to-date data about staffing and diversity are among the top inquiries PLA receives from public library staff every week. The survey results will help us answer those questions with nationally valid data. The survey asks about staff salaries and hours, roles within the library, staff representation, hiring and retention strategies, and equity, diversity, and inclusion goals and activities.

To complete the survey, login to your library’s free Benchmark account at librarybenchmark.org. Click on “Surveys” in the menu, and you will see this survey listed under “Open Surveys.” Be sure to click “save and submit” at the bottom of the survey form when you have finished entering your responses. If you are not sure of your library’s login details or have any other questions about the survey, please contact plabenchmark@ala.org.

A Benchmark subscription is not required to participate in the survey, view past survey responses, or view key summary metrics. However, all survey participants are eligible for discounted Benchmark subscriptions for access to the full suite of data visualization and reporting tools!

How libraries can use Benchmark:

1. Analyze key library metrics – including expenditures, staffing, collections, services, and more – over time for your library, peer libraries, and all libraries nationwide.
2. Peer comparisons have never been so simple. The dynamic charts and graphs help libraries better understand their performance compared to their peers and can support everyday decision making.
3. Illustrate library activities and usage in an engaging and compelling fashion for different audiences.
4. Use the prepared charts or create your own tables with the data you need for reports, budget justifications, grant writing, fundraising, and more.

More information about Benchmark is available on the PLA website. In case you missed it, you can also view a recording of a free webinar we offered on November 8, 2021, “Introducing Benchmark.”

Questions? Please contact plabenchmark@ala.org.

The post 2021 Public Library Staff & Diversity Survey first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Since 2004, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Schneider Family Book Award has been given annually to honor an author or illustrator for a work that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Prizes are bestowed in the categories of Young Children, Middle School, and Teen.

Here is a random sampling of 25 Schneider-Award-winning titles from all three age groups. The books display a variety of approaches and subject matter, but all offer thoughtful and valuable reading experiences.

YOUNG CHILDREN

Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah By Laurie Ann Thompson. Illustrated by Sean Qualls.
Schwartz & Wade, 2015
Emmanuel was born in Ghana with only one working leg. Nevertheless, he learned to crawl and hop in order to do his chores, shine shoes, and go to school by himself. One day, after a few adjustments, he taught himself to ride a bicycle. Wanting to show that “being disabled does not mean being unable,” Emmanuel accomplished a 400-mile bicycle journey across Ghana, becoming a national hero.

I Talk Like a River. By Jordan Scott. Illustrated by Sydney Smith.
Neal Porter Books, 2020
A young boy has a “bad speech day” at school when his stutter prevents him from speaking at all. Afterwards, his father takes him to visit the river, which is, says the author, “a natural and patient form, forever making its way toward something greater than itself.” The boy finds strength in knowing he, too, is like the river, and thus feels “less alone”.

Looking Out For Sarah by Glenna Lang. Talewinds, 2001
Guide dog Perry spends every day with his best friend Sarah, who teaches, dances, plays music and also happens to be blind. Perry and Sarah make a wonderful team.

Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes. Illustrated by Scott Magoon.
Candlewick, 2018
Rescue comes from a long family line of Seeing Eye dogs, so it’s pretty upsetting when his trainers tell him he’s not cut out for that particular career. But when he  becomes a service dog instead and meets Jessica, who’s lost both her legs, Rescue realizes he is able to help people after all.

Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jen Bryant. Illustrations by Boris Kulikov. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2016
Louis longs to read, despite his having been accidentally blinded at age three. When he becomes aware of a special “code” used by soldiers to send secret messages, he wonders if something like that could help him read regular books as well. At age 15, he creates an entire alphabet using only six dots, and it changes the world.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick, Scholastic, 2010
Jeffrey and Tad are fellow eighth-grade cancer survivors, dealing with their individual aftereffects and ongoing challenges including, in Jeff’s case, learning differences that makes schoolwork hard to handle at times. Their friendship is life-changing for both of them, as they weather their new realities together.

Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2009
Twelve-year-old Jason is autistic, but is already a remarkable author and keen observer of the world around him.  He shares his creations on a writing website and befriends a fellow scribe who turns out to be a girl. Fate conspires to bring them together in person, but does Jason dare let her see who he really is?

As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds. Atheneum Books For Young Readers, 2016
Brooklyn brothers Genie and Ernie are in for some surprises when they get to spend a few weeks with their grandparents in rural Virginia. Genie especially bonds with Grandpop, who is blind due to glaucoma. Genie has questions about everything, but perhaps most of all, about the man who can’t see, but still knows so much and seems to have secrets.

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer. Viking Children’s Books, 2011
Her dyslexia prevents her from reading, but 12-year-old Foster is a master cupcake baker who dreams of having her own cooking show on the Food Network. When she and her mother flee domestic problems and resettle in a tiny West Virginia town, Foster finds a bounty of unique co-residents who lead her to joy and accomplishment both in the kitchen and with the written word.

A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Maas. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2003
Young Mia has synesthesia: she can see sounds, smell colors, and taste shapes. Is it a gift? Mia’s not so sure, and thus she keeps it hidden from most of the people she knows. But the day arrives when her secret must be revealed: how will it change her life?

Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green. Pajama Press, 2017
About-to-be seventh-grader Macy faces change all around her, including a new stepfather and two stepsisters. She already has plenty to deal with every day because of her deafness. But when she’s also drafted to help her elderly next-door neighbor, who doesn’t know sign language, prepare to enter an assisted living facility, Macy’s life becomes even more complex and yet unexpectedly richer.

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin. Feiwel & Friends, 2014
Rose’s favorite things in all the world are homonyms, rules, and her dog Rain. Her Asperger’s syndrome means that her life needs routine at all times. But when Rain goes missing after a storm, Rose is forced to become brave and to do the right thing, no matter how painful following a particular rule can be.

Rules by Cynthia Lord. Scholastic Press, 2006
Catherine has done her best through the years to help her autistic brother David cope with life and avoid embarrassing situations. But when she meets Jason, a sort-of friend with his own physical challenges, her actions veer off in unexpected directions.

Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte. Scholastic Press, 2020
In the early 19^th century, Mary Lambert is part of a thriving deaf community on Martha’s Vineyard, and thus has never felt isolated due to her lack of hearing. But when unexpected events threaten her peaceful existence and that of the people around her, she must reassess her “disability” for the first time. What does “normal” really mean?

Tending to Grace by Kimberly Newton Fusco. Knopf, 2004
Because she stutters badly, 14-year-old Cornelia usually doesn’t bother speaking at all. When her troubled mother leaves her in the care of eccentric aunt Agatha, Cornelia faces many challenges, all while expecting her mother’s return at any time. In the process, she gains insight into the women in her life, and herself.

Waiting For Normal by Leslie Connor. Katherine Tegen Books, 2010
Dyslexic Addie has a family full of “twists and turns,” as she puts it, including an often irresponsible mother, a loving ex-stepfather who would like to adopt her, and two half-sisters. Balancing the rigors of school with taking care of herself during her mother’s frequent absences leaves her conflicted and “waiting for normal,” albeit strengthened by the friends she makes in her home trailer park.

TEEN

Anger Is A Gift by Mark Oshiro. Tom Doherty Associates, 2018
As he watches his struggling Oakland high school become an armed police state, Moss must simultaneously battle with his recurrent panic attacks and memories of his late father, gunned down years ago by local law enforcement. As the situations escalate, Moss relies on friends, family and his own inner resources to find the answers he needs.

Cursed by Karol Ruth Silverstein. Charlesbridge Teen, 2019
Fourteen-year-old Erica “Ricky” Bloom must deal with her parents’ divorce and a recent diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Both situations have left her angry and facing a life replete with frustrations and uncertainty, yet her determination and caustic humor strengthen her journey.

Girls Like Us by Gail Giles. Candlewick Press, 2014
High school special ed graduates Biddy and Quincy become mismatched roommates, with differing personalities and abilities, though they share troubled pasts and feelings of isolation. In learning to co-exist, they find resources within themselves and each other than they could never have imagined.

Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2009
Seventeen-year-old Marcelo has Asperger’s syndrome; his perceptions of life may be unique, but he’s found his niche at the special school he’s attended for years. However, when his father has him take a summer job at his law firm in order to experience the “real world,” Marcelo is plunged into a staggering new environment. His new connections and the complications they create will change him forever.

My Thirteenth Winter: A Memoir by Samantha Abeel. Scholastic, 2004.
In this nonfiction Schneider winner, Abeel relates her experiences with dyscalculia, a learning disability affecting her schoolwork in math, spelling, and grammar. She couldn’t tell time, remember her locker combination, or count out change at a store, until she was diagnosed and began therapy at age 13. Her ultimate triumph shines a light on unique learning challenges and how they can be conquered.

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen. Ember Publishers, 2012
Teenage Jessica, who lives to run competitively, suffers a leg amputation, and must thus reshape her entire existence, with the support of family, friends, and therapists. When she crosses paths with a classmate dealing with cerebral palsy, her own recovery takes an unexpected turn.

The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais. Blink, 2019 
In this Schneider Honor book, Maya, who has been deaf since age 13, must adjust to a “hearing” school for the first time in years. She makes slow progress thanks to her interpreter and a few well-meaning friends, and even crushes on a classmate who’s learning American Sign Language in order to talk to her. But Maya still inhabits a world which few can truly understand. Can she make her new life work?

Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer and Peter Lerangis.
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012
When Ben enlists in the military immediately after high school, he leaves behind a fiancée, a best friend and an autistic younger brother. He sustains brain damage while in action and must learn to communicate and function from scratch. All the people in his life face individual struggles while preparing themselves and him for an uncertain future.

This Is My Brain In Love by I.W. Gregorio. Little, Brown & Co, 2020
Jocelyn wrestles with undiagnosed depression, and Will is under treatment for generalized anxiety disorder. As they join forces to save her family’s restaurant from bankruptcy, their relationship confronts additional stresses stemming from their individual mental health situations, and their challenges as a mixed-race couple.

For more information about the Schneider Family Award visit https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/schneider-family-book-award.

The post A Salute to the Schneider first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Catherine Ritchie interviewed the author via e-mail in June 2021.

Congratulations once again on winning the 2020 Schneider Family Book Award and on Cursed’s upcoming paperback release. Now that some time has passed, would you do anything differently today if you were just now preparing the book for publication?

My editor Monica Perez asked me this same question during an author talk at the ALA Midwinter conference earlier this year. As I said to her, I’m really proud of the book we created and had a really positive experience with Charlesbridge. There really isn’t much I would have done differently…except I’d refrain from using “crazy” and “insane” so much, as I subsequently learned that using these terms as stand-ins for bad or out-of-control stuff perpetuates the stigma around mental illness. And guess what? My publisher offered to switch out the instances of these words in the paperback edition! I mean—how awesome is Charlesbridge?!

I’m curious about something I noticed throughout the entire book, which you’ve said in other interviews is set in the present day. The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) became law of the land in 1990, but I saw only one passing reference to it in Cursed. Wouldn’t its existence have affected the degree to which Ricky’s school accommodated her mobility needs? I’m thinking especially of the scene between her father and “Principal Piranha,” who seemed grudging when it came to easing Ricky’s daily struggles within the school building. Weren’t her father’s suggestions, in effect, requirements rather than optional actions on the school’s part? It occurred to me that the school should have been more proactive in assessing her needs and proceeding accordingly.

This is a good question, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to address it. While I may have taken some liberties, the idea that the ADA’s existence magically makes accommodations a non-issue for disabled people in most if not all situations is a fantasy. Whether by ignorance, unwillingness or legal technicality, disabled people still face physical and societal barriers all the time.

In terms of my specific story, Ricky—and her parents, for that matter—are so brand-new to the experience of needing accommodations that they don’t even know what to ask for. Ricky is also in hardcore denial and in order to ask for help, she’d have to be willing to admit what’s happening to her. Arthritis is an illness that is incredibly misunderstood as well. TV ads for over-the-counter pain relievers frequently refer to “the minor aches and pains of arthritis,” and for many people, that’s the extent of their experience of what arthritis is. Glorious Grant Middle School could easily have recognized Ricky’s need to take the elevator rather than the stairs while not considering the extra pain traversing the hallway multiple times per day would have caused her.

Cursed’s narrative seems wonderfully “cinematic,” with vivid scenes and sharp dialogue. Was that a conscious goal on your part as a screenwriter? I can so easily imagine this novel being adapted for screens large and small.

Thank you! I consider dialogue to be one of my strong suits as a screenwriter, so that naturally carried over to my prose writing. I didn’t make a conscious effort to be cinematic in Cursed. Again, that was likely just a reflection of my being a screenwriter and having honed those skills over the years.

Another way in which Cursed offers such a rich reading experience are its broad “character demographics,” especially the adults who end up transforming Ricky’s life in such vital ways, and even the cookie-cutter classmates who ultimately prove to be less toxic than she initially thought. Lots of nuance and complexity, even within so-called “secondary” characters. Did that approach come naturally to you?

I grew up in a very diverse area of Philadelphia and attended diverse schools. I’ve always been surrounded by people of various races and cultural backgrounds and, while I’m straight and cisgendered myself, the LGBTQ+ community has always had a huge presence in my life. Ricky’s background is very similar to mine, so it felt natural to people her world with diverse characters. I’ve also come to realize that most of the “villains” I’ve encountered in life have had their own stuff that they’re dealing with. I think it’s important to make your bullies and bad guys three-dimensional, and I find that they’ll often surprise you when you do.  For example, I never imagined Mr. Jenkins, who started out as just a snooty jerk, becoming a friend and ally to Ricky. He ended up being one of my favorite characters in the book!

The Schneider Family Book Award is a coveted honor that goes far towards raising awareness of important disability-themed books for younger readers. But aside from this annual recognition, how do you view the “disability lit” landscape these days? If you ruled the Land of Young People’s Publishing right now, what changes would you want to see in this regard, if any?

While disability—-particularly stories written by disabled authors—-is still woefully underrepresented, things are getting better. That said, a large percentage of disability-centered books that have been published are written by white authors, with and without disabilities. There’s definitely significant room for improvement. Changes I’d love to see going forward is more books by disabled authors and much more intersectionality among those disabled authors.  Interestingly, the Schneider Family Book Award does not require authors be disabled themselves for consideration, while the Pura Belfre and Coretta Scott King awards place requirements on their nominated authors. Down the road some, as more disabled authors are given the opportunity to bring their authentic and multifaceted stories to young readers, it’d be wonderful to see the shift in criteria for the Schneider Award to specifically disabled creators.

What role has the public library played in your life?

While I was blessed to attend a grade school with a terrific school library, my local library as a kid was the Lovett Memorial Library in Philadelphia.  It’s a beautiful building on lush green grounds, with a playground across the street. I spent a lot of summer afternoons there, checking out books which I occasionally read perched in a tree!

What’s next on the writing horizon for you? I’m sure folks are clamoring for Ricky: The Sequel by now.

There hasn’t been any talk of a Cursed sequel, though I must admit that I sometimes hear Ricky and Oliver having conversations in my head! I’ve always worked on multiple projects simultaneously and my current workload is no different. I have two novels in progress, which are very different from each other, and am working on a couple picture book manuscripts as well.

Tell us about the special book drive you’ve organized in honor of Cursed’s new paperback edition.

I’ve had such an amazing journey with Cursed, and the paperback release feels a bit like the denouement (but definitely not in a sad way!). The idea to do a book drive was lovingly “borrowed” from a dear author friend, Lee Wind, who did similar book drives when launching his books. All along, the most rewarding part of Cursed being out in the world has been the kids who face challenges similar to Ricky’s finally feeling seen. I wasn’t aware of any books like Cursed when I was newly diagnosed at 13, and it was extremely isolating. Additionally, I think the people around me, even close friends and family, had no way to truly understand what I was going through. The book drive is a way to get copies of Cursed into the hands of kids who stand to benefit the most.

Anyone interested in participating in the book drive, which runs throughout July, can find details on my website karolruthsilverstein.com (which also features a lot of other Cursed content). The book drive page (karolruthsilverstein.com/2021-book-drive) has a link to my local independent bookstore Children’s Book World (childrensbookworld.com) in West Los Angeles, ordering instructions and info on the charitable organization coachart.org, that will be distributing the donated books. Plus, there’s a “Cursed-tastic” giveaway for one lucky participant!

I’d like to add a final personal note at this point. Cursed resonated with me very deeply: my 30-year-old father was diagnosed with RA in the early 1950s, before I was born, so I grew up watching him cope with its effects, as he continued to support his wife and child despite his massive physical challenges. Karol Ruth, your descriptions of Ricky’s daily pain experiences, life accommodations and the like, even with the help of modern-day drugs and treatments, reminded me vividly of what he must have endured, and thus what a true hero he was every day of his life.  I thank you so much for this insight; today’s readers are so fortunate to have Cursed on their radar.

Thanks so much for interviewing me and giving me the opportunity to talk about  Cursed!

The post Cursed — A Conversation with Karol Ruth Silverstein first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

As former and current booksellers, it’s no surprise to us when patrons approach library staff with questions like these. New users often conflate libraries with the way retail stores operate. In this situation a service provider has a choice—become exasperated while taking the time to explain that this is a library and doesn’t work that way, or just answer the question. The reasons why some library workers take mild to moderate offense at being confused with a salesperson are best saved for another time, especially in this moment, where “unskilled” and underpaid labor have been rightly declared essential while being asked to risk personal safety as part of their assigned duties. Wiser people have brilliantly tackled
the issues of vocational awe and self-importance embedded in our industry.1 This attitude—that somehow library work is more lofty, skilled, or somehow better than sales work—does serious damage to our organizations. The truth is, for most of us, public library work has more in common with retail than anything else. The most impactful thing we do
to serve our community is not the curation of collections, nor the provision of programs, nor our Wi-Fi, but the connection we create with people via
our interactions with them. We have often looked to retail to borrow marketing, merchandising, and materials arrangement ideas, but few of us have considered the other bookstore model—the deliberate design of customer service transactions—for inspiration in understanding how the consumer environment has changed around us. Strengthening the interpersonal components of user experience is something every library can and should do, especially in these most uncertain of times.

A DEFINITION FOR SERVICE
Customer service is mission-critical, and our consideration of it must extend beyond simple platitude like “service with a smile” or “go the extra mile.” Any service industry realizes that while it is important to meet the baseline of “person gets what they want when they want it,” the key to making that actually happen is staff, not simply stuff. Because it is so personal, this makes customer service hard to pin down, hard to teach, and uncomfortable to discuss. It helps to start with some foundational concepts.

The value of a service experience is solely defined by a customer’s satisfaction, not the organization’s opinion of its own work. Satisfaction has
been framed as a balance between the speed, cost, and quality of products or service. The typical axiom is that in terms of “cheap, fast, or good,” one
can be great at delivering two, but not all three, at any given time.2 In context, “good” refers not just to the quality of the item, but also of the service provided, therefore it can be said that customer service
is a measure of satisfaction around the speed, cost, and quality of experience. The customer should feel like their needs are important and the service person has an investment in giving you what you want. Good service leaves you feeling happy and personally validated in your choices. It should feel natural, like the person helping you is sincerely engaging with you and responding directly to your questions and interests. All these elements give people experiences that make them feel seen and heard, which underscores the value of the service they are receiving, and the organization at large. This can truly transform a service point into something that inspires and sustains loyalty.

It is also imperative to note that customer service is complex. It requires careful mastery of the technical skills required to operate tools and systems
like cash registers, inventory management, computers, phones, copiers, and more. Workplace dynamics in sales and service industries are nuanced and
wildly variable, requiring no small amount of emotional intelligence.3 It can wear you down, and people who do it are often “underpowered,”undervalued, and underpaid, while they are expected to
provide customers with a great experience.4

RETENTION MATTERS
Not every retail environment fosters a good user experience, but we all have establishments that we remain loyal to, often over the course of years and even lifetimes. Think of the last time you had a really great service experience—in a store, from a skilled provider like a mechanic or hairdresser, or even at a medical office. Chances are that your interaction was carefully and precisely designed even—especially—if it didn’t “feel” that way. This is “experience management,” and understanding how it works can make a big difference when cultivating front-of-house library service that is more consistent in order to maximize positive feelings and customer retention.5

Retailers have spent millions of dollars and countless hours researching the best ways to design an environment that makes people feel validated in
their choice to spend time or money at a store or service point. The legwork has already been done—libraries can borrow strategies and methods that
have been vetted and proven successful in the private sector and modify those same concepts for our own particular environment.6

None of this is to say that libraries should be more like stores (they should not) but we would be kidding ourselves if we didn’t acknowledge that many of our users seem to evaluate us from a perspective of consumership. Nor are we suggesting that libraries fail to provide excellent customer service. What we’ve learned from our time in the bookstore is that the most important factor in the overall experience customers have, over time, in a store is consistency. Is your library customer service consistent? Does every
person get the same level of service every time (or as close as possible)? Who does not receive the best service at your library, and what does that say about your organization? Or, more tellingly, what does that user go on to say about your organization? Does your customer service help you maintain your position in the community as the culture shifts and changes? Is it an organizational strength your library can leverage to move forward into an uncertain future?

Relational vs. Transactional
All service industries have had to reckon with the rise of the internet and how it shifted practice in every imaginable way, and how it has irrevocably, if inequitably, altered consumer expectations around speed, cost, and quality. The definition of good customer service, though highly personal, has shifted. To survive the “retail apocalypse”7 unleashed by online retailers, top companies have begun to push deeper into the provision of relational models of customer service.8 Briefly, this means working through the idea that, in a customer’s perception, interactions with a service provider exist as an uninterrupted and very delicate continuum over a long duration of time. The best way to support a long-term customer relationship is by utilizing a proactive and consistent mode of service, as one bad interaction at any service point can break the balance and sever the connection, perhaps forever.

Relational service means being cognizant of the emotional bond consumers develop with brands or stores and working to make sure each interaction
with them supports their continued patronage. It recognizes that customer feelings are now as important (or perhaps even more important) than any item or material that an organization can deliver.

The opposing style of service, transactional, is something you might experience at agencies that have operational monopolies on a service, where you literally cannot get the thing you want or need anywhere else. A clear example, at least in the public imagination, is the DMV. Where else can you go to get your driver’s license? The library once held an operational monopoly, too: Where else could one go for information services in the community? Before the proliferation of the internet, perhaps libraries could get away with a transactional version of customer service. While those days are gone, the question to be considered remains: Who on your team thinks relationally versus transactionally? Does the answer change based on their role, station, task, or who they are helping? If the answer to that second question is “yes,” how might you begin to address the difficulties those inconsistencies present and move everyone on the team towards a more
relational version of service?

One of the benefits of introducing relational service and experience management is that they serve to soften some of the assumptions held about libraries. Many libraries typically provide great service, but there is undoubtedly a disconnect in the broader public image of librarianship and those who work in the field, as evident anytime a “librarian” appears in popular media. The library, as an entity, has a perception problem. This doesn’t seem to be the case for booksellers, who occupy a space in the popular imagination closer to who many modern library workers actually are. Of course, booksellers and librarians are saddled with similar stereotypes but on balance one profession is cool and contemporary, the other is strict, academic, and stuffy. In our experience, booksellers are considered more outgoing and interactive with customers, willing to go above and beyond. It doesn’t hurt that everyone in the bookstore is a bookseller, as opposed to some library organizations that maintain rigid roles, making the loose, more organic environment perceived in bookstores
harder to replicate.

SERVICE IS SERVICE IS SERVICE

This is serious stuff: Customers intrinsically know what good service feels like because, in general, people know how they like to be treated by others. Their assessment is intensely personal, but each customer judges every service provider by their own unique standard. Libraries are not held apart from this dynamic—our patrons measure us in the same way they measure any other business or store. Libraries are now part of the great mass of service providers that must work a little differently to stand out from the crowd. Because we no longer hold an operational monopoly on information, books, or anything else, we must be more earnest about how we interact with our users if we hope to retain them.

It doesn’t take much to leave a retailer behind. Everyone has experienced the kind of service that leads one to think (quietly or less-so), “I’m never
coming back here again.” The top reasons reportedfor ditching a service provider are: feeling unappreciated; unhelpful or rude staff; and being “passed around” from desk to desk seeking support and assistance.9 Libraries are making great strides to amend how they address these issues, but internal challenges abound: fines; strict rules and provincialism around who is allowed access; internal miscommunication and low levels of transparency; lack of formal training on systems, policies, and options;
low support for staff facing potential dangers; as well as draconian pleasure in enforcing rules and the correlation of that stance with both implicit and outright bias and discrimination are just some of the serious barriers to consistently good customer service in our industry. Library workers and patrons alike are human—people on both sides of the desk inevitably have bad days, but each negative transaction causes a bit of damage to the library, no matter who’s wrong or right in the specific situation. Every library should consider how to best minimize the frequency of negative interactions, both operationally by amending rules and interpersonally by
addressing what customer service should look and feel like in different situations.

How can we start engaging staff members in the shift towards a more consistent, relational service, while recognizing that the customer service skill setis operationally and interpersonally complex?

BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES

As we considered this question, we reflected back on our work in the bookstore and recognized that things are different, right from onboarding and orientation: Each of us received much more training as we started in the bookstore than we did at any library job. Whether it was a formal corporate training program or a looser independent bookstore introduction, we each moved through multiple days of staff shadowing and coaching on operating systems like inventory, stocking, phone, intercom, register, cafe, loss prevention, and how to answer customer
questions. From the moment you start, the service standard of the bookstore is centered in the process. Every staff member receives the same orientation on front-facing skills, even if they move on to specialized roles at the store. This gives the bookstore an enviable operational flexibility.

For each of us—at different libraries in the Northeast— library orientation was considerably shorter, more piecemeal, and less organized in content and delivery. A few of us received no formal training at all but were put right on the desk to absorb what we could from active circulation or reference staff. While there is a small charm to the idea of “being thrown in the deep end,” it doesn’t leave a lot of emotional bandwidth to focus on the needs of the patrons being served. In the bookstore we were trained on the philosophy of service of the company. None of us recall learning about our library’s mission, vision, values, or goals when we started in our new positions. Early days on the job can shape and shade the entire work experience to come.

Onboarding, orientation, and ongoing training is vital, but remains a logistical challenge for many libraries, and for many organizations there are intractable reasons why a retail-style version of this is unattainable. What can time- and resources-trapped libraries do? We would like to suggest something we learned from working in bookstores: Clearly define your library’s service expectations— based on mission and values—for veteran and new employees alike, and then design a customer service template for patron interactions around them that emphasizes consistency and personal connection.

A Deliberate Design

This is the heart of what retailers call “experience management.” In brief, it’s the codification of transactional expectations into carefully designed frameworks that promote relational service, like a playbook that every person on the library team can be coached on. Companies noted for exceptional user experience (e.g., Apple, Disney, Wegmans, Trader Joe’s) use templates that mix relational and transactional elements, and, most importantly, give staff discretion on how best to use them. These templates, or frameworks, function well because they are flexible and become, in practice, invisible to the customer eye and ear. Templates are not scripts: They offer guidance and support, especially for new staff, on how to manage complex interactions, whereas scripts demand specific language to use every time, no matter who the customer is or what they seek.

It is easy to be skeptical. Opposition to the idea of an “artificially” or predesigned customer service is natural because of the times we’ve all noticed salespeople deploying their required phrases and questions, and they’ve made us all feel uncomfortable or irritated from time to time. This is not that; the best versions of experience management allow staff to show off their expertise and deep product knowledge and fluency in the full scope of service offerings. This is a case where authenticity and structure
can coexist. Staff buy-in to any systemic shift is critical, and templates can provide a structure that enables confidence and builds trust across the organization, as well as a deeper understanding of the mission of the library and the importance of the daily work of customer service.

The key to any good customer service template is that it starts and ends with a signal of care and connection and puts the opportunity to demonstrate the expertise of the staff and depth of offerings in the middle. That’s a fluffy way of saying start with a greeting, then recommend additional items, library events and services, or extra information and
resources, then end the interaction with a “thank you.” Most good templates include these elements in some way, shape, order, or form.

The central conceit of experience management is the proactive and personalized promotion of additional services. In the bookstore we called this “upselling.” When done intelligently and judiciously, it can be an easy stepping-stone to relational service, as the library worker is not waiting for someone to ask for a recommendation but offering one freely when the circumstances are right. For some of us this seems simple and obvious, yet for others it seems like precisely the thing they shouldn’t do, because they
don’t want to be perceived as pushy or insincere. In truth, it’s both, but the friction between these two ideas in practice leads to inconsistent service. While some staff are more comfortable with providing on-the-fly readers’ (or viewers’) advisory than others, everyone has a role to play in informing the public about the full scope of what the library offers.

An Act of Listening

Designing a flexible interaction template that can be used at the discretion of each staff member during any transaction goes a long way toward bridging these two attitudes into a service standard for the library as a whole.

The best iterations of experience management are loose enough to leave plenty of room for spontaneity, improvisation, and personality, providing an opportunity for individual strengths and unique passions to shine through. Though service environments are different across industries, any template you encounter, when used well, is laden with opportunities to make real connections with the customer by actively listening to their needs. The idea of selling or promoting the library remains distasteful to some of our peers, but when done purposefully it transforms into a way of directly indicating to the patron that you have truly heard their query and
interpreted it through your expertise. Good service is an act of listening.

As you design a template for your library, consider what matters most to your organization. What is your mission and vision for the community? What are your core values? What services and surprises do you have in store for your users? What are the “big asks” you’ll need to make in the future? The goal of any template is to focus every staff member on consistency across service points and audiences. They are especially useful for organizations that do not have the ability to train or retrain regularly.

In starting out with templates, it helps to give suggestions on what to feature, be it new services, big programs, or upcoming initiatives. Libraries
have expanded and diversified their offerings so much that we have outpaced public awareness of what we offer. Even in this moment, as many of us work from home, we are reminded of this by patrons who are amazed to see libraries offering programs, ebook access, remote learning, and
streaming content, though many of us have been doing these things for years. Being specific about what you’d like staff to highlight supports them as they explore and experiment with a potentially uncomfortable new model of practice. As they become more secure in their skills, they can concentrate on what style and content works best for them.

Opportunity and Caution

Templates can be designed at a personal, departmental, or organizational level, and can set a trainable expectation for relational, proactive daily practice as well as providing a rubric to follow in tricky situations,
for both new staff and experienced team members who have compassion fatigue. They provide an opportunity for managers to coach and mentor staff in the acquisition of new skills as well as demonstrate support in difficult interactions. Though it’s impossible to plan for every iteration of patron request, comment, or complaint, the act of template design can be
used by library teams to consider the most frequent challenges and create a shared framework to address them in a positive way that promotes satisfaction for the patron and practitioner alike.

However, it is important to not go overboard. Some retailers lose track of what makes templates useful, and deploy overly constructed, scripted language to force consistency—the robotic and off-putting version of experience management we all suffer through from time to time. Creating templates isn’t about telling staff what to say but giving them a platform and encouragement to share their expertise. In designing customer service interactions, libraries should also be careful not to rely on customer profile the way some retailers do. As a place of discovery, we must not make assumptions about why any patron connects with us or our resources. It is also important to stress common sense and discretion—a person asking to use a copy machine or looking for the bathroom is not one to practice relational service skills on. The most important action a staff member can take during any interaction is to carefully observe and thoughtfully listen to the person in front of them. Very few people appreciate a salesperson leaping out of their peripheral vision gasping “Can I help you?” One of the best tools in relational service is breathing time—paying attention to the verbal and physical cues your patron is sending and taking time to carefully respond (or not) is vital.

Moving to a more relational style of service makes some demands on library administrators. Another key difference we noted between bookstores and the libraries include how managers communicate “big
picture” goals and priorities to staff at every level. At our bookstores we had daily shift meetings with rundowns on what was important, what was new, which promotions were coming up, and how our sales were
going. The bookstore manager would often share key indicators, including how much money was made each day, compare sales to projections, past results, and the ratio of sales to foot-traffic in the store. Compared to our time in the bookstore, library front-of-house staff are not always privy to data that show the results of their day-to-day work. The idea that customer service affects the library “bottom line” is theoretical, but the statistics that demonstrate organizational performance over time can—and often are—taken as evidence.

In our experience, this isn’t a common practice in the library, though library analogues (circulation shifts over time, service usage, door count) could give the staff a better idea of what is actually happening and how their work directly affects the organization. While daily meetings are unthinkable for many libraries, communicating important organizational
information in ways that are understandable and transparent, including details about library successes and shortfalls, kudos and complaints, and
advocacy and funding processes can help sharpen the stakes for everyone. For experience management to make the most impact, managers must
demonstrate how meaningful the seemingly simple moments of patron connection can be.

Retailers set standards for transactions because each customer lost through bad service means less revenue and a jeopardized future. The consequences for perceived poor customer service are different, but
no less severe, in libraries. A patron that feels they have been treated poorly may never come back, or they may go to another library if that is an option. It is easier than ever to damage the reputation of an institution, and though it is easy to dismiss complaints aired on social media or local networks, when these gripes gain traction the harm is quite real.

While we measure success in several different ways than salespeople, the ultimate measure of failure is the same: declining use and obsolescence.

WHAT THIS MEANS RIGHT NOW

As we stated earlier, the most impactful thing that a library can do is provide meaningful interactions with its users, and in the wake of a loss of normalcy across all aspects of life, consistent and compassionate customer service becomes more important than ever. As library buildings close and both staff and patrons adjust to a new mode of service, the sustainability of libraries comes down to their ability to prove their importance and relevance. Without the circulation statistics of physical books, without program attendance numbers, how can libraries prove their worth? Our answer is this: by providing the information and resources to keep the community informed, encouraged, and hopeful. Providing services and interaction in this time need not be daunting; it is merely a new application of the customer service techniques mentioned earlier:

* Are you providing a consistent voice across your platforms? While it may seem easier to divide up the tasks of posting to social media and
writing newsletters and reports, ensuring that the tone and voice is consistent daily and across multiple methods of communication can go a
long way in providing a semblance of normalcy in the lives of your patrons.

* Are you aware of the resources both in yourcommunity and at your library? Being able to share information like local news updates, testing
centers, closures, and donation drop-off and pick-up sites can help create a sense of unification and an understanding of the immense work being done in your community to ensure health and safety. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, especially during times of crisis. Do not underestimate the value of serving as an information aggregator—this type of customer service is perhaps more useful than adding redundancies into the mix. Although this temporary shift to virtual library services changes some of the methods of customer service practice, the principles remain the same. Listen to your customers, provide consistent service, and use a framework or template to share information.

While we don’t think libraries need to become more like stores, patron retention is as important to us as sustaining or growing sales is to retailers. There is a lot at stake for the library industry right now: As we face an unprecedented psychological and economic crisis, it is critical for every library to demonstrate its value to the community. We change the perception of libraries one transaction at a time, and relational service not only aids in retaining users, but can spur the continual growth of local, vocal advocates to partner with us as we cement our status and relevance in a world where we have to compete for attention with others who provide the same things as we do, though rarely as well. The most effective way to do that is to give our users a story to tell about how the library has been the
source of connection, stability, and positive change in their lives. This work of securing our future, for our institutions and for the people who depend on our services, happens every day, during each transaction, at each desk, by our front-of-house workers.

MAKE THE CONNECTION

What bookstores understand about service is that you cannot expect people to just know how to bridge personal experience as customers into a new role behind a desk. The idea that people know how to deliver good customer service because they have, as consumers, received good customer service is insidious and damaging to both our people and our organizations in the long run. We shouldn’t expect folks to figure this out on their own, with little more than the directive to “smile and be nice.”

What libraries bring to the table will be essential in the days to come. We must be cognizant that people on both sides of the service desk have been
through an extended trauma, and that our industry and our services will be permanently altered by it. Libraries and the people who work in them are full of deep knowledge about both our services and our communities. Combining this local expertise with a deeply humane service attitude that truly centers the delicate, severe needs of our communities will be paramount as we move forward.

We believe that human connection is the single most important thing a library can provide to its community, particularly our most vulnerable neighbors, and the work of improving the consistency of the customer service experience never truly ends. Every library has its own challenges and idiosyncrasies, and customer service is just one piece of the user experience puzzle, but we hope these ideas will give you some things to think about as we move into an uncertain future for our industry and our nation. The fallout from these events will alter so many things about how we live and interact with each other, but the mission of the public library remains. We cannot do our best for our patrons if we do not consider how our provision of service affects them, and the story they tell about “the library,” not just as independent organizations, but as an entity in our
shared culture. Public perception of a library anywhere is impacted by inconsistent service everywhere, so we will need to be vigilant as an industry about how we treat our users now, more than ever. By borrowing some of these ideas from our bookstore cousins, we can begin to consider what matters most as we serve our public, what will truly make an
impact for our patrons as we emerge from catastrophe, and how we will rise to meet a new world in the ways that only library workers can.

The authors would like to thank Pascale Laforest for her contributions to this work.
References

1. Fobazi Ettarh, “Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We
   Tell Ourselves,” In The Library with the Lead Pipe, January 10,
   2018, www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocational
   -awe.
2. The Developer Society, “Good/Cheap/Fast – pick two (and how
   NGOs can play the triangle like a pro),” Medium,
   April 5, 2018, https://medium .com/@devsociety/good-cheap-fast-pick-two-and-how-ngos-can-play-the-triangle-like-a-pro-20d1380
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3. Drea Douglass, “Why Emotional Intelligence in Sales is the New
   High-Performance Differentiator,” https://brooksgroup.com/sales-training-blog/why-emotional-intelligence-sales-new-high-performance
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4. Joseph Arthur, “My Life as a Retail Worker: Nasty, Brutish,
   and Poor,” The Atlantic, March 11, 2014, www.theatlantic.com
   /business/archive/2014/03/my-life-as-a-retail-worker-nasty
   -brutish-and-poor/284332.
5. SAS, “Customer Experience Management: What It Is and Why It
   Matters,” www.sas.com/en_us/insights/marketing/customer
   -experience-management.html.
6. Diane Hoskins, “Three Trends Shaping Retail’s Great Transformation,”
   Urbanland, September 3, 2019, https://urbanland.uli
   .org/economy-markets-trends/three-trends-shaping-retails
   -great-transformation.
7. Bethany Biron, “The last decade was devastating for the retail
   industry. Here’s how the retail apocalypse played out,” Business
   Insider, December 23, 2019, www.businessinsider.com/retail
   -apocalypse-last-decade-timeline-2019-12.
8. Blake Morgan, “5 Tips to Move From Transactional to Meaningful
   Customer Relationships,” Forbes, January 19, 2015, www
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   actional-to-meaningful-customer-relationships/#22a11a3261c9.
9. Marketwired, “The $62 Billion Customer Service Gave Away,”
   https://finance.yahoo.com/news/62-billion-customer-scared
   -away-130000343.html.
   
   Read More
   Lee Cockerell, The Customer Rules: The 39 Essential Rules for Delivering Sensational Service (New York: Crown Press, 2013).
   
   Frances Frei and Anne Morriss, Uncommon Service: How to Win by Putting Customers at the Core of Your Business (Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2012).
   
   Danny Meyer, Setting the Table (New York: HarperCollins,
   2006).

The post Define & Design: The Bookstore Model of Customer Service first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The topic of infrastructure, and the need to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure has been at the forefront of major discussions in our communities and in the hands of decision-makers this year. In late March, President Biden unveiled his infrastructure proposal, the American Jobs Plan, and over the next few weeks, Congress is tasked to make key decisions about the scope of what will be included in the final infrastructure package. To the disappointment of ALA and the library community, funding for library facilities was not included in the President’s proposal. While this doesn’t signify that libraries won’t be included in the final package, it does show how crucial it is that the White House and Congress understand: libraries are part of our infrastructure, and the time to invest is now.  

As United for Infrastructure Week commences, ALA has provided library advocates with special templates and resources hosted on the Build America’s Libraries homepage to celebrate the week and to communicate to lawmakers the urgency for libraries to be included in the infrastructure package. Some actions you can take include:

• Contacting President Biden and your elected leaders through ALA’s Action Center
• Sharing photos or a message on social media and tagging your legislators
  • ALA has created an informative template on how to craft compelling social media posts during United for Infrastructure Week.
  • The example Tweet below from Blue Island Library in Illinois shows one impactful way to illustrate the need for this designated funding for infrastructure upgrades in your library.

As advocates across the country utilize this week to communicate the importance of infrastructure in our communities, library advocates can share their personal stories to amplify the need for library facilities to be fairly recognized as a critical part of our nation’s infrastructure.

The post Urge Congress to #BuildLibraries During United for Infrastructure Week first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Part 1 in the series addressed the challenges staff face – including burnout – and the particular health and safety concerns of the pandemic. To help libraries provide better support, Part 2 focused on how remote work in libraries has changed over the past year, and what it might look like in the future. This final installment focuses on how and why library policies can better serve people who are caregivers and why it matters.

Caregiving and Pandemic Challenges

Caregiving comes in many forms, including parenting, childcare, elder care, or looking after a sick partner or other relative. Caregivers can be parents, grandparents, relatives, or neighbors. On PLA’s survey, 9 percent of respondents felt access to family or sick leave at their library was inadequate, while 49 percent said it was exceptional. Accommodations for caregivers were rated inadequate by 14 percent of respondents, and exceptional by 30 percent.

The survey comments indicated that inadequate support has two main characteristics: lack of access to paid leave and caregiver accommodations, and lack of flexibility, especially for part-time staff. A lack of support can have serious consequences for individual staff members, libraries, and the profession as a whole. It is a particularly pressing issue within the library profession as it is predominantly female, and women are more likely to be caregivers.

During the pandemic, parenting and care-giving responsibilities have disproportionately impacted women, and nonwhite single mothers have been hardest hit. Leaving the workforce even temporarily has negative impacts on individuals’ careers and financial status. One survey respondent wrote, “I had to take a cut in my hours because I was not able to find childcare for my children and my library was not supportive of me working from home during off hours.” This is not only an issue for parents. A respondent shared, “I’m a caregiver and I would love to be able to work partially remote and partially in office. A colleague with a child can do that, but I can’t because I’m caring for an elder instead of a child.”

Supporting Caregivers

When libraries implement good policies that accommodate caregivers’ needs and provide flexibility, that makes a positive difference for staff. Amandeep Virk, Library Assistant at Chandler Public Library in Arizona, shared that early in the pandemic she was able to use vacation time to supervise her young daughter’s remote schooling. Later, she worked remotely on some days and her husband looked after their daughter on days when she had to be in the library. She reflects that this flexibility and the “safety measures and policies made a huge difference in my personal life,” and she feels “supported and important at the same time.”

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) enabled employees to take paid leave if they became ill with COVID-19, if they needed to quarantine, or to care for a child whose school or daycare closed. However, the rules expired on December 31, 2020 and not all employers maintained the same policies, despite the continuation of the pandemic. The Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library in Ohio did opt to continue to offer leave to employees through June 1, 2021. Kim DeNero-Ackroyd, Deputy Director, had several staff members take leaves of absence to care for children, and she says, “having the ability to alter a schedule was very important” for them. The library’s updated leave policies offer all employees paid sick leave under the same terms as the FFCRA. The policies also offer any employees who have worked at the library for more than 6 months the option to take a leave of absence for childcare and the option to request schedule adjustments because of childcare.

Where implemented, FFCRA policies made a difference: research suggests that increasing access to sick leave reduced the number of COVID cases. The pandemic will (hopefully) end and some of the associated pressures will relent as children go back to schools and daycares and vaccinations reduce the threat of illness. Yet even pre-pandemic, a survey found that 60 percent of working adults anticipated needing to take leave for elder care and/or parenting in future. The “sandwich generation” may have to provide both types of care at the same time. The pandemic has heightened awareness of caregiving needs and stresses, but the issue is not new, nor will it go away.

Why It Matters

The United States is unique among advanced economies in not guaranteeing paid family or medical leave, instead leaving it to employers to offer those benefits voluntarily. Unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leaves many workers in a position of choosing between their health and being able to pay their bills.

Libraries cannot fix this issue on their own. Nonetheless, there are things libraries can do to address inequities and better support their workers. ALA’s Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship (COSWL) presented a free webinar in February 2021 on “How Employers Can Support Library Workers Who Are Caregivers During COVID-19.” The presenters emphasized that policies that benefit caregivers benefit everyone because they create a more welcoming and supportive environment. (COSWL has also compiled a Caregiver’s Toolkit with links to many resources.) The best policies include flexibility, autonomy, sick leave, clear communication and expectations, and a culture of transparency.

Not supporting staff has very real consequences. Further analysis of the relationship between staff support and burnout (discussed in part 1) shows that there is a statistically significant correlation (p<0.01) between the level of support library staff feel they have received and whether they reported experiencing burnout during the pandemic. Respondents who reported lower levels of support overall were more likely to report burnout (among the 2,179 respondents who answered both relevant survey questions).

Another way of looking at this is shown in the chart below. There were six key areas in which respondents evaluated the level of support they felt their library has provided during the pandemic. The chart shows the total number of areas out of six where respondents felt their library provided inadequate support, and the percentage of those respondents who reported burnout. The slope of the line is positive and statistically significant (p<0.01). This means that the more areas of inadequate support someone reported, the greater the likelihood of their experiencing burnout.  

Good policies matter because, when put into practice, they support the people who make our libraries thrive. Creating safe work spaces and providing flexibility and access to paid leave and caregiver accommodations can reduce the likelihood of staff burnout, which in turn can reduce staff turnover and improve the library experience for all in the community. As we engage in the work of recovery, supporting staff means supporting libraries and communities.

The post Library Staff In and Beyond the Workplace first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

For most of human history, we slept under the stars. Instead of staring at electronic screens, our ancestors watched the light from the heavens. Things have changed dramatically in recent decades. Seven out of 10 people living in the U.S. today have never seen the Milky Way. Light pollution from street lights, homes, businesses, and sports fields now obscures the night sky. And the problem is only getting worse.

But today researchers are also spreading the word about the harms of light pollution, and even going beyond to begin finding solutions. One such group is Globe at Night, a National Science Foundation-funded citizen science project.

Globe at Night asks volunteers to go outside and measure light pollution in their communities using either the naked eye or a simple piece of equipment called a Sky Quality Meter. These devices use extremely sensitive silicon sensors to detect the amount of light in a given area, creating an easy measurement of night sky brightness.

Globe at Night enlists citizen scientists — volunteers who help researchers collect and analyze data — to take Sky Quality Meters out into their communities and measure light pollution. Over the course of 15 years, more than 200,000 people from 180 countries have collected light pollution observations, helping scientists better understand its impact on energy consumption, wildlife, and human health. Globe at Night has also become the world’s most successful light pollution awareness campaign.

“If we can get people to consider the impacts of light pollution and the loss we will incur to future generations if it continues, they might be willing to start helping by doing something simple,” says Constance Walker, who heads Globe at Night and also works as a scientist at the National Science Foundation’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory. “People can consider the lights they have and turn them off if they’re not needed, or shield them and point them down.”

How Globe at Night Tracks Artificial Light

A great example of Globe at Night’s impact comes from a large-scale study done by volunteers in Tucson looking at light pollution and bats.

Citizen scientists collected more than 3,500 observations across the city, helping researchers with the Arizona Game and Fish Department piece together how artificial light might be impacting the animals’ movements.

Through their observations, scientists learned that light pollution, as well as habitat loss and loss of the ability to echolocate, were playing a role in changing how bats travel across the Tucson area. As a result, officials could tap into real data to help make decisions about what policy actions may actually help the bats.

It’s not just animals, either. Studies using light pollution data have shown that exposure to artificial light at night has serious negative consequences for human health. And there’s also the cultural element. “We’ve been looking at the same sky for thousands of years,” Walker says. “Besides myths, there’s countless ties to the night sky in literature and songs and art. You have all these examples of people being inspired by the night sky — not just scientists but artists. Think about the loss of this source of inspiration if you can’t give this exposure to future generations.”

But researchers can’t collect light pollution data all over the world on their own. They need citizen scientists’ help in local communities.

Library Kits for Citizen Science Projects

Thanks to support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Moore Foundation, SciStarter and Arizona State University have developed kits and resources for a growing number of libraries to loan Sky Quality Meters, along with other relevant tools. Just like books, these citizen science library kits are available for anyone to check out. (You can visit SciStarter’s landing page to find out what citizen science tools are available to check out at your local library.)

The project is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and aims to help libraries become community hubs for citizen science by developing a field-tested, replicable suite of resources.

Libraries have proven to be strong partners for citizen science projects because they already know their local communities, and they have a long history of supporting learning opportunities. For librarians, citizen science is just another opportunity for discovery and learning that builds on their trusted role in communities.

So far, libraries across much of California and Arizona have begun lending out citizen science kits, but any library can get involved. And individuals can also build these light pollution kits themselves.

“The kits are available for any library or any person anywhere to customize and build,” says SciStarter founder Darlene Cavalier, professor of practice at Arizona State University’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society. “SciStarter has posted the ‘recipe’ for creating these light pollution citizen science kits online, as well as links to buy the dark-sky meter.”

In addition to the Globe at Night kit, there are a variety of other kits available through local libraries that let volunteers get involved with citizen science projects you can do at home. You can check out kits to help hunt zombie flies, monitor air quality and observe pollinators.

Consider offering citizen science kits and programs in your library this month to celebrate Citizen Science Month!

The post Help Fight Light Pollution with a Science Experiment first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Even better, many of these projects focus on the indoors specifically. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about how your living space connects to the greater world around you, and collect some data for science to boot. Here, we’ve selected five projects that ask you to explore the world inside and around a home. You’ll get your hands wet, your feet dirty and your kitchen sink messy — all ingredients to a great experience that makes a difference for science, too.

Crowd the Tap

Safe drinking water should be a given for everyone in the United States. But in some places around the country, old and degraded pipes can leach lead or other contaminants into household water. Crowd the Tap gives you the tools to find out if your house may be at risk of lead contamination, and it asks participants to add their data to a national census of water quality. The goal is to help authorities prioritize areas for water testing and infrastructure replacement, and to help ensure clean water for all.

The project, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, Virginia Tech and North Carolina State University, asks participants to take a few simple steps to assess the water in their house. Fill out a survey with some basic information about your area and household, as well as the water coming out of your tap. Then, you have the option to get hands-on and perform a few simple tests to find out what your pipes are made of. The data is collected by researchers and added to a growing national database aiming to compile a comprehensive look at water quality around the country.

Join the Project Here

Sourdough for Science

Bread is just flour, water, and salt, right? Not quite: There’s a secret ingredient that gives breads from around the world their special tastes and textures. That special ingredient is microbes — bacteria and yeast that help produce the wide variety of bread we see around us.

With Sourdough for Science, you can explore the diversity of microbes that make bread unique, and have a tasty snack while you’re at it! The project guides participants through the steps of making a basic sourdough loaf. Then, over the course of two weeks, you’ll take a series of measurements that will clue you in to the microbial interactions taking place inside your bread. That data will be used by researchers to better understand how different types of microbes grow and behave in different types of flour. Then, when it’s all over, enjoy a delicious sandwich!

Start Baking Here

Space Scurvy

Astronauts going to space might confront a problem that bedeviled sailors of centuries past: scurvy. The condition, characterized by skin problems, anemia, and loose teeth, occurs when we don’t get enough Vitamin C.

The Space Scurvy citizen science project asks participants to imagine they’re a 21st-century space explorer deciding what fruit juices to take along with them to avoid scurvy. Follow the simple instructions to put together a science kit from household ingredients that will let you test the Vitamin C content of the juices you have at home. Which is the best to take to space?

This short, simple science experiment is ideal for families and classrooms, and it offers a hands-on way to unlock the science of the everyday. And, best of all, you can pretend to be both a pirate AND an astronaut.

See About Scurvy

Plant a Pollinator Garden: Great Sunflower Project

As spring arrives, there’s no better time to get outside and in the garden. The Great Sunflower Project asks participants to venture into the great outdoors in search of plants that pollinators visit. The goal is to record all the pollinators, like bees and butterflies, that visit to build a record of insect population health across the country.

Sunflowers are just one of the many plants you might have in your garden at home that need pollinators to survive. Check in with the plants around you this spring, and help contribute to a nationwide database of pollinators. And, while you’re at it, consider creating a pollinator garden filled with plants that the insects near you love to visit. Then, check out our Pollinator Gardens hub page to find out about all the citizen science you can do there.

Start Counting Today

Household Waste Audit

When we throw something in the trash, most of us just forget about it. But that trash sticks around in landfills, or gets burned for heat and energy, creating greenhouse gases. The Household Waste Audit tasks participants with thinking more deeply about the stuff they use and then throw away.

Spend a week sorting and cataloging everything you throw away, paying special attention to single-use plastics. Of the 33.6 million tons of plastic Americans use every year, just around 6 percent of it is actually recycled. At the end of the week, tally everything up and use the total as a chance to brainstorm some creative ways to reduce waste and recycle more.

About the Author

Nathaniel Scharping is a science writer and editor with more than four years of experience translating complex research into compelling narratives. He has reported from archaeological digs and particle colliders, and managed a digital team at a national magazine. You can find clips of his work at nathanielscharping.com Nate helped found a marketing agency focused on providing scientific storytelling to brands and nonprofits. At Lunaris Creative he writes, edits and strategizes with clients to engage and inspire their audience.

The post Five Kitchen Sink Science Experiments to Try at Home first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Challenges

Library staff have faced a range of challenges in their work during the pandemic (chart below). As circumstances have changed and library buildings have closed and re-opened, 22 percent of survey respondents reported having reduced work hours, while the same percentage reported increased work hours; the two are not mutually exclusive. However, the numbers mask underlying differences based on roles within the library. Administrators were more likely to report increased work hours, while non-administrators were more likely to report reductions to their hours.

Overall, 9 percent of respondents reported having been furloughed and 4 percent laid off. Eleven percent have taken family or sick leave. Eight percent have changed jobs, such as moving to another municipal department, and 35 percent have had their roles change within the library.

By far the most common experience respondents chose was burnout (57 percent). Exhaustion, depersonalization or negative attitudes to work, and reduced effectiveness at work all characterize burnout, which results from “chronic workplace stress.” According to a report from Gallup, the factors most likely to correlate with burnout are unfair treatment, an unmanageable workload, unclear communication, lack of manager support, and unreasonable time pressures. In North American public libraries specifically, LIS researcher Kaetrena Davis Kendrick has found that common stressors include overwork, budget or financial challenges, problems with coworkers or management, and job precarity, among others. These contribute to burnout and to low morale more broadly.

The pandemic has exacerbated many of the factors that can lead to burnout. Health and safety concerns add stress, while social distancing has taken away some of the fun and the support systems. Increased workloads or cuts in hours and pay have added both mental and financial pressures. Those in leadership positions reported added stress from bearing the responsibility of staff and patron well-being, while dealing with the unknowns and uncertainties of the past year. One respondent wrote, “It’s been an incredibly challenging year and I am weary of making hard decisions.”  

Libraries – like other workplaces – can implement policies and practices to mitigate the causes of burnout. A few common suggestions emerge from the research: listen to employees, value their opinions, and make changes based on their input; ensure workloads are reasonable; give staff flexibility and control over their work; recognize good work; and support employees to do meaningful work. While it is important for individuals to engage in self-care for their own well-being, that alone is insufficient. Improving policies can help all staff, including leadership, to thrive.

Supporting Staff

Another survey question asked how well current library policies support staff in six key areas (chart below): health and safety protocols for COVID-19; limited public access to the library for staff and patron safety; remote work; staggered shifts or increased distancing at staff work spaces; staff access to family or sick leave; and caregiver accommodations. Respondents could select inadequate support, acceptable support, or exceptional support.

The majority of respondents (eighty-seven percent) said their library’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols are either adequate or exceptional, while eleven percent said their library’s protocols are inadequate. Worst rated was remote work, with nineteen percent of respondents saying support is inadequate.

Libraries depend on people. For all staff to be the best they can be, they need support. What characterizes “inadequate” or “exceptional” support? And how can library leaders move to ensure that staff are exceptionally well supported?

The remainder of this article focuses on COVID-19-related protocols. Part 2 will focus on remote work, and part 3 will focus on access to family and sick leave and accommodations for parents and caregivers.

Health and Safety Policies

When it comes to health and safety, the best policies are the ones put into practice. Libraries need to not only establish policies that follow public health guidance to keep staff and patrons safe (as most have done), but they need to have mechanisms to communicate and enforce of those policies. Sometimes the library has the authority to set and enforce policies; in other instances, they are subject to mandates at the city, county, or state level, which themselves may not align with the best public health guidance.

This principle applies to interactions with the public as well as minimizing contact between staff working in the library. Many survey respondents reported limiting the number of staff in the building at a time, installing plexiglass shields between workstations, and ensuring masking and social distancing. The most creative solution reflected in the survey comments involved putting all staff into two or three small groups or cohorts. Each cohort works in the building for a few days at a time, and they do so in rotations, never coming into contact with other staff from outside their group. In the event of a COVID case, this would minimize the number of staff exposed.

From the survey comments, it is clear that staff feel scared and frustrated when policies and practices (or lack thereof) may needlessly expose them to the virus. The reverse is also true: respondents who said their libraries provide exceptional support felt all staff had a trusted role in decision-making and the resulting practices help both library staff and the community stay safe. While acknowledging the many challenges, respondents used words like “supportive,” “caring,” “flexible,” “accommodating,” and “proactive” to describe exceptional policies and practices in response to the pandemic.

Those terms should also apply to plans to resume regular services. With vaccinations increasing, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully soon libraries once again can welcome everyone, all the time, to browse, gather, and learn. It will take time to adjust. When it comes to supporting library workers – and thereby supporting libraries and each other – let’s ensure that we learn from the experiences of the past year and carry those lessons forward.

The post The Impact of COVID-19 on Library Staff: Supporting Health and Well-Being first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Citizen Science Month, held every April, is a month-long celebration of citizen science hosted by SciStarter and Arizona State University, with support from the Network of the National Library of Medicine. Volunteers from all walks of life get involved in research by collecting data, analyzing results, and helping solve some of the biggest problems in science. Libraries are where many people get introduced to citizen science for the first time, and SciStarter partners with libraries and other organizations from around the world to host events and introduce kits for some of the most popular citizen projects, filled with everything volunteers need to get started. Anyone can add or discover a citizen science project or event…including you! 

The Citizen Science Month webpage has everything you need to get started this April. Find featured projects, upcoming events and resources to bring your citizen science game to the next level.

There are more than 100 events lined up for Citizen Science Month this year. Our calendar page has the full list of citizen science events, spanning everything from the future of health and medicine to water quality and events about how to train your brain.

Ready to get citizen science-ing, but not sure where to begin? We recommend our featured projects, including Globe at Night — which asks you to identify light pollution in the night sky — and Stall Catchers, a gamified project seeking to accelerate Alzheimer’s research. Look for special events from both during April!

For a one-stop-shop for libraries and library staff, check out SciStarter’s Library Resources page. Here, you’ll find our guide to citizen science, instructional videos, templates for library kits and more.

Upcoming Citizen Science Events

Looking for an event that you can invite your community to? We have some suggestions from our calendar! 
Citizen Science Kids Day
April 3 at 10 AM ET
Spend your Saturday morning with National Geographic’s “Weird But True!” and PBS’s “SciGirls” in an event presented by SciStarter. The event will be hosted by Kid Reporters from TIME for Kids who will moderate the live event, interview celebrities and make sure YOUR questions get answered!

Gaming 4 Science Day
April 16 at 2 PM ET
Did you know you can help make new scientific discoveries by gaming online? Participate in one (or all!) of the most popular citizen science games: Stall Catchers (analyze data for Alzheimer’s research), Eterna (design RNA-based medicines) and Neureka (make a difference for mental health and dementia research). Best of all, you can play from anywhere! This event is supported by SciStarter and the Network of the National Library of Medicine. 

Citizen Science in the Night Sky
April 29 at 9 PM ET
Join Dave Eicher, Editor-in-Chief of Astronomy Magazine, as he moderates a Q&A with the leaders of the Aurorasaurus, Spiral Graph and Smartphone Astrophotography citizen science projects.

The post What is Citizen Science Month? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic’s fallout decimated the U.S. jobs economy, particularly for low-income Americans, the uneven expanse of digital skills among Americans was a significant barrier against their ability to achieve better lives.

Noting the negative impact on economic mobility and business competitiveness, a 2020 report by National Skills Coalition shared alarming data. Among workers aged 16 to 64, 13% have no digital skills; those of another 18% are very limited. Some 35% have a baseline proficiency, while only the final 33% have advanced skills.

Improving their communities’ digital literacy is important for public libraries as they seek to live up to their mission. The challenge has taken on new urgency as we fight against the economic costs of the pandemic. At stake? The U.S. could lose $162 billion in annual revenues without people able to fill some 150 million new tech-oriented jobs.

As 2021 advances, public libraries across the country can learn from the successful digital skilling programs of the Washington State Library and the Kenton County Public Library in Covington, Kentucky. They can find support for their efforts through an initiative launched in 2020 by Microsoft that’s been extended through this year – its Global Skills program that offers free or deeply discounted resources to help people grow their computer skills and succeed in their job searches.

Microsoft’s Global Skills initiative is an expansive effort that gives access to the learning and support available through its units like LinkedIn and LinkedIn Learning. Not only can the public research which jobs are most in demand and skills needed to fill them, but the company is providing free access to learning paths and content to make essential skills easier to acquire. Also offered are low-cost badges and certifications and free job-seeking tools. Course content and tools are available in English, Spanish, French, and German.

Certification Offers Tangible Proof of Digital Skills

It’s the Washington State Library system’s emphasis on offering paths to certification that helps to make its digital skilling programs stand out. The Washington State Library has been building out its workforce development efforts since 2013 as the state was emerging from the last recession. The program, funded by the state, offers a robust selection of courses through its 400-plus public library locations to help advance digital skills at all levels.

As important as the learning opportunity is for the citizens of Washington state, however, the system’s support and advocacy of certification is a big differentiator. It responds to tech industry employers’ requirement that top candidates show tangible proof of their knowledge and skills.

Elizabeth Iaukea, Washington’s workforce development librarian, points out, ”If we’re serious about the value of what people are learning for employment, certification is key. It has always been highly valued in the IT field where the speed of change and the development of new technologies outpaces the educational system, and many are self-taught. Certification is also increasingly recognized in other professions as the best way to validate a specific skillset acquired through non-traditional learning.”

While the skills that employers in Washington demand fluctuate, the top 25 are fairly consistent. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and its productivity tools is typically at the top of the list. Also in high demand: knowledge of software development principles, and finance, billing, and invoicing skills. These are all certified through Washington’s program.

Many of those that Washington libraries aim to serve don’t know enough about certifications to recognize their value or how to earn them. Because of that, the program presents the certification process in three steps – learn, practice, certify – with hands-on practice and practice tests as part of the approach. Online learning that’s mapped to certification is accessible through the Washington library system at Microsoft Imagine Academy and LinkedIn Learning.

Certifications currently supported include Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA), Microsoft Technology Certification (MTC), Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE), IC3 digital literacy, Quickbooks, Adobe Certified Associate (ACA), and Unity Certified User.

“Certification is increasingly recognized by many professions as the best way to validate a specific skillset acquired through nontraditional learning,” says Iaukea. “It’s especially helpful for helping entry-level people and career changers prove continuous learning and growth.

“Libraries are all about nontraditional learning and fund many options for technology related professional development. But if we’re serious about the value of these for employment, certification is key,” she adds.

Job Search Central

As recently as 2016, the communities served by the Kenton County Public Library were enjoying full employment. Located in Covington, Kentucky, the library serves the tri-state area where Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana meet. Big local employers like Amazon and FedEx were battling for entry-level employees in service, warehousing, and logistics. Tech skills weren’t in high demand, and the training offered by many community organizations was sufficient.

The environment forced the Kenton County Public Library to think about new strategies to support workforce development. How could they engage the community with digital media and help narrow the digital divide, but not duplicate any efforts of their community partners?

Their strategy was to target the underserved market segment of mid- to late-career professionals. They were judged in need of support in career transitioning and job search, and many needed to refresh their understanding of the digital tools prevalent in today’s jobs environment.

The new program, Job Search Central, was critical when it started, because employer investment in training had been declining over the last decade, leaving many mid- and late-career professionals stagnant in their skills. The need has only grown in relevance since the COVID pandemic disrupted the economy and the job market in the tri-state region.

A support group for job-seekers is part of the program that has gotten a lot of traction. “It started out with six to eight people attending weekly meetings and has grown to about 100,” says Natalie Ruppert, MLIS, the library’s manager for workforce development. These meetings, held every Wednesday morning, and on Zoom since March, 2020, feature announcements, then a volunteer guest speaker and a roundtable discussion where people share their job search status and where they need help.

“What they like is that we listen, we respond, and we share resources. We do a lot of networking with community partners and we share leads. We celebrate successes. It builds library loyalty. And during 2019-2020, 270 people who participated landed jobs, mainly in the tri-state area,” Ruppert adds.

The Kenton County Public Library program also encourages participants to become “students” of the job search process through specific beginner and advanced tracks for learning:

• Beginner classes focus on Google tools from e-mail to résumé templates, the basics of Microsoft Teams, and the ins and outs of Windows 10, Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Participants also learn about their transferrable skills. Workshops on résumé writing, cover letters and interviewing are also held.
• Advanced job search programs look at creating marketing plans and resumes for federal positions and networking workshops via LinkedIn.

Since the program’s launch, the library and community it serves have come full circle, thanks to the pandemic. The ensuing economic downturn has hurt low-skilled workers, who now need to acquire digital skills as well as basic job search knowledge. Kenton and its community partners have undertaken outreach to help them with digital literacy programs and raise their awareness about virtual job fairs. A federal dislocated worker grant in August has helped the library bolster its efforts and add staff to help citizens navigate career change.

For more information on Microsoft’s skilling initiative, the work of the Washington State Library, or how Kenton County Public Library is pivoting to serve job seekers in the community, watch the Public Library Association’s free recorded webinar, 150 Million New Technology-Oriented Jobs and the Skills Needed to Get Them.

The post COVID-19 Makes Library Skilling Programs Critical first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

by Daniel Hensley, Adult Programming Coordinator, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, hensleyd@carnegielibrary.org.

Allen County Public Library has strategically incorporated logic models and outcome measurement in planning and evaluating programs and services in a relatively short amount of time by using Project Outcome tools as a central part of an overall shift to a more outward-facing approach to library services.

Judging by Allen County Public Library’s (ACPL) reputation as a national leader in using strategic metrics to improve library services, it would be easy to assume that they were among the earliest public library adopters of outcomes measurement. But, in fact, outcomes have only been a part of the library’s strategy for about three years.

“Not unlike other public libraries, ACPL had not used outcomes-based measurement prior to 2017,” reports Denise Davis, who, as ACPL’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, oversees data collection efforts. “The library relied almost entirely on outputs and anecdotes — customer feedback and quotes — to describe the value of public programming.”

This changed with ACPL’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, which established an outcomes-based framework for the development of all library services. According to Davis, this newly central role of outcomes required a great amount of commitment from staff at all levels of ACPL: “This has been a sea change for staff, and a good deal of education has been needed to help staff adjust to this outward-facing approach to planning, service delivery, and evaluation.”

ACPL has been able to quickly integrate outcomes measurement by making a commitment to outcomes at all levels of the organization, applying a strategic approach to planning and evaluation that includes a number of data inputs, and putting the data to work in ways that impact library users right away.

A Marathon, Not a Sprint

Outcomes feature prominently in ACPL’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. Tellingly, the document resembles a logic model in its structure – broad goals are connected to demonstrable outcomes, which in turn relate to “investments,” or activities that support the goals of the organization.

The ACPL Director at the time of this interview was Greta Southard. She saw the 2018 Plan, her first as Director of ACPL, as an opportunity to shake up the strategic planning process. “When I came, the strategic plan was not a strategic plan. It was a laundry list of to-do items that we did because you had to submit something to the state library.” Southard’s vision was to use the strategic planning process as a catalyst for organizational change and a way to focus services on community outcomes.

Project Outcome tools play a central part in ACPL’s commitment to using outcomes to improve services, but the surveys and visualization tools are only one part of a larger investment of time, resources, and energy required to make lasting organizational change.

ACPL began using Project Outcome in 2017 and continued training staff in outcomes-based measurement, the Project Outcome portal, and logic models in 2018 and 2019. To put the training into practice, staff had six months to work with program planning and logic models, survey a program, and then use the results to improve the program.

The big picture goal of using logic models, according to Davis, is to encourage professionals to “take the emotion out of program planning.”

“We know that our staff knows how to plan a program — we don’t question that. What we want people to question is their process for identifying topics, and their fallback if a program fails. How will you know if the topic resonates with the community, and how will you adjust it so that it meets community needs over time?”

Davis encourages staff to be strategic about what programs they survey. Rather than surveying every program, she advises staff to be selective when identifying programs to evaluate, using guiding questions such as “Is this a cornerstone program that has gotten stale?” and “Is this a new program that isn’t getting the traction you expected?”

For support, Davis is available for staff to contact to discuss evaluation; additionally, three managers who have received more in-depth training in logic models and outcomes-based measurement serve as point people for staff. Time is given on agendas at regular meetings to guide staff through logic model planning and evaluation processes.

Davis also speaks “almost daily” with staff who want to add or change questions on Project Outcomes surveys. “I ask back what they plan to do with that information.” Planning, evaluation, and development are all parts of the same process, and every decision in that process ultimately ties back to the intended impact on the community.

Avoiding A Colossal Waste of Time

Davis speaks plainly when it comes to the “measure everything” approach to surveying program participants. “[That] is a colossal waste of time.” Instead, Project Outcome surveys are just one of a number of methods that ACLP uses to get data about programs and services, each of which adds to a larger picture of progress on the Strategic Plan.

The experience of using Project Outcome surveys for programs across the library system has taught ACPL some lessons in getting a good response rate, though Davis admits that survey response is always a challenge. It helps to be selective about what programs to survey so that regular patrons do not get “survey fatigue.” Paper surveys continue to be the most effective for in-person programming. But perhaps the best way to encourage feedback is to show patrons that you are listening. ACPL’s Genealogy department regularly sees response rates of 80% or higher, and Director of Special Collections Curt Witcher credits that to a strong connection between customers and staff.

“Carefully crafted questions focusing on how the customer is benefiting from our programs invite responses that are more meaningful and better guide us in our offerings. Team members hearing directly from those experiencing our programs about their needs is powerful in both motivating and guiding our programming work.”

While Project Outcome surveys give valuable insight into the effectiveness of targeted programs, these surveys alone do not show the whole picture. To get more real-time feedback, staff are also encouraged to regularly use informal methods, such as posting a flip chart in the lobby with one question to get feedback about a program, service, or space change. Outreach events are also seen as opportunities to get feedback about what community members would like the library to do. Both of these methods provide real-time feedback, and give people who may not otherwise be vocal a chance to have their voices heard.

To complete the data picture at ACPL, staff have access to a highly developed warehouse of output data. ACPL also uses feedback cards to get customer satisfaction information, and questionnaires administered in print and through Survey Monkey to periodically get topical feedback. The responses to these targeted surveys can be impressive – a recent online-only survey, which was only open for a week, yielded nearly 7,000 responses. All of this is supplemented by reports from Gale Analytics (formerly Analytics on Demand), which help staff understand customer behavior and trends.

ACPL’s experience shows a good example of how to make the most out of Project Outcome. Project Outcome surveys are most effective as part of a more holistic program of measurement. Outputs show attendance trends and help staffing decisions; regular customer surveys provide a baseline of community attitudes and expectations; informal customer feedback gives frontline staff real-time data on a local level. In this context, ACPL’s targeted Project Outcome surveys are used to assess the quality of programs and services by measuring them against outcomes that are clearly defined within a logic model.

As a result of these coordinated efforts, staff at all levels have access to data to help guide decision making, improve services, and track progress on the strategic plan.

Working Smarter, Not Harder

ACPL’s experience in training and support to adopt Project Outcome and other elements of their evaluation strategy has been a slow process and required a major effort, but the investment has already shown returns in service improvements and community relations.

The Summer Learning Program is perhaps ACPL’s largest annual programming initiative, and so has been a major focus in efforts to plan, evaluate, and adjust programming using outcomes and other metrics. The program is supported by a significant local foundation in Fort Wayne. As a result of ACLP’s move to a more intentional planning process, the relationship with the foundation has strengthened; the foundation has offered longer grant cycles and has invited ACPL to apply for additional funding. Southard believes that this improved relationship played a big role in millions of dollars in funding.

Countless smaller changes have been made by staff across the system as they learned to use logic models and outcomes in their planning practice. Project Outcome results have become part of Board communications, too: visualizations, details, and quotes from Project Outcome are included in quarterly Board updates, which are also made available to all staff.

Southard has found that using outcomes has helped board members to better understand the library’s impact. Many board members come from the world of business and are accustomed to seeing profits or other quantitative statements; outcomes provide a relatable way to track progress. This approach can also help situate the library’s work in the context of greater community goals.

“One of the goals for the region is growth of population – we can link increased skill and knowledge to be good for the community in general for future economic development. We are helping build that pipeline for the workforce of the future. Helping make those linkages about the work that we’re doing, from preschoolers up, we can show how we’re feeding into the longer-term aspirational elements.”

To Davis, however, the biggest impact is more subtle.

“Overall, it would not be an overstatement that staff are using the feedback to understand how best to focus their time on program development and delivery to ensure that we are making the most of the limited capacity we have for program delivery – working smarter not harder. As with any evaluation tool, adoption and integration happens slowly. We continue to learn where it makes the most sense to apply the surveys and where not, and the why of evaluation. This is not meant to be a “do you like us” survey. It is meant to guide us in program development and delivery. Sometimes we learn simple but critical things – is the program at the best time, is the room the best location for the program, was the presenter effective. And, we do this in a neutral way through the outcomes surveys.”

As proud as Southard is in the work that has been done, she sees it as only the beginning of an ongoing process. “ We are a learning organization and we have to continue learning what the community wants and continue applying that learning.” By using Project Outcomes tools in the context of a larger strategy that is based on community impact, Southard is confident that her team will be energized as they see the impact of work that has been developing over the past few years.

“I think people are finally starting to understand that you have to have building blocks, and it takes time to put those building blocks in place. Things may not happen in the exact sequence that you would want, and you can’t necessarily predict when all of the variables will happen. But, with a plan, once the variables come into place, you can see the greater impact of your hard work.”

Advice to a Newcomer to Strategic Measurement

According to a recent survey of Project Outcome users, many libraries indicated that they used, or hoped to use, Project Outcome as a one-stop data collection tool for library services. While you may be able to add custom questions and make this work in theory, this approach is not likely to yield much valuable information, and it is sure to cause survey fatigue among staff and patrons alike.

Project Outcome is best used as part of an overall measurement strategy – an important part, but not the only part. Denise Davis, ACLP’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, offers some advice for libraries looking to get more out of Project Outcome by using it within the context of a larger planning and evaluation strategy.

Don’t survey everything. Spend time thinking about what you need to learn to improve a service, and pick one program to start.

Use a logic model to think through the process. They really do work.

Have a specific learning goal in mind for the surveys. Don’t burden staff and attendees with unfocused surveys.

Give it time. Don’t be discouraged if you have a slow start. This is new to your customers as well as staff, so they need to understand why you are asking for feedback and how you will use the information.

Consider an incentive. Don’t go overboard, but you may want to give out some chocolate or another inexpensive “thank you” for helping the library improve programs.

Look at the results…especially the open-ended responses. This is your baseline to guide program development.

Make a plan about what you will do. What can you act on now? What more do you need to know?

Follow up if you need to. If you need more information, find an easy way to get it, such as a flip chart or a sign inviting attendees to speak with staff to give more input.

Share the results with the community. Let them know what you changed, and thank them for helping the library to provide better service.

The post Work Smarter, Not Harder first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought uncertainty, anxiety, and strife, disrupting all routines of daily life: school, work, family and social gatherings, travel. The small business community, in particular, has faced immense challenge, as public health guidelines shuttered all non-essential business in the early months of the pandemic, and ultimately placed restrictions such as social distancing on operations going forward. While the pandemic-challenged environment has devastated business and life as we know it, it also presents new opportunities. New needs have emerged, and small businesses can pivot to respond to their community.

Libraries, as critical local infrastructure, are always tuned into the emerging needs of their communities and are ready to respond with timely and relevant resources and services. This includes support for the local business community. Existing and aspiring small business owners and entrepreneurs can leverage library resources and programming to bolster their businesses.

In early 2020, ALA kicked off the Libraries Build Business initiative, sponsored by Google.org,  to expand small business and entrepreneur programs and services in 13 public libraries. Our goal is to identify promising practices and models for library-led entrepreneurship initiatives to share with the field, scaling our peer learning network and making our evaluation resources widely available. This $1.3 million investment comes at a crucial time for small business communities around the country and demonstrates the importance of libraries in the workforce and business development sector. At a time when business owners and entrepreneurs must adapt to the limitations resulting from the pandemic, libraries can facilitate these critical moves and be a key partner in business recovery and resilience.

On November 11, ALA and the Libraries Build Business initiative released Open to Change: Libraries Catalyze Pivoting Small Businesses During COVID-19. The paper is not a prescription for what libraries should do. Rather, it provides an overview of the current landscape and the opportunities to pivot that have and may emerge in the pandemic-challenged society.  Pivot examples will inform library workers as they consider innovative programs and services to support their business community with inspiration about the ways small businesses and entrepreneurs are pivoting, and what their immediate needs may be.

ALA would love to hear from you about what’s happening in your community.  What is your library doing or what would you like to do for the small businesses and entrepreneurs in your community? What opportunities have emerged for budding entrepreneurs to meet a new need? What businesses have pivoted successfully? How has the library stayed connected in this time of social distancing? As we endure the pandemic in the coming months, new ideas, new challenges, and new opportunities will continue to emerge. As we continue to learn together about this new normal, and in the spirit of peer learning and sharing, we want to capture these experiences and lessons learned to add to resources Libraries Build Business is developing.

Send us your experiences – good and bad – with your small business community during COVID-19, or use #LibrariesBuildBusiness on social media to share the ways your library has fostered resilience and innovation for the small business community. Libraries have always been critical partners to workforce and business community. For this reason, communities will look to libraries to lead.

The post Open to Change: Libraries Pivot to Serve Small Businesses first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

As public libraries cope with the effects of COVID-19 across the country, library staff are struggling with figuring out how to continue or adapt early learning programs for young children and families. While many have developed exciting new ways to incorporate early literacy practices into these changing programs and services, we encourage you to consider how you can bring computational thinking into these new and continued efforts to support early learning for families. Though computational thinking may sound too complicated for young children, it can be smoothly integrated into your virtual and screen-less library programs through play-based methods and in developmentally-appropriate ways.

At its most basic definition, computational thinking can be thought of as an “expressive or creative process that helps children and adults create solutions to a problem or complete a task in a manner that could be replicated by others” (Campana et al., 2020). Though traditional literacy and other early learning skills are still vital, computational thinking and related media literacy skills are now necessary to help all ages successfully negotiate the variety of digital and analog information in today’s rapidly changing world. Development of computational thinking skills can begin in very early childhood, helping to foster creative problem solvers capable of solving 21st century challenges. By intentionally incorporating, modeling, and making computational thinking skills accessible in your programs and services during this time and beyond, you can empower and support families in this realm.

While this brief article outlines only a few examples of how you can incorporate computational thinking into the programs and services you may be offering now, additional examples and information on computational thinking for young children in libraries will be available in the upcoming July/August edition of Public Libraries.

Virtual Programs

As libraries move face-to-face programs to virtual platforms, kid’s yoga has found a place in both live and recorded programs. As youth stretch their bodies and move through poses, you can use the opportunity to discuss how yoga poses are named to help support computational thinking skills. How does “cobra” or “boat” pose get named?  How does the shape or movement of your body reflect the name of the pose? Asking these questions prompts participants to think abstractly, focusing on an essential characteristic of the pose name that is mimicked through the positioning of the body. Muncie Public Library reinforces this connection between “boat” pose and the positioning of the body by singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” while in boat pose. Westlake Porter Public Library uses traditional yoga pose names and dinosaur names in “Dinosaur Yoga” video. Using descriptive names, like “T-Rex” for Warrior One pose, may call to mind more clearly how to position your body, distribute your weight, and roar!

Take-home Kits

The take-home kits that many libraries are offering this summer can also be a natural fit for incorporating computational thinking skills. These kits often cover a variety of topics–such as STEM, literacy, and crafts–and a variety of forms–including digital aspects or having it be completely screen-free. One kit, developed by Marathon County Public Library’s Spencer Branch, contained materials for planting a bean seed along with a link to a video of library staff reading Jack & the Beanstalk. A kit like this is ideal for supporting decomposition by encouraging parents and caregivers to help their children figure out or “break down” the materials and the different steps required for planting the seed. Craft kits can also help to support computational thinking such as the birthday coding bracelet kit offered by the Bettendorf Public Library that supports pattern recognition. Additionally, the experiment kits and videos that libraries have been offering, such as those by Schuylkill Valley Community Library, are ideal for supporting logic and evaluation by encouraging parents and caregivers to have their children predict what might happen and evaluate the result of the experiment.

Obstacle Courses

Outdoor play can also support computational thinking for young children and families, even during a pandemic. DIY nature scavenger hunts, Double Dutch jump roping and obstacle courses combine play and the key skills and dispositions associated with computational thinking. The obstacle courses many libraries are creating on nearby sidewalks or suggesting as at-home activities are especially conducive to developing algorithmic design, an important skill that helps children understand the different ordered steps involved in solving a problem or completing a task. For each sequenced step in an obstacle course, rules like jump, skip, or twirl exist that govern how a participant must move to complete the obstacle. While an obstacle course may intuitively support algorithmic design, providing prompts and inspiring caregivers to talk with their children about the steps and rules that make up the obstacle course will help deepen the connections.

In addition to algorithmic design, the course can invite families to become creative with how they move through the sequential steps, possibly developing their own rules to expand upon what was provided or in the absence of detailed instructions. While one obstacle might say “hop” and provide lily pads to jump between, as Coquitlam Public Library’s course does, another might have a simple winding line, like Illinois Prairie District Public Library, that leaves the decision on what movements to use to navigate the line up to the participant. Creativity is an important computational thinking disposition that helps children develop unique solutions to problems. Additionally, by successfully navigating the ordered obstacles from start to finish, children can gain confidence, another computational thinking disposition,in their own abilities.

As shown through these examples, computational thinking can be incorporated into the wide variety of programs and activities, both virtual and screen-free, that you may already be using to connect with your young patrons and families, even during this difficult time. As with other programs and activities for young children, keep in mind that it is important to provide information and scaffolding for the parents and caregivers so that they can be intentional with their support of the computational thinking skills and dispositions that are present in the activity. Finally, as you move forward with developing and offering activities for young children that support computational thinking, consider emphasizing screen-free activities and learning opportunities to help reach across the digital divide and provide more equitable support for families who may be struggling with digital information access or screen fatigue.

REFERENCES

Campana, K., Haines, C., Kociubuk, J., & Langsam, P. (July/August 2020). Making the Connection: Computational Thinking and Early Learning for Young Children and Their Families. Public Libraries.

The post Encouraging Computational Thinking for Young Children and Families From a Distance first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), calls on public library workers to commit to structural change and to taking action to end systemic racism and injustice. PLA thanks members of its Task Force on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice for their guidance and leadership in development of this statement and call to action. The statement recognizes and supports ALA’s statement condemning violence against BIPOC, protesters and journalists, and ALA’s statement acknowledging ALA’s role in perpetuating structural racism. PLA applauds the creation of a working group to create recommendations on restorative justice practices and the use/presence of police in libraries (ALA CD #45).

The Public Library Association shares the nation’s anger, sadness, and frustration over the epidemic of violent acts perpetrated against Black people. We demand justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others, and for their families and communities. We stand in solidarity with Black people engaging in collective action against systemic racism, oppression, and injustice. Across the country, the pattern of police violence in response to protests — coupled with a pandemic that is disproportionately impacting communities of color — further reveals our country’s disgraceful legacy of state-sanctioned violence against Black people. We join the chorus of voices demanding an end to this violence and insisting that Black Lives Matter.

Because we believe that #LibrariesTransform, we also commit to honest reflection and structural change. We acknowledge that public libraries have been — and still are — complicit in systems that oppress, exclude, and harm Black people, indigenous people, and people of color (BIPOC). The library profession remains overwhelmingly white, despite decades of emphasis on diversity and inclusion. We see incredible examples of self-determination and resilience by BIPOC librarians and educators, yet the profession has largely failed to improve conditions and ensure pathways for advancement among library workers of color. We commit to dismantling white supremacy in libraries and librarianship. We recognize the urgency of this collective work, and commit to hold ourselves, our colleagues, and our institutions accountable when we fall short.

Call to Action for Public Library Workers

We call on public library workers to join us in taking the following action steps:

• Study, amplify, and align with the policy demands of the Movement for Black Lives. Ask yourself: What can the movement’s call to divest from punishment and policing — while investing in long-term safety strategies such as schools, libraries, employment, health, and housing — mean for your library and your community?
• Change library policies that punish and criminalize patron behavior. Invest in alternatives to policing and security guards within library spaces. See, It’s not enough to say Black Lives Matter.
• Evaluate the messages about police and policing libraries promote to children and families in programs and collections. See, Policing Doesn’t Protect Us, and Evaluating Children’s Books about Police.
• Create a Plan of Action for addressing racism and working toward collective liberation. Start where you are, engage others, and make a long-term commitment to listening, action, and reflection.
• Address structural racism. Work with BIPOC communities to identify and implement structural changes that must occur within libraries. Build staff investment at every level, while shifting resources to support racial equity initiatives in libraries and staff-led action teams. Evaluate policies and procedures using racial equity tools and develop racial equity action plans to sustain this work.
• Develop and fund programs, services, and collections that center the voices and experiences of people of color and shift power to communities for co-curation and co-creation.
• Materially support organizations that provide resources and build community for BIPOC working in libraries, including We Here, the Spectrum Scholarship Program, BCALA, and JCLC.

PLA and the PLA Task Force on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice commit to do the following:

• Convene meaningful conversations about EDISJ in public libraries. In the next few months, we will be hosting a series of Twitter chats. The next chat will be on Creating Inclusive Communities on August 5 at 12:00 p.m. Central.
• Identify the action step(s) above that we are collectively best positioned to address during our next year of work and develop concrete recommendations for PLA to advance racial equity and organizational change in libraries;
• Evaluate the structure of the Task Force with the aim of creating a more diverse and representative entity with the capacity to move this transformative work forward; and
• Embrace discomfort as we navigate challenging and emotional subjects. To uproot racism and white supremacy within ourselves and our institutions will require immense courage, compassion, and the honest desire for accountability.

The post Public Library Association Call to Action for Public Library Workers to Address Racism first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

My library shut our doors to the public on March 17, 2020 but we did not close. Within 48 hours of locking our doors, we began offering curbside pickup. This continued for about two weeks at which point we ended curbside pickup and began offering home delivery. Delivery services lasted for roughly three weeks until we ended that service and once again began curbside. Four days later, on May 1, we ended curbside pickup and reopened our doors to the public at 25% of our typical capacity, the first day our governor allowed us to do so. We were not directed to reopen by the state. When our city leadership were asked why we were reopening so soon amid so much uncertainty, we were told only, “the library needs to reopen.”

We are a single branch library system with roughly 25 full-time employees serving a city of about 80,000. Throughout this chaotic experience, many of our staff were not able to work from home. Our employees were stressed not only by the COVID-19 pandemic but by the ever-changing nature of the services that we were creating on the fly, only to then end those services and be directed to create another new service from scratch. As you can imagine, heads are (and have been) spinning. Many of our best staff members are feeling angry, isolated, and resigned. Some feel unsafe at work yet trapped in their jobs as they watch friends and colleagues fall victim to layoffs and furloughs. How do I know so much about my coworkers’ feelings? I began facilitating voluntary lunch hour support groups for our staff in late March. These groups continue twice a week.

Library leadership need to have realistic expectations for the challenges facing employees and patrons, alike. As libraries across the country move towards reopening, I am increasingly concerned about staff burnout. If my experience is any indication, our institutions can expect employees to have understandable safety concerns regarding covid-19. Compounding this worry are the ongoing protests of police brutality against black Americans. Our country is destabilizing in unprecedented ways across public health, economic, social, and justice systems, all at the same time.

Due to all these events, each of us — but particularly people of color – are currently experiencing an ongoing, complex trauma. Patron or staff, when we experience trauma, there are number of consequences: cognitive challenges, difficulty sleeping, and dysregulated emotions to name only a few. When we again allow large numbers of patrons into our buildings, we can expect confrontations – either between patron and staff or among patrons — in our libraries to escalate in both frequency and severity as nerves fray and patience wanes.

Sadly, we can also expect that the needs of our patrons will far exceed the service capacity of not only our libraries but also the social service providers in our communities. Case managers, emergency shelters, and domestic violence advocates had wait lists before the pandemic hit and the economy tanked. These services will now be further under-resourced and overwhelmed. Patrons who were vulnerable before the pandemic will now be even more vulnerable. Folks who previously lived reasonably stable lives will now be facing increased instability.

Unfortunately, I do not have any easy answers to these difficulties. However, I do feel strongly that the magical thinking offered by many in leadership positions is not helpful. Covid-19 will not disappear miraculously. Our economy will not reopen overnight. The trauma of our personal and collective experiences will have repercussions far beyond this current crisis. Staff members will not feel safe completing tasks that used to be commonplace, no matter the precautions taken. Library leadership should not expect staff to be able to operate in the same ways that they have done so in the past; to expect them do so is harmful to the well-being of employees.

As public servants, we need to be honest with ourselves regarding the challenges that we and our communities are facing and to steel ourselves as best we can for the road ahead. To be blunt, we are all in for a very difficult time for a very long time. I believe that realistic expectations will serve to protect our mental and emotional well-being as we move forward.

Now more than ever, our libraries must prioritize not only the physical safety of our staff members but also their mental health. I see this as both compassionate workplace policy and a customer service issue. As libraries and our community partners attempt to do more with less, as stability in our lives decreases, we must do what we can to take care of one another so that our libraries may then take care of our patrons. A staff member stressed to their maximum will struggle to care for themselves, let alone a patron.

Please do what you can to offer some small semblances of control and stability to your staff and coworkers. Prioritize trainings with useful, quickly attainable learning objectives over obligatory or bureaucratic webinars. When possible, encourage staff who wish to do so to work from home. Ask staff what was and was not working prior to the pandemic; if a program or service has not worked well historically, stop offering it. If staff members offer ideas, critiques, or complaints, listen to understand; in many workplaces it takes great courage to speak up in this way. Don’t interrupt one another. Carve out time at work for folks to talk if they want to do so or to have quiet time alone if they prefer. When classes again become available, consider training in Mental Health First Aid. When reopening, contemplate using a short, recorded greeting for your main phone line with information on business hours, services currently provided, and other basic information; this will save staff the monotony and frustration of answering the same questions repeatedly throughout the day. I believe that libraries are essential; however, as so many of our resources have become available online, library leadership should consider whether – and to what extent — the physical handling of books is essential to libraries in this moment.

I have largely stopped asking people, “How are you?” These days, it seems a ridiculous question to me. We are all struggling. I now prefer to ask, “You hanging in there?” In other words, “Are you coping well enough to get through the day?” If someone says they are not, I regard that as an invitation to connect. Personally, I have found connecting with friends, family, and colleagues to be highly protective of my own mental health during this crisis. Please remember to connect with one another as we travel this difficult road together.

I hope you are all hanging in there.

The post Prioritizing Staff Mental Health When Reopening first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Matt Finch/matthew.finch@usq.edu.au
Matt is a Strategy and Foresight Consultant at MechanicalDolphin.com and Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. He is currently reading Risk Savvy: How to Make Good Decisions by Gerd Gigerenzer.

Katherine Moody/Katherine.moody@ccc.govt.nz
Katherine is Floor Leader, Christchurch City Libraries, New Zealand. She is currently reading The Highland Falcon Thief by M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman.

This article originally ran in the March/April 2020 issue of Public Libraries.

“The most common source of management mistakes is not the failure to find the right answers. It is the failure to ask the right questions. Nothing is more dangerous in business than the right answer to the wrong question. -Peter Drucker[1]

What are public libraries meant to do for their communities? How does the changing nature of our community also change our mission? And when crisis strikes, disrupting the assumptions, routines, and procedures of “business as usual,” what is the impact on the social role of our institution?

At the beginning of September 2010, an earthquake hit the Canterbury region of New Zealand’s South Island. Although there were no deaths and few serious injuries, property damage from the quake was extensive. Roads cracked, chimneys fell, and shop fronts collapsed. Many historic buildings in the main city of Christchurch were damaged. Hot water tanks and sewer pipes ruptured, and the soft soil that some areas were built on acted like a liquid, flooding streets and destabilizing foundations.

The region began the slow process of recovery, but just over five months later, another earthquake struck Christchurch. The second disaster, on February 22, 2011, took 185 lives, injured hundreds, and damaged thousands of buildings. In June of that year, another large earthquake caused further damage, hampering the work of rebuilding the South Island’s principal city. Finally — for 2011 anyway — two large quakes struck two days before Christmas, further rattling nerves and causing damage.

These were the most severe natural disasters in New Zealand’s recent history. The repercussions of these quakes will be felt for many years, yet Kiwi librarians’ response to these catastrophic events was one of courage, generosity, and lasting innovation.

When crisis strikes, organizations can flounder: they may respond to the unexpected or unprecedented with fuzzy thinking, emotionally freighted reactions, or injudicious implementation of rehearsed or routine responses inappropriate to the situation. Peter Drucker’s words that open this article point to the dangers of failing to reflect as we act in moments of crisis.

Yet crises can also offer possibilities to learn, adapt, and renew the institution’s mission and value for the community it serves. Given the high risk and unpredictability of real-life crisis situations, what can other communities’ crises teach us about the changing social role of libraries — and can we use imaginary scenarios to provoke the kind of innovative thinking released in a crisis?

THE CHRISTCHURCH EXAMPLE: FLEXIBILITY, COLLABORATION, AND ACCELERATED RESPONSE

Christchurch City Libraries is one of New Zealand’s largest library networks. At the time of the earthquakes, it had twenty branches across one of the country’s largest urban areas.

The quake of 2010 affected the entire Canterbury region. In Christchurch itself, all library branches were closed so that the buildings and their stock could be checked. Libraries gradually reopened through September and into October. Already the disaster had an effect on the way Cantabrians used their local library. People now come to pick emergency welfare forms and photocopy documents for insurance claims.

North of Christchurch, the town of Kaiapoi had been badly affected and its library forced to close. The city agreed to send its mobile library outside of its own jurisdiction to serve Kaiapoi on Saturday mornings while temporary facilities were set up.

The kind of flexibility and collaboration defined libraries’ response to the Christchurch disasters. When the second earthquake struck, Christchurch City Council’s premises were severely damaged. To assist in the recovery, the library handed over three branches to essential council services.

Staff, too, had to adapt to new roles and requirements. After the February quake, business as usual ceased to exist for Christchurch. Librarians found themselves turning their hands to whatever was required of them. That might mean clambering over boxloads of rescued books stored in a garage, setting up portable toilets, or even issuing passes for drivers entering the city’s severely damaged Red Zone. A number of librarians were seconded into roles with the council and emergency welfare.

At the time of the earthquakes, not all libraries had wifi. After the September quake, once power was restored, the wifi was left on so that people could continue to use it. After February, as libraries gradually opened again, the network partnered with Telecom so that free Wi-Fi could be accessed by library users. This was eventually superseded, but it is a great example of post-quake collaboration.

Still, information skills remained at the heart of what libraries could offer their communities. From locating open petrol stations to mapping altered bus routes and explaining how to register vehicles trapped by quake damage, librarians drew ceaselessly on their expertise in information retrieval and customer service.

Christchurch Libraries also bolstered its online presence in the wake of the quakes. The organization joined Twitter eleven days after the first quake in 2010 and established its Facebook presence in March the following year, just after the most serious event. Social media became a way to inform the public about help available to those in need and to share updates on how to find missing people.

Donna Robertson, now Christchurch Libraries’ web editor, was working for the libraries’ digital team at the time of the earthquakes. “Social media was approached in a fairly conservative way by the Council,” she explains, “but we were enabled to take up these tools more quickly because of the immediate need. There were some times that blogging and social media were available to us to disseminate information to the public when the usual online channels weren’t, for example when our website went down.”

Robertson was also among the librarians who took on roles in the city’s emergency operations center. “This was immediately after the February quake, and because the library had already started practicing on Twitter, I was able to help set up social media dashboard Hootsuite, and help the team with good social media practice.”

Meanwhile, at the national level, New Zealand’s librarians were also responding — exploring the issue of documenting and developing a record of the events in Christchurch. Penny Carnaby, then the country’s national librarian, was living in the quake-stricken city at the time, commuting to her job in the capital of Wellington.

“I was at home when the first quake struck,” says Carnaby. “An emergency meeting of state sector CEOs was called and once the airport reopened, I flew back to Wellington, trying to think what the response of a national library should be, given we were not the first line for a state of emergency.” She considered New Zealand’s deadliest natural disaster, an earthquake that had devastated the Hawke’s Bay region in 1931. As a librarian, she was aware that the record of the response to that earthquake was limited: “Having been in the Christchurch quake I understood why; the last thing you think of is documenting it.”

Nonetheless, Carnaby determined that the best response from the National Library of New Zealand (NLNZ) was to begin creating a documentary archive, especially as the 2010 earthquake seemed at first to be a one-off event.

She engaged a photographer and a number of oral historians to capture people’s experiences of the earthquake. The commission was based on the expectation that the earthquake was a one-off event of unprecedented scale. When the 2010 incident turned out to be one in a series of major events with many aftershocks, the project became a long-term record of the city’s experiences during a prolonged state of emergency and recovery.

Carnaby points out that New Zealand librarians’ digital expertise was key to documenting the quakes: “The National Digital Archive meant that as a country we had the capability in digital preservation to ensure that the memory and story of the Canterbury earthquakes would be remembered and be accessible in perpetuity. Without knowing it, we were ready to respond in a significant way.”

New Zealand’s Ministry of Culture and Heritage subsequently set up the CEISMIC consortium, a group of cultural organizations working to capture the story of the earthquakes from many perspectives. The photographs produced for NLNZ, distributed under a Creative Commons license, now form part of CEISMIC’s collaborative, open-access archive.

THE CHANGING ROLE OF LIBRARIES

The nature of the crisis faced by Christchurch forced librarians to reimagine their roles as the community’s leading information provider. Beyond traditional collections and the usual services, they found ways to meet the community’s information needs in a dangerous and rapidly changing context.

The broad interpretation of information services taken up by the Christchurch Libraries leadership team was a novel response to a dramatic situation, but it reflects a higher sense of mission as articulated by the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) over twenty years ago.

In 1994, the United Nations’ culture organization UNESCO joined forces with IFLA to set out Public Library Missions at a global level.[2] The document focuses on activities like stimulating imagination and creativity, supporting the oral tradition, and providing opportunities for personal creative development. While promotion of literacy, lifelong learning, and children’s reading habits are all featured, the document doesn’t mention books once.

While the book is still at the core of a library’s identity and many people identify the public library with the business of book lending, both the global mission document and the experience of Christchurch City Libraries remind us that librarianship transcends any one medium, and gives the lie to those who think that the age of e-reading has made public libraries obsolete.

The education system is increasingly about training students to pass tests. Many digital materials are designed to make a profit out of the end user. But the public library is the one place you can go, whoever you are, wherever you are from, to explore all of human knowledge and culture on your own terms. In a moment of crisis, that social role becomes increasingly evident and important: when physical and social structures are threatened, an institution providing equity of access to information is an important contributor to community resilience.

In Christchurch, some post-quake service objectives were created by the Library Leadership Team led by Carolyn Robertson. These included equity of access, especially for those most affected; changing patterns of activity and location; and supporting the city’s recovery through library services.

In support of these objectives, libraries performed a variety of roles. One of the most important was the dissemination of accurate information, and social media was used to amplify messages from official channels, such as letting people know about community meetings, the need to limit water, or changes in library opening times. Physical libraries became places where people could pick up leaflets, for example, about how to apply for Red Cross grants. Bishopdale Library, a community library on the west side of the city, set up a kiosk that included information from Civil Defence, the WINZ (Work and Income New Zealand), the police, and EQC (the Earthquake Commission). Free public computers were also essential, meaning that those without power could contact families, friends, and official services.

Partnerships also started to develop, such as working with the Ministry of Education to create homework centers that helped students whose schools had been affected. Recording information for posterity about the earthquakes was also important, and the library became part of the CEIS-MIC consortium with other heritage organizations.

Libraries also provided distraction and comfort. They became places for people to meet and talk or to attend a children’s program such as a story time. Although libraries were reopening throughout 2011, the social media team took the opportunity to highlight digital resources to those who weren’t near a library and to provide different options for the community. In these ways libraries assisted and cared for their communities. Indeed, those libraries that had been taken over by the council — themselves doing essential work — were much missed by their communities, with people constantly asking when they would be open again. Over the past few years as libraries have been closed for repairs and upgrades, there has consistently been a demand from the communities affected for temporary libraries to be opened in their place or regular mobile library visits, which the network has usually been able to facilitate.

A simple example can be seen in the widely recounted and acclaimed response of the library service in Ferguson, Missouri, during the civil unrest of 2014. Scott Bonner, new to the leadership of the institution, took steps to make the library a safe and welcoming space for Ferguson’s children when local schools closed. In an interview, Bonner said: “It has magnified my existing perception of what libraries are for and what they can do in a community. It’s given me a chance to take the community library idea and try it in hyper-drive.”[3]

The crisis situation forced swift decision-making based on Bonner’s assessment of community needs and essential library values, similar to the challenges faced by the New Zealand library. But Bonner also goes on to point out that lack of preparation made the Ferguson Library’s job more challenging. He advises readers:

“Do not wait for trouble to come before you make plans for trouble. When Michael Brown was shot, I hadn’t made contact with most of the service providers and nonprofits in my area. I had to do it on the fly. It would be useful for any library director to learn about the available services, make an initial contact, try to do a little program with them so you start to work together. Then if a tornado hits or whatever, you know where to go.[4]

Similar lessons derive from the New Zealand example. A 2013 article in New Zealand magazine North and South retrospectively highlighted concerns about the National Library’s choice of photographer, who had taken photographs for New Zealand’s library association LIANZA but was not a trained photojournalist. As the state of emergency continued, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority restricted access to the Red Zone for many other photographers.

Reflecting on the decision now, Carnaby comments: “Professional photographers were vocal about the fact that I hadn’t gone through due process. I argued that I needed to respond quickly and the focus was on accurate documentary record rather than a professional artistic recording of events.”

Carnaby’s experience leads her to give some advice to colleagues working in libraries and archives. “If I am honest, it didn’t occur to me that this would be an issue, so there was learning there for me. In hindsight it may pay to think what you would do in a similar situation and look at a strategy for moving quickly to record significant events or moments in your history. Our reaction was completely pragmatic. It would be advisable to line people up ahead of time to avoid the issues we faced.”

Community Libraries Manager Erica Rankin explains that Christchurch City Libraries have continued to learn lessons from their experience. In hindsight, she says that if this situation were to occur again, libraries would push back harder on reclaiming their buildings for service to the public as soon as possible. “There’s a much greater focus now on buildings’ ability not just to protect life, but also to be up and running again within days and weeks rather than months and years. Roles and responsibilities in the event of an emergency are also now much clearer and we understand where we would most likely put our efforts: IT, logistics, and welfare, for example.”

Librarians from both Ferguson and Christchurch emphasize the challenge of decision-making with limited precedent and preparation. The crises they endured, and subsequent hindsight, stretched their understanding of libraries’ social role and helped them to identify issues that could have been prepared for despite the unusual challenges they faced.

However, it is possible to simulate these challenging situations, which enrich our capacity to serve the community and clarify our social role, without incurring the huge cost of a real-life crisis.

Scenario Planning

Crises can damage our ability to learn and respond or provoke useful innovations. The threatening aspect of crises, and the sense that they are one-off or exceptional events, carries a great deal of emotional freight. The organization theorist Bill Starbuck says that under such conditions, “reactions to uncertainty…include wishful thinking, substituting prior beliefs for analysis, biasing probability distributions toward certainties, searching for more data, acting cautiously, and playing to audiences.”[5]

In some crises — an infamous case was the 1979 nuclear accident on Three Mile Island — this can lead to the mistaken belief that what is unfolding is what has been planned for. Instead of reading signals presented to them, those confronting the situation reach for rehearsed responses, and the lessons of the past, to interpret and judge the crisis. Ramírez and Wilkinson’s Strategic Reframing tells us:

It is difficult to let go of anchors, and to recognize that what one is facing is entirely unprecedented; but this difficulty can be reduced by having imagined versions of these new events beforehand.[6]

One approach to developing these imaginary situations to prepare for the unprecedented is scenario planning. This approach, as articulated by Ramírez and Wilkinson and taught at Oxford University’s Said Business School, helps communities of learners to develop plausible alternative futures that can be used to reframe and reimagine the role of their institution in a social context.

Unlike strategic forecasting, scenario planning does not seek to predict what is going to happen. The human capacity to predict the future is always limited, and institutions increasingly find themselves operating in what the Said team label as TUNA conditions — that is to say, situations characterized by turbulence, uncertainty, novelty, and ambiguity.

In a scenario planning process, the institution brings together key stakeholders to research, develop, discuss, and iterate possible future scenarios. These scenarios, developed as stories or system maps, can indicate emergent trends, challenges, opportunities, or instabilities that the institution may wish to address strategically:

Scenario planning is helpful to public librarians because there is some evidence that being attentive to future events, trends, and conditions allows one to rehearse plans in such a way that if the alternative future to the one one is hoping for arises, one has a playbook of responses, making you better prepared and more able to cope.[7]

In a public library context, scenario planning may enable institutions to anticipate situations of natural disaster, as in Christchurch, or civil unrest, as in Ferguson, without actually experiencing those crises in reality. The approach can also be used to respond to long-term changes and impacts. For example, the global financial crisis was difficult to anticipate from its origins on Wall Street, and even more difficult for libraries engaging in long term planning to anticipate the potential impact on both their budgets and the needs of their economically challenged communities. Increasing attention to, for example, the challenge of homelessness in the public library setting reflects the ripple effect of wider social and economic changes that are difficult to detect in traditional strategic approaches.

Similarly, the advent of the smartphone and tablet computer in the early 2000s was not easy for public libraries to anticipate: as a result, many library buildings constructed even in the last 1990s were not fitted with sufficient power points for users to charge devices, whose existence librarians and architects had not considered.

Because scenario planning focuses on plausibility rather than prediction, it can also look at future situations that may be subject to political dispute. For example, the US Navy is currently using scenario planning to consider the potential for climate change to affect their operations.[8] These kinds of wider environmental changes, if they come to pass, may also have knock-on effects on public library service.

Lessons Learned

Public libraries can do many things in a time of crisis. Sometimes simply being open, continuing regular services in a temporary facility, or creating a sense of routine or familiarity is enough. At other times, taking services to damaged areas, running special community events, and collaborating with other organization might be needed.

Both real-life crises and well-run scenario planning activities can yield lasting benefits, especially when it comes to negotiating public libraries’ wider social role.

During the quakes, pop-up libraries were established across Christchurch to meet the needs of the stricken city. Community Libraries Manager Erica Rankin says staff were pushed out of their comfort zones by the experience, but “we gained the freedom to innovate, be creative, try new initiatives and services, alter plans, pop up and pack down, stretch, grow and learn, respond to need and make decisions on a dime, all amid a constantly changing and challenging environment.”

As libraries reopened, a new service model, SMART Library, was introduced, along with RFID technology. The SMART approach trades service desks for a roving model that sees staff working on the library floor to help customers at their point of need.

SMART was already on the agenda prior to September 2010, but Rankin credits the smooth implementation of these changes to the shared experience of the earthquakes: “I don’t think we could have managed the transition to a new service model so successfully without having had so many Central Library staff working in community branches. The experience really grew and strengthened ties across the network. There’s a better appreciation of what goes on in community libraries, and also of the skills and collection knowledge that Central staff were able to share in community settings.”

The Christchurch earthquakes became an opportunity for Kiwi libraries to innovate even as they demonstrated their enduring value to those they serve. In the city center, a new central library, Tūranga, was recently opened after years of design and construction work.

A new central library was on the cards before the earthquakes, but the damage to the 1980s central library and the decision to use its site for a new convention center in a redesigned CDB brought new opportunities. Tūranga is right in the center of the city, bringing people back to Cathedral Square, the historic heart of the city. The community was consulted about what they wanted to see in a library; the local iwi (tribe) Ngai Tahu was involved from early on in the planning, producing artwork for the building and gifting the name: Tūranga.

Since the earthquakes, collaboration has continued; for example the library continues to work with Telecom (or Spark, as it is known these days) and hosts Imagination Station, a Lego-based play and education center.

There is much willingness to take risks, to be adaptable and agile, and to listen to community needs, which is why Tūranga and other new facilities in the network include so many meeting rooms and other bookable spaces. Staff have also been through a lot, adapting to great change in their roles, short notice closures, changing communities, and frustrated and distressed users, all the while dealing with their own damaged or destroyed homes.

With the terrorist attack of March 15, 2019, Tūranga has already been tested. All libraries in the network were in lockdown, with librarians once again caring for their communities at a difficult time. At the time of writing, a condolence book continues to be available at Tūranga.

Few library services will ever face the kind of natural disaster endured by the New Zealanders but all libraries experience challenge and changes. When these challenges are turbulent, overwhelming, and unprecedented, conventional responses can seem insufficient. Yet Christchurch’s librarians responded to a situation beyond their control by expanding their remit, collaborating, and tacking problems head-on — the same approaches that are stimulated by scenario planning methods.

Christchurch Libraries did heroic work responding to a dramatic and unexpected crisis, and their experience offers teachings that all libraries could heed. No library service seeks to be tested in the ways cities like Christchurch and Ferguson have been, but in such moments, hidden aspects of libraries’ social role are made starkly manifest, offering lessons for us all.

REFERENCES
1. This variant appears in Rafael Ramírez and Angela Wilkinson, Strategic Reframing: The Oxford Scenario Planning Approach (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016), 23.

2. “IFLA/UNESCO Public Library Manifesto 1994,” IFLA, last modified January 20, 2020.

3. “One Year Later: An Interview with Ferguson (MO) Library Director Scott Bonner,” Libraries Transforming Communities (blog), American Library Association, August 6, 2015.

4. Ibid.

5. William H. Starbuck, “Cognitive Reactions to Rare Events: Perceptions, Uncertainty, and Learning,” Organization Science 20, no 5 (2009), pp. 925-37, 930.

6. Ramírez and Wilkinson, Strategic Reframing, 28.

7. Matthew Finch and Rafael Ramirez, “Scenario Planning in Public Libraries: A Discussion,” Public Library Quarterly, 37, no. 4 (2018): 394-407.

8. Finch and Ramírez, “Scenario Planning,” XXX.

LEARN MORE
Marybeth Zeman, “The Little Library that Lent a Hand,” Public Libraries Online, February 12, 2015.

“FYI Podcast — Disasters Bring Out the Best in Us,” Public Libraries Online, April 18, 2016.

The post Even in the Worst-Case Scenario first appeared on Public Libraries Online.