I spend a lot of time thinking about how to prepare my staff and community for change. I’m a big believer in trust, transparency, feedback, and letting the experts be the experts. As a trained librarian I wonder if we don’t give our profession enough credit for how intrepid we have been in the past and certainly can still be. For example, the MARC record would have never been introduced unless someone had realized that computing could greatly improve the way we locate and share resources. The Gates Foundation chose public libraries as early adopters of the personal computer because of their mission to equitable access to information.

I don’t believe library employees are any more reluctant to change than they ever have been before. I believe change-reluctance is human nature and as leaders we should always factor that reality into our plans. One way to address reluctance is to be clear that a new idea is not a judgment on past success or failure. An article by Rosabeth Moss Kanter from the Harvard Business Review states, “When change involves a big shift of strategic direction, the people responsible for the previous direction dread the perception that they must have been wrong. Leaders can help people maintain dignity by celebrating those elements of the past that are worth honoring, and making it clear that the world has changed. That makes it easier to let go and move on.”²

Change is simply an evolution of our current situation, whatever that may be. When we take good past practice and combine it with current technology and opportunities, we make something even better. This is something libraries have been doing well for a long time, and isn’t any different now. It’s time we brand ourselves as the innovators we have always been. Let’s reclaim this narrative and tell our story of transformation. We’ve done it before.

References

1. “From Change Management to Change-Ready Leadership,” Leading From the Library, Library Journal, Leading from the Library, Steven Bell, March 1, 2018, accessed 5/7/2018.

2. “Ten Reasons People Resist Change,” Harvard Business Review, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, September 25, 2012.

The post We Are Never Not Changing first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Reference is defined as the act of referring or consulting.[1] With this definition, anything other than the transactional process of circulating materials would be reference. In an age of library as a brand, we’re selling ourselves short by clinging to a term that feels so outdated. For example, we don’t direct customers to our ILS or even OPAC, instead we show them the catalog. Our jargon has long moved on from serials or periodicals to magazines and newspapers. It’s time we officially let go of the term reference, but in no way, am I suggesting letting go of the service. Libraries across the country have been tackling this with brand new terms like Information Services, Library Services, or simply, Help Desk.[2]

In these more nebulous terms we can incorporate readers advisory, research assistance, tech support, program referral, and assistance locating physical and digital materials. Many libraries are going a step further and combining their reference and circulation desks to create a more general Customer Service desk. Reference Help (or whatever you want to call it) should be obvious to find and easy to use. If possible, it should also be mobile.

And finally, staffing. While I don’t believe libraries should operate entirely like businesses, I do believe some business sense could do us good. If you think about the traditional reference department, with the multi volume reference material, databases with access to scholarly articles, and a full-time Master’s Degreed Librarian, you may realize it’s one of the more expensive departments in the library. If you then look the actual use of that department, the ROI is significantly low. With a refreshed idea of reference as Adult Services or Information Services, an opportunity opens up to include more library support staff in the mix. In a study conducted at the Deschutes Public Library System, staff tracked the type of questions being asked at the reference desk. The majority turned out to be “ready reference” with a close second going to “how to use.”[3] These questions could easily be handled by a paraprofessional with the occasional reference question being referred to the librarian.

The truth is that I’m worried about our future. if we don’t face the reality that public library work has changed, and do our best to change along with it, we are also going to go the way of the reference department.

Reference

[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reference

[2] http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2015/10/reference/reworking-reference-reference-2016/

[3] Barclay, K. (2014). Public Library Reference Desk: Less is More. OLA Quarterly, 10(2), 2-4.http://dx.doi.org/10.7710/1093-7374.1056

The post Rebranding Reference first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Collaborate . . . Quietly

As Pamela Avila writes for Eastsider L.A.’s “School Yard,” Cal State Los Angeles is transforming its main library building into a space that encourages a much more social experience.  For Cal State L.A.’s students, using the library will now be more like using a research center.

This full-scale remodel, which is not yet complete, is similar to what occurred at my alma mater. The first floor now “features sleek tables and couches that are easy to move around as needed.” This furniture change gives the library’s studying public a better chance at collaboration. Gone is the traditional study cubicle which typically litters higher education libraries and even public ones.  In its place are these new movable workspaces and a cafe, Cafe 47. Replacing the fear of spilling your coffee all over the library’s collection is encouragement to have a cappuccino, a snack, and some discussion over a research topic.

This modern library learning environment is also designed to allow students easier access to digital information and the technology to print out that information if they desire. This combination of the digital and the tangible sets up Cal State’s students for a more holistic learning experience.

Collaborate . . . Globally

Cal State L.A.’s remodel and the one that took place at my alma mater are great examples of brick-and-mortar libraries opening their collections to wider audiences by offering digital access. This is key for university and public libraries wanting to expand customer bases.

Years ago, Arizona State University began paving the way for students around the globe to learn and collaborate without leaving their homes. Its extensive library collections are available for online students who may or may not be able to walk into the building for research.

I can easily drive to both my university’s library and my neighborhood library.  However, the proliferation of digital databases and e-books in libraries has made this travel unnecessary. At the same time, changes in library environments such as Cal State L.A.’s encourage customers to travel to the building itself.

Despite digital libraries and e-book collections making research, personal or educational, easier, human beings also crave interaction with each other. We leave our comforts in order to socialize, and the library is no different. How often do book lovers get involved in heated debates over the top ten horror short stories of all time?

These discussions and learning opportunities are easier to participate in when we can see and hear our collaborators. Libraries that look to Cal State L.A. and others that have made these changes will be better equipped to encourage teamwork and multi-modal learning. Starting small could create a flood of new learners and customers, that’s why we have libraries.

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