A few weeks ago, Library Journal published an essay I wrote highlighting systemic barriers to quality reference service. People from across the country responded and comments touched upon many aspects of library service delivery. I’m pleased the essay prompted an exchange that involved people within and (a few) outside the library community; went into detail
◊ Funding ◊
Reader response to a National Public Library Corporation
A kind reader has shared questions and concerns about a National Public Library Corporation via comments to Tuesday’s post. Others within the library community probably have similar reactions and so I wanted to give the discussion visibility by publishing it as a post. Please join the conversation! An anonymous commenter wrote: … in the current
On measuring nonprofit value
The Scholarly Kitchen has served up an interesting article for libraries this morning. In, Tackling the Data-Driven Funding Challenge — a New Skill for Nonprofit Managers, Alix Vance reviews initiatives to address one of the key challenges for libraries and other nonprofit organizations: When it comes to fundraising and donors, it’s no longer enough for
On getting patrons to use the databases
How do we get patrons to use the databases? We spend a lot of money on them and no one uses them. This question from a public librarian during one of the Reference Renaissance forums intrigued me. My first reaction was to wonder why a library would continually subscribe to resources patrons aren’t using and
FOX News: best info & context about public library issues
On June 28, FOX News affiliates in Boston, New York and Chicago each ran 5-7 minute segments on public libraries. Though I never imagined myself endorsing content distributed by FOX, these news clips have provided the best coverage I’ve seen of our public library dilemmas. They did a good job highlighting the value delivered by
Libraries as hubs of civic discourse
Oleg Kagan’s comments to my July 7 post and another librarian’s comment on the Lead Pipe blog suggest the idea of public libraries becoming hubs of civic discourse is worth exploring. Do citizens really want it? Oleg described an unsuccessful civic program at the Will & Arial Durant Branch library in Los Angeles: “we invited
Thinking ’bout library card statistics
I often see statistics on the number of card holders referenced in library materials. For example, in its recent promotional flyer How Libraries Stack Up: 2010, the OCLC compared the number of public library card holders to the number of credit card holders. I’m curious to know how this statistic is compiled and what it’s
Thinking ’bout library gate count statistics
On May 11, Jay Leno quipped “People here in Los Angeles are upset at the mayor’s proposed plan to cut the budget of libraries… they want to cut library budgets and this could affect as many as nine people.” City Librarian Martin Gómez responded to Leno “… these cuts are no laughing matter to the
Libraries, help lighten our ecological footprint
Remember libraries … from an ecological point of view, [that's] the virtuous way to go. Daniel Goleman, author of Ecological Intelligence: The Hidden Impacts of What We Buy, during a recent interview with public radio’s Tom Ashbrook. By way of introducing Life Cycle Assessment, a cradle-to-grave methodology for evaluating environmental impact, Daniel Goleman refuted the
What’s my social contract with public libraries?
In a recent discussion with a librarian I shared the dissonance I feel about whether it makes sense to fund public libraries in their current form. A spirited discussion ensued and caused me to articulate some familiar thoughts in a new way. “I’m unclear about my social contract with public libraries” I said “and this
