At the Reference Renaissance 2010 conference in Denver earlier this month, I was encouraged to learn of various statewide and regional collaborations to foster more efficient operations and delivery of better library services. Conversations about these alliances arose throughout the conference and I would continually ask “why stop here, why not extend this across the country?”
I pitched the idea of a National Public Library Corporation, which sparked some spirited discussion. Here’s an outline of the proposal:
The Dilemma
- Public libraries across America are struggling.
- Current public library funding models are unsustainable.
- Library staff are bogged down with the basics – recreating the same wheels.
- Operations/maintenance take time away from more value-added services.
- It’s too hard to be a library professional and an IT professional; libraries do not have staff or funding to develop effective websites, content management or collaboration/productivity systems needed to provide high-end services.
The National Public Library Corporation (NPL)
- It’s time to leverage resources where it makes sense while retaining local autonomy & authenticity
- Create a national library organization similar to PBS and NPR; leverage: IT & software development & common content development (literacy, reference, etc). Retain: personal service, programming, local content development.
- Participation would be voluntary.
- For a single annual membership fee, libraries could leverage a range of services that they currently source through multiple suppliers or not at all — and select the ones best suited to the needs of their constituents.
What Libraries Get
- Freedom from techno-drudgery; figuring out what to invest time in, researching options, self-training, creating accounts with multiple services, managing passwords, vendors, agreements …
- A top-notch external online platform; unique domain name, webhosting with templates & all the fixin’s (email, calendar, chat, survey, newsletter, blog, syndication) and tech support
- A top-notch internal productivity & collaboration platform; configurable personal account for each staff member, email, chat, RSS feed reader, doc storage, access to content, events, newsletter, continuing education…
- Top-notch content; a library “race to the top” via collaboration, content sharing & continuous improvement; libraries select what content best meets their local needs
- Brand awareness thru excellence; national syndication of outstanding content & services; extension of the public’s trust with a “Librarian Stamp of Approval” on factual information sources
- Professional mobility; gain vertical mobility by becoming a collection curator, a blogger, technical trainer; horizontal mobility because standardization makes moving between libraries easier; visibility beyond libraries for outstanding work
What The Public Gets
- Better content & services; libraries’ “Cream of the Crop”
- Online services we can trust; secure and non-commercial
- Richer library experiences; library staff can be more engaged with patrons because they have access to better resources and aren’t so bogged down with operations
- Personalization and embodiment that PBS and NPR cannot deliver; having 3 complimentary national services would be a rich information trifecta!
What Financial Contributors Get
- Local funding (taxes, Friends, Foundations) remain the same and local donors would receive the same visibility in their communities.
- The NPL would receive funds from the federal government as well as large corporate and organizational contributions. These funds would be used to provide resources for all libraries and donors would receive visibility by delivering tangible value directly to users.
How to Get Started
- Find a champion.
- Bill Moyers comes to mind for his outstanding career and public service. He’s recently retired and speaks persuasively about the enduring needs of the nation.
- Arianna Huffington also comes to mind for her political conversion, advocacy for average Americans and media savvy.
** ADDITIONAL READING **
Reader response to a National Public Library Corporation
I don’t think this model will serve freedom of speech in the long run. The SECOND you let corporations in, in any way, they will take over. Bill Moyers is a great guy, but what happens when he’s gone? After the structure is in place (and there are pitfalls all along the way) who takes over then? Bill O’Reilly? Rupert Murdoch? China?
Libraries must demand a larger piece of the federal pie. Obama’s speech last night discussed bringing back the middle class and manufacturing jobs as a top priority. This increase in jobs will stimulate funds for libraries.
Let’s not hand over the keys to the store to Big Brother just yet!
Hi Amy – thanks for weighing in.
My post may not have been clear on a few points, so I appreciate the opportunity to clarify. My proposal is not to let for-profit enterprises run libraries; it’s to create a non-profit organization, similar to NPR and PBS, as an additional resource within the library ecosystem.
The NPL would be an organization accountable to its members: public libraries (and by extension, the public). Participation would be voluntary; libraries would decide whether or not to become members and, even if they were, would decide which NPL services and materials are best suited to their community. Also, I’m not proposing that someone like Bill Moyers run the NPL; I’d expect a seasoned executive like Vivian Schiller would be at the helm.
I’ve been trying to generate conversation about new library funding models because I truly believe we’ll never return to the days when local tax-based funding will be enough to support the type of libraries we need. And you know, even if the economy and our nation’s regressive financial systems did turn around, I would still probably promote the NPL. I believe it has the potential to deliver better services, content and value than libraries can within the existing ecosystem. Done right, the NPL could be a great opportunity to have our cake and eat it too by leveraging resources where it makes sense while retaining local autonomy & authenticity.
Does the NPL sound a little better now, or is it still too much BIG BROTHER for your liking?
Jean – long-time fan here. Have you and Rob Paterson, a consultant to public radio with a strong interest in public libraries & new models of financing/supporting same, talked? I’ve known him online & offline for a few years. He & I have spoken about a model for something quite similar to the NPLC. If you haven’t, you should.
Rob is @robpatrob on Twitter & there daily. I’m @olevia, a longtime reference librarian at an urban public library in Ohio. If you’re interested, I have his contact info – or you can tweet him. (of course, if you’ve already talked, please ignore.)
Thanks, Cheri – I’ll reach out to Rob. His impressive resume reveals he’s cracked some pretty tough nuts in the past, so our public library dilemma might be an easy one for him
For argument’s sake, OCLC is a nonprofit organization, and WorldCat Local combined with its pending WMS (replacement for the ILS system) does exactly what you describe in terms of resource sharing, taking the great load of tech headaches off of libraries, and streamlining work processes so much that we’d have more time to deal with patrons and contrate on excellent service. My own library is currently a development partner for WMS and we’ll be launching it in a few weeks, but there’s still the issue of being beholden to one place for your services. All your eggs in one basket, so to speak, especially if you’re already using OCLC’s ILL products. Participation is voluntary, but OCLC still has its issues – from a common platform, you can only customize so much if you want the larger organization to do the heavy tech lifting on the back end. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
Hi Colleen – I’d love to get a look at the Web-scale Management Services product when it launches. Perhaps you can give me a tour?
My post was titled “Inching toward …” because there are many consortia and collaborative efforts taking place across the country to address different aspects of the public library dilemma. I’m unaware of any that would address the issues as comprehensively as an NPL, though — for none of the folks working on the issues has the mandate, management or funding to do so. The NPL would. It would address funding, software development and strategy (ebooks and safe social media quickly come to mind), content development, branding & national awareness, and also mobility and career development with the library professions.
I’ve got a 3,000 word article about it on the Lead Pipe blog, and continually write short pieces on this blog.
Would also be great to chat in person – I’ll be in touch. Jean