DIY Librarian

There is something about getting together in person – just like there is something about browsing the shelves in a library – that leads to discoveries.

At SLA last month, I attended a tour of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s map collection with the Social Science Division Geography and Map Section. I decided to attend because I’ve always enjoyed G&M Section programs in the past, even though I’m not a map librarian, and because I always learn something when I get to visit another library behind the scenes.

I did, of course, learn a lot from seeing the different kinds of maps in the collection, how they were stored, and learning about conservation and digitization projects. The best part of the tour for me, though, came from a casual question I asked as I was about to leave: “Do you have any postal maps?”

The answer to that question led me to a resource that my library patrons can use, a potential collaboration, and to thinking about what other postal history-related collections might be tucked away in unexpected places.

On my library’s blog, I wrote a post about what I found at the Free Library of Philadelphia and more about finding postal history information in libraries. That post was featured in our member newsletter, and literally overnight became one of our most-read blog posts.

Kids at one California library no longer have access to a program that aims to help them build confidence and develop a passion for reading. The program, Paws for Tales, allows kids to read to a therapy dog. Among its volunteers was Jonny Justice, a survivor of Michael Vick’s dogfighting ring, now a Canine Good Citizen and certified therapy dog.

The Burlingame library participated in the program but decided to ban pit bulls. When Jonny and his owner protested, based on California law that prohibits breed-based discrimination, the library pulled out of the program completely. Read the whole sad story as report by Jim Gorant (The Lost Dogs) in Parade magazine.

(For happier news about pit bulls and libraries, check out Grant the Library Dog, who gets to listen to kids reading at the Milford Memorial Library in Iowa.)

Of course, you can’t actually check out Grant – he stays in the library – but students at Yale’s law library can check out a therapy dog. In a pilot program starting at the end of this month, stressed-out law students will be able to check out a dog for thirty minute periods. Read more in the Yale Daily News.

This video, posted by the Minnesota chapter of SLA, has been making the rounds.

Many people were amused by the librarian with his little black bag and amazing photocopier. Others noted that his work is not that different from what we do today; it’s just the tools that have changed.

I noted that my job is very similar. Philatelic libraries are, in many ways, old-fashioned. While my library’s catalog is online, we routinely use print and card indexes to access the journal literature. Very few publications are digital, and very little of the older material has been digitized. We just started publishing our own journal online this year.

We are making progress, but there is a definite digital library divide. The New York Times recently ran an article about where American libraries stand in terms of digitization efforts: Playing Catch-Up in a Digital Library Race.

While people discuss the value of embedded librarians versus centralized libraries, and the value of having an information professional within the department versus the value of having a library as study, research, and meeting space, I’ve had the best of both worlds for the past 9 years.

I’ve been embedded in a research center, along with my library. Really, this is not so different from the department library model, except that I work at an interdisciplinary research center with faculty and students from multiple departments and colleges – and I work for the research center, rather than the library system.

An article on embedded librarians from Inside Higher Ed examines the Welch Medical Library at Johns Hopkins University, which is well ahead of most libraries in embedding its librarians. Some of the commenters note that losing the library as place means losing access to space for patrons who do not have their own offices, losing access to resources not available online, and losing access to collaborative space.

Having an embedded library – a thing that used to be common in NICHD-funded population research centers, but that is no longer being encouraged in new centers – provides immense benefits that, unfortunately, cannot be measured in research funding.

Because my office is in the research center, I know about new projects as working groups are formed or proposals drafted, and can provide assistance. Faculty and students see me in the elevator and ask questions. I overhear conversations that lead me to develop new workshops.

Because the library is also in the research center, graduate students have a place for informal meetings. While they are in the library, they have a chance to browse new books and journals. This is especially important in an interdisciplinary field, because resources related to population are not gathered in one place in the main university library.

As one commenter noted, the one thing I am missing is a connection to my librarian colleagues. In fact, since I work for the research center, I don’t have any formal connection to them. So, instead of having to work hard to connect with my patrons, I’ve had to work hard to connect with other librarians. Overall, though, I think this model has worked.

As a librarian with a pit bull, I can’t resist sharing this. Grant is a library dog who is trained to help kids gain confidence reading out loud. Back in February, he made the evening news.  You can follow his adventures on Facebook and Twitter.

Grant is also an American Staffordshire Terrier (AKC)/American Pit Bull Terrier (UKC). Nice to see him working so hard to promote literacy and dispel myths about pit bulls at the same time. (Though I think his job looks pretty cushy!)

My pit bull likes books, too, but mostly she eats them. I don’t think she’s cut out for a library career.

Libraries have been debating what to call the people who use them for some time now — patrons? customers? users? See, for example, my post on retail reference from 2006.

Now, it appears the customer model is being advocated in higher education. In a letter to the editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education, Bill Sams of Ohio University argues that students should behave more like customers, demanding value for their tuition dollars.

Students give little thought to paying $2,000 each to sleep through courses for which they are forced to sit for hours at a time in hard seats in auditoriums jammed with other students. Customers would instead download free podcasts from iTunes U and—curled up in their own warm beds with their iPods and earbuds—listen comfortably as the same material was presented by top faculty members from MIT, Harvard, or Stanford.

Really? The classroom experience is worthless and we’d get better value from a recorded lecture?

A second letter by Michael Armstrong offers a rebuttal:

A good student is not someone to whom something is done (teaching), but rather someone who does something for themselves (learning).

I’m beginning to think there is a reason we developed these specific terms (library, patron, teacher, student). Sure, “customer” implies a certain level of power and input. A customer can take his money elsewhere if he is not happy. However, a business is only invested in a customer as long as that customer is paying. Don’t we expect a more multidimensional relationship between a teacher and student, librarian and patron, or doctor and patient?

I recently wrote a blog post for the SLA Social Science Division about “loyalty strategist” James Kane. His ideas about the relationships between organizations and the people they serve are relevant to this discussion — especially the idea that customer satisfaction is only a base from which to build loyalty.

Pennsylvania, my home state for the last 9 years, has been without a budget for 75 days. The crisis has affected pay for state employees and threatened or shut down many recipients of state funding. The latest potential victim is the Free Library of Philadelphia, which will close on Oct. 2 if a budget is not passed.

Blogging at Inside Higher Ed, librarian Mary George observes that the library can be difficult for new college students to find.

No, not the big hulking building on campus. The library web site, where students can find all those great online resources that eliminate the need to go to the physical library.

I recently scrutinized the home pages of fifty colleges and universities, all rated highly by U.S. News for their undergraduate programs. A dozen of the Web sites I examined do not have the L word in evidence, and some that do effectively hide it because you need to scroll or squint to find it.

I looked at the web site for the university where I work. There is a link right in the main menu for libraries. Then I looked at the home page for the research center where I manage the library. Yup, a link to the library right on the main page. Phew!

Six months ago, I tentatively signed up for a Twitter account and started posting a few things. I figured I’d use it occasionally during conferences but that would be it.

Well. This blog has been silent for nearly two months, and I think Twitter is at least partly to blame. I keeping posting to Twitter about things I’d like to write blog posts about later … and then I just never seem to get to the blog posts. I’m also not reading as many other blogs – but I am reading a lot of librarians’ posts on Facebook and Twitter.

Rather than get all apologetic, I decided to add a Twitter widget to my blog sidebar. I do intend to continue writing somewhat longer commentary on this blog, but the reality is that most of my current chatter is on Twitter – so please do follow me there.

My grandmother sent me an article from her local newspaper (the Plattsburgh Press-Republican) about the New York Public Library.

The article, in the travel section, begins:

New York City certainly isn’t the place to prove that the best things in life are free.

But one important resource there never levies any charges.

And it turns out to be a great tourist stop, too.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the article doesn’t just tout the library as a thrifty tourist stop, but goes into detail about why the library is an interesting place to visit – and puts in a plug for visiting your local library, too:

The library in New York City merits a stop next time you’re in the Big Apple. But remember, the one in your own home community is worth a stop anytime.

I don’t know if my grandmother knows this, but the first place my husband and I went on our honeymoon was the Enoch Pratt Free Library! And last year my mom and I had a great time exploring the Boston Public Library, with a nice lunch in their cafe.