Are libraries really for EVERYONE?

I recently attended a workshop titled A Place For Everyone. The intent was to bring together librarians to discuss ways we can help and promote an environment in libraries for those members of society who are considered either homeless or poor. It was not the intent to leave out other groups who might also need services, but homelessness and libraries is one specific issue that needs to be addressed and that was the focus of this workshop.

The president of the Homeless Alliance, Dan Straughan, gave an extended presentation and role play exercise to help us experience what homelessness might be like. Highlights from his presentation include:
1. He has personally created a database which is now shared by all service agencies. It is an excellent resource for the providers as it allows them to help the recipient keep track of where and when they have appointments and help them to get there. For example, their case worker can schedule a doctors appointment, is and if they went or not. If not, they can reschedule it for them, give them a bus pass, etc.
2. His knowledge of the homeless was extensive and he wanted to make sure we knew that the fastest growing segment of homeless are families with children.
3. He is starting a day shelter in Oklahoma City called WestTown. It will house agencies such as a pharmacy, library extension, employment training, medical clinic, government benefits, mental health treatment and more. Please feel free to check out the website for further information at http://homelessalliance.org/projects.htm.

Due to some recent cases having gone to trial concerning library services to the homeless, two of the presenters were lawyers from the ACLU. However, review of the first amendment is always advantageous for librarians. The hot topics were:
1. The library is a limited public forum
2. What is fairness vs library tolerance
3. Importance of written policy with specific and non-ambiguous language, ie nuisance as opposed to objectionable
4. Not to impede the corollary right to receive information

The third presenters were from Positive Tomorrows, an educational service for homeless children. The most important points were:
1. Literacy is the biggest barrier
2. They are encouraging libraries to bring their services to the shelters
3. This agency is a service provider specifically to homeless children and their parents, they provide an excellent service, want to work with libraries and will take any referrals.

I hope I haven't been too long winded or too brief. My finals points are:
1. Services are available, but if they are inaccessible they cannot be helpful.
2. Libraries are, like it or not, service providers to the homeless and we need to help.
3. There are so many areas for librarians to be involved, it doesn't have to be with the homeless. Pick an area that is interesting to you and get involved. It will improve the library, the community and yourself.

And the answer to the question is......YES, libraries are for everyone!

wiki, wiki, wiki

A wiki is an expression of democracy, if anyone wants my personal description. It is also described as a medium through which, hopefully true information, can be added or edited by anyone with access to it. It is therefore collaborative and easy to use. An area of some information disconnect that directly affects librarians or certainly library services is instruction. I will very soon be contributing to the Wiki, Library Success: A best practices Wiki. My contribution will entail the importance of instruction for online catalogs and databases for 1st year students. Weekly, no exaggeration here, I teach students (college students)how to use their school library on-line resources to look up book holdings and mostly journal articles----I work at a public library. There is a real need for 1st year students to have some real hands on training in order to use the resources provided for them at the library. And I don't mean they should come in on their own time and get a few minutes of instruction. Students need a required tutorial. Yes, many students are savvy on-line users, they can blog, e-mail, game and so on, but they are not versed in library usage. Searching the databases is probably not considered "fun" and most students have not taken the initiative to learn on their own and are not being required to learn it as part of their education. It is a resource they need for classes and should have official instruction.
No, they don't need to go to library school, librarians are available to assist. But they should have at least some basic instruction. So, on my Wiki, I will provide some background on the importance of instruction and suggestions for how that instruction could be implemented for 1st year students.

Freedom

I have stood at the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon, walked in the streets and ducked in the face of the military. The poorest people I have seen, in person. I never once saw another white person or any foreigner during my two weeks in Myanmar(Burma). The people are so oppressed and as the world looks on are not even allowed peaceful demonstrations, it almost seems unreal. "We cannot get books", they said to me, "can you please help us make a library, one that is hidden from the government, so that we can read and learn". Unfortunately, I could not help with such a project. Neither could I get them english books or those written in Burmese, plus I must admit, I was afraid.
I think of the freedom I have to write, to read and what is available to me digitally. I think of the power and freedom of libraries. As librarians, we are seekers and finders of information, creators of information spaces, designers of information architecture, and recipients of democracy.
I am glad that people are outraged at the attacks on the peaceful monks, I am glad at the talk of sanctions and I am saddened by the recent events. I don't know if I will ever be able to go to Myanmar and help them start a library, but thanks to the web, google books and digital access to information, they may be able to find a library without having to create it themselves. Of course they will need access but somehow that seems like an attainable goal and maybe that is where we can start to help.

Blog This

Andrew Keen portrays the Internet as a sort of congested hodgepodge of information in his new book The Cult of the Amateur. It is “the disappearance of truth” he claims and “the web 2.0 revolution is really delivering superficial observations of the world around us rather than deep analysis, shrill opinion rather than considered judgment. The information business is being transformed by the Internet into the sheer noise of a hundred million bloggers all simultaneously talking about themselves”.
Well maybe they are and what’s so wrong with that. There are also as many bloggers and Internet users who are speaking truth and blogging truth and art and poetry and music and intelligent banter. And guess what, it’s not that hard to separate one from the other. I have no problem using the Internet to find “reliable” news, editorials, blogs, wikis, encyclopedias, dictionaries, humor; communication in its various forms. Why is it that only those people, organizations, schools, professionals, academia, etc who have established reputations are worthy to speak their mind or report on current events or write a report. I agree that some of the lines are blurred and this is unfortunate, some will seek to manipulate public opinions and some will seek to bring the truth to light, how can we not have both? Unfortunately, as with most things in life, there is usually a down side accompanying the up side; deal with it.
And from a practical and professional angle, these are the mediums our patrons are choosing to use and they want our help to do it. They need help navigating, blogging, working myspace, setting up email and understanding some of the deliberate fuzzy lines used on the Internet. This is our job and the more we know the more we can help.
Mr. Keens statement that “the words of the wise man count for no more than the mutterings of a fool”, are a gross exaggeration and do not translate into the 2.0 world I see everyday. That would be the world of intelligent and thoughtful blogs (I mean really there are so many), websites with fulfilled democracy such as wikipedia and must I name the countless excellent information pages one can find on the web? Not to mention its function as a communication tool, an educational tool…………………………………..

A Rambling Woman

My last post referenced the idea that a librarian has been somewhat transformed due to technology. A recent article in the NY Times seems to support my ramblings. It said librarians of today are not snub nosed sushers (what about the bun?) but techno junkies who like to party. Well, I am glad some of the old stereotypes are changing, but do we need new and equally as narrow new stereotypes? Although I will have to admit to being a techno junkie and one who enjoys a good party now and then, that is not really how I would classify myself. How about a thirty-something bookworm, mom of three, PTA committee chairperson, runner, ride my bike to work, kill your television type (who needs one if you have a computer), a liberal NPR junkie (OK, I am very liberal which was another stereotype from the NY Times article) and how could I not be, is there any other option?
Hum, what was my argument...I love the New York Times, Librarians are the best, I don't like stereotypes but I must admit that some of them are true, sounds good. Oh and how about free access to books and information for all---yea libraries.

digital librarian

I recently had a conversation with a co-worker who is interested in library science and specifically in preservation. He asked what type of classes I was taking and as I listed off a few he noted that there were a lot of technology classes. I said of course, I am learning all I can so as to be able to press forward in library science. But I am not really interested in technology, he muttered. Well, I do believe that is impossible in this day and age and certainly impossible in library science, I muttered back.
All lives are surrounded by technology but it seems very prominent in our field in the last 5 to 10 years and I believe it will only continue. It seems that more and more everything I do is on a computer. I take my classes, communicate, research, find information, create blogs and web pages and so on. I think some people still envision a librarian as a books only type of person and wonder why we need degrees. Although I love books and read as much as possible, I also love technology and appreciate all the changes I see before my very eyes. I am glad the field is expanding and developing in new ways, I look forward to being a digital librarian as well as a book librarian.

Professional wanderings

Associate Librarian here, seeking the coveted MLIS so I can be a real librarian.