Competency B
Compare the environments and organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice.
Introduction
As the library profession continues to expand beyond traditional brick-and-mortar and cultural perceptions, understanding the network of libraries and organizations in which information professionals practice is essential to the homogeneity of our goals and mission. Various organizational settings employ information professionals to address specific needs. Highlighting the different libraries: public, school-media, academic, special, archival and digital libraries, similar underlying principles of service and access to information become clear. Through coursework and through my experiences, I have had the opportunity to experience the public, private and special library environments and contrast the various elements based upon an analytical evaluation of each. Each experience has been different: a special collections department in an academic library, archival skills for a law firm, and reference instruction at a community college library. Each library depends on the different duties for the success of their programs, with the overarching mission to serve their target patron and address the mission of the organization the library serves.
Public Libraries
Public libraries are often considered the “front lines” of librarianship because they serve the broadest range of clientele and information needs, encompassing the diverse points of view of the patron within the community the library serves. Due to this range of viewpoint, public libraries are the sometime target for “doctrinal or partisan disapproval” (i.e., censorship), or through a lack of outreach, are victims of economic cuts in stretched budgets. Fundamentally, “American public libraries flourish out of a commitment to the principle that knowledge and access to information empower the individual” (Morgan, in OIF p.7), and so we encourage community outreach through education, recreation and entertainment. The public library upholds those principles stated in the Library Bill of Rights, such as privacy and freedom to access materials of their choice, and nowhere is the democratic process more evident that through this library forum.
School Media Centers/Libraries
School libraries support the curriculum of the school in which they serve, along with cultivating an environment of learning and growing intellectually, culturally, educationally, and socially. The school library or media center is a “learning laboratory where students have the opportunity to acquire critical thinking and problem-solving skills…and use a vast array of information sources readily available in today’s world, including books, media, and electronic sources” (Morgan, in OIF p.7). What is essential is that students have the opportunity to learn how to search for information, make a choice about the subject or information, and learn to apply it to his or her intellectual thought process. Information literacy is a vitally important skill, especially in the rapidly changing world of information technology, that navigating the various information formats is almost as important in the learning process as teaching the information itself.
Academic Libraries
An academic library has a strong presence in librarianship. The academic library has the prestige and funding to collect broadly and specifically, across new and old, archival and special collections. The mission of the academic library is to support the curricula of the various educational programs offered through the college or university, and are most concerned with convenience, accessibility and currency (Kane, in Haycock, p.45). Academic libraries offer both strong print and electronic resources, and depending upon the size of the school, may have multiple libraries that support the various teaching curriculum.
Special Libraries
Special libraries are collections gathered for a specific purpose, hence the name “special”. The definition of special libraries are “information organizations (also known as libraries, information centers, competitive intelligence units, intranet departments, knowledge resource centers, content management organizations, and others) are defined as those entities that deliver information-based solutions to a given market” (SLA 2009). Examples of special libraries are medical libraries, law libraries, map libraries, and corporate libraries, to name a few. Special librarians, or information professionals, often do everything in the library: collection development, dealing with vendors, database research and client reference services. As the move toward electronic resources grows, databases such as MedLine or LexisNexis proficiency is often a requisite of the special librarian, and having a practitioner background within that given field is extremely helpful, if not required.
Archives
What do we do with the mass of information we have created, and how do we preserve it for our future? As we make our way through a new information format every decade, the decisions to store, how to store and when to discard is the position of the preservationist. Often, special collections departments in academic libraries will employ an archivist in order to maintain and manage fragile yet valuable primary documents. Conversely, there are entire businesses that have emerged in order to address the information overload our printers, copy machines and computers have produced, along with other primary documents important to the record of human knowledge. The record life-cycle is determined by the archivist, and physical space of the organizations’ shelves and servers is considered. This is a new title for the librarian, through it essentially is what information professionals have been doing since Assurbanipal in 3000 B.C.
Digital Libraries
Digital librarians, information consultants, and digital knowledge management, reflect the “Library 2.0” environment of today. Non-traditional roles that the librarian is stepping into are shattering the perceived notions of what the profession should be, or even what information is. The fast changing world of Library 2.0 information comes from here: metadata, social tagging, folksonomies, corporate information, podcasts, etc. (Hock, p.7). All of these are being designed and addressed by digital librarians, and this is a field we will see continue to expand and thrive as we move into the next phase of information.
Evidence
For my first evidence, I demonstrate my ability to apply archival principles through a LIBR 259 project (final.cocur.KB to JD 2) situation in a special library environment. The purpose of this group project between myself an another person was to develop a systematic approach of migrating print and electronic materials from one group member to another using GoogleDocs as the transfer medium, apply a classification and migration scheme to achieve uniformity, and to document the procedure. The challenge of distinguishing between the different documents, navigating the technical component and organizing schedules and deadlines served to underscore the necessity of uniformity in description and format type. During this group procedure, I devised a form for the members of the group with the plan to provide uniform communication, which in turn eliminates subjective factors such as naming, location, or departmental error. Currently, this form is implemented at the law firm I work at, and through a training period conducted by myself to teach the firms’ attorneys to fill out the form to accompany any newly created file (both born digital and print). I was able to modify the form, generate document use statistics, and evaluate the firm’s collection based upon the template from this project.
As my second evidence, I exemplify my knowledge of the various library environments through internship experiences at American River College, in Sacramento, California, specifically a community assessment performed through LIBR 266 Collection Development (LIBR 266-Policy.Comp.Chart). Because the mission and goals of academic libraries are so vital to the direction of the collection, providing a strong collection policy is essential, and understanding who the clientele are can uncover needs, strengths and weaknesses, in the overall collection. Exploring the demographic information, developing an assessment of the information and comparing it to the collection policy of another academic/community college library allowed me to gain insight into the geographic, cultural and socio-economic factors that effect the policy at the ARC Library.
Conclusion
Information professionals continue to expand into areas not previously associated with librarianship, but as we specialize and address the specific clientele, we remain networked to the profession through service and respond to the changing formats and information needs through professional specialties. Applying the different perspectives from the libraries I have had the opportunity to be a part of has afforded me with a unique perspective into the way different libraries work and the components that make them successful.
References
Haycock, K. and Sheldon, B.E. (2008). The Portable MLIS: Insights from the experts. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Hock, Randolph. (2011). Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook, 3rd Ed. Medford, NJ: CyberAge Books.
Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association. (2010). Intellectual Freedom Manual, 8th Ed. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
Special Libraries Association. (2003). Competencies for Information Professionals of the 21st Century, Revised Ed. June 2003. Retrieved from http://www.sla.org/content/learn/members/competencies/index.cfm
Introduction
As the library profession continues to expand beyond traditional brick-and-mortar and cultural perceptions, understanding the network of libraries and organizations in which information professionals practice is essential to the homogeneity of our goals and mission. Various organizational settings employ information professionals to address specific needs. Highlighting the different libraries: public, school-media, academic, special, archival and digital libraries, similar underlying principles of service and access to information become clear. Through coursework and through my experiences, I have had the opportunity to experience the public, private and special library environments and contrast the various elements based upon an analytical evaluation of each. Each experience has been different: a special collections department in an academic library, archival skills for a law firm, and reference instruction at a community college library. Each library depends on the different duties for the success of their programs, with the overarching mission to serve their target patron and address the mission of the organization the library serves.
Public Libraries
Public libraries are often considered the “front lines” of librarianship because they serve the broadest range of clientele and information needs, encompassing the diverse points of view of the patron within the community the library serves. Due to this range of viewpoint, public libraries are the sometime target for “doctrinal or partisan disapproval” (i.e., censorship), or through a lack of outreach, are victims of economic cuts in stretched budgets. Fundamentally, “American public libraries flourish out of a commitment to the principle that knowledge and access to information empower the individual” (Morgan, in OIF p.7), and so we encourage community outreach through education, recreation and entertainment. The public library upholds those principles stated in the Library Bill of Rights, such as privacy and freedom to access materials of their choice, and nowhere is the democratic process more evident that through this library forum.
School Media Centers/Libraries
School libraries support the curriculum of the school in which they serve, along with cultivating an environment of learning and growing intellectually, culturally, educationally, and socially. The school library or media center is a “learning laboratory where students have the opportunity to acquire critical thinking and problem-solving skills…and use a vast array of information sources readily available in today’s world, including books, media, and electronic sources” (Morgan, in OIF p.7). What is essential is that students have the opportunity to learn how to search for information, make a choice about the subject or information, and learn to apply it to his or her intellectual thought process. Information literacy is a vitally important skill, especially in the rapidly changing world of information technology, that navigating the various information formats is almost as important in the learning process as teaching the information itself.
Academic Libraries
An academic library has a strong presence in librarianship. The academic library has the prestige and funding to collect broadly and specifically, across new and old, archival and special collections. The mission of the academic library is to support the curricula of the various educational programs offered through the college or university, and are most concerned with convenience, accessibility and currency (Kane, in Haycock, p.45). Academic libraries offer both strong print and electronic resources, and depending upon the size of the school, may have multiple libraries that support the various teaching curriculum.
Special Libraries
Special libraries are collections gathered for a specific purpose, hence the name “special”. The definition of special libraries are “information organizations (also known as libraries, information centers, competitive intelligence units, intranet departments, knowledge resource centers, content management organizations, and others) are defined as those entities that deliver information-based solutions to a given market” (SLA 2009). Examples of special libraries are medical libraries, law libraries, map libraries, and corporate libraries, to name a few. Special librarians, or information professionals, often do everything in the library: collection development, dealing with vendors, database research and client reference services. As the move toward electronic resources grows, databases such as MedLine or LexisNexis proficiency is often a requisite of the special librarian, and having a practitioner background within that given field is extremely helpful, if not required.
Archives
What do we do with the mass of information we have created, and how do we preserve it for our future? As we make our way through a new information format every decade, the decisions to store, how to store and when to discard is the position of the preservationist. Often, special collections departments in academic libraries will employ an archivist in order to maintain and manage fragile yet valuable primary documents. Conversely, there are entire businesses that have emerged in order to address the information overload our printers, copy machines and computers have produced, along with other primary documents important to the record of human knowledge. The record life-cycle is determined by the archivist, and physical space of the organizations’ shelves and servers is considered. This is a new title for the librarian, through it essentially is what information professionals have been doing since Assurbanipal in 3000 B.C.
Digital Libraries
Digital librarians, information consultants, and digital knowledge management, reflect the “Library 2.0” environment of today. Non-traditional roles that the librarian is stepping into are shattering the perceived notions of what the profession should be, or even what information is. The fast changing world of Library 2.0 information comes from here: metadata, social tagging, folksonomies, corporate information, podcasts, etc. (Hock, p.7). All of these are being designed and addressed by digital librarians, and this is a field we will see continue to expand and thrive as we move into the next phase of information.
Evidence
For my first evidence, I demonstrate my ability to apply archival principles through a LIBR 259 project (final.cocur.KB to JD 2) situation in a special library environment. The purpose of this group project between myself an another person was to develop a systematic approach of migrating print and electronic materials from one group member to another using GoogleDocs as the transfer medium, apply a classification and migration scheme to achieve uniformity, and to document the procedure. The challenge of distinguishing between the different documents, navigating the technical component and organizing schedules and deadlines served to underscore the necessity of uniformity in description and format type. During this group procedure, I devised a form for the members of the group with the plan to provide uniform communication, which in turn eliminates subjective factors such as naming, location, or departmental error. Currently, this form is implemented at the law firm I work at, and through a training period conducted by myself to teach the firms’ attorneys to fill out the form to accompany any newly created file (both born digital and print). I was able to modify the form, generate document use statistics, and evaluate the firm’s collection based upon the template from this project.
As my second evidence, I exemplify my knowledge of the various library environments through internship experiences at American River College, in Sacramento, California, specifically a community assessment performed through LIBR 266 Collection Development (LIBR 266-Policy.Comp.Chart). Because the mission and goals of academic libraries are so vital to the direction of the collection, providing a strong collection policy is essential, and understanding who the clientele are can uncover needs, strengths and weaknesses, in the overall collection. Exploring the demographic information, developing an assessment of the information and comparing it to the collection policy of another academic/community college library allowed me to gain insight into the geographic, cultural and socio-economic factors that effect the policy at the ARC Library.
Conclusion
Information professionals continue to expand into areas not previously associated with librarianship, but as we specialize and address the specific clientele, we remain networked to the profession through service and respond to the changing formats and information needs through professional specialties. Applying the different perspectives from the libraries I have had the opportunity to be a part of has afforded me with a unique perspective into the way different libraries work and the components that make them successful.
References
Haycock, K. and Sheldon, B.E. (2008). The Portable MLIS: Insights from the experts. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Hock, Randolph. (2011). Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook, 3rd Ed. Medford, NJ: CyberAge Books.
Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association. (2010). Intellectual Freedom Manual, 8th Ed. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
Special Libraries Association. (2003). Competencies for Information Professionals of the 21st Century, Revised Ed. June 2003. Retrieved from http://www.sla.org/content/learn/members/competencies/index.cfm