Competency C
Recognize the social, cultural and economic dimensions of information use.
Introduction
Information use is a complex web of internal and external factors that span all ages, gender, skill level and needs. Communication is the unifying aspect in information use. All media seek to communicate ideas or expression, and provide a cognitive base for understanding the fundaments of society. No discussion regarding the social, cultural or economic dimensions of information use can dismiss the effects of technology: this factor alone has rapidly changed the landscape of information seeking, and is responsible for a shift in the nature of information seeking. No longer is the user at a loss for information. Now, the user is interactive, collaborative, social, and mobile. Different groups use information different ways, and it is essential to recognize those user groups and how a particular program or acquisition may best address their need. Essentially, information has remained constant, and is classified similarly whether in print or electronic format—it is the manner in which groups access that information that has changed. Though technology has changed the landscape, the fundamentals of community assessment, open access and dissemination, and diversity of information remain constant.
Social Dimensions
Social dimensions of information can be defined as a group of people broadly distinguished by interests, characteristic relationships, shared institutions and culture (Webster’s Dictionary). The groups with the library offer a varying spectrum of need, and each uses information differently. Recognizing those differences is integral to the success of building programs and services that will address the niches of information searching and use. For example, a library builds children’s sections, staffed by a dedicated children’s librarian, in order to provide immediate attention, quick answers, and special programs. Young adults are increasingly technologically oriented, and demand more outreach on the part of the librarian. An example of great outreach for the young adult population is going to a middle school and giving a presentation on science fiction or biographies of popular persons of interest. Older populations request more face-to-face service, recreational materials, and are less technologically inclined. There are a myriad of social dimensions to an information center, whether it is public, school or academic, and it is the duty of the librarian to target build services to accommodate these groups.
Cultural Dimensions
Diversity and equity are inherent to the purpose of the library, and is reflected in the collection and in the programs of the information center. The collection should be balanced to reflect a diversity of materials and resources, including religious, moral, minority, and sexual issues. Collection development and library programs should reflect languages commonly used by the service population, and formats should include those that accommodate persons with disabilities. “Librarians have an obligation to select and support access to materials and resources on all subjects that meet, as closely as possible, the needs, interests, and abilities of all persons in the community the library serves” (OIF, ALA p.107-108).
Beyond the physical collection, promoting cultural equity within the services of one’s library is integral to networking within the community and building awareness through cultural diversity. An example is materials and services recognizing the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, underpinning the core values of diversity and providing inclusive collections and programs to all minority groups in the library.
Economic Dimensions
Economic barriers and pressures are a very real threat to information use and access. As pervasive as information may seem through the Internet, specialized information is and will become increasingly coveted and expensive. As we further embrace our information age and information service economy, those who can pay for relevant, concise information will be the same ones controlling resources now. Information is a valuable resource, and free, non-commercialized access for an informed citizenry should continually be advocated and supported. The publicly supported library’s mission should reflect the mission of the Library Bill of Rights, which enumerates many principles governing the charging of fines and fees, or user charges. All fines and fees should be scrutinized for barriers to access, and should never classify or distinguish users by economic status or condition (OIF p.116-7).
Technology as an economic barrier poses a digital divide between the have and have-nots in the age of cellular phones, smart phones, laptops and other mobile devices, also known as information and communication technology (ICT). Factors shown to affect ICT are age, race, geography, income, and education (Warschauer p. 1152). The digital divide is an important consideration, and as popularity of mobile ICT devices increases, libraries will need to respond to these information user needs by integrating technical support and training, along with free and unfettered public access.
Evidence
As my first evidence, I provide an artifact relating to a group project with the objective of developing a strategic plan and library assessment during LIBR 204 Library Management in the form of an Environmental Scan conducted at Manor Branch Library, located in San Leandro, California (LIBR 204-Manor Branch Strategic Plan). This complex project was a team effort utilizing the various skills of the team members and I was part of the group who performed the environmental scan. The success of this project was in identifying a small subset of school children, within the Asian Hmong community, who were missing out on a valuable tutoring program due to space and language barriers. A survey was conducted to attain this information, and this service gap was revealed. After this group was identified, tutoring hours were expanded in the native language through the recruitment of students at a neighboring university.
As further evidence, I provide a discussion post through LIBR 234 Intellectual Freedom Seminar, in which I explored the Fifth Article of the Library Bill of Rights, which addresses access to information and barriers based upon age, race, background or views, and what this article meant to me (LIBR 234-Barriers to Access Post). I relate my interest in the law library and self-represented litigants, and the specific barriers of some of the patrons’ information requests, particularly their ability to decipher legalese or law structure. I contrast these types of barriers with an intellectual and ethical limitation law librarians have in helping the patron with their information request. I conclude that creativity in meeting the user’s need without overstepping ethical boundaries is necessary.
Lastly I evidence a collection development plan developed through LIBR 266 for an academic library to provide children’s books and materials (LIBR 266-Children’s Collection-Academic). Community colleges serve a very diverse clientele, providing access to a range of education and vocational material. An area that is overlooked but important to the collection is the children’s section, reflecting educational and vocational training in childhood learning and development, along with serving a recreational need. In this instance, the collection policy takes precedent over the actual user of the information, as all items collected for the library must support the mission and goals of the organization, along with the education and vocational curriculum.
Conclusion
The social, cultural, and economic dimensions of a community of library users is a difficult but vital population to understand. By addressing the myriad niches and formats in which information is accessed, along with recognizing the minority and majority users of the library, the overarching goals of free and equitable access to information can be sustained and expanded for future users.
References
Hacock, K. and Sheldon, B. (2008). The Portable MLIS: insights from the experts. Westport, CT:Libraries Unlimited.
Office of Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association. (2010). Intellectual freedom manual, 8th ed. Chicago, IL: American Library Association
Warschauer, M. (2011). “Digital divide”. Encyclopedia of library and information sciences, 3rd ed. Taylor Francis [digital]. Retrived April 11, 2012 from SJSU King Library database.
Introduction
Information use is a complex web of internal and external factors that span all ages, gender, skill level and needs. Communication is the unifying aspect in information use. All media seek to communicate ideas or expression, and provide a cognitive base for understanding the fundaments of society. No discussion regarding the social, cultural or economic dimensions of information use can dismiss the effects of technology: this factor alone has rapidly changed the landscape of information seeking, and is responsible for a shift in the nature of information seeking. No longer is the user at a loss for information. Now, the user is interactive, collaborative, social, and mobile. Different groups use information different ways, and it is essential to recognize those user groups and how a particular program or acquisition may best address their need. Essentially, information has remained constant, and is classified similarly whether in print or electronic format—it is the manner in which groups access that information that has changed. Though technology has changed the landscape, the fundamentals of community assessment, open access and dissemination, and diversity of information remain constant.
Social Dimensions
Social dimensions of information can be defined as a group of people broadly distinguished by interests, characteristic relationships, shared institutions and culture (Webster’s Dictionary). The groups with the library offer a varying spectrum of need, and each uses information differently. Recognizing those differences is integral to the success of building programs and services that will address the niches of information searching and use. For example, a library builds children’s sections, staffed by a dedicated children’s librarian, in order to provide immediate attention, quick answers, and special programs. Young adults are increasingly technologically oriented, and demand more outreach on the part of the librarian. An example of great outreach for the young adult population is going to a middle school and giving a presentation on science fiction or biographies of popular persons of interest. Older populations request more face-to-face service, recreational materials, and are less technologically inclined. There are a myriad of social dimensions to an information center, whether it is public, school or academic, and it is the duty of the librarian to target build services to accommodate these groups.
Cultural Dimensions
Diversity and equity are inherent to the purpose of the library, and is reflected in the collection and in the programs of the information center. The collection should be balanced to reflect a diversity of materials and resources, including religious, moral, minority, and sexual issues. Collection development and library programs should reflect languages commonly used by the service population, and formats should include those that accommodate persons with disabilities. “Librarians have an obligation to select and support access to materials and resources on all subjects that meet, as closely as possible, the needs, interests, and abilities of all persons in the community the library serves” (OIF, ALA p.107-108).
Beyond the physical collection, promoting cultural equity within the services of one’s library is integral to networking within the community and building awareness through cultural diversity. An example is materials and services recognizing the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, underpinning the core values of diversity and providing inclusive collections and programs to all minority groups in the library.
Economic Dimensions
Economic barriers and pressures are a very real threat to information use and access. As pervasive as information may seem through the Internet, specialized information is and will become increasingly coveted and expensive. As we further embrace our information age and information service economy, those who can pay for relevant, concise information will be the same ones controlling resources now. Information is a valuable resource, and free, non-commercialized access for an informed citizenry should continually be advocated and supported. The publicly supported library’s mission should reflect the mission of the Library Bill of Rights, which enumerates many principles governing the charging of fines and fees, or user charges. All fines and fees should be scrutinized for barriers to access, and should never classify or distinguish users by economic status or condition (OIF p.116-7).
Technology as an economic barrier poses a digital divide between the have and have-nots in the age of cellular phones, smart phones, laptops and other mobile devices, also known as information and communication technology (ICT). Factors shown to affect ICT are age, race, geography, income, and education (Warschauer p. 1152). The digital divide is an important consideration, and as popularity of mobile ICT devices increases, libraries will need to respond to these information user needs by integrating technical support and training, along with free and unfettered public access.
Evidence
As my first evidence, I provide an artifact relating to a group project with the objective of developing a strategic plan and library assessment during LIBR 204 Library Management in the form of an Environmental Scan conducted at Manor Branch Library, located in San Leandro, California (LIBR 204-Manor Branch Strategic Plan). This complex project was a team effort utilizing the various skills of the team members and I was part of the group who performed the environmental scan. The success of this project was in identifying a small subset of school children, within the Asian Hmong community, who were missing out on a valuable tutoring program due to space and language barriers. A survey was conducted to attain this information, and this service gap was revealed. After this group was identified, tutoring hours were expanded in the native language through the recruitment of students at a neighboring university.
As further evidence, I provide a discussion post through LIBR 234 Intellectual Freedom Seminar, in which I explored the Fifth Article of the Library Bill of Rights, which addresses access to information and barriers based upon age, race, background or views, and what this article meant to me (LIBR 234-Barriers to Access Post). I relate my interest in the law library and self-represented litigants, and the specific barriers of some of the patrons’ information requests, particularly their ability to decipher legalese or law structure. I contrast these types of barriers with an intellectual and ethical limitation law librarians have in helping the patron with their information request. I conclude that creativity in meeting the user’s need without overstepping ethical boundaries is necessary.
Lastly I evidence a collection development plan developed through LIBR 266 for an academic library to provide children’s books and materials (LIBR 266-Children’s Collection-Academic). Community colleges serve a very diverse clientele, providing access to a range of education and vocational material. An area that is overlooked but important to the collection is the children’s section, reflecting educational and vocational training in childhood learning and development, along with serving a recreational need. In this instance, the collection policy takes precedent over the actual user of the information, as all items collected for the library must support the mission and goals of the organization, along with the education and vocational curriculum.
Conclusion
The social, cultural, and economic dimensions of a community of library users is a difficult but vital population to understand. By addressing the myriad niches and formats in which information is accessed, along with recognizing the minority and majority users of the library, the overarching goals of free and equitable access to information can be sustained and expanded for future users.
References
Hacock, K. and Sheldon, B. (2008). The Portable MLIS: insights from the experts. Westport, CT:Libraries Unlimited.
Office of Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association. (2010). Intellectual freedom manual, 8th ed. Chicago, IL: American Library Association
Warschauer, M. (2011). “Digital divide”. Encyclopedia of library and information sciences, 3rd ed. Taylor Francis [digital]. Retrived April 11, 2012 from SJSU King Library database.