Comments on: The real customers of libraries. https://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2011/10/the-real-customers-of-libraries.html What's happening to your library? Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:58:38 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 By: LibraryWeb https://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2011/10/the-real-customers-of-libraries.html#comment-160 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:58:38 +0000 http://83.170.89.36/~publicli/2011/10/the-real-customers-of-libraries.html#comment-160 The interesting thing about the Johnson diagram linked to above (and that I hadn’t noticed before), the ‘cultural context’, namely expectations the diagram implies follow from the cultural context — so a healthy library culture in our society is definitely on the agenda I would think!

I noted this tweet just now from @Read4eva (Annie Everall):

“libraries need to believe in the importance of what we do Janene Cox #Ascelconf11”

If libraries understand their own importance then they can begin to communicate that importance to the public.

]]> By: LibraryWeb https://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2011/10/the-real-customers-of-libraries.html#comment-159 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:30:16 +0000 http://83.170.89.36/~publicli/2011/10/the-real-customers-of-libraries.html#comment-159 By way of a quick glossary 🙂

Think of an expectation as a type of goal (not sure where I read that, though I can visualise the page – the mists and fogs of time!; my usual analogy for a goal being a baby building a toy brick tower – accept it is not a toy brick tower that is being built).

]]> By: LibraryWeb https://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2011/10/the-real-customers-of-libraries.html#comment-158 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:18:37 +0000 http://83.170.89.36/~publicli/2011/10/the-real-customers-of-libraries.html#comment-158 Some links illstrating why (text book techniqe at least) it is important for library staff at all levels to aim to raise expectations, Lucey, Johnson – the assessment stage of planning carried out at a director level (though with input from all levels of the organisation) leading to an understanding of the role (purposes) of the organisation in society.

This vision then gives meaning to all the activities that follow – the value of libraries though is not straightforward (multi faceted and broad ranging), subject to the slings and arrows of the politics of culture, the overall vision of things being somewhat faint and fragmented I think in public libraries today.

Perhaps in the information age and economy we live, with the increased production of information, and the corresponding increase in knowledge (consumption of information), we will begin to understand ourselves more 🙂

Lucey, ISBN 1-85805-106-1
Johnson, ISBN 0-13-297441-X

]]> By: LibraryWeb https://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2011/10/the-real-customers-of-libraries.html#comment-156 Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:24:44 +0000 http://83.170.89.36/~publicli/2011/10/the-real-customers-of-libraries.html#comment-156 I think the important thing is to raise ‘expectations’, what the public library service has been in the past, what it currently is, its potential for the future — librarians have not really in the past set out to do this. Maybe one lesson that can be learned from the recent history of the public library service is that librarians now need to put on their agenda the raising of expectations, both amongst public sector administration (councillors, MPs, who can then begin to plan a role for the libraries in society), and the public.

If chief librarians can detail the value of the public libraries, administrators can begin to set concrete and measurable goals, the public can begin to embark upon the ‘public library journey’ with reasonable expectation of arriving at the intended destination.

IMHO and my feeling is we need a lot more research in the field of the public libraries at the moment – there are a lot of very good reasons for this research (and it shouldn’t be undertaken without good reason), however this is very much one of the main reasons.

]]> By: Shirley Burnham https://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/2011/10/the-real-customers-of-libraries.html#comment-155 Wed, 02 Nov 2011 06:54:59 +0000 http://83.170.89.36/~publicli/2011/10/the-real-customers-of-libraries.html#comment-155 Another little wrinkle to this matter should not be overlooked. Effective campaigning does indeed mean explaining to local councillors exactly why their council needs its libraries and staff — but if councillors do not listen and are impervious to such reasoning, then they MUST be made aware that their “seats” are in danger unless they change tack. That is what really concentrates the mind of some elected representatives. Don’t forget it !

]]>