Week 4 Reading Response

I found "The Company of Readers" by Catherine Ross was a very interesting way of looking at the role of libraries in people's lives. I think that focusing on readers is important, because the ultimate goal of a library is to serve its users. Knowing what, how, and why people read is especially important in a public library, which is one branch of librarianship I have considered for my future career. As an introductory chapter to a whole book, Ross gives a general overview of different aspects of books and readers. At the end of each section, she lists ways librarians can incorporate the information discussed into their work. I found this especially interesting and helpful. In the short time I have been in library school I have read lots of interesting and important things about librarianship, but they haven't always been directly connected to the practical aspects of the job. I like that Ross linked theory to practice, especially in her suggestions of how librarians can best encourage reading in public libraries.

One particular aspect of Ross's chapter that I found intriguing was her frequent mention of reading advisors. I haven't heard this particular term before, and it confused me a little. Did Ross mean that public librarians form panels through which they decide which books they should recommend to patrons in general? Or did she mean it in an individual way, as each librarian assists a single patron in selecting reading materials? I'd really like to find out more information on that.

State of the Libraries Essay- Pennsylvania

Avon Grove Library: http://www.southernchestercountyweeklies.com/articles/2010/08/26/opinion/doc4c767cb2dede2426202861.txt

University of Pennsylvania Libraries: http://thedp.com/article/library-launches-text-message-service

Athenaeum Library: http://thedp.com/article/library-launches-text-message-service

In searching for newspaper articles about Pennsylvanian libraries, I somewhat predictably found a great number of articles dealing with the budgetary issues of the state’s public libraries. The articles I finally chose, however, dealt with the services provided by a public, academic, and subscription library in Pennsylvania. All of these libraries collect and organize different types of information and serve different library patrons. Each of these articles can be related to the second theme of the course, that of the role of library professionals, who in each of these types of libraries, works to provide information to users.

Chris Barber’s article in the Southern Chester County Weeklies, “Avon Grove Library is a Model for Small Town Success” describes a small public library in Pennsylvania that is experiencing greater success than most similar libraries in the state. This article was refreshing; most of the articles I found on public libraries in PA described severe budget cuts and pending closings. The Avon Grove library, however, actually had increased circulation over the summer, while almost all other libraries in the library had decreased circulation. Although Avon Grove suffered the same budget cuts as other libraries, the librarians vowed to continue providing service to their community. The fundraisers held to support library programs were very successful and contributed to Avon Grove’s ability to thrive in difficult times.

The Daily Pennsylvanian published an article about a year ago about an academic library that I believe is still relevant to the study of libraries in that state. The author of “Library Launches Text-Message Service,” Jared McDonald, reports, as the title indicates, the University of Pennsylvania’s new library text-message service. Through this program, students at Penn can text a reference librarian with their research questions. This is in addition to the instant messaging service already used by Penn libraries. Librarians using the texting service, which had been available for about a month at the time of the article, were receiving about one text a day, which was not considered a bad start. A search of Penn’s library website shows that the texting service is still active, although it gives no information on frequency of use.

The final article I chose, “Athenaeum Library in Philadelphia: Old World and Cutting Edge” by Tom Stoelker, described a more unusual type of library: the subscription library. The article in the Philadelphia Enquirer illustrates how subscription libraries were founded based on the idea that if a large number of people shared the cost of books, more people would be able to enjoy a greater a number of volumes. The library also includes an archive on architecture and an art gallery. The public may tour the library and peruse the archives by appointment, and a $200 fee allows anyone to check out books from the Athenaeum’s circulating collection. Interviewed for the article, director Sandra Tatman hopes to keep the nearly 200-year old library up to date. The library’s dedication to staying modern is obvious when reviewing its digitalized resources and online databases.

I chose to relate these articles to the second theme of the class, which deals with “professional values, responsibilities, and aspirations” (syllabus). Although each of these libraries differs dramatically in type, situation, and users from the next, they all are staffed by librarians dedicated to user service. The article on Avon Grove public library depicts a library staff that understands that community outreach is one of the most important aspects of a public library’s duties. The article indicates that it was in large part the Avon Grove librarians’ dedication to continuing programs and education for the community that contributed to the library’s success in hard times.

The article on Penn’s texting service also deals directly with how information professionals serve their users. In this case, rather than users being community members and their children, Penn’s librarians serve a large academic community. This patron base is reflected in the services they provide, including instant messaging and texting, through which students and faculty can reach the university’s professional reference librarians. That the librarians would dedicate their time to a texting service indicates their commitment to serving the library users in the most effective way possible.

Finally, the Athenaeum library in Philadelphia serves a very different user base than Penn or Avon Grove. Users of the Athenaeum library must pay a subscription fee to gain access to its collections; however, the library contains a large number of rare books not easily found at other libraries, as well as an original archive and art museum. One way in which librarians at this subscription library assist users is by helping them use the Regional Digital Imaging Center, where users can scan, with minimal damage, documents of all sizes. Obviously, the Athenaeum’s users are dissimilar from a public or academic library, but the librarians are just as dedicated to serving those users.

Week 3 Reading Response

The article "Unequal Legacies: Race and Multiculturalism in the LIS Curriculum" by Christine Pawley was fascinating to me for several reasons. First, and probably least importantly, I found her division of the profession of librarians into four categories interesting and helpful because for me it clarified categories of librarianship that I subconsciously was aware of, but hadn't overtly thought about. More importantly, however, Pawley's article brought to my attention issues of race in librarianship that I wasn't previously aware of.

As a history major, I took classes which covered racism both as it occurred in U.S. history and as it relates to the study of history itself. I was aware that the study of history has, until recently, been dominated by white males, which has been reflected in how history has been told over time. It hadn't occurred to me until I read Pawley's article that libraries, in how they relate to different elements of a society, have been subject to the same circumstances.

Awareness, I think, is the first step in combating the issues of racism in librarianship. If people aren't aware of the problem, they can't find solutions to it. Pawley is correct in her assessment that this awareness must begin during LIS education, if not earlier. As a first year student only a few weeks into the semester, I cannot accurately assess how UW-Madison's LIS program addresses issues of racism, but I believe that if not already the case, every course in the LIS curriculum can and should include information on this issue.

Specifically what I found interesting about Pawley's discussion of racism in librarianship is her discussion of the use of the term "services to," indicating that librarians are in possession of a greater amount knowledge or ability than the people they serve, especially racial and other minorities. I think it is important for librarians and LIS studies students to keep a balanced view of their role of helping people find information and be careful not to adopt a "missionary" outlook of their services.

Week 2 Reading Response

In reading "Libraries" by Christine Pawley, I found the last section about the values of libraries very interesting. Today it seems that most librarians share a common creed of promoting free access to information and opposing censorship. However, this set of values obviously has not existed since time immemorial; Pawley gives a brief description of the development in her article.

I agree with the values held by most librarians, that everyone should be able to have access to information, and that librarians are responsible for helping people find what they are looking for. This brings up interesting issues though, of how the principles of librarianship will evolve as the internet becomes ever more ubiquitous. Do libraries have a responsibility to provide access to all web content, even what would be considered explicit? How do librarians provide equal access and help to people who do not have access to online resources? I certainly don't have the answers to these questions, but they are problems librarians will need to come up with solutions for and which we will all be dealing with in our education and career.

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Just making sure this is going to work. Welcome to my LIS 450 class blog everyone!