“When in doubt, go to the Library…”
The Problem Area
We are targeting to improve the engagement in/with libraries and its resources.
Libraries are home to an endless source of information throughout the century. Rows after rows of shelves have more purpose than just simply stacking books. The ambience of libraries facilitate interaction within the community, encourages the exchange of knowledge, provides a space for self-study and introspection. In most colleges, libraries are quickly becoming and underused and underfunded resource. The changing social and technological cues in education have led to the decline of engagement in libraries.
Personal Points of View and Biases
Our Interaction with the college library so far has yielded the following biases;
- Well stocked: In case I don’t find what I’m looking for they always give me a similar book.
- Well staffed: Friendly librarians who are always happy to help.
- Inconvenient: Nowadays, people prefer downloading digital copies of books and reading up material online rather than physically going to a library and borrowing a book- which would mean two trips for them.
- Need the certainty: Even though a library is well-stocked we don’t always have the certainty if we will find the information we are looking for
- Digital versions of the book: In case we do not find any information/book that we are looking for, libraries do not have the system of sending out the digital copies of the book.
- Specific working hours: Few libraries function for 24/7.
- Libraries exist in personal space too like phones, office desks, etc and are no more ‘public’ in nature.
- Admission to libraries denied on basis of equality.
- Academic libraries in India often face a shortage of funds and their infrastructure redevelopment is neglected.
- Digital advancement may take over the need for physical copies of books.
- Users seldom participate in active engagement with the librarian.
- Few libraries keep ‘explicit’ and ‘controversial’ content thus exploiting intellectual rights.
- Few libraries are disabled friendly.
Gatherings from Secondary Research
- Socio-cultural
- Economic
- Demographic
- Political
- Design trends
- Types of libraries
TYPES OF LIBRARIES
1. Academic libraries serve colleges and universities.
2. Public libraries serve cities and towns of all types.
3. School libraries serve students from Kindergarten to grade 12.
4. Special libraries are in specialized environments, such as hospitals, corporations, museums, the military, private business, and the government.
(“Libguides: Books & Bytes: Librarians As Information Managers: Types Of Libraries” 2018) [1]
SOCIO-CULTURAL
Societal change.:
“It’s a different world now than in 1940. We need to shape the offer libraries give to the new times,
“Society is moving to where things are coming to you not that go to the thing. To physically go to a place is an increasingly outmoded concept. Every library needs a Facebook and Twitter account. Libraries should do outreach in public markets and car boot sales and fairs. Canada library lives on tour — van with computers and wifi. Go to where people are. Demonstrate libraries are not about printed books. Libraries go to the people.”
Phil Bradley.
Pop up libraries are where librarians stood in the train station. Pointed out that librarians already do this but budget cuts mean that they may do less in the future, What is the function of a static base to a local community? Functions are performed in the base so can be complementary.”
Lack of marketing:
“ Libraries don’t market online and eBooks e.g. to reluctant readers. Problems with kindles and overdrive etc. mean many not aware of online resources. Some people don’t even know we do DVDs. No fine for eBooks is a big attractor. Young people are put off fines and of being chucked out.”
(“What Are The Current Issues In Libraries? Speak Up For Libraries Workshop: 23Rd November” 2018)[2]
Making an impact in the community:
“Librarians have an incredible opportunity to make their communities better. From career fairs and resume workshops to the everyday act of promoting literacy, your jobs are all about impact. And yet, it can be incredibly difficult to get the word out about all you do at your place of work — and that can lessen your impact.” (Mullen 2018)[3]
Intellectual freedom
“Challenges reported from public libraries, schools generally (curricular), and school libraries in 2013–2016 are summarized in this chart:
(“”Issues And Trends”” 2017) [4]
The above chart represents a decrease in purchase of ‘challenged’ books over the years by Public Libraries, Schools and School Libraries
“The apparent death of academic libraries, as measured by declining circulation of print materials, reduced use of reference services, and falling gate counts has led to calls for a more “social” approach to academic libraries: installing cafés, expanding group study spaces, and developing “information commons.” This study compares these social models with the traditional academic library, whose spirit is best understood as “communal.” It argues that this communal spirit is unique and greatly valued by academic library users. Efforts to create a more social academic library threaten this communal spirit and may do more harm than good.” (Gayton 2008)[5]
This piece reflects how libraries are trying to move into becoming multifunctional spaces by introducing opportunities for social interactions, rather than just academic pursuits. It also questions whether this is the right move for libraries in the future, as it threatens the communal nature of public academic libraries.
“Delhi, the capital of India boasts of having good libraries, documentation centres, information/library networks and LIS schools. Today, it has 14 universities/deemed university libraries, more than 100 college libraries, a chain of more than 296 academic, special and public libraries and 2,888 school libraries. Delhi also boast of several other libraries of historical/national significance such as the National Science Library of NISCAIR, the National Medical Library, the National Agricultural Library of IARI, the National Archives Library, the National Documentation Centres such as the DESIDOC, NASSDOC, the Library of National Museum, the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, the Parliament Library and the Libraries of various national council. Apart from all these important libraries, Delhi also take care of the information needs of its population of special group of visually impaired people in the form of the National Association of Blind (NAB), All India Confederation Of The Blind (AICB), Blind Relief Association (BRA), National Federation Of Blind (NFB) and other Braille and Talking book libraries which caters to the information needs of this category of special people.”
“The information sources available in each library are more or less the same except for its collection. The sources as available in each of the selected library are shown in Table 7:
Table 7. Availability of Information Resources in the Library
“The above table reveals the various information sources available for the VIPs in all the selected libraries. Braille, Audio Books in the form of audio cassettes and DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) books are the most common sources available in all the libraries. Electronic text is another upcoming source while the Internet is also becoming quite popular among the computer literate VIPs because of the availability of the software support technology such as screen readers like JAWS (Job Access With Speech) and SAFA (Screen Reading Software for Reading Hindi).”
(“Are Indian Libraries VIP-Friendly? Information Use And Information Seeking Behaviour Of Visually Impaired People In Delhi Libraries, Dr. K.P. Singh, Ms Easther Moirangthem” 2018)[6]
The above table represents the availability of resources especially for the disabled population in public libraries of Delhi.
(Sridhar 2018) [7]
(“Statistics” 2018)[8]
ECONOMICAL
“The Library is often the only readily available source of comprehensive information needed by people for personal, family and job-related purposes. Our community’s economy benefits when business people use library resources to make wise business decisions, employees use it to improve job skills or the disadvantaged use it to help break the cycle of poverty. During economic hardship, our citizens turn to and depend on the library.” (“Sample Speech: Why Are Libraries Important? (Sample 1) — State Library Of Iowa” 2018) [9]
Public debt, as a result of low economic growth and market uncertainty, has given rise to public spending cuts globally which have affected public library provision. The UK, for example, has experienced year-on-year budget cuts, 4.4% in 2012/13 and around 5% in 2013/14 (CILIP, 2012). Many libraries are now forced to operate with the use of volunteers to prevent closure. During 2012/13 the number of volunteers in public libraries rose by a massive 44.5% (CILIP, 2012). “ (Morris 2018)[10]
The above information indicates how libraries house valuable information for personal economic growth.
The above information indicates how libraries house valuable information for personal economic growth.
“Academic libraries are always on a budget. This means that month after month, year after year, libraries have to come up with compelling examples of how valuable their work is — often with a looming bottom line. However, according to the American Library Association, research has proven a connection between student grade point averages and library material usage. Staff needs to communicate this connection and demonstrate why libraries require more attention and public engagement.”
(“Top 10 Challenges For Academic Libraries In The 21St Century” 2018)[11]
The need to validate library purchases and tight budgets often force librarians to decline patrons’ requests for content.
(Groves 2018)[12]
(“Traditional Activities — Borrowing Books Or Reading — Dominate Library Use, But People Are Also Attending Classes Or Other Programs” 2018)[13]
DEMOGRAPHICAL
“You’ve probably noticed this already, as the 20th century underwent a massive shift in technological innovation that impacted people of all ages. On any given day, a librarian might have to help customers from six different generations, from baby boomers to millennials, according to 21st Century Library. This means that your workload might feel a bit overwhelming when you are trying to assist those who are familiar with traditional library services compared with younger patrons who are more familiar with tech-driven library software.”
(“Top 10 Challenges For Academic Libraries In The 21St Century” 2018)[11]
There is a definite generation shift in how we obtain our information. The older generations expectancies and usage of the library differs greatly from a millennials’ understanding and usage of it.
“The internet was viewed as a source of information in a few cases. No guidance on using the internet was given to the children, however. The lack of guidance with regard to using the internet for information, an issue that was raised in the literature by Caviglia and Ferraris (2008), was evident in the schools visited.” (Paton-Ash and Wilmot 2015)[14]
Understanding research trends & the librarian’s role in the research cycle.
The role a librarian plays in the process of connecting users to information goes beyond making content discoverable. New skill sets such as data management are necessary for librarians to stay ahead of research trends and provide users with the most relevant content in this era of information overload.
“Demographic and social trends Population growth is continuing in almost all countries of the world (World Bank, 2014). The UK, for example, will have an estimated population of 70 million by 2027 (IPOS Mori, 2012), up from 64.1 million in 2013. Similar trends are found in the United States where the population is projected to rise from 309 million in 2010 to 438 million in 2050 with approximately 80% of this being attributable to the influx and the descendants of immigrants (Levien, 2011). As a result of migration, many countries are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Net migration to the UK, for example, accounted for 62 per cent of population growth between 2001 and 2008 (IPOS Mori, 2012). In America, nearly one in five people are projected to be an immigrant in 2050, compared to one in eight in 2005 (Levien, 2011). Further, populations are ageing. In the UK the fastest growth in the population is in the 65+ and 85+ age groups. It has been estimated that by 2031, 22 per cent of the population will be aged 65 or over and 5 per cent of the population will be aged 85 or over ((IPOS Mori, 2012). In America, it is predicted that in 2050 over 25% of people will be aged over 65 compared to less than 18% in 2000 (Levien, 2011). How do libraries address these demographic changes which are likely to exacerbate social inequality and put increased demands on services?
In addition to demographic changes, there are differences in how people live. There is far greater reliance on technology for both work and free time. Longer working hours, accentuated by the expectation of 24/7 connectivity, means that people have less time for social activities unconnected with those online. Since there is an ever-increasing range of social activities on offer, public libraries have to be creative if they are to compete. “
(Morris 2018)[10]
(“Statistics” 2018)[8]
(“Non-Library Users Are More Likely To Be Male And Have Lower Levels Of Educational Attainment When Compared With Library Users” 2018) [15]
The above statistic gives the demographic population of citizens of U.S
(Sridhar 2018) [7]
POLITICAL
“Political pressures, including pressures to remove items from the collection, change public programming or limit or extend access and support to particular segments of society
“The need to provide a safe space to clients, while surrounded by political or physical conflict”. (“Discussion Topic: What Challenges Does Your Library Face?” 2018)[16]
“The need to provide a safe space to clients, while surrounded by political or physical conflict”. (“Discussion Topic: What Challenges Does Your Library Face?” 2018)[16]
The above data points out to suppression of intellectual freedom influenced by political aspects
“Often, devolution of power to local municipals has also resulted in the number of public debates over how taxes should be spent and more variability in library service provision across countries. When faced with a choice of whether to cut essential services such as those pertaining to health or public libraries, the latter usually suffers especially when statistics show that library visits are declining.”
Libraries are provided with less preference is given to library funding.
The librarian at school I offered another explanation for the negative attitude from the teachers, which related to a lack of understanding by the teachers of the role of the librarian:
“They think we have an easy job, we just come here and do nothing all day! [sic]” The principal of a no fee-paying school, explained why teachers in her school had a negative view of the library: “It is very small. It does not attract them [… ] they are just too busy doing their own things; they don’t really have time for the library.” Another reason was suggested by the librarian at one of the fee-paying ex-Model C schools. This related to the background of the teachers, many of whom had not been exposed to libraries, because they came from areas which were deprived of libraries during the apartheid era. She stated: “I would love to see them make more use of the library, [but] they don’t really know how.” (Paton-Ash and Wilmot 2015) [14]
The above piece indicates a conflict between academic teachers and librarians.
“Changes in the scholarly publishing space have redefined the roles of librarians, extending far beyond content curation. While this is happening, librarians are finding it a challenge to communicate the value of their work to their constituencies.” (“The Top 10 Challenges Academic Librarians Face In 2016 | Wiley” 2018) [11]
DESIGN TRENDS
Technology-
1. Preserving material on a digital scale:
“According to OCLC Research, a whopping 97 per cent of 169 research libraries in the U.S. and Canada have utilized digital platforms with their special collections. Based on these numbers, it’s clear that software combined with a librarian’s expertise is the wave of future in regard to the user interface and access to academic data.”
2. Digital licensing
“Although every academic research facility is different, College and Research News state that patron-driven acquisition of e-books is slated to become the norm, which means that digital licensing agreements should become more sustainable and easier to understand.”
3. Becoming familiar with a wide range of digital content
“By clearly seeing what kinds of articles, published works and e-books are being used the most by students and researchers, librarians can fully digest what types of content they need to become familiar with in a global, digital world while still providing high-quality sources.”
4. Keeping up with changing technical requirements
“Technology and the internet have had a huge impact on the library and the way it delivers services. The rapid digitization of information has impacted operations and systems in libraries within a very short span of time, resulting in gaps in the skills needed to operate a digital library.”
5. Managing library operation
“The complex scholarly publishing network, coupled with an increasing pressure to demonstrate the library’s value, makes the management of library operations and staff performance tracking an ongoing challenge for librarians.”
6. Managing continuous transition from a print to a digital-based collection
“The transition of ‘print to digital’ has been one of the longest standing conversations in the library. On top of managing this transition, librarians are also participating in the dialogue around transforming the physical space in the library to foster better collaboration and accommodate other activities.”
(“Top 10 Challenges For Academic Libraries In The 21St Century” 2018) [11]
“Is the social library all that different from before? Academic libraries were created to connect users to collections? originally print materials, but increasingly electronic. That function is still at the heart of the library, but the mission of contemporary libraries needs to expand. Librarians need to connect users not only to the collection but also to one another and their ideas. Arthur Curley and Dorothy Broderick, in the classic textbook Building Library Collections, state that “Libraries exist to facilitate communication, whether that be between persons in the present, or from someone in the past to someone in the present, or from someone in the present to some future person.”6 In many ways, we have come full circle. Before the invention of writing, verbal communication was how knowledge was shared among humans. After the invention of writing and the printing press, the activity of reading created another tool for sharing knowledge but did not supplant conversation. Libraries are much more than book museums, computer labs, or study areas. Libraries will always be a place to share information, whether it is text-based visual or verbal.
The challenges of transforming libraries into multi-use spaces that focus on the user mean that librarians must assume more roles. Reference, collection development, and instruction were the primary job activities for most subject librarians in an architecture or art library. Taking on new roles can result in more stress, but it forces staff to rethink their traditional roles. The number of reference transactions in libraries has greatly decreased over the years, and collection development is often automated and more streamlined. Staff may not need to spend the same amount of time as before on such job activities. By trying on new roles, all library staff continue to learn and retool in the profession and maintain their relevance as information professionals.” (Carpenter 2011) [17]
“The transition of the library into the school transformation hub has resulted in the re-organisation of library spaces, furniture and collections. The library needs to be the centre of the school, a dynamic and inviting place which has flexible, multifunctional spaces in which small and big groups can work, more than one class can be accommodated at the same time, digital media can be used and created, formal teaching can occur, and where the librarian can work collaboratively with teachers (Bolan, 2009; Erikson & Markuson, 2007).” (Paton-Ash and Wilmot 2015)[14]
“Changes are inevitable in this digital age but communicating these changes and getting the necessary support for communications is challenging as there are typically many stakeholders involved in the process.”
(“The Top 10 Challenges Academic Librarians Face In 2016 | Wiley” 2018) [11]
Libraries have gone beyond the physical space and expanded into smaller spaces like our homes and desktops. Unconsciously the design of libraries has been changing especially with the recent explosion of the internet which has revolutionised the accessibility of information. A lot of the existing solutions for improving the library system is to make them more social and communal, so as to improve the overall user experience.
Bibliography:
[1]”Libguides: Books & Bytes: Librarians As Information Managers: Types Of Libraries”. 2018. Guides.Library.Cornell.Edu. http://guides.library.cornell.edu/c.php?g=30898&p=198569.
[2] “What Are The Current Issues In Libraries? Speak Up For Libraries Workshop: 23Rd November”. 2018. Public Libraries News. http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/library-closing/conferences/speak-up-for-libraries-conference-23rd-november/what-are-the-current-issues-in-libraries-speak-up-for-libraries-workshop-23rd-november.
[3] Mullen, Lindsay. 2018. “Top 3 Challenges Facing Today’S Public Librarians”. Blog.Mangolanguages.Com. http://blog.mangolanguages.com/top-3-challenges-facing-today-s-public-librarians.
[4] “”Issues And Trends””. 2017. American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/news/state-americas-libraries-report-2017/issues-and-trends.
[5] Gayton, Jeffrey T. 2008. “Academic Libraries: “Social” Or “Communal?” The Nature And Future Of Academic Libraries”. The Journal Of Academic Librarianship 34 (1): 60–66. doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2007.11.011.
[6]”Are Indian Libraries VIP-Friendly? Information Use And Information Seeking Behaviour Of Visually Impaired People In Delhi Libraries , Dr. K.P. Singh, Ms Easther Moirangthem”. 2018. Webpages.Uidaho.Edu. http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/singh-moirangthem.htm.
[7] Sridhar. 2018. “Library And Society”. Slideshare.Net. https://www.slideshare.net/mssridhar/library-and-society.
[8] “Statistics”. 2018. Public Libraries News. http://www.publiclibrariesnews.com/useful/statistics.
[9] “Sample Speech: Why Are Libraries Important? (Sample 1) — State Library Of Iowa”. 2018. Statelibraryofiowa.Org. http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/ld/t-z/TTLS/speeches/sample.
[10] Morris, Anne. 2018. “Public Libraries — Challenges And Opportunities For The Future [Keynote Address]”. Dspace.Lboro.Ac.Uk. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/dspace-jspui/handle/2134/19162.
[11] “Top 10 Challenges For Academic Libraries In The 21St Century”. 2018. Sirsidynix.Com. http://www.sirsidynix.com/blog/2014/09/25/top-10-challenges-for-academic-libraries-in-the-21st-century.
[12] Groves, Kaylyn. 2018. “ARL Statistics® 2011–2012 Data Now Available In Analytics | Association Of Research Libraries® | ARL®”. Arl.Org. http://www.arl.org/news/arl-news/2855#.Wl9-M1RdJmA.
[13] “Traditional Activities — Borrowing Books Or Reading — Dominate Library Use, But People Are Also Attending Classes Or Other Programs”. 2018. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/09/09/libraries-2016/pi_2016-09-09_libraries-2016_2-01/.
[14] Paton-Ash, Margie, and Di Wilmot. 2015. “Issues And Challenges Facing School Libraries In Selected Primary Schools In Gauteng Province, South Africa”. South African Journal Of Education 35 (1): 1–10. doi:10.15700/201503062342.
[15] “Non-Library Users Are More Likely To Be Male And Have Lower Levels Of Educational Attainment When Compared With Library Users”. 2018. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/09/09/libraries-2016/pi_2016-09-09_libraries-2016_3-01/.
[16] “Discussion Topic: What Challenges Does Your Library Face?”. 2018. International Librarians Network. http://interlibnet.org/2016/09/04/discussion-topic-what-challenges-does-your-library-face/.
[17] Carpenter, Cathy. 2011. “Transforming The Georgia Tech Architecture Library Into A Social Space”. Art Documentation: Journal Of The Art Libraries Society Of North America 30 (1): 79–83. doi:10.1086/adx.30.1.27949571.
The project was done as a part of a college assignment with Nupur Patny and Tanisha Jain.
