Political Climate

I have been doing research on the Political Climate portion of the Environmental Scan. To say I have learned a lot would be a gross understatement. Over the next few blogs I will try to convey some of what I have gleaned.

I have always heard that libraries had to compete for its funds and that always seemed so harsh to me. One person I interviewed put it another way. This person said that what is really happening is that there is only a "finite amount of money at any particular time". Different entities all want a piece of the pie but there is still only one pie that has to be shared. This person did go on to say that libraries are viewed by the public as good and necessary. I am sure that helps when it comes time to parcel out the budget.

Leslie

Change

My most recent class in Grad school, Admin. & Mgmt., required a term paper. We had four choices and I chose "Managing change in the Public library: what are the director’s roles and responsibilities?' While doing the research I learned change has quite a few definitions.

Princeton University’s Wordnet, a lexical database for the English language, defines change as a noun and a verb. If used as a noun it can mean “the result of an alteration or modification.” If used as a verb the definition is to “become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence.”

I liked the last definition the most because in making changes in a library we never want to lose our essence we just want something modified. Change is never easy. The director of the public library has internal and external responsibilities that have to be considered when managing change. The director has to know and respond to the community the library serves, the staff and their capabilities, Friends groups, the Library Board, technology trends, the public and the day to day operations of the library. It is all about balance. White wrote in his article “Authority, Responsibility, and Delegation in Public Libraries” that “all managers (directors) make some mistakes, and good managers make more mistakes than poor managers simply because they are more willing to make decisions.”

Leslie James

White, H. (1999, Sept.). Authority, Responsibility, and Delegation in Public Libraries. Library Journal 124, 15 59-60.

GALILEO & the Digital Library of Georgia

This week I have been researching the history of GALILEO and the Digital Library of Georgia. Georgia has been providing a library of licensed commercial databases since 1995. According to the GALILEO fact sheet, there has been in increase in logins , seaches, and articles displayed from 15 million in '95 to 50 million in 2006. The Digital Library is preserving Georgia's history and culture. In addition to researching the history of Georgia's Library system, I have been reading a few comparisons of statewide library systems and statewide database initiatives. GALILEO is one of the earliest and most comprehensive statewide library system. Ofcourse the challenge with maintaining the electronic resources is the increasing cost of resources, changing technologies, and limited funding.

Diversity of materials in the library

A recent article in the Times (Gainesville) reported that minority populations are growing in the United States. In 2006 minorities reached 100 million or about a third of the population. By 2050 the number of minorities is expected to account for half of the US population (Census Bureau). If we carry the planning to plan theme into 2050 our collections of materials could look a lot different than they do today. Hopefully they will be easier to purchase and have more availability in the year 2050. Culturally diverse materials that represent the communities we serve are happening now in Georgia. Planning to plan is fun and practical. I am enjoying this whole process.

Leslie James

Planning to plan

I just completed my second summer session and the class was entitled Administration and Management. One section we covered was the Environmental Scan. Boy that would have come in handy in June when I was writing this paper. It was exciting to be learning something in school that not only has practical applications but is already put into practice. So many times I have wondered "when will I ever use this?" Planning to plan was something we covered in great detail. I learned a valuable life lesson this week as a very close family member stayed in the hospital for 3 nights/4days. Juggling life responsibilities along with visitation was difficult. It taught me to be prepared not only for what you think will happen but also for what you don't think can possibly happen. In a convoluted way it reminded me of the last exercise we did at the Strategic Planning Committee Meeting. We dreamed about what our libraries would look like in 2015 and money was no object. We came up with some great ideas. Maybe they aren't so far outside the box after all. Perhaps we will have a library within 15 minutes of every resident of Georgia in the future. It is quite possible that libraries will be technology leaders and not the ones playing catch up. Maybe just maybe the value of the library will be so high that we are the center of the community and when anybody wants to know whats going on in the community or needs information we will be the ones thought of first and not the Internet because we will be known for our knowledge, technology, information and especially our friendliness.

I am looking forward to a planning to plan with you!

Leslie

Assessment?

Looking over the strategic planning materials, I see that an ROI study is desired. And I see that the performance audit reports were mentioned. Is there any internal evaluation or assessment for GPLS? If so, how often is it done? What kind of quality assurance does the agency usually use to see what works and what doesn't?

If I had to make the decision to give GPLS more money or give it to another state agency, I would want to know more information. It's not that I have not been given my share of paper and not that I personally need a study to see the value in a library. But, I can see why someone might want to look at a Return on Investment study. I know other states have done them but if I was spending Georgians money, I'd want Georgia facts. I think that an ROI study would possibly be one of the most compelling forms of advocacy for libraries. In addition to advocacy, the ROI or some form of assessment could be used to inform while strategic planning.

Update on the history paper

This week I have been compiling the statistical portions of the annual reports. I have also been reading all the old GPLS newsletters as well as the GALILEO Planet. I have one decade in the last century that I don't really have covered as much as I want. So, I'll have to look into that more. But overall, the paper is coming along nicely.