Library Identity & Management of Library Automation for Cultural Materials in

Small Library Settings

Karen Carty &

Jessica Piper

Library Identity

A clear, thoughtful and accurate assessment of what a library does to meet the unique informational needs of its community.

Includes the visions, missions, and goals of an individual library or library system.

Context

We will explore the concept of library identity as it relates to the management of library automation for cultural materials in small library settings.

This will follow an examination of community characteristics and library governance and will be part of the development of the PMP manual.

Library Identity

Given: That the historical role of PLs has been to collect,

organize, preserve, and provide access to information,

That PLs exist to serve the informational needs of a community’s members,

That just as no two communities are alike, no two libraries should be exactly alike.

And that library governance both assists and restricts the activities of PLs…

Library Identity

A PL must recognize the needs/wants of its stakeholders and develop an identity that will be understood and supported by both users and governing authorities.

Library identity is shaped by the political, culture, and social influence of the community.

This identity should be reflected in all of the library’s efforts.

Scope

Library identity consists of three formal components:

Visions (directions in which the library is headed)

Missions (current activities of top priority for the library)

Goals (long-term plans for achieving missions)

Scope (continued)

These components affect the planning and implementation of all library activities, the image stakeholders have of the library, and the ultimate success or failure of the organization.

Library identity must be regularly reviewed, evaluated, and revised to meet changes in the community.

Project Goals

Using information about community characteristics and library governance the “Library Identity” team will assist the EduCol Project by:

Listing specific informational needs/wants that may be met through the development of digitized culture-specific materials.

Project Goals (continued)

Performing a SWOT analysis for the EduCol Project.

Determining appropriate visions, missions, and goals for the EduCol Project.

Project Goals (continued)

Suggesting ways in which library identity may effect other elements of the project.

Collaborating with other teams at UT and JU to develop a PMP manual that may be used by small libraries interested in developing cross-cultural digital collections.

Project Rationale and Intent

The work of the library identity team will form a foundation for the rest of the PMP manual.

Project Rationale and Intent (continued)

For users of the PMP manual, the topic of library identity will aid small public libraries in determining:

How might the automation of cultural materials benefit our library and its users?

Should we commit resources to automating materials, and if so, when?

What problems are we likely to encounter in the implementation and use of automated materials?

Library Identity and Small Library Settings

What are the library’s traits and values, especially its limitations and advantages as a small library?

Does the library’s identity reflect the identity of the community as a whole?

How will the library be branded?

Library Identity and Small Library Settings (Continued)

How do the library’s roles and responses reflect the library’s identity?

What role does the library’s staff play in the formation of the library’s identity?

Library Identity and Cultural Aspects

Does the library present itself as a place where people with a variety of levels of technological knowledge can make use of the library’s resources?

Does the library make efforts to target its resources to underserved cultural groups?

Has the library changed and grown with its community and new technologies, or has it remained stagnant?

Library Identity & Digitization

How does what a library chooses to digitize reflect the library’s values and identity?

What does the library’s “digital face on the web” say about the library?

Library Identity and Digitization (continued)

Do the library’s digital collections reflect its goal of increasing equity in access to information?

Do the library’s digital collections help preserve the community’s history, thus reinforcing the idea of the library as a repository for local culture?

Bibliography

Soledad Ferreiro, “Dealing with Diversity and Digital Culture”, International Information and Library Review, 29, 1997, 237-245.

Walter Minkel, “The Web en Español”, Library Journal Net connect, Spring 2001, p. 36.

Charlotte Priddle, “National Identity and the Digital Library: a Study of the British Library and the Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru”, Libri 54 (3) Sept. 2004, p. 158.

Weingand, Darlene E. Administration of the Small Public Library. Chicago: American Library Assiciation, 2001, p. 226.

Questions?