The Future of Libraries: Challenges & Strategies

Presenters: Ken Haycock, USC; Kim Bui-Burton, City of Monterey; Susan Hildreth, Peninsula Library System

Recommendation: embedding ourselves in our communities – have deep awareness, know how assets we have can help communities succeed. This is a shift – not everyone in org or in community may embrace it.

Rising to the challenge – reenvisioning public libraries. Gates Foundation is sunsetting their investment. Aspen Institute/Report – libraries as people, place, platform. Helps us/public to articulate importance of libraries. Platform – we can connect people with information, with the benefits of a high-speed broadband network, variety of formats of eResources. Embrace those we’re now labeling as competitors.

Challenge – funding. City & jurisdiction – enough $ only in good times. Showing stakeholders the strategic value of investing in library: it’s free, but do people value it less for that reason? Reaching people (stakeholders) who don’t use the library – e.g. wine & chocolate event inside the library. Know story well enough that you can get them excited. Think strategically about value of library services, show impact or difference we’re making in people’s lives – more important than circ figures.

California – culture of free library service. Library often considered nice-to-have but not need-to-have institutions. Library partnerships w/city depts., non-profits so they will defend library funding, be your champions. Reposition ourselves as critical infrastructure. People know why they support fire & police. Listen & help partners achieve their goals.

Libraries can provide tax information, passport services, assistance with affordable care act. Library as mediator between public & public services. Assist with workforce development, financial literacy. People having challenges prefer going to library to get assistance. It's a much more welcoming and helpful atmosphere.

Value of our traditionally being a place, a meeting space. One library is even asking for permit to let homeless people park there overnight. Library as community center – some of existing community centers offer maker spaces, preschools. Shared services? Duplication? We are community knowledge centers. Literacy sets up apart (including tech literacy). Need for research to show how we contribute to literacy, which could facilitate support for funding.

Gates Foundation has identified key indicators of value, which could be helpful in doing this research nationally. Impact – are we showing best ROI? There is much high quality data that isn’t being aggregated and presented to decision makers.

What should be the unique expertise of our professional staff? The number of librarians being hired is declining. We could look at model where our entry level professional staff receive some important skill sets at Bachelor’s level and get deep/specialized expertise as Master’s level. Our unique skills: connecting individuals to what they need. Public libraries have to have a generalist approach. We can help customers be as literate as possible in this world of information. We supplement and complement what’s presented in required settings and help patrons be successful. Be should be welcoming to all (diversity), with no agenda but as facilitators (which is growing rarer and rarer), a place for lifelong learning. We can be excited and open to learning and willing to engage with others, either virtually or live.

Wisdom/strategy to ensure future of libraries: read Bibliotech: why libraries matter more than ever in the age of Google, which is articulate and communicates urgency.