Are you fighting to increase resources for your library? Here's a presentation made to a large city board that may be of assistance.

1. The Library:
Facts and
Perceptions
The Public Library……in The New
Millennium

2. Purpose of this
presentation
• There are issues of perception
around how the public, and politicians
see library services,
•Libraries are changing, as as people’s
behaviours and expectations,
•Many libraries are in need of major
capital improvements,
•Many library boards believe that better
understanding will lead to better
support for library plans.

3. Question 1: What
images about “library”
come to the minds of
those who never use
them?
Answer: Images of
the 19th century.

6. Library Fiction
 In the Internet age, people can
access everything they want on-line.
 People don’t read any more. They
watch movies and TV.
 Libraries are simply warehouses for
books.
Libraries are just recreation - a luxury.
Libraries are for young kids and the
elderly - not key voters.

7. Library Non-Fiction
 In the Internet age, people are more
consumers of information than they
ever were before.
 People of all ages use libraries for a
very wide range of reasons - for
research, for learning, for
entertainment, and of course for
borrowing.
 Libraries are multi-media, multi-
access, multi-lingual facilities that cater
to a very diverse user community.

8. Question 2: What images usually come to mind
when most politicians think of “municipal
services”?
Answer: Images of (classic) infrastructure.
Lands, buildings,
transportation, basic
services, safety and
protection.
Functions provided by
all levels of government!

9. Question 3: What images usually come to
mind when most citizens think of “municipal
services”?
Answer: People images - and quality of life
programs - community, social, education,
recreation and environmental.
Functions almost
exclusively
delivered by local
government.

10. INFRASTRUCTURE
1)The basic, underlying framework or features of a
system or organization.
2)The fundamental facilities and systems serving a
country, city, or area, as transportation and
communication systems, power plants, and schools.
3)The military installations of a country. (dictionary.com)
The term infrastructure, used since 1927, refers collectively to
the roads, bridges, rail lines, and similar public works required
for an industrial economy. The term also applies to the
permanent military installations necessary for the defense of a
country. People now use infrastructure to refer to any
substructure or underlying system. (answers.com)
We need to revisit what we mean
by “infrastructure.”

11. Our libraries are more than an ancillary municipal
service. They are part of what makes our
community work.
“I know that knowledge and
intelligence are not the same
thing – but they do live in the
same neighborhood.”
A.J. Jacobs

12. Better decisions Actionable Decisions
from better
information and Decision Packaging
knowledge
KNOWLEDGE
Professional Judgement
Intelligence
ANALYSIS / INFERENCES
Information
CONTEXT
DATA

13. The 2005 OCLC Study
Perceptions of Libraries and
Information Resources
•OCLC consults libraries globally to “inform key
decision makers in strategic planning for their
institutions and communities.”
•OCLC engages Harris Interactive Inc. to study
perceptions and preferences for information users to
help “build a better understanding of the library
‘brand’.”
•3,348 respondents in Canada, the USA, the UK and
3 other countries generate data with a statistical
margin of error of +/- 1.69% at the 95% confidence
level.

14. First (top-of-mind) associations with “Library” (OCLC)
BK - books, I - information, B - building, R - research, M -
materials, Ref - reference, E - entertainment
70
60
50
40
30 First Association
20
10
0
BK I B R M Ref E

15. What is the purpose (mission) of the Library?
(OCLC)
I - information, B - books, Res - research, M - materials, E - entertainment,
R - reading, Bl - building
60
50
40
30 Purpose
20
10
0
I B Res M E R B

16. Implications for Libraries
•Libraries are in transition
•They are consistently viewed in one way, but there
is also a great deal of consensus about where they
need to be
•Their span of functions - current and envisioned - is
very broad
•The role of libraries may be emerging into more
intangible areas than it has been traditionally - into:
•information
• knowledge
• intelligence
• and learning
•But there needs to be a place where all this
can happen!

17. Getting There
•There is a stakeholder need for a better appreciation
of tomorrow’s (today’s?) library form and function;
•We need to be better informed about the way users
look to libraries for their information, knowledge and
entertainment planning and,
•How libraries can work more effectively as part of
the entire community learning experience.
•Politicians and decision-makers at all levels need to
think beyond current models and concepts, and
study what is being done by other - more progressive
- communities.
•These same officials need to recognize that libraries
are not a like-to-do but a must-to-do. They are an
element of municipal infrastructure.

18. What’s Happening in Other Areas
There is much to be learned from other jurisdictions.
Two examples (enclosed) will illustrate.
•On the Bad News Side: Library and Archives
Canada, in an effort to balance its budget, has
reduced operational hours.
•On the Good News Side: The City of Sunnyvale,
California is on a campaign to build a new library.
The project is estimated at $108 million, for a
population of 133,000. The comments of the existing
city council are enclosed. None are opposed a new
library, but one is opposed to a purpose-built facility.

19. Bibliography
Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources,
Online Computer Library Center, Dublin, Ohio, 2005
The Mercury News, Sunnyvale, California
CBC News on line
© D.G. Jones 2013
Shibumi.management@gmail.com