Core Competency B

Describe and compare organizational settings in which information professionals practice.

Statement of Competence
There are as many different organizational settings as there are information professions. “Setting” can denote the physical space, such as a teen area or quiet study room. It can also mean the library itself, as an offshoot of its parent organization. Finally, “setting” in a library can mean the library’s physical placement within a community. In a way, the three different definitions of a library’s setting are all similar. They have in common the fact that they impact a patron’s experience, but are differentiated by how patron experiences are impacted.

Physical setting in a public library shows patrons all the different things they can do at the library besides checking out books and using the computers. Having a designated study area that is enclosed and purposefully quiet invites people into the library to do their homework. This is especially appreciated by parents who are also students looking for a quiet place to study while their children participate in library programming. The existence of a teen area shows the library is aware that teens often have different environmental needs than adults and children. A large part of this is furniture available for more relaxed teen postures, but also includes other factors such as discreet access to informational material on sexual identity, pregnancy, and other topics teens view as too embarrassing to ask for outright. A storytime shows the commitment the library has made to early childhood education and their youngest patrons. These spaces are usually soundproofed and are useful for one-time events as well as regular weekly programming.

The setting of a library as an entity of its parent organization colors patron experience as well. Public libraries are usually run by the city, which means public librarians are public servants expected to uphold the ideals and values of their city in every move they make. Public librarians adhere to the same code of conduct as employees at City Hall, which ensures policy and procedure consistency among all city workers. Academic libraries strive to provide an experience that reflects that values of the university they represent. From librarians to professors and administrators, all university employees adhere to the same regulations in terms of how they present the organization to their patrons and/or students. Law, medical, and other specialty libraries focus more on the material they house than who owns them. Sometimes they are part of a law or medical school and other times they are freestanding, but staff is expected to be knowledgeable in the specific subject on which the library focuses in order to ensure the best help for its patrons. These three types of library are diverse in terms of setting, patrons, and usually even employee qualifications, but each type has the similar mission of serving their visitors to the best of the staff’s ability. A library’s parent organization and implied purpose dictates a set of rules and guidelines that the librarians and other staff are expected to uphold in order to provide patrons with a consistent experience.

A library’s placement in its community can affect what materials are available depending on patron demand. For example, a library close to an elementary school might provide a large children’s section and make sure required reading is always on the shelf, while a library near a retirement home might make a point to stock a large collection of mystery novels. Catering to the specific needs of the community make patrons feel as if their library is interested in their unique informational desires. In public and academic libraries, this is arguably even more expected because the patrons are often the ones funding library services and programs. Most public libraries are city- or county-funded, meaning the taxpayers are aware that their tax dollars fund the library. Similarly, university students pay tuition, a portion of which is allocated to the library. The people who pay taxes or tuition are a large percentage of the people who visit, which makes it even more imperative that the library provide materials that will be appreciated and utilized by their immediate community.

A patron’s experience in the library, no matter what kind, is influenced by the setting. Physical setting helps guide patrons toward the areas of the library they are most interested in exploring. Setting as a representative of a parent organization solidifies patron expectations before they even enter the space. The library’s placement in a community and funding structure also affect patron expectations, and depending on how aware the community is of the funding structure, these two concepts are often linked. It is beneficial to information professionals in any library setting to be aware of each type of setting, and how it affects their library.

Evidence
The Importance of Merchandising and Furniture in a Young Adult Library Space
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Description
This piece of evidence was completed as an assignment for INFO 261A: Programs and Services for Young Adults during the Fall 2015 semester. The paper examines five teen and young adult spaces in public libraries across the country that were featured in the Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) magazine. In the assignment, I explore two main methods of making young adults feel comfortable in the public library. First, I examine merchandising techniques in libraries vs. bookstores. My analysis uses the mentioned success that several of the profiled teen spaces experienced when they began displaying the covers of books the way a bookstore might, as opposed to the traditional library look of lining up books on shelves with spines out. Supported by the research, I argue that seeing the exciting covers of YA literature will motivate the teens to explore library materials. Second, I use the descriptions of the furniture in the profiled teen spaces in conjunction with studies on “fugitive posture” to evaluate the most effective type of furniture for a public library’s teen area. I determine that adolescents behave and interact differently than adults, and therefore need the physical makeup of their area specialized to fit their unique physical and visual needs. This will result in more young adults reading and wanting to spend time in the library.

Argument
I used the analysis as an example of my understanding of Competency A, but it also fittingly demonstrates my mastery of Competency B because of its in-depth analysis of the physical setting of a library. The assignment uses a designated space in the library to guide patrons in their experience. Like a meeting room with projection equipment and chairs set up for an audience to receive instruction, a teen area contains furniture that young adults will find comfortable when they want to sit huddled in groups or with their knees tucked under their chins. Like a children’s play area where parent feel comfortable knowing their child will find something to interest and entertain them, a teen area contains decorations, advertisements, and library materials that will interest and entertain young adults.

I feel that “The Importance of Merchandising and Furniture in a Young Adult Library Space” demonstrates my proficient grasp on Competency B because it effectively analyzes the way a public library can design different areas to attract different patrons. Gaining and keeping patrons depends upon how enjoyable they find their experience, which is largely dependent on how physically comfortable they are within the walls of the library. Because this type of library is open to the public, the patron base is diverse and comfort will not mean the same thing to every person who walks through the doors. As mentioned in the paper and supported by research, the adolescent body is developing and needs different physical accommodations than it will need when the adolescent has finished growing and is considered an adult. Similarly, teens socialize differently than adults do and appreciate seating arrangements such as booths or loveseats for easier interactions with their friends. This analysis of physical space recognizes that public libraries are meant to serve people of all ages, and perfectly demonstrates my proficiency in the aspect of Competency B which has to do with a library’s physical setting.

Exploratory Essay: Digitization
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Description
My second piece of evidence to prove my mastery of Competency B is entitled “Digitization.” It is an exploratory essay completed in the Spring 2014 semester during LIBR 204: Information Professions. The class as a whole encourages students to research all the different career paths that their degree will open up, and this exploratory essay focuses on employment opportunities digitizing collections that previously only existed in physical form. The paper begins by mentioning all the brand new job opportunities in the field of library and information science that have emerged with the rise of technology, such as working on a library’s social media page to widen its patron base. The paper goes on to specifically mention the digitization of archives, rare documents, and manuscripts in special collections libraries. By their very nature, these types of materials are meant to be experienced in person so that the viewer can appreciate the historical value attached to the items. However, digitizing rare materials helps special collections libraries in two ways. First, it shows potential patrons what is available in the library and encourages visits by locals who may not have otherwise thought to go to the library. Second, it allows people who do not live locally to the special collections library what materials they offer, information which could be useful to someone’s research even without physically viewing the document. I use peer-reviewed articles to support my point that digitization projects, both within and outside the library and information science community, are a worthwhile use of the MLIS degree in the current technological climate.

Argument
This assignment illustrates my proficiency in the aspect of Competency B which has to do with a library’s placement in the community. I focus on special collections libraries, a type of library which sometimes struggles to gain new patrons because of their specialized materials. The essay discusses the skills necessary for the job of digitization, which in and of itself shows the importance of a special collections library’s placement in its community; there needs to be enough qualified archivists and information professionals within commuting distance or who are willing to relocate.

More importantly, the community of patrons surrounding the special collections library would be dependent on the facility for their research. If there is no scholarly community, if the library is not near a university where students and professors would come to research, then the library would benefit from creating an online community in order to expand their patron base in a way that is convenient for the potential patrons. The surrounding area containing people who will visit the library and take advantage of its materials and services is just as important as the library offering materials to keep their patrons happy. If the special collections library happens to be in an area where very few scholarly ambitions abound, digitization of the collection and the pursuit of online patrons is a logical next step. With these points supporting the analysis of digitization jobs using one’s MLIS degree, I believe that this assignment is a relevant representation of my proficiency in the concepts detailed in Competency B.

The Monastery
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Description
This assignment was a group project that I completed along with four other people in the Spring 2016 semester during the completion of INFO 266: Collection Management. The video I am using for this portfolio is a recording of the powerpoint presentation the group put together to explain a lengthy collection development policy. It mentions the group members by name, a feature that I was unable to edit out. For this reason I have received permission from each individual to use this assignment in my portfolio. We compiled the policy based on the fictional world of San Jose, California in the year 2108. Although the world we worked within was fictional, our collection development techniques and collection management strategies were based in professional methods and modeled from the American Library Association’s (ALA) Library Bill of Rights. The fictional premise is that an oppressive, totalitarian government (similar to Oceania in George Orwell’s 1984) takes over in the year 2101, censoring all information and disbanding the ALA. In response, information professionals in San Jose put together a hidden library specifically for young adults so that the future of society remains informed and hopeful in a seemingly hopeless social climate. The facility is called “The Monastery” so patrons and staff can discuss it in the open without inspiring suspicion. The presentation details the way our group worked together to successfully produce a collection development policy for our fictional teen library as well as the finer points of the project itself. My role in the group was writer and editor. My role in this presentation was putting together the powerpoint itself after each group member wrote the slide information for their sections. I designed the slideshow, added pictures, and was the group member physically clicking through the slides as the presentation was recorded. I also presented the section in the recording entitled “MYAL: Unique and Interesting Facts About Our Fictional Young Adult Library.”

Argument
I chose this presentation as my last piece of evidence for Competency B because it demonstrates my understanding of a library’s setting as it relates to it’s parent organization. The Monastery exists in an uncertain future under the rule of an oppressive, totalitarian government that censors all the information available to San Jose’s citizens. This environment is so cumbersome that library professionals secretly form a new library geared toward the youth of the community so that the next generation will be informed and rise up against the government. With the parent organization being the government, libraries no longer stood for intellectual freedom or equality for all. For this reason, librarians and their allies formed a new library with no parent organization except their own secret organization. This way they were still able to provide uncensored information to a group that arguably needs it more than any other and incite an uprising of knowledge and awareness in the tyrannized society’s youth. This situation is both fictional and extreme, but it demonstrates my knowledge that a library’s parent organization has great influence over the way the library operates.

Conclusion
I hope to continue working in public libraries as my career advances. All three types of setting mentioned above are important to be aware of in this environment. I will use my mastery of Competency B to continue to be aware of my organization’s setting in all respects. I am now aware of how internal physical setting can affect the way a patron navigates the library, and use this to my advantage when planning programming and events. I have a better understanding of the way parent organizations influence the daily operations of a library, especially in a taxpayer-funded public library. Finally, I plan to make any future collection development and organization choices based on an understanding of the community that surrounds my library.