Week 4 Readings

Vote of Confidence by Beth Dempsey

Though there have been gains within the library world, there have been just as many losses. Beth Dempsey discusses the importance of the library being present within a community. While a part of the community, the library must then become a force that is positive and strong to resist the budget losses that are taking place.

In my reference class last semester, there was a lecture about the library and where it stands in today’s society. I felt the comment Dempsey makes about reliability of the librarian was especially important because that is why people go to the library. They know the people they interact with will be reliable and meet their needs to the best of their ability. Therefore, to communicate, listen, and present reliable and accurate information is important because that is part of what makes people come back in the future.

Performance Triage on Budgets in the Red by Thomas J. Hennen Jr.

The article by Thomas J. Hennen Jr. presents tools and alternatives for the saving of the library budget. There are numerous tools presented, as well as a few anecdotes to emphasize a point presented within the article.

I think the biggest thing the article suggests is to communicate. We already have the knowledge, but it’s the implementation of the knowledge that’s important. I believe the stress placed on the ability to convey thoughts is especially important because it becomes the core of how to interact with the library, not just in the budget. By having a strong foundation based on communication, future problems can be eliminated before they even happen. For example, a budget change is going to be in effect in the near future, the discussion prior to the implementation is important so that there are no surprises.

Bottoming Out by Michael Kelley

Michael Kelley discusses the budget deficit many libraries have encountered over the last few years. Presenting a lot of data, the argument becomes, “What is to happen to the public library?”

From the discussions in class over the past semester, there has been an ongoing theme of where the library stands in the changing economy. Specifically, what to do with the public and their perceptions of what the library stands for in the community. I also felt there was a great deal of application of what Kelley is writing about in the PowerPoint discussed in class. The statistics and the importance placed on where the library stands in the public perception. I think the emphasis placed on how to positively impact the community through Facebook stories, blogs, and other community builders are also useful for informing the public. By having more outreach people will be better informed and improve chances of getting funds in the future.