Week 7 Readings

Public Libraries, Values, Trust, and E-Government

This article talks about the trust that communities place in public libraries, how libraries' values have boosted that confidence, and how the use of e-government in public libraries has transferred some of that trust to e-government services. Because of this, libraries have become an important factor in establishing and providing e-government services.

It is nice to read how valued and trusted public libraries are in their communities, especially reading about libraries' contributions towards disaster relief, but it was also kind of worrying. I can barely manage my own taxes, I know I'm not qualified to help someone else with theirs. Being so trusted as to be asked to help people with financial or legal matters is kind of terrifying, even when I know that I will be suggesting that those people ask others who are more qualified. Expecting us to fulfill such roles with no training or support (financial or otherwise) is both flattering and annoying: flattering because apparently both the government and the public think that libraries are more than capable of handling that responsibility with no help, and annoying because it's not true.

Community Leadership Through Public Library E-Government Services

This article discusses how the burden of e-government services are being shifted onto public libraries, with no comparable rise in funding or support by the government, and how libraries should deal with/prepare for this situation.

I got kind of angry reading this article, and seeing how much of an extra burden is being placed on libraries. Not only that, but in some cases, it seems irresponsible of the government agency to move their responsibilities to someone else, who may not be qualified. Few jobs can get away with something like that, and I don't think government jobs are one of them. I'm not arguing against e-government, I just think that agencies that are trying to save costs by moving online should look at a slightly bigger picture, instead of only at what affects them.

Responsibility Rolls Down

This article looks at the history of government information access in public libraries and how it has changed over the years, and how libraries should handle this change.

As in the previous two articles, it was kind of sad to see how much more responsibility is being placed on libraries without proper training for library staff. Jaeger and Bertot's recommendations to libraries seem similar to other things we have discussed so far in the semester: libraries need to better communicate what services they provide and what services they cannot, as well as better express what resources libraries need to continue providing those services. This includes working with government agencies to shape policy about e-government services, because then libraries can be better prepared to handle patron needs.

In The Public Trust

This manual covers the skills, responsibilities and how-to's of a library board member.

I thought it was interesting that there is a full manual on this topic. I guess I think of a job like being a board member as something that is innately known to the type of person who wants to be a library board member, but clearly that is not the case. Many of the articles that I've been looking at for the patron complain letter have the library director at odds with the library board, and it was nice to read about the complexities of the director-board relationship in a way that didn't portray either side in a negative light.