Kira Hyde
Masters of Library and Information Science
Dominican University
2020-2024
Goal 1: Develop a professional identity and philosophy within the library and information professions.
Outcome 1a: Describe the evolving nature of the core values and ethics within diverse information environments
Outcome 1b: Demonstrate how a philosophy, theory, model, and/or major perspective of the library and information profession guides practice in diverse settings.
Outcome 1c: Participate in professional activities and associations, such as professional conferences and meetings, internships and practicums, and professional email discussions and social media.
Outcome 1a: Describe the evolving nature of the core values and ethics within diverse information environments
Connection:
For outcome 1a I chose a paper I wrote that looked at materials that could be classified as sensitive and whether and when they have a place in libraries, special collections or museums. This essay was written early in my academic journey when I was focusing on archives. It helped me research a very basic ethical question which helped me gain exposure to the complexity of libraries and ethics.
Doing this assignment helped me understand that researching is a great way to stay informed. Libraries are evolving entities. Having an understanding of ethics and values helps set librarians up for better success when they are facing ethical issues. Another thing I learned was as diversity and equity become more integrated into libraries they are also shaping our understanding of what is ethical.
Sensitive Materials and Information Centers
Ethics often is easy to theorize about and harder to put into practice. Ethics gives a standard so that there is consistency and fairness between institutions. Information centers, such as libraries and archives, have many standards and values to help with ethical quandaries. One interesting ethical question is how should information centers handle sensitive materials? There are many issues here to explore. For example, what differences are there in an archive versus a public library in handling sensitive materials? Should these materials be saved? If the information is being saved, how should it be handled? Taking a look at these specific issues will help us answer the ethics of keeping sensitive material in information centers.
When exploring ethical issues, it is helpful to have a guide. For information centers and specifically libraries this can be found through the American Library Association (ALA). Most American libraries build their own values and standards from the suggestions given through the ALA. On the ALA website it states that the ALA motto is “The best reading, for the largest number , at the least cost.” This statement can be interpreted in a variety of ways but at the heart of this motto is the essence of library ethics, doing the most good with the least amount of harm. Having this standard across the board for information professionals helps to add consistency to collections.
However, it is not always so easy to analyze problems. Even with similar views and standards, information professionals will interpret ethical situations differently. Often libraries and information professionals have to make difficult choices about what they will allow into their collection. This includes what will be referred to as “sensitive material”. This subject is very broad so we will focus on politically incorrect material. This also may need further narrowing down and defining since “politically correct” is a changing and shifting term. Politically incorrect material is outdated material that refers to persons and peoples in an unflattering, judgmental, or demeaning way. This includes racial, sexual, gender, and disability stereotypes and slurs. This is a very sensitive issue because it deals with people’s identities and this will often translate into misunderstanding and hurt feelings. Because of the difficult nature of sensitive materials, information professions need to stay cognizant of developing trends within underrepresented communities.
Information professionals working in different areas will also have to make different choices based on the community they are serving. First, we will examine how a public library may treat sensitive material using ALA standards. On the American Library Association website there is a plethora of information about standards and practices. Referencing the ALA, we can create a better understanding of how sensitive material should be handled in public libraries. One of the main values of the ALA is diversity. This is in part an effort to better collaborate with minority groups on the handling of sensitive materials. In an article from 1999 from Ronald G. Edwards called “Recruiting More Minorities to the Library Profession: Responding to the Need for Diversity” Edwards details reasons for needing more diversity in information professions.
Edwards calls for more diversity saying
“As Joan Howland states, It is important to note that librarianship, a white female-dominated profession, has not become any more ethnically diverse than traditionally white male-dominated professions such as law, medicine, engineering, and architecture. Her comment is straightforward and honest regarding the role the majority must play in making sure diversity exists in the library profession. For too long, diversity has been an issue and not a reality. Minority recruitment into the library profession must be more than a symbolic ritual.”
Without diversity the library and other information fields become stagnant and ignorant of the best ways to serve underrepresented communities. Without the proper representation in library leadership, we ignore and hurt the diverse communities we should be serving. This includes how public libraries should handle sensitive material. Having that diversity shows that librarians are conscious of the ramifications of their decisions. This means that having diversity in library communities is vital to handling sensitive materials. Without diversity in information centers information professionals are ignoring an important demographic that should have a voice.
Diversity is important to have in every information center and not just public libraries. Next it is important to examine how historical centers, such as archives, might handle having sensitive materials. To better understand the difference in policies between the public library and historical centers we need to look at the Society of American Archivist (SAA). On the website for SAA we can find the values and policies for American archives. One of their guiding principles is “diversity”. On the ALA website it states
“Archivists collectively seek to document and preserve the record of the broadest possible range of individuals, communities, governance, and organizations. Archivists respectfully work to build and promote archival collections that document a multiplicity of viewpoints on social, political, and intellectual issues.”
Again, we can see that diversity is reiterated as being an important part of the information profession. Minority groups need to be a part of the conversation so that their history is being preserved. Due to minorities being underrepresented, efforts need to be made in the archival community to recruit minorities. When these underrepresented groups are given a voice in the conversation archivists will have a better grasp on how to handle sensitive material
To understand why archives preserve sensitive materials it is helpful to look at the SAA website and their values and practices. Along with their commitment to diversity they also acknowledge under the section “Human Memory” the importance of preserving all materials. Under “Human Memory” it states
“Archival materials provide digital and physical surrogates for human memory, both individually and collectively, and serve as evidence against which individual and social memory can be compared. While the historical record cannot be defined by a single document, collection, or memory, archivists recognize that primary sources allow people to examine past events and gain insight into human experiences.”
Preserving history is key to archives and other historical centers. This will often lead to preserving history that retroactively is problematic. Taking a look at why, and also how, these sensitive materials should be kept is an important ethical issue that concerns information professionals.
One of the reasons that it is important to preserve sensitive material in archives is to not deny history that happened. Problematic materials are part of our history because our history is imperfect and fraught with human error. Part of solving the problem of these materials is housing them in historic centers rather than public libraries. This ensures that the information is not being denied but that it is also not presented as truth. In the book Archival Anxiety and the Vocational Calling by Richard J. Cox he details main issues of being an archivist and the difficulties that it presents. In chapter seven “Archival Ethics: The Truth of the Matter” he relates the complexities of working in historic centers and the issues that can arise (Cox 129-145). When going into information professions it is a key to success to have a deep understanding of the ethical issues that can arise. By studying professionals like Cox, we can better cultivate our values so that when ethical issues present themselves, we are better capable of dealing with them.
Another thing for archivists to remember is that it is not part of their job to interpret or judge history or historical materials. Archivists keep materials and information safe so that other people can learn from the information. It can be difficult for archivists to remain unbiased but it is a fundamental part of their job. There are many articles in The American Archivist journal to look to for answers to these ethical quandaries. From the journal in 1953 Henry Browne wrote an article titled “An Appeal for Archives in Institutions of Higher Learning”. Even as an older article it still follows current SAA values. Browne writes
“The archives, then, is not intended to serve first and foremost the social scientist or critic who is interested in the examination of historical or literary manuscript materials…In fact, in its concern with official records the archives is fundamentally and primarily a tool of administration, and has been aptly described as the official memory of an institution.”
This statement is still true for archivists and archives today. Archivists need to be aware and even wary of what they chose to house but they are also not the ones responsible for deciphering the past.
Even though it is not the archivist's job to interpret the past, archivists need to be conscious of what they are saving and how it reflects on history. Not everything from history is salvageable but it is archivists’ responsibility to make sure that they are saving the materials that are going to give an honest and full picture of the past. It would be relatively easy for archivists to shape assumptions of the past by what they save. To provide an example of this we can look to the article by Andrew Israel Ross titled “Sex in the Archives: Homosexuality, Prostitution, and the Archives de la Préfecture de Police de Paris.” This article details how the knowledge kept by the archives was vital to Ross’s understanding of sex in France. It is using historical accounts and materials that Ross can use to shape a picture of the past. However even with this historical information he has to sift through things being mis-cataloged and mis-labeled (Ross). These were conscious decisions on the archivists’ part. Without the information being saved it would be much harder to know what was happening in the past and it is fortunate that those materials were saved but even those small decisions shape how people may view the past. Archivists have to be willing to take that responsibility into their hands when they are managing their archives.
Now that we have established that it is important for archives and other historic centers to keep and maintain information, we have to carefully consider how this might be detrimental to minorities and other underrepresented groups. Sensitive materials can be very triggering to those they misrepresent. Also, by holding on to that information harmful opinions may be perpetuated and upheld. One very real example of this is the stereotype that people of color feel less pain. This stereotype can be seen in many historical documents and is something that still is affecting people of color and the medical community. In the book Black and Blue: The Origins and Consequences of Medical Racism by John Hoberman he explains how relevant these stereotypes are and where they come from. While not blaming archives, he lays out in detail the stereotypes that people of color feel less physical pain (Hoberman). This is just one of many examples of how sensitive information can be detrimental to real people living now. These examples can still be seen in everyday life and they have a very real effect on how minority and underrepresented groups are treated.
Keeping the duality of needing this information in archives so history is not repeated and also not wanting people to use this information to justify stereotypes is a tricky place to be as an archivist. Part of the solution is how these materials are being preserved, cataloged and handled. It is not an acceptable answer to simply remove these resources from archives and other historic centers. They have to stay to help preserve that full view of history. Having archivists trained in how to handle these materials is part of the key. An article that shows some of these basic principles is “Managing Archives: Foundations, Principles and Practice20071Caroline Williams. Managing Archives: Foundations, Principles and Practice” by Carl Newton. In the article he writes “The work is a sensible, pragmatic account of the fundamental tasks of the archivist beginning with the principles and passing through selection and appraisal, arrangement, description, access, advocacy, preservation and the management of an archive service.” These are the basics that every archivist needs to learn. Having archivists have a solid understanding of the basics will help them to handle materials similarly, including sensitive material.
Finding aids are a vital tool for archivists and researchers. By adding disclaimers and labels to finding aids archivists can better prepare patrons for sensitive materials they might encounter. Looking at the journal The American Archivist there is an article by Gregory Wiedeman called “The Historical Hazards of Finding Aids” which details the problems and advantages of using finding aids. Part of the problem that it outlines is that the finding aid becomes intertwined with the materials they represent (Wiedeman). This can be used to the advantage of the archivist when labeling sensitive materials. However, archivists need to stay diligent to make sure that the metadata they are creating is appropriate for the material they are representing.
Some examples of things that can be done to help preserve sensitive materials while still respecting minorities and underrepresented groups is being open about the information that the materials contain. Hiding away sensitive material will ultimately cause problems for the archives. This also goes back to archives preserving a full history. Being open about these materials also will ensure that people are not being blindsided by the information. Archivist should put trigger warnings and labels where appropriate. This is also a way for archives to avoid upsetting patrons who may stumble upon upsetting information. It is also a way to show that the libraries do not endorse or condone the information presented.
One of the advantages of archives housing sensitive materials is that they can be used as evidence in academic papers. Even though archivists do not analyze material they make sure that materials are available so that other peoples can use the materials as primary sources. To give an example of this we can look at the article “Complete and Incomplete Archives: An Analysis of Archival Material Documenting European Community-Yugoslav Relations” written by Branislav Radeljic. In his article he talks about the flaws that archives have and how the information that is not saved can be as informative as the material that is kept (Radejic). Even though sensitive material is hard to handle and can be uncomfortable to talk about, it is still an important part of archives.
Ethics are an important part of libraries because the public needs to have confidence in information centers. Information centers need to have consistent national values so they are making similar choices. One of the most tricky ethical questions is how should information centers and specifically archives handle sensitive materials? Housing sensitive materials can be hard but it is important for archivists to have a full picture of the past. By promoting diversity archives can also better serve underrepresented communities. Also, by having sensitive material preserved the public can learn and grow from the past.
Bibliography
Cox, R. J. (2014). Chapter 7 Archival Ethics: The Truth of the Matter. In Archival Anxiety and the Vocational Calling (pp. 129-145). Duluth: Litwin Books.
Edwards, R. G. (1999). Recruiting More Minorities to the Library Profession: Responding to the Need for Diversity. Retrieved 2020, from http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/pdf/edwards99.pdf
Gregory Wiedeman; The Historical Hazards of Finding Aids. The American Archivist 1 September 2019; 82 (2): 381–420. doi: https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc-82-02-20
Henry Browne; An Appeal for Archives in Institutions of Higher Learning. The American Archivist 1 July 1953; 16 (3): 213–226. doi: https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.16.3.l4168486342472m3
Hoberman, J. (2012). Black and blue: The origins and consequences of medical racism. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
"Mission & Priorities", American Library Association, June 9,2008. http://www.ala.org/aboutala/node/229/ (Accessed November 16, 2020)
Newton, C. (2007). Managing Archives: Foundations, Principles and Practice20071Caroline Williams. Managing Archives: Foundations, Principles and Practice. Oxford: Chandos Publishing 2006. xvii +248 pp., ISBN: 1‐84334‐112‐3. Records Management Journal (London, England), 17(1), 63–65. https://doi.org/10.1108/09565690710730705
Radeljic, B. (2015). Complete and Incomplete Archives: An Analysis of Archival Material Documenting European Community-Yugoslav Relations. Historian, 77(1), 80–99. https://doi-org.dom.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/hisn.12057
Ross, A. I. (2017). Sex in the Archives. French Historical Studies, 40(2), 267–290. https://doiorg.dom.idm.oclc.org/10.1215/00161071-3761619
Society of American Archivists. (2020, August). SAA Core Values Statement and Code of Ethics. Retrieved November 24, 2020, from https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa- core-values-statement-and-code-of-ethics
Outcome 1b: Demonstrate how a philosophy, theory, model, and/or major perspective of the library and information profession guides practice in diverse settings.
Connection:
In this assignment for my class on academic libraries, I examined a college library's strategic plan versus their college’s strategic plan. This is one of my most recent assignments. As I took classes my interest shifted from archives to academic libraries. This change in focus helped me understand how similar many core library philosophies are. For example, outcome 1b asks about library philosophy and how it can be applied. One recurring theme for me was libraries and other information centers need to be a support for their community.
This assignment connects the academic library’s goals with the university's goals. Each library is going to have a diverse community. With this assignment, we see that the college is the library’s community. Examining the plans and watching how the goals and values were in sync showed me that libraries need to work with their communities so that they can support them. Whether or not I end up working in an academic library, this exercise impacted how I see a librarian's relationship with their community.
Strategic Plan Analysis
Strengths:
For this assignment I chose to look at Red Rocks Community College (RRCC). First, I studied the library plan, then I compared it to the overall college plan. Here are some of my first observations. When reading through the library's plan I was really impressed at the details each section goes into. There are also ‘activities’ laid out showing how they are planning on implementing change and monitoring growth. I was impressed that they also cited state goals as well.
Next, I looked at the university's strategic plan. They have the following five values listed; integrity, collaboration, learning, inclusiveness, and communication. I returned to the library's plan and saw that there were many similarities. The library lays out goals and many of these reflect the university's own values. For example, “Goal 2: Commit to equity across all levels of the institution”, this shows the libraries commitment to work towards inclusiveness. Both documents talk in depth about their commitment to providing services to everyone and making those services obtainable.
For some specifics I found that in the College plan the first goal was “engage students through high quality, impactful, educational programs”. It lists several specific ways to achieve this goal. It includes things like inclusion, online learning, and providing professional development. This goal is directly referenced in the libraries plan; their first goal is “engage students through high quality, impactful, educational programs”. The goal is discussed and there are specific things listed that the library would do to support this goal. It lists, “1. Conduct an environmental scan 2. Develop a Continuous Improvement Plan for Media Literacy Program 3. Pilot program 4. Assessment of the pilot.” I think it is important that the library directly supports the university’s goals while also getting very specific with the library's role in supporting that goal.
As you look through the library plan it follows the same pattern. The university’s goal is listed verbatim as a goal of the library. Then in the library's plan the goal is explored in relation to the library. At the end of each section are specific tasks that the library plans on doing to support this goal. The library's plan is strong because it is taking the university goals, applying them to the library and creating a doable action plan.
Gaps:
When it came to gaps in the library's plan, I returned to the university’s values. The library had clearly and thoroughly covered the university’s goals, but what about their values? This is where I found a few things that could be improved. One of the values is “integrity.” When looking at the library’s plan I did not find anything specifically about integrity. While it is a little thing, I think it would be really easy for the library plan to incorporate integrity by adding in anti-plagiarism goals. Libraries are a great resource when it comes to information literacy. Many cases of plagiarism are intentional. This can be avoided by providing students with easier access to resources and promoting the library's resources. Plagiarism can also be a problem when students do not fully understand it or understand its consequences. I would recommend that the library do something about information literacy in direct connection to plagiarism so it can loop back to supporting the university's value of integrity.
Inclusion:
Both the college plan and library plan highlight inclusion as a value and goal. Both have good specifics. In the university plan it says, “Red Rocks Community College values inclusiveness. This value is expressed when we: Develop procedures and programs that weave diversity throughout the daily work of the college.” It then lists several other ways to support inclusion. It is important that the university has these spelled out as values with direct objectives.
The library plan also includes inclusion. In the library’s second goal section it reads, “The RRCC service area is changing, and we are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. If we are to fulfill our mission of providing opportunities for growth and development, we must ensure that our delivery and support are also responsive to the changing needs of our student body.” The library is recognizing that it can do better. This section also shows that the library, like the university, values its growing diverse community and they want to support students from all backgrounds.
Identify opportunities:
As I looked at the RRCC’s library website it seemed a little bare. I liked that there was a chat feature and that it is easy to navigate. However, I think of one thing I would add. I think that the library website could benefit from a page that reads “library basics”. There is an “about” section, but I think it would be helpful for freshmen to have a page that lays out all the library resources. From the library plan it sounds like the library is doing a lot of good things. I think if they had a section on their website detailing things like library basics it would be incredibly helpful to new students.
“So what?”:
This whole exercise helped me understand the importance of the university library and the university being in sync. RRCC has an excellently thought-out and detailed plan with specific goals. The library not only took those goals in their own plan but directly related them to the library. I thought it was important that they have specific action plans for each goal. This shows that the library is supporting the university.
Conclusion:
This exercise was very helpful to me. It helped me see the connection between the university and the library. When considering a role as an academic librarian I had not fully considered its relationship to the university. But this assignment made it so evident that the library should be working toward the same or similar goals as the university. As the university library stays in tune with the university it will be easier to justify its existence. The library shows that it is an important part of the academic community.
Works Cited
Red Rocks Community College. (2019, October 11). SHAPING THE FUTURE: THE 2019-2025 RED ROCKS COMMUNITY COLLEGE STRATEGIC PLAN. RRCC Strategic Plan October 11 2019 Complete Final Draft.pdf. Retrieved January 20, 2024, from https://www.rrcc.edu/sites/default/files/u198/RRCC%20Strategic%20Plan%20October%2011%202019%20Complete%20Final%20Draft.pdf
Red Rocks Community College Library. (2021). RRCC library strategic plan 2021-2025. RRCC Library Strategic Plan 2021-2025. Retrieved January 20, 2024, from https://www.rrcc.edu/sites/default/files/u4377/RRCC%20Library%20Strategic%20Plan%202021-2025.pdf
Outcome 1c: Participate in professional activities and associations, such as professional conferences and meetings, internships and practicums, and professional email discussions and social media.
Evidence: "Reader Advisory Interview"
Connection:
In my reader advisory class, we had to conduct an interview with a librarian about how their library handles reader advisory. We had basic questions but we then had to write a paper analyzing our discussion. This connects with outcome 1c because I had the opportunity to discuss things I had learned in theory and see it in practice. One of my favorite parts of my library experience at Dominican was getting the chance to see what the real library experience is like.
The person I interviewed is a personal friend who has extensive library experience. It was revealing how different things I learned about were versus what she had experienced. There were many similar ideas and practices but talking with her I saw that there are real world considerations that you will not meet until they come up during the job. Another thing I took away from this assignment was the importance of networking and collaboration. Librarians can always reach out to find answers.
Reader’s Advisory Interview
In this class we have looked at reader’s advisory through a very academic almost ideal lens. We have learned many lessons about how to deal with difficult patrons and what tools are useful for reader advisory. Our annotations of specific books that we picked have led to thinking outside the box when doing reader advisory. For this assignment I spoke with a librarian III who is a branch manager at a public library. For this paper I will refer to this individual as “the librarian”. Together we discussed what reader advisory looks like in a practical way and in a real library.
As we started our conversation the librarian was afraid that their answers might not sound academic enough. I assured them that that was exactly what I was looking for in this interview. First we talked about planning for reader advisory services. The librarian explained that at their library it starts at the hiring process. Candidates are asked “what was the last book you read?” and the librarian explained that it is important that all staff help with reader advisory. The librarian also commented on how each of the staff members have different interests. This means that if one staff member does not know how to do reader advisory for picture books they know the staff member who can.
Other things this librarian does is have their staff write book reviews. Books, movies, and other materials are also frequently talked about. This helps the staff know what books and materials each other is using and whether they would recommend it to a patron. As the manager the librarian named different individuals that have different interests and how they know who to go to for different genres. Staff members also run book clubs and make displays based on what books they enjoy.
The budgeting section was really interesting to review with the librarian. They explained that there is a really strong relationship between readers' advisory and budget. The librarian is confident they have a strong budget, but part of that is they have to spend all of it or risk losing part of it the next year. When buying books care needs to be taken to look for what will be popular. When looking at numbers it looks bad when books do not circulate. The librarian estimated that about 85% of the budget should be circulating.
The librarian also mentioned the “dusty book report”, a list of non circulating books. When this list comes out before they weed the books they will email libraries in the system to see if the book might circulate better in a different community. The librarian will also work with other branches to spread out different books. For example if an interesting book is coming out but is from a new author and there is no buzz around it maybe two of the seven or so libraries in the system will purchase it.
The librarian also talked about having a well rounded staff. It is not always possible but there should be someone that can recommend most popular genres. We also discussed how film and television can be considered part of reader advisory. They recommend diversifying your staff. And having staff that use social media so they know what is trending. In-service training is also important for their staff. Every job in this system has continuing educational credit. Mostly webinars. Many of these credits deal with reader advisory in a place the staff may not be as comfortable.
When I asked about hours of service the librarian explained that due to the library's location different seasons bring in different crowds. They said most reader advisory happens at the desk during summer hours. Also, they estimated about 50% of circulation time at the circulation desk is spent on reader advisory.
Our next topic was collection development. I started by asking if there was a conscious effort to have a diverse collection. The librarian said yes and gave an example. They had recently removed a politician’s book from the purchase cart. Then after giving it some thought I reflected that there would be a want for this book. The librarian chuckled and said they begrudgingly added it back into the cart. They mentioned how important it is to pay attention to the community's needs. They shared another example of when a staff member who bought the DVDs focused on horror movies. The librarian was starting to get complaints so evaluated the DVD collection and found 50% of the new section was horror movies. The librarian also shared how they noticed that large print books were mostly just cozy mysteries. They then made a conscious effort to add more diversity to the large print to hit more interests.
Next we discussed the librarian’s electronic resources. Their system has Libby. Because Libby is used by the whole system one person in the system is incharge of the ebooks. However, the branches in the system are encouraged to ask for specific titles. I asked if physical books are more popular than their electronic counterparts. They said that physical media was significantly more popular. This changed during Covid. When people could not visit their library consistently, patrons started to embrace ebooks. Now ebooks are growing popular and are almost as popular as the physical collection. The librarian commented that now patrons see electronic resources as a part of the collection rather than a novelty. Also, older adults have become more accepting as they get more experience using the electronic side of the library.
When I asked about reading lists the librarian said one staff member keeps the NY times bestseller on her desk. The library also has the NY times book review, Book Page magazine and Forbes books available for staff and patrons to pursue. They also have Kirkus and will look at Baker and Taylor book reviews. Having these physical lists can give staff and patrons an easy way to look through new books and ones they might not have heard of or considered.
When we talked about the expectation for staff reading after work hours our discussion was very interesting. It is the library's policy that workers can only get paid during work hours. This means that they cannot require reading when not working. At the same time they also need to be familiar with books and read books for books clubs and programs. The librarians said even though they are also not supposed to read at the desk it is sometimes allowed if all their other work is done.
For tacit knowledge and the library staff the librarian started by discussing how they know what books staff like. The librarian reiterated how important their staff’s reading habits are. By reading books they are not only better at reader advisory but they can also run better programs, like book clubs. They also said there is one staff member who specifically goes to two retirement homes to bring books and recommendations.
The nature of the customer base was an interesting topic because this library has several distinct groups it serves. The library serves as a shelter for some, a place parents can bring children, readers of all ages who come in just for books, and teachers. Additionally, the library shares a physical space with the senior center, and the local historical society adding in other ways to reach the community. Many people use this library for many reasons. The librarian was also proud to report they earned gold “best in best of press” in the library section last year.
As we discussed the use of reader profiles we got into some interesting ethical questions. It is their library's policy that no record of reader history is kept. This keeps the reads history private but it can also make it difficult if patrons want to know what they have read in the past. The librarian did admit their system will show holds history but that's about it. Instead they encourage patrons to keep track of their own reading habits using something like goodreads. Their library system also has a mail in book program. When someone signs up for this program they fill out a preference for so they are more likely to get books they are interested in. This is really the only time they have a form-based readers advisory system.
The librarian when I brought up surveys of readers said that in their 20 years working in this county they have never seen a survey. However they think this could be a great idea. One thing the librarian said was that they like to have “staff pick” to highlight books staff like. This is a great way to do passive reader advisory, similarly to making displays.
In terms of more technical analyses of reading patterns. The librarian said they do run reports. And these can be done by managers and can be broken into categories. But the reports are more about weeding more based on age and last checked out date. This is a lesser seen part of reader advisory but I still think it is important. Weeding books helps with reader advisory because it takes a hard look at what is no longer popular and makes room for books that might be more relevant and interesting.
During this almost hour and a half interview I learned a lot of really valuable insights into how a real library does reader advisory. It is woven throughout the library. Everything from displays, to clubs, to having catalogs available to just having a staff that can recommend books are reader advisory. It was also really impressive to see a manager that is so supportive and copportative of their staff. It shows that having a good team can really improve reader advisory.
Notes and Citation
This discussion took place October 19th, the list of topics was given to the librarian ahead of time. The librarian also verbally consented to being interviewed. As I took notes I would read them back to the interviewee to make sure I was representing them accurately. At the conclusion of the interview they agreed my notes, that this paper is based on, was an accurate depiction of our conversation.
(J. Vigue, personal communication, October 19, 2023)