Looking back over the last twelve months, it’s been quite a year for libraries.  There have been some bad times (okay, lots of bad times – a number of libraries closing or being threatened by closures; lots of budget cuts; stress due to staff attrition, increased business and grumpy, overwhelmed customers…), but it really feels like this is the year libraries lived up to their full potential. 

We’ve always done great things and helped lots of people, but the bad economy has expanded our influence by leaps and bounds.  Media coverage exploded as the press “discovered” the many important services we provide our users.  Residents who previously eschewed holds lists to buy their own books and DVDs realized the folly of their environmentally unsound practices and the virtues of patience.  Frugal or broke customers gave up their internet connections to use ours and attended our movie nights and programs instead of spending and arm and a leg at the local cineplex or music venue.  Laid off employees and besieged unemployment offices depended on our help.  We jumped into the breach to help our struggling towns with tips on jobs, saving money, free services, helpful government programs etc.  In short, we became a more vital and necessary part of our communities than ever before.  Now if we can just parlay that interconnectedness into increased funding.

And somehow, despite being busier than ever due to huge increases in patronage and circulation, we’ve managed to still be the innovators and thought leaders in our communities.  We’re going greener – Rangeview (Brighton) is the first carbon positive library in the US; Jefferson County has the first green bookmobile; Seattle Public recycled 75% of construction waste; North Adams Public Library heats and cools with geothermal wells and Oaklyn Branch Library took advantage of the constant temperature of the earth and found itself a snug home in the side of a hill.  We’re providing better customer service – Houston PL will deliver materials to your car, elsewhere staffers are roaming the stacks to help patrons at their point of need, libraries are using market segmentation to refine their offerings.  We’ve got kiosks in shopping malls and airports, staffless libraries and vending machines.  We’re using marketing in new ways – cereal boxes and trucks, license plates and trading cards – we’re even using huge outdoor screens to advertise services.  And we’re keeping our patrons informed – through RSS feeds, Twitter, Facebook and blogs.  We’re more accessible than ever – we’ll answer reference questions that come by text, Twitter or chat.  We’ll even go to community meetings or out to the local commuter rail station to answer questions.

So yes, it’s been a tough year, but it’s been an amazing year too.  Public libraries are stretching themselves to serve their areas in truly amazing ways and I’m just astounded by all we’ve managed to accomplish, and by how we’ve secured an incredibly important and relevant place in this modern, technologically-obsessed society.

This time of year I get a little nostalgic about working in a public library.  Being at BCR is wonderful, but I don’t have contact with the public anymore and during the holidays I really miss that. 

The library always looks so festive with twinkling lights, decorations and evergreen branches everywhere.  Everyone is in an excited state of anticipation, especially the children.  They look so happy when they come out of the holiday programs and storytimes and come by the reference desk to check the progress on NORAD’s Santa Tracker which we’d leave up on one of our computers. 

The staff room is full of tasty treats and Santa’s extra costume hangs on the back of the staff bathroom door.  Ho ho ho can be heard throughout the library along with the sound of reindeer bells.  Everyone dresses in colorful holiday sweaters and pins.  And there are so many gifts and cards and goodies from grateful patrons (undeserved as we’re just doing our jobs, but very appreciated).

Perhaps this year the picture is a little bleaker with the bad economy.  So many people are struggling to get presents for their kids (locally we’ve had a disturbing number of bank robberies), but libraries always step up to the plate here as they help with Toys for Tots campaigns and disseminate information on charitable resources to help make it a merry season for everyone.

So if you are lucky enough to have a job in that special place called a public library, treasure it and the good work that you are doing, and have a very happy/merry Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Eid Al-Fitr or just a few secular days off!

At that advocacy training I discussed in my last post, we also covered local government spending.

The speaker pointed out that when voters show up at local government meetings or contact their legislators, it really does influence elected officials.  They’d rather see your patrons than you.  They know you have a vested interest, but if lots of people turn up to support a new program you’re proposing, it’s easier for them to justify funding you.

Remember too that you need high profile people for your board – their connections will prove invaluable when you need to influence others in your community.  They can rally the troops to write to the mayor or have a quiet word with the town manager highlighting how your new service will benefit the area.

Think outside the box when making your case to legislators and residents.  Safety is a huge priority – we know how often police and fire budgets are increased while libraries must tighten their belts.  So to free up dollars, make the connection between the 85% illiteracy rate in the juvenile justice system and your “ready to read” program.  We also provide a fairly safe place for kids to go after school (which keeps them from destructive behavior because they’re bored).

Certainly the educational opportunities that the library provides have an impact on the crime rate.  Stories engage your listeners, so tell some about at-risk patrons that are now productive tax-paying citizens because of library services.  And surely the city budget committee will be impressed that the library helps businesses start, grow and thrive.  Their additional tax revenues are certainly welcome, as are the jobs they create.

Remind your governments that we’re not just about books – we have the same objective they do – to improve our communities.  Telling stories that illustrate this will help them remember that.

Death Track Dolls

Talk about eliminating barriers to service – lack of parking is not an issue at busy Houston Public Library branches, they’ll deliver materials right to your car.  Seems like they are very committed to their patrons, but I’d really like to see them strap on roller skates (why do I have a vague recollection that this is how pages at the Library of Congress used to get around the stacks?).

There are skating librarians out there.  Jan Dawson is a Death Track Doll and Beth Hollis is a Rubber City Rollergirl.  So much for the meek librarian stereotype.  Now if they could just coach the Texans, HPL could halve their response time.

9/16 – Wow, roller derby librarians are not as rare as you’d think.  This was just on the DIG_REF list serv -

Does anyone working in your library participate in roller derby?  If so, please forward them this email.

Do you work in a library and skate, coach, ref, or volunteer for a roller derby team?  If so, we need your help!  Jennifer Hughes (aka Bout Girl) and Casey Schacher (aka Wikibleedia) are roller derby librarians, and will be presenting a paper entitled “Profiles of Librarians and Roller Derby Girls” at the south-regional Pop and American Culture Conference.

Please help us by completing the following survey:

http://sas.coastal.edu/snaponline/surveylogin.asp?k=3D125296064956 (enable cookies first)

Please direct all questions or requests for more information about this study to:
Jennifer Hughes jhughes@coastal.edu or Casey Schacher cschache@coastal.edu…

12/2 I recently heard about libraries that have drive up service windows like banks that let you pick up holds.  You can even call them to make sure an item is there and then pick it up at the window immediately.  And some Nebraska libraries will bring materials out to people’s cars just like Houston.