Competency B ~
Compare the environments and organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice.
Statement
When I think of what this competency means, I think of the benefits that come when we evaluate the profession of librarianship. Good librarians always try to provide quality service, and comparing different organizational settings helps librarians and information professionals identify institutions that excel, or need improvement, in certain areas of service. No two libraries are the same, so when the time is upon us to evaluate programming and services comparing different information environments is an important step in the planning process. Not only is comparing environments and organizational settings important for institutional planning, but it is an important activity for librarians and information professionals to engage in so they can develop a well-rounded understanding of the profession; we need to understand how the duties of information professionals change as their environments change. Personally, I have found that comparing different information institutions has helped me to decide what type of information environment I would like to work in, and which ones I would rather steer clear of. As students of librarianship, we can take courses that interest us and that provide us with excellent introductory material, and in some cases advanced, but until we actually get the opportunity to observe these institutions and information professionals in action, we really have no ammunition to make informed decisions about what type of setting our individual skills will best benefit our communities.
Throughout my coursework I have had several opportunities to observe and compare the environments and organizational settings in which information professionals practice. Two such opportunities that I will discuss for the purpose of demonstrating competency here will be an interview I conducted with a correctional librarian at California State Prison, Solano, and a tour I was given of the Center for Sacramento History (CSH), an archival repository. While these are two very different environments, they are two environments that I have considered working in. Having the opportunity to observe them both has helped me in making some very important decisions regarding my future.
Both the CSH and Solano prison library are information environments that serve the public, but they do so in very different ways. The CSH is an archival repository and historical research center that serves the Sacramento region. The repository collects and preserves privately donated manuscripts and personal papers form individuals, businesses, and organizations in the community. CSH is a public agency; it is part of the Convention, Culture, and Leisure Department of the City of Sacramento. The facility is large, but looks very modest from the outside. Inside the Center is a reading room, staff research room, private offices, a front greeting area, and of course a vault, a 20,000 sq. ft. room that was reconstructed in 1989. I compare my experience in this vault to my experience visiting the Qin Terracotta Warrior Museum in Xian, China in 2005. I was unexpectedly surprised at the vastness of the collections; both experiences took my breath away.
When discussing the daily routine at CSH with the Senior Archivist, she emphasized the need for constant collaboration and teamwork among all CSH staff and also with outside institutions that the Center has formed partnerships with. There are eight regular staff members at CSH; everyone else is either a student intern or volunteer.
The next information organization that I will discuss is the California State Prison, Solano Correctional Library. This piece of evidence is an assignment I completed for LIBR 282 Seminar in Library Management: Correctional Libraries with William Mongelli. The objective of the assignment was to observe how the 14 principles of correctional library management are applied, if at all, in a real correctional library setting. My experience observing the prison library was very different than observing the archive. Most obviously, I had to enter a prison environment and I was uneasy about that, and that's putting it mildly. I scheduled this visit for a Saturday morning, which I earned extra credit for because it meant the library was open and I would actually experience the pleasure of interacting with inmates. Before the inmates were allowed into the library the Supervising Librarian and I had several minutes to discuss safety protocol -- a prison librarian's number one concern. During this library visit I learned that there are a set of rules that must be followed, like who can and cannot be in the library. Not all inmates have library privileges, so the inmates who are allowed really look forward to the opportunity.
Inmates help run the library; they are the librarian's staff and without them there would be no library. Something that I was excited to observe was inmates engaging in traditional library activities. Discussions and readings from class can only teach us so much about these types of environments. Seeing first hand that inmates appreciate and use library services to their advantage was one of the best learning experiences I have had. Inmates are library patrons who are entitled to quality services just as traditional library users are; my visit on this day reaffirmed that fact. I observed one or two patrons browsing the small stacks while most others were socializing at the large tables in the middle of the small room, either drinking coffee or reading a newspaper. Few inmates were reading books or writing letters. If an inmate wanted to use a computer or typewriter, permission had to be granted by the librarian. Library staff were filling the stacks or helping their fellow inmates with legal research.
Because these two information institutions are so different, there is much to compare. Some similarities are that both the CSH and the California State Prison library are information centers that house and disseminate information to people who need to access it. Both organizations are customer service oriented; both require teamwork and collaboration to ensure smooth operations; and both require mutual respect between staff and users. And while there are these similarities, I observed differences between the two institutions as well. First, the intended user groups are dramatically different. While CSH has a broad public user group not necessarily limited to Sacramento due to online capabilities, the correctional library's user group is limited to prison inmates and employees. It cannot go unmentioned that the two institutions have very different missions. The CSH aims to "illuminate and promote the exploration and analysis of the social, political, geographical, and cultural history of the City and County of Sacramento from their founding to the present, by collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and making accessible the documentary and material culture of the diverse region" (CSH, 2009). The mission of the correctional library follows the Department of Correction's (DOC) mission to protect the public by socializing and rehabilitating prison inmates for the purpose of reintegration into society (Mongelli, 2010). The DOC mission limits the correctional library's collection to rehabilitative and therapeutic materials, with some expections being made for leisure and entertainment. The most important question the correctional librarian must ask when considering materials for the collection is, "will this aid in inmates' self directed rehabilitation?"
Conclusion
When we compare the environments and organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice, one of the most important things to remember is that while some criteria will remain the same, the criteria for observing or evaluating different environments will change. For CSH my observation criteria consisted of: facility size; accessibility; services; operating hours; staff dynamics; and collection details. For the correctional library my observation criteria consisted of: facility size; how well inmate staff, inmate patrons, and the librarian co-exist; the cultural atmosphere of the library; how safe the library is; and what are the librarian's main concerns while working in the correctional setting?
Comparing these two environments has given me the information needed to make informed decisions about the career path I plan to pursue as an information professional. I now know that being a correctional librarian is something I would not enjoy because of the constant threat to the librarian's safety. It is true that inmates have legitimate information needs, but along with those needs comes a hostile and sometimes unpredictable working environment that only a special kind of person can tolerate and excel in. I also understand that we serve our patrons differently depending on what type of institution we work in. While the basic principles of library service still apply, certain environments may require the librarian to adapt and adjust services to cater to the specific needs of the user group.
References
Center for Sacramento History. (2009). Mission Statement. Retrieved from
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/ccl/history/about/policies.asp
Mongelli, W.D. (2010). Vocabulary. LIBR 282 Seminar in Library Management: Correctional Libraries. San Jose State
University.
Evidentiary Material
When I think of what this competency means, I think of the benefits that come when we evaluate the profession of librarianship. Good librarians always try to provide quality service, and comparing different organizational settings helps librarians and information professionals identify institutions that excel, or need improvement, in certain areas of service. No two libraries are the same, so when the time is upon us to evaluate programming and services comparing different information environments is an important step in the planning process. Not only is comparing environments and organizational settings important for institutional planning, but it is an important activity for librarians and information professionals to engage in so they can develop a well-rounded understanding of the profession; we need to understand how the duties of information professionals change as their environments change. Personally, I have found that comparing different information institutions has helped me to decide what type of information environment I would like to work in, and which ones I would rather steer clear of. As students of librarianship, we can take courses that interest us and that provide us with excellent introductory material, and in some cases advanced, but until we actually get the opportunity to observe these institutions and information professionals in action, we really have no ammunition to make informed decisions about what type of setting our individual skills will best benefit our communities.
Throughout my coursework I have had several opportunities to observe and compare the environments and organizational settings in which information professionals practice. Two such opportunities that I will discuss for the purpose of demonstrating competency here will be an interview I conducted with a correctional librarian at California State Prison, Solano, and a tour I was given of the Center for Sacramento History (CSH), an archival repository. While these are two very different environments, they are two environments that I have considered working in. Having the opportunity to observe them both has helped me in making some very important decisions regarding my future.
Both the CSH and Solano prison library are information environments that serve the public, but they do so in very different ways. The CSH is an archival repository and historical research center that serves the Sacramento region. The repository collects and preserves privately donated manuscripts and personal papers form individuals, businesses, and organizations in the community. CSH is a public agency; it is part of the Convention, Culture, and Leisure Department of the City of Sacramento. The facility is large, but looks very modest from the outside. Inside the Center is a reading room, staff research room, private offices, a front greeting area, and of course a vault, a 20,000 sq. ft. room that was reconstructed in 1989. I compare my experience in this vault to my experience visiting the Qin Terracotta Warrior Museum in Xian, China in 2005. I was unexpectedly surprised at the vastness of the collections; both experiences took my breath away.
When discussing the daily routine at CSH with the Senior Archivist, she emphasized the need for constant collaboration and teamwork among all CSH staff and also with outside institutions that the Center has formed partnerships with. There are eight regular staff members at CSH; everyone else is either a student intern or volunteer.
The next information organization that I will discuss is the California State Prison, Solano Correctional Library. This piece of evidence is an assignment I completed for LIBR 282 Seminar in Library Management: Correctional Libraries with William Mongelli. The objective of the assignment was to observe how the 14 principles of correctional library management are applied, if at all, in a real correctional library setting. My experience observing the prison library was very different than observing the archive. Most obviously, I had to enter a prison environment and I was uneasy about that, and that's putting it mildly. I scheduled this visit for a Saturday morning, which I earned extra credit for because it meant the library was open and I would actually experience the pleasure of interacting with inmates. Before the inmates were allowed into the library the Supervising Librarian and I had several minutes to discuss safety protocol -- a prison librarian's number one concern. During this library visit I learned that there are a set of rules that must be followed, like who can and cannot be in the library. Not all inmates have library privileges, so the inmates who are allowed really look forward to the opportunity.
Inmates help run the library; they are the librarian's staff and without them there would be no library. Something that I was excited to observe was inmates engaging in traditional library activities. Discussions and readings from class can only teach us so much about these types of environments. Seeing first hand that inmates appreciate and use library services to their advantage was one of the best learning experiences I have had. Inmates are library patrons who are entitled to quality services just as traditional library users are; my visit on this day reaffirmed that fact. I observed one or two patrons browsing the small stacks while most others were socializing at the large tables in the middle of the small room, either drinking coffee or reading a newspaper. Few inmates were reading books or writing letters. If an inmate wanted to use a computer or typewriter, permission had to be granted by the librarian. Library staff were filling the stacks or helping their fellow inmates with legal research.
Because these two information institutions are so different, there is much to compare. Some similarities are that both the CSH and the California State Prison library are information centers that house and disseminate information to people who need to access it. Both organizations are customer service oriented; both require teamwork and collaboration to ensure smooth operations; and both require mutual respect between staff and users. And while there are these similarities, I observed differences between the two institutions as well. First, the intended user groups are dramatically different. While CSH has a broad public user group not necessarily limited to Sacramento due to online capabilities, the correctional library's user group is limited to prison inmates and employees. It cannot go unmentioned that the two institutions have very different missions. The CSH aims to "illuminate and promote the exploration and analysis of the social, political, geographical, and cultural history of the City and County of Sacramento from their founding to the present, by collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and making accessible the documentary and material culture of the diverse region" (CSH, 2009). The mission of the correctional library follows the Department of Correction's (DOC) mission to protect the public by socializing and rehabilitating prison inmates for the purpose of reintegration into society (Mongelli, 2010). The DOC mission limits the correctional library's collection to rehabilitative and therapeutic materials, with some expections being made for leisure and entertainment. The most important question the correctional librarian must ask when considering materials for the collection is, "will this aid in inmates' self directed rehabilitation?"
Conclusion
When we compare the environments and organizational settings in which library and information professionals practice, one of the most important things to remember is that while some criteria will remain the same, the criteria for observing or evaluating different environments will change. For CSH my observation criteria consisted of: facility size; accessibility; services; operating hours; staff dynamics; and collection details. For the correctional library my observation criteria consisted of: facility size; how well inmate staff, inmate patrons, and the librarian co-exist; the cultural atmosphere of the library; how safe the library is; and what are the librarian's main concerns while working in the correctional setting?
Comparing these two environments has given me the information needed to make informed decisions about the career path I plan to pursue as an information professional. I now know that being a correctional librarian is something I would not enjoy because of the constant threat to the librarian's safety. It is true that inmates have legitimate information needs, but along with those needs comes a hostile and sometimes unpredictable working environment that only a special kind of person can tolerate and excel in. I also understand that we serve our patrons differently depending on what type of institution we work in. While the basic principles of library service still apply, certain environments may require the librarian to adapt and adjust services to cater to the specific needs of the user group.
References
Center for Sacramento History. (2009). Mission Statement. Retrieved from
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/ccl/history/about/policies.asp
Mongelli, W.D. (2010). Vocabulary. LIBR 282 Seminar in Library Management: Correctional Libraries. San Jose State
University.
Evidentiary Material
archivestour_libr256.pdf | |
File Size: | 251 kb |
File Type: |
correctionallibrarianinterview_libr282.pdf | |
File Size: | 175 kb |
File Type: |