Competency B

Organizations

Describe and compare different organizational settings in which information professionals practice

Statement of Competency

Introduction

Information professionals work in a variety of organizational settings. The more well-known institutions are public libraries, academic libraries, and school libraries. Lesser-known organizations are special libraries, government libraries, medical libraries, law libraries, and digital libraries. Besides these opportunities, information professionals also work for corporations and private businesses too. Although the setting may differ, the work is essentially the same. Information professionals compile, organize, and disseminate information to their patrons. Promoting literacy and learning, providing access to technology, and giving space for people to gather are also shared components of their work. The organizations differ in how they are funded, structured, who they serve and what their parent organization is.

Public Libraries

A public library is a “library or library system that provides unrestricted access to library resources and services free of charge to all the residents of a given community, district, or geographic region, supported wholly or in part by public funds” (Reitz, 2014). My workplace, the Daly City Public Library (DCPL) is part of a system known as the Peninsula Library System. The consortium shares the cost of delivery, administration, planning, and subscriptions to databases, periodicals, and streaming services. The revenue that public libraries are allocated can come from a dedicated tax source or the general fund from their parent organization (Jones, 2018, p. 262). For example, the DCPL’s budget derives from the city’s general fund and we have to contend with other government organizations like the police department, fire department, recreation services, etcetera. Additionally, we also get supplemental income from state grants, the Daly City Public Library Associates, fines, and fees. While public libraries have a reliable revenue source, they can be disrupted during an economic downturn (e.g. the Covid-19 global pandemic). Unfortunately, the public library is usually one of the first services to get cut in a municipality’s budget.

Public libraries are structured hierarchically with a library director, librarians, library technicians, library aides, and pages. Depending on the size of the library, there could be more or fewer people with varying degrees of specificity. Librarians are responsible for collection development, cataloging, reference services, children’s/young adult services, educational instruction, adult programming, training and managing library staff, interlibrary loan, and outreach services. Most public libraries organize their materials by the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system. However, recently some public libraries have been adopting the Book Industry Standards and Communications (BISAC) model to mirror what bookstores use (Redihan, 2021, p. 96). But with the decline and closure of bookstores, there is skepticism about utilizing this model. Public libraries' collections cover broad categories but are tailored to fit their community’s needs. For instance, my public library has fiction, non-fiction books, graphic novels and manga, audiobooks, newspapers, magazines, movies, and CDs in a variety of subjects for children, young adults, and adults. We also have those materials available in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, and Filipiniana for the local populations that speak those languages.

Academic Libraries

An academic library is “an integral part of a college, university, or other institution of postsecondary education, administered to meet the information and research needs of its students, faculty, and staff” (Rietz, 2014). Academic libraries receive funding from their parent organizations, which in turn are supported by student tuition, donors, endowments, and state taxes. Librarian responsibilities consist of collection development, cataloging, reference services, educational instruction, programming, training and managing library staff, interlibrary loan, and outreach services. Additionally, librarians have to help students with their academic achievements and help faculty with their research. Educational instruction consists of teaching students research tactics, how to utilize library resources, search the web, and make use of citation tools.

Academic collections are specific to the fields of study the institution teaches. The Library of Congress Classification system is used to organize the library’s materials. It is more specific and varied than the Dewey Decimal System, which works well for the academic setting. The hierarchy of academic libraries is similar to that of public libraries. However, Gilman (2018) highlights that “Job postings for academic library positions frequently require a subject master’s degree or a doctorate in addition to, or in some cases instead of, the MLIS, because of the often specialized nature of the duties they must perform” (p. 82). As such, academic librarians may have faculty status because they are integral to the functioning of faculty’s research needs. They may also be required to give back to the community via journal articles on research and praxis.

K-12 School Libraries

A school library is a “library in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves the information needs of its students and the curriculum needs of its teachers and staff, usually managed by a school librarian or media specialist” (Rietz, 2014). School libraries are beholden to the school district they serve. Public schools are funded through local municipal taxes. Private schools are funded by student tuition, grants, and endowments. School libraries are much smaller than public or academic libraries, which means they may only have one librarian with few supporting staff. A librarian may even be solely in charge of several school districts. In addition to having a MLIS degree, school librarians may also need a teaching degree. Furthermore, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and Association for Educational Communication and Technology (AECT) created Student Learning Standards that are comparable to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) used in a majority of American schools (Harlan, 2018, p. 73). This shows that school librarians are committed to helping students reach their academic expectations and helping teachers with their curriculum.

School librarians are responsible for collection development, cataloging, reference services, educational instruction, training, and managing library staff. School libraries typically only serve students, faculty, and parents. They teach students how to use the library, the internet for research, databases, and how to use citations. They develop the collection around subjects that students learn while they are in school: math, science, history, social studies, language arts, visual & performing arts, health, physical education, and world languages. Like public libraries, they try to promote literacy skills and catalog their collection according to the Dewey Decimal Classification system.

Evidence

INFO204Organizational Analysis of the San Francisco Public Library.docx.pdf

INFO 204: Organizational Analysis

This Organizational Analysis group assignment for my Information Professions course shows my comprehension of organizational structures of public libraries. My group chose to analyze the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL). The point of the assignment was to write as if we were analyzing, evaluating, and advising the SFPL about their organization. The first portion consists of an environmental scan, the second portion provides a SWOT analysis, and the paper ends with a vision statement, mission statement, and a memo. I contributed to the paper by researching and writing about the economics portion of the environmental scan. I learned how the SFPL was funded and what politics were involved in maintaining that flow of income. This assignment gave me an opportunity to learn about the organizational structure of a public library.

INFO210_RUSA_DigitalReference.pdf

INFO 210: Virtual Reference Discussion Post

This discussion post that compared and contrasted virtual reference services from two different academic libraries for my Reference and Information Services course demonstrates my understanding of different organizational settings. I was required to evaluate how well the interviews adhered to Reference & User Services Association (RUSA) guidelines, how easy or difficult it was to use this method, and explain why it mattered. We were not allowed to use San Jose State University’s King Library for this assignment. I chose to evaluate the chat reference services of the Loyola University Chicago Library and the University of Georgia Libraries. This assignment taught me how academic libraries try to serve their patrons online. It is a mixed experience for users, so more could be done to improve upon virtual services. I think this is particularly poignant because the Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted libraries’ ability to give reference services. Moving forward, libraries of all types will likely be expected to provide robust online services.

Resume2021

Resume

My third piece of evidence is my resume as I have had experience working with academic libraries and a public library. I earned an Associate degree in Library Information Technology from City College of San Francisco. I interned at a local community college’s library for a semester for the program. I worked at the circulation desk, where I served students by checking materials in and out to them, handling reserved materials, taking care of fines, answering the phone, and answering informational and directional questions. The following semester, I worked at the college's branch library as a student worker.

The Evans location is a trade school and the library branch was a small single room that housed materials corresponding to the courses offered. I worked the circulation desk, answered the phone, processed materials, prepared newspapers for use, kept the library tidy, helped the librarian with the events calendar, and created a display board for Black History Month. Furthermore, for the past three years, I have been employed at the Daly City Public Library as a library aide. I work the circulation desk where I help patrons check items in and out, issue library cards, answer the phone, organize materials for the pages, answer informational and directional questions, re-shelve movies and new books. I also help in the technical processing department by processing new materials, putting them in the library’s OPAC, and mending damaged items.

Conclusion

When I first started college I wanted to be a teacher but midway through my first semester, I realized that teaching was not the path for me. My professor at the time asked if I would like a librarian instead and suggested I stay with the teaching program if I wanted to become a school librarian. I had never considered librarianship before, but it sounded exactly like what I wanted to do. I have spent my time in the MLIS program focusing on public libraries. I think that this is the route that suits me best, I love helping all sorts of people find the information they seek. While academic libraries would be my second choice, my work experience has shown me that there are many similarities between information organizations. I trust that the fundamental skills I have acquired through my education and work experience will guide me, wherever this career takes me.

References

Gilman, T. (2018). Learning and research institutions: Academic libraries. In S. Hirsh (Ed.) Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 81-93). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Harlan, M. (2018). Literacy and media centers. In S. Hirsh (Ed.) Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 71-80). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Jones, S. F. (2018). Managing budgets. In S. Hirsh (Ed.) Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 256-265). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Redihan, E. (2021). Abandoning the Dewey Decimal System in public libraries. Public Library Quarterly, 40(2), 95–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2020.1763755

Reitz, J. M. (2014). Online dictionary for library and information science. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://products.abc-clio.com/ODLIS/odlis_a.aspx

Reitz, J. M. (2014). Online dictionary for library and information science. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://products.abc-clio.com/ODLIS/odlis_p.aspx

Reitz, J. M. (2014). Online dictionary for Library and Information Science. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://products.abc-clio.com/ODLIS/odlis_s.aspx

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