Welcome back to Season Seven of Linking Our Libraries!

We are the Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange, and our members are all types of libraries and their staff.

Today’s episode is part of our series on Library Basics. We are working through some of the skills people need in every library. Not everyone is going to school for a Master’s degree in Library Science, and that’s fine. We want to be sure everyone has the skills to be comfortable in a library and to be successful for the community you are serving.

All libraries have three basic things they do: services, materials, and programs. This week we are talking about the third of those fundamental things: services to the community. Libraries are all serving their communities, in all sorts of ways. This is always the heart of our mission: we are there to serve the needs of the community. You might not think the work you are doing every day is special, but for the people you are serving the services you provide are unique and valuable. (Sometimes you have to also remember to tell them about all of it, so they know how cool your stuff is!)

Books are wonderful, of course; and providing materials of all sorts is the hallmark of libraries everywhere. We talked about programs a couple of weeks ago, and gave you several resources you can use to build more programs in your library. So now we have some time to look at the final piece of our library work, and we talk about the services we provide to our community members.

As with so many other things in libraries, you can do a lot of big and wonderful things! You can spend a bunch of money! A good time may be had by all! Great choice, if that is one of your options. For most of us in libraries, having lots of time and money are not really options. But there are still great services we provide every day – and we hope you might consider adding a few other services to make your library even stronger!

Some of the services we offer are so basic in libraries, you might take them for granted. Circulating books and materials is our best-known service, and certainly something a lot of people will come to us to enjoy. Reference work has definitely changed over the last decade, with the rise in the number of people who can just Google questions they have at any time. But of course, we know that Google is lovely, but it only covers about 4% of what is on the internet. Having someone available to help people find not just the quick answers, but to guide them to the best answers, is an important service. 

Another obvious service to us, but really helpful to people, is our readers advisory work. For everyone looking for a good book, talking to the library people is a great step to take. We all need to get acquainted with a wide variety of genres so we are ready to answer those questions. You can listen to our sister podcast, Reading With Libraries, to get all kinds of information about a variety of different genres. Be generous in your suggestions here; your books are not for everyone and that’s okay. Connect people to the book that is best for them, not the one that is best for you.

And of course, we provide all sorts of technology along with access to the internet for anyone who wants it. This was particularly helpful to patrons of all types of libraries during the quarantine period, when school buildings were closed for safety while school itself continued online. We give patrons a chance to try out different kinds of technologies, we give them help with their ebook readers, their tablets, their phones. We help them connect to job hunting sites, to search for family online, or to do their banking online. While I doubt any of us claim to be extremely technologically gifted, we are there in libraries to help people. 

And of course there are services that are provided at some libraries, but that may not be right for others. We have talked in past seasons about library vending machines. These can vend books from your collection, or computers for your school patrons. Either way, it sounds like such a neat service for patrons! Some libraries have video and audio studios and media labs, ready for anyone who wants to create content to share with family and friends, or with thousands of people across the country. Libraries may have writing labs, or visiting social workers. They may provide maker spaces, filled with craft projects or computer software or welding tools. There is no limit to the possibilities!

Here are assorted programs going on at different libraries around the country, and we link to more in our show notes page: 

• In Florida, “the Orange County Library System developed ‘Right Service at the Right Time,’ a sophisticated database-driven web application and virtual reference that connects people in need of government and non-profit public services with the appropriate public services.”
• And in Arizona, “the Pima County Public Library offers on-site expert medical help, making the library the first in the nation to employ a public health nurse on site. The library nurse listens to the worries of the elderly, the unemployed and the homeless who turn to libraries for help and safety, and directs them to social services when appropriate.” (pdf)
• “The San Francisco Public Library helps patrons prepare for the USCIS naturalization interview by offering guides to naturalization, detailed practice materials for the new citizenship exam, and a list of local organizations that can help you with the naturalization process.“ (link)
• A librarian in the home: “This program sends librarians outside the library to the far reaches of their rural service area. Librarians are vetted and trained for this very specialized program, and often teach patrons on technology in their own living rooms.” (Poudre River Public Library District, Fort Collins, CO)
• Jacksonville Public Library: “Lost in the Stacks,” a one-hour weekly radio show, is done in partnership with the local NPR affiliate, WJCT. “DJs/librarians Andrew Coulon and Matthew Moyer play diverse selections from the library’s collection. Sometimes include local musicians and educators join Coulon and Moyer in the studio to select songs from the collection and share how these pieces have influenced their own lives.”

Libraries have always been more than “just” places to find books, or to sit quietly in fear of being shushed. The more we emphasize the three fundamental things we provide –  materials, programs, and services – the better we are able to complete our prime mission: to serve our community members. So think about a few new services you can provide for your members. You don’t need to make it too complicated at first – you just need to jump in and get started. Use some ideas we talked about today, or look around at the other libraries in your area or online. There are a lot of great possibilities. Get out there and try something!

Books Read

Now, let’s get to the part of every episode that we love: sharing a book we are reading. We will link to these books on our shownotes pages, and the link will take you to Amazon. You probably know this, but when you click one of our links and then buy anything at all from Amazon, they give us a small percentage of their profits. That support really helps us, and although it’s anonymous so we won’t know it was you – we appreciate you taking the time to help us!

• Home Before Dark, Riley Sager
• Tiger Days a Book Of Feelings, by M.H. Clark

This was a quick overview of the foundations of library services. We hope you feel like you are part of the larger community of library people! Here are a few takeaways for you:

• Look at your community to see what kinds of things they might want or need. Do those things first.
• Don’t hold back from trying a new service because it might be too far removed from providing books; we do all kinds of great things!
• Try something. See how it goes. If it’s not working, or not connecting with people, then you can stop it and try another service. The only real problem is not making the effort to connect with your community.

Thanks for spending time with us today. It is always great to have this time to chat with you about libraries and the skills we need to be successful. Come back next week, because we have more information to share about libraries! It is always better when you are here with us, as we work through our journey across library skills.