The Decline of Reading and the Library Organization: A Few Thoughts.

INTRODUCTION

The formation of the library as we know it today follows in close connection as the Enlightenment ideal to codify and gather all knowledge together. From Carl Linnaeus’ attempt to classify all the animal kingdom, (it would drive him mad), to Denis Diderot’s creation of the Encyclopédie, the library, developed along theses same lines. The organization of the library developed at the same time as thinkers like Adam Smith, Locke, and Émile Durkheim, who developed the beginnings of classic organizational theory. Traditionally, the library has been seen to follow these classic to modernist thinkers in developing a very modern organizational structure. This can be seen reflected in the architecture of libraries built during this time. The arching windows and Greek columns make these libraries to appear as temples of learning. Yet, this image and purpose for the library is changing. We find ourselves, as information professionals, attempting to build our place on the shifting sands of new technology and new cultural changes that challenge the modernist view of the place and purpose of the library an its organization.

DECLINE IN READING

Now, I am aware that I am not going to be able to solve or even provide a complete overview of the past modernist organization and the new changes that are needed to confront the challenges to the libraries of today. Yet, I hope to illustrate one issue that has come to my attention and I feel is important to the library world. This is the study released by the National Endowment for the Arts showing that reading is on the decline in the United States over the last few years. A few of the basic statistics uncovered by the NEA study are cited below and the whole study can be found here.

· Only 47% of adults read a work of literature (defined as a novel, short story, play or poem) within the past year.
· That figure represented a 7-point decline in the percentage of literary readers over a 10-year period.
· Literary reading declined in both genders, across all education levels, and in virtually all age groups.
· The declines were the steepest in young adults, accelerating at a greater rate than in the general population.

This decline will have a profound effect on the use of libraries and how the public will interact with the library organization. It is this issue that has drawn my attention. I admit I do not know what libraries are to make of these trends, but I do know that the organization of the library needs to keep these issues in mind. A piece published in the New Yorker by Caleb Crain speaks of the changes we may see in the reading world over the next few years. Also, I have a link to his blog in which he cites the sources for many of the issues he discusses in his article here, and here.

Final Thoughts

“Information has never been stable,” (Darnton, 4). It is in these shifting waters of knowledge that the organization of any library must navigate. From holding cuneiform tablets and chaining copyists to their desks in ancient Nineveh,(talk about classical organization) to the effort by Google to digitize all of the books in the world, libraries have continued to adapt throughout time. Yet, it seems that people are reading books less and less.

Many see this downward trend in reading and feel it may spell doom for libraries. Robert Darnton points out in his essay “The Library in the New Age,” that Google’s project to digitize all the books in print is a false one. Even if Google managed to digitize 90 per cent of the world’s books that would still leave millions unaccounted for. Darnton explains that ephemeral items from the past, like chapbooks and the penny dreadful, are now prized by researchers; who knows what researchers of the future will want to study from our time.

There are other ways to look at this problem. Matthew Battles points out, “Already we call our databases and online catalogs “digital objects,”” (211). It is also possible that the advent of the electronic reader may bring a revival in reading within the digital generation. Already the Nintendo Company is planning on giving the new version of their hand-held video game platform the Nintendo DS, electronic reader capabilities, (Flood, 1). Providing services for these users may in fact be a key area that libraries can use to provide services to these individuals as well.
Christopher Lake

Battles, Matthew. Library: an unquiet history. W. W. Norton & Co: New York, 2003.

Cain, Caleb. Twilight of the books. The New Yorker, 12/24/2007.

Darnton, Robert. The library in the new age. The New York Review of Books, 55(10). June 12, 2008.

Office of Research and Analysis, National Endowments of the Arts. To read or not to read: a question of national consequence. Research report 47. National Endowment for the Arts, November 2007. Retrieved 15 November 2008 from http://www.arts.gov/

Cyber-grooming Tomorrow’s Workforce
Gail Yerbic is Head of Youth Services for Mesa County Libraries in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Reach her at gyerbic@mcpld.org


In my workplace, we plan our library for the near future (the typical three year strategic plan) with little talk about carrying the torch to the next generation. Nationally we do not want to leave big debt to our underlings, but, oops--too late. To help them dig out, I say we lead our next generation of youth down their natural path to success by simply paying attention to what they are doing now and helping them put their experience into perspective. Parents groom children to meet the needs of the society in which the parents live—like the adage, "do unto others as you wish them to do unto you." I say we must do unto our younger generations as they should be done unto.

The reality
S. Jones and S. Fox of the Pew Internet and American Life Project say that “The web continues to be populated largely by younger generations, as over half of the adult internet population is between 18 and 44 years old” (2009). This trend leads me to believe that kids are already seasoned online users by the time they hit 18. Certainly my observation of kids’ computer use in the library supports the assertion that kids spend lots of time online. A large majority of studies look at the safety issues surrounding kids online and, while this is important, we also need to look at how their internet use is subtly forming their natural character and style as they relate the their external worlds.

Here’s what kids are doing online…
Online gaming is wildly popular, and even if kids are not playing games, they are using e-mail to communicate daily. They chat and blog and find communities of other kids who share the same interests. They join social networks and some even create their own web pages. The magic age range when they become “savvy” seems to be a year or two before they hit their teens—past the Barbie stage but right in the middle of lovin’ Legos.

And lego.com is right on cue. According to USA Today (2009), “Later this year, the site will host a new massively multiplayer online world, LEGO Universe. LEGO fans can submit creations on the site now for the MMO game. Already here is the LEGO Club, which is about to add e-mail alerts for product news and events, and My LEGO Network, a social network that lets kids create a page a la Facebook.”

Our future workforce…
Many skills are required to function in online environments—communication, social and reading comprehension. Games often initiate critical thinking and multi-layered problem solving, learning and memory retention. Now there’s a nice package of core competencies.

In today’s work world, social network analysis is a remedy to invigorate work environments to better meet their goals. R. Cross (2002) suggests that integrating social polarities within a workplace can become a powerful organizational tool because as the barriers of the unknown or assumed are placed into a workable arena, the information can be used to improve overall effectiveness. How does all this relate to social development within the online venue? Will our emerging generation have better opportunities for natural passage into successful social networking in their professional lives? Or is their largely market-driven online activity creating unforeseen crippling effects?

Relating this to Organizational Theory…
The Symbolic Interpretive Theory is a player in this organizational analysis, because subjective perceptions arising from case studies will offer the depth to shed light on this potential paradigm shift. Participant culture will also be an essential consideration when evaluating how early internet use will influence their professional lives later.

All of this will be contingent upon environments because of the vast number of variables to be gleaned and examined alongside how isolated variables or grouped with other variables produce change. Current leaders of organizations, should be prepared to embrace our upcoming cyber-generation with flexibility and anticipation, reducing uncertainty by helping through awareness to do more than “make the best of it,” but to actually be proactive in “creating the best of it.”

Sources

Hatch, M. J., (with Cunliffe, A. L.) (2006). Organization theory: Modern, symbolic, and postmodern perspectives (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Jones, S. and Fox, s. "Generatins Online in 2009." Jan. 28, 2009 http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Generations_2009.pdf

"New at other kids' websites." USA Today Jan. 27, 2009

How Do We Get Older Teens to Read?

What has been our perspective?
From the beginning of public libraries, according to Rubin (2004), there has been a struggle between stocking the shelves with popular fiction that served as entertainment, and the classics or literature that has intellectual or moral value. In June, 1994, the American Library Association adopted a position statement that stated the "primary goal of the school library media program must be to create life-long readers. It is imperative that school library media specialist work with teachers and parents to find ways to instill in students the joy of reading while helping them build the reading habit." To meet his primary goal, there is much work to be done today, to inspire the joy of reading in older teens.

Karl Weick, Cognitive Organization Theorist

Karl Weick, a cognitive organization theorist, "suggested that, if an organization constructs the environment as a given that is highly complex and unmanageable, it may not try to influence events but will react only to crises. An alternative is for an organization to create its environment." (Hatch, 2006)

We can create an environment in which students have to use reading skills in a pleasurable manner. Organizations such as McDonald's became synonymous with fast, available, cheap food because they were ubiquitous, consistent, and created an environment that catered to the social desires of the public. Libraries for older teens can be created in the same way.

The viewing lenses needs to be taken out of its case, in order to observe the students and their behavior, objectively. To create a new environment that is conducive to reading, the school library needs to be experienced as reliable, consistent, friendly, and catering to what the older teens want to read.

Library Observations

Series of books are a top hot item in my library. Students let me know the precise date of each upcoming book's availability, and I am compelled to have it ready for check out, ASAP.

Edgy books are also in demand, especially those by Stephanie Meyers, Darren Shan, Joseph Delaney and similar authors. The topics include magic, vampires, sexual attraction, and time warps. According to Cox (2007), edgy or even controversial books in a collection can entice teens to read while providing something for everyone. She states that if books are appropriate for the age and meet the selection-policy requirements, the school librarian can stand up to challenges with gentle reminders that books in the library collection need to meet the needs of all teens in the school.

Other Ways to Get Students to Read

Keeping in mind that motivation to read has to be continually present, I designed a library Web site about four years ago, that we use as the home page. It has links to the local library as well as other reading sites. We also use it as the portal for all of the databases, student grades, teacher resources and district links.

We also have a book club that meets during lunches twice a month. We are given a conference room with a large table for us to sit around, and the topics are student driven. Sometimes we give reviews of the books we are each reading, sometimes we read the same title for a month. In the upcoming year, we are aiming for an online book club also.

Several students from the book club have become on-line authors, and one student who is now in college has published his book. When other students can read the current on-line chapters as they are written, it creates anticipation and daily excitement for reading.

A Changed Environment

Being aware of the reading needs and desires of older teens is an ongoing endeavor, but it makes the difference between a viable school media center and a dead one. I think that creating the school library environment to suit the students is crucial to the joy of reading and the development of the reading habit.

References

Clark, R. E. C. (April/May 2007) Get Controversial! Edgy Novels for Older Teens. Library Media Connection, 25 (7), 30-31 .

Clark, R. E. C. (November/December 2008) Older Teens are serious about their series: Forensic Mysteries, Graphic novels, horror, supernatural, and Chick Lit Series. Library Media Connection, 27 (2), 22-23.

Hatch, M. J. (2006). Organization theory: Modern, symbolic, and postmodern perspectives. (2nd Ed.) New York: Oxford University Press.

“Position Statement on the Value of Independent Reading in the School Library Media Program.” American Library Association. (2004) Retrieved February 9, 2009, from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/positionstatements/aaslpositionstatementvalueindependent.cfm.

Rubin, R. E. (2004). Foundations of library science (2nd Ed.) New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

The Importance of Young Adult Programs

 

  When the term “library programming” is used, the first thing that comes to mind are the story time programs provided for children, followed  by the thought of the book clubs that are provided for adults. Although these may seem like the only age groups that can benefit from library programs, this is a false assumption.  Those between the ages of twelve and eighteen make up a great deal of the population in most communities, and they could benefit just as much from library programs as any of the other age groups, especially since they are the ones who are trying to discover who they are. This perspective can be considered a modernist perspective, according to Hatch, who defines it as focusing on “how to increase efficiency, effectiveness and other objective indicators of performance through the application of theories relating to structure and control”(Hatch, 2006, p.20).

In spite of the fact that some libraries provide programming for young adults, there is usually not as much emphasis placed upon this group of people, or as many resources provided for them. A huge part of the problem stems from the stereotype that teenagers are nothing but trouble, and a majority of them are not interested in any programs that don’t involve playing games on the computer. This is a harmful and unfair assumption, because a majority of teenagers are bright, eager, and willing to learn new things. These young adults that have so much potential may lose it, or may never fully put that potential to use if they aren’t given the opportunity to fully participate in the library. According to Patrick Jones, Michele Gorman, and Tricia Suellentrop “Programs can offer teens a chance to actively participate rather than react passively” (Jones, Gorman, & Suellentrop, 2004, p.22).  By providing adequate funding for programs, the library can help shape the future of young adults by providing them with guidance in their lives. This could be very beneficial for libraries, since one day the young adults will be the ones deciding the fate of all libraries.

Hatch, M. J.  (2006). Organization theory:  Modern, symbolic, and postmodern

perspectives. 2^nd Edition. New York:  Oxford University Press. 

 

Jones, P., Gorman, M., & Suellentrop, T. (2004). Connecting young adults and libraries:

A how-to-do-it manual for librarians , 3rd ed. New York: Neal-Schuman.

United We Stand, Divided We Fall:
Organizational Identity and Institutional Collaboration

Within the last twenty-five years, libraries, archives and museums have experienced a crisis of organizational identity. Historically, these institutions had been in service of things: books, documents, and objects, respectively. Their employees collected, organized and preserved these things; though they would permit the public to peruse these things, use was considered an unfortunate necessity that interfered with the primary mission. Radical changes in society forced these institutions to reconsider their roles or face obsolescence. Very slowly, they began to acknowledge that they must promote service to people as their primary mission.

This shift in organizational identity has affected nearly all the institutions in these fields, yet for some this has resulted only in apparent change – alterations in surface details without substantial impact (as described in the theory of Pasquale Gagliardi). Others have implemented the incremental change that Gagliardi claims is necessary for an organization to truly shift its core identity. One significant element of this incremental change for libraries, archives and museums is their willingness to embrace collaboration among themselves to improve their service to the public.

For information seekers, organizational boundaries function only to impede access to information. It may matter to a librarian whether a particular book is owned by her library or by the library in the next county, but the patron doesn’t care who owns it, as long as he can get it and read it. In order to optimize service to users, collaboration among institutions is necessary.

Libraries adjusted to this idea much more swiftly than archives or museums; in fact, libraries were forming member consortiums in the United States as far back as the nineteen-thirties, long before any identity crisis set in. The digital age brought this idea to fruition with the ability to share electronic catalogues. Resistance to this change came from organizations who were reluctant to abandon their autonomy and adopt uniform cataloging methods. The obvious benefits of these alliances have convinced even the most grudging libraries to accept standardization, and now most libraries participate in some form of collaboration.

Archives and museums have been much slower to implement this kind of incremental change. Only since the turn of the century have archives have begun to adopt similar standards for ensuring uniformity of cataloging records, which permits them to share these records within a collaborative group. Encoded Archival Description is a standardized method of recording metadata that creates an electronic finding aid, one which remains constant in different browsing platforms. Embracing EAD has allowed archives to provide fuller access to geographically dispersed collections.

One case in point is an alliance called the Northwest Digital Archives. The NWDA is comprised of 29 member institutions in the Northwest. Each member contributes a yearly membership fee and EAD-encoded finding aids for its collections. Researchers can access the collections of all 29 archives with a single search feature. Just as searching a library catalog returns only its MARC record, and not a scanned full-text electronic book (that’s another impending shift!), searching the NWDA’s site returns only the finding aids, and not the items in the collection itself. In order to actually peruse the documents themselves, a researcher would still need to visit the archive or request that a researcher send copies.

Like libraries before them, archives will have to embrace collaboration, despite the internal changes in organizational procedures and structures which it requires.

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Hatch, M. J. (2006). Organization theory: Modern, symbolic, and postmodern perspectives (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Not A Quiet Library

In the struggle to justify their existence and to compete with other sources of information and entertainment, libraries are experimenting with different models in order to meet the expectations and changing needs of their patrons. Directors, managers and library staffs are taking action to help the library evolve. The library world is competing with other information and entertainment providers for the same resources and is attempting to redefine itself as a third place. (To learn more about the idea of a third place, check out the article here.) The modernist theory of population ecology, “developed by American theorists Michael Hannon, John Freeman, Howard Aldrich, and Glen Carroll…” offers some explanation of what is occurring in the library world and how a library might respond to this new environment (Hatch, 2006, p. 83).

A few months ago, I walked into my local public library prepared to complete an observation assignment of a typical library setting. The day I had selected turned out to be less than typical: A school group was having an open house. The library was packed with people and librarians and patrons alike were bustling about—the librarians to help patrons and lead activities and the patrons to ask questions and participate in activities. I thought of a slogan printed on one of the book bags offered for sale by the Friends of the Library; It read: Not a quiet library. On this day that slogan was an understatement.

On one hand I was excited to see so many people interested in the library—on the other, I was dismayed at the prospect of having to delay the completion of my assignment. I should mention that I knew this library was not typical, but even with this knowledge I was unprepared for the scene that greeted me that day. I thought of this particular library as a busy place but one that still offered the opportunity to get work done. The library has a common area located next to the circulation desk. Other than some computers along the walls and in the back of the library, the common area is where much of the action is happening, there are no walls to buffer the noise and this can make the library seem more like a busy coffee shop than a place to study. I once came to the library when an art auction was being held. It is truly a busy place.

I like the community involvement and interaction that this library encourages, however, I do not find it is a place where I can study. No designated quiet study areas exist and of all places, sometimes the children’s section is the quietest spot in the library.

In some respects, one might say that the library world is in a fight for the survival of the fittest, with fitness being judged on the basis of patronage. We know that libraries compete with bookstores, media stores, movie theaters, online resources, and even other libraries. The modernist view of the idea of survival of the fittest is summed up well in the population ecology theory. Hatch says that in the population ecology theory “organizations depend on their environments for the resources they need to operate…[and]…that this dependency gives the environment considerable power over the organization (2006, p. 83).

The resources libraries depend on are not only support dollars, but also ultimately their patrons. Patrons are the ones who support the library and provide tax dollars as libraries have had to complete with other information and entertainment resources and their dependence upon patrons has increased. A public library, although necessary in any community, may not necessarily be deemed that way by the people it is meant to serve. Some cities and governments may determine that the need for a public library may be less important than other needs. Potential library patrons might find that commercial services meet their information and entertainment needs satisfactorily.

Library patrons want a library to meet more than just their information needs. They are also looking for a place to socialize and have their entertainment needs met. The “ecological niche…[or]…the resources pool upon which the group of competitors depend” in this case comes from the library patrons themselves (Hatch, p. 83).

So libraries have responded by filling a need that is often missing in a community, one of the third place, where everyone is welcome. Libraries are evolving to be more like community centers. They are no longer a place where only information needs are met. I personally like the evolution the library world has taken, even if it means that I will occasionally not be able to find a quiet spot to study.

Press. Hatch, M.J., Cunliffe A.L. & (2006). Organization theory: Modern, symbolic, and postmodern perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University.

Toward Ubiquitous Knowledge Sharing: Collaboration is Passkey

Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Begin with what they have
Build on what they know
Of the best leaders
When the task is accomplished
The people will remark
We have done it ourselves.

--Lao Tzu (2007)

Accelerating Change

“We enter this twenty-first century in the midst of a bewildering mix of opportunity, uncertainty, challenge, and change, all moving at unprecedented speed. Fueled by dazzling new technologies, increasing social diversity and divide, and radical shifts in industry and labor markets, accelerating change has become a way of life” (Martin, 2003, p. 11).

Information is increasing at an exponential rate and “[a]s the amount of information grows, so does the challenge of providing information to those who need it” (Rubin, 2004, p. 1). For today’s libraries to thrive, they must proficiently select, organize, retrieve, disseminate, and preserve information. Like any organization, they must remain receptive and responsive to change in an ever-shifting social and technological landscape. However, to create and foster a true learning society, libraries must go beyond the realm of ordinary information activities.

Rising to this challenge, modern libraries are taking on unprecedented responsibilities. They are tackling issues of access, democracy, intellectual freedom, and diversity. In addition, they must take measures to ensure the provision of services that promote education and lifelong learning. This core value, as stipulated by the American Library Association, encourages its members to “work with educators, government officials, and organizations in coalitions to initiate and support comprehensive efforts to ensure that school, public, academic, and special libraries in every community cooperate to provide lifelong learning service to all” (APA, 2006).

Education is a Communal Obligation

The library is an important ally in an educational arena affected by decentralization trends, “an increase in individualized, self-directed, free-choice learners” (Martin p. 12), and federal mandates such as the No Child Left Behind Act. Libraries should endeavor not only to meet the needs and interests of its learners, but also increase awareness of and equitable access to its resources within its given community. One of the best strategies for doing so is through collaboration.

It can be inferred from the ALA’s aforementioned statement, that the library alone cannot endorse education. Efficacious lifelong learning is a process that encompasses various formal and informal educational experiences. To best support these experiences, libraries should become part of a larger network of learning resources. Such a network might include schools, museums, public broadcasting, state agencies, and other organizations that share a similar goal.

Knowledge Sharing and the Theory of Social Capital

“It is believed that investing in social values based on mutuality, trust and respect could yield long-term benefits such as corporate well-being and innovativeness. The benefits are believed to be based on better knowledge sharing, lower transaction costs due to communicative spirit, and a greater coherence of action” (Wílden-Wulff and Ginman, 2004, p. 448). Founded on the notion of resource pooling, libraries are well versed in the tradition of collaboration. Consequently, they are uniquely poised to teach others the mechanisms of information exchange across organizational boundaries.

Collaboration is challenging, but holds a promise of deep reward. “[B]oth practical experience and scholarly research indicate significant difficulty in getting people with different expertise, backgrounds, and problem-solving styles to effectively integrate their unique perspectives.” (Cross, Borgatti, and Parker 2002). Differences among organizational cultures can be very powerful, but when recognized “can evolve into sources of synergy rather than contention (Martin, p. 14). Given time and trust, networks can even develop into partnerships.

If libraries are to be relevant within the communities they serve, they must be willing to meet other organizations at “…intersecting nodes of interest, activity, and mission” (p. 13). Through collaboration we can amplify our identity and better represent the dreams of the people we serve.


References

“Core Values Statement,” American Library Association, July 26 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2009 from: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/corevaluesstatement/corevalues.cfm

Cross, R., Borgtti, S. P., and Parker, A. (2002). Making invisible work visible: Using social network analysis to support strategic collaboration. California Management Review, 44(2), 25-46.

Fake, C. (2007). We have done it ourselves. Retrieved February 21, 2009, from: http://www.caterina.net/archive/001061.html

Martin, R. S. (2003). Reaching across library boundaries. In Emerging Visions for Access in the Twenty-first Century Library Conference Proceedings, August 2003. (pp. 3-16). Washington, D.C.: Council on Library and Information Resources. Retrieved February 21, 2009, from: http://66.102.1.104/scholar?hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&q=cache:NdWQBeja3WIJ:www.immagic.com/eLibrary/UNPROCESSED/Unprocessed%2520eLibrary/COMPLETE/ENROUTE/JXF/Enroute/Shoji/CLIR_pub119.pdf%23page%3D9+martin,+r.+s.+(2003).+reaching+across+library+boundaries

Rubin, R. E. (2004). Foundations of library science (2nd Ed.) New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

Wildén-Wulff, G. & Ginman, M. (2004). Explaining knowledge sharing in organizations through the dimensions of social capital. Journal of Information Science, 30(5), 448-458.