Being the First to Take the Step Towards Green

Libraries are typically seen as a staple in a community and a place that everyone knows; you can count on most cities and towns to have a library. Since most towns are equipped with a library what better way to spread the “green” word than to be proactive and start the revolution right at your own local library. Many libraries in the United States have started to "green" up their libraries by dimming lights, starting recycling programs, growing drought tolerant plants, using recycled materials to build shelving and using awnings in areas that receive direct sunlight. These are just some of the areas that can be altered to fit green standards.

One library in Los Angeles has devoted part of their budget for building their new facility strictly for “green” construction. A representative from the library stated “From a political perspective, it is a tremendous opportunity to make a statement: This is the most environmentally friendly building in Los Angeles…this is something the rest of the city can learn from.” With that in mind let’s look at the different ways libraries can go “green” while involving the community.

One area that libraries could focus on would be the installation of solar panels and wind turbines. They could start slow by purchasing just one or two, then building their collection until they are completely independent of energy costs. With the green revolution comes many options for solar panels and wind turbines. There are multiple companies available to fit any building whether it be a small house or a library with solar panels to fit their individual needs. There are solar panels that remain on the ground to receive the most amount of direct light or there are panels that roll out like carpet onto the top of buildings to capture the direct energy from the sun. Granted these solar panels range in price from $1,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the vender and needs of the building. Some libraries would be unable to depend on solar panels to reduce their energy intake strictly due to the fact that they do not receive enough sunlight. Some places have too many trees that would block the direct sun. In this case the library might have to depend on wind turbines to extract their energy.

Wind turbines are a lot like solar panels in that there are many providers that make the product with a wide range of prices. A few years ago most wind turbines were large and made specifically for large complexes that required a considerable amount of energy. Now, when perusing the internet one may find multiple companies that specialize in the production of wind turbines for small business and homes like Southwest Windpower. Most are approximately 10-20 feet high when on their tower and are easily installed. Some may be installed on the roof with special “bird guards” to protect passing birds from the rotating blades. Certain places would be unable to install wind turbines due to a minimum wind requirement not being met. A number of large store chains like Costco and Whole Foods have already installed these business centered wind turbines to help reduce their carbon footprint. So how can libraries take a step to help set an example to their community? Education is the answer.

Community classes that would involve the public would be a great way to get the word out about going "green". To involve the community libraries could hold classes about the various options available to them for going green. The library could also hold classes on the different companies that provide alternative energy for the home or business. Another option would be to involve the community in the installation of the panels or turbines to show how easily they can be set up. Not only would the library have the physical appearance of going green with the installation of solar panels or wind turbines but also provide the community with an education of the process.

Resources

Cavanaugh, K. (n.d.). Los Angeles 'Green' Library Sets Standard on Energy, Water Efficiency. Daily News (Los Angeles, CA), Retrieved February 23, 2009, from Newspaper Source database.

Grace, Tom. 2008. "The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., On The Bright Side column: On The Bright Side: Library taking solar route." Daily Star, The (Oneonta, NY) . Newspaper Source, EBSCOhost (accessed February 23, 2009).

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

Lori Aratani. "East Columbia Library Turns to a Higher Power: The Sun." Washington Post, The . Newspaper Source, EBSCOhost (accessed February 21, 2009).

Organize YOUR Digital Life

Life today is hectic. Life today is crazy. I have happily lived in my own little world of being perfectly competent at web searching and email. I have never desired to learn how to program a computer or create a website. What would I DO with a website? I've never wanted a blog, either--evidenced by the fact that I had to poke around this website for awhile before I realized that "New Post" was the link I needed to put my assignment online, hehe.

I never wanted a Facebook page. My boyfriend set it up because he (used to) live on Facebook, and wanted a usable link for my name under "Relationship Status". And as I've explored Facebook these past few months, and was required to be on the Emporia student listserv and, this semester, the Records Management Listserv, I have become increasingly distressed with the amount of information thrown at me every day through my new ties. I have 20 new friend requests per week, more than that many "invitations", and my inbox (which I carefully keep emptied of everything but messages I haven't responded to) shoots to over 50 every day from listserv messages. It's stressful to even open my gmail account!!!

How, I think in mounting frustration, does anyone MANAGE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION? As one listserv user complained about the huge influx of emails she gets daily now, I sympathized heavily. Then one librarian wrote back: We are the librarians! If we can't do it, what are we doing?

There are of course, options like setting up different folders that emails which certain keywords wil automatically be sent to. But people's lives are moving more and more online. My friends don't live on Facebook as part of their lives, their lives are moving onto Facebook: it's where they spend all of their time, posting pictures, playing games, socializing, putting all daily events on their calendars, constantly updating their statusi.

So I was intrigued by a book entitled Organize Your Digital Life by Aimee Baldridge, mentioned on the listserv just last week. She warns about how fragile hard drives and dics are and the need to document things properly. I have heard this, but it already seems a problem of the past. Nothing is getting saved onto discs: everything is online. But still, it needs to be organized.

In thinking about it, it occurs to me that a good dose of organization theory is what the email/archiving of a digital life department needs. There are lots of theories out there, but no answers. I believe Resource Dependency Theory can explain it (just look at Facebook a few weeks ago and how the consumers took charge to demand that the organization back off on owning peoples' photos). The consumers (the environment) will here demand more and more ways to socialize and keep information, and organizations in general will have to come up with new ones. As we mentioned in class, since parents are now getting onto Facebook, kids will have to find a new way to do things. The high rate of change and serious dependence on the environment of what will work--highly influenced by word of mouth--lead one to serious questions about the future.

Economic recession hits libraries

The international economic crisis has affected all levels of government from the national down to the state and local level as well. The crisis has caused widespread cuts in state and local government budgets. Oftentimes library budgets are the first to receive such cuts. While the budget cuts pose an obvious problem for library administration, library managers have other issues related to the economic crisis to deal with. Libraries nationwide are reporting an increase in user populations, and as the layoffs and foreclosures continue that use will likely increase. Which begs the question: how do libraries continue to serve the needs of a growing user population with an ever-shrinking budget?

 The good news.

Generally librarians stress the point that public libraries should strive to meet the user needs of their populations. For most librarians an increase of library use is seen as a positive thing. The higher percentage of our public using the library usually means that the library is doing it’s job, and makes arguing for an increase in library funding and budgets more easily justifiable to local and state governments.

The recession has definitely caused an increase in library use. According to reporter Sandra Hughes “Nationwide more people applied for library cards last year than anytime since they started keeping records in 1990. Just as library funding is being drastically reduced” (2009). The reasons are multifarious but ultimately the library is valued as a resource because it offers free services at a time when they are desperately needed.

 The bad news.

While libraries are oftentimes thought of as recession proof, insofar as they oftentimes depend on money from taxpayers which somewhat removes them from the fluctuations of the “free market” economy. Recent economic crisis have already affected libraries budgets, and major cities like Philadelphia have gone so far as to threaten to close multiple branches within their library systems.  In Utah the results of the recession have been less severe, but many county and city governments have implemented hiring freezes, which means libraries will likely see an increase in use, but have less employees and funds to deal with that increase.

 Organization Theory offers solutions.

Organization theory offers library managers a wealth of perspectives from which to view the effects of economic recession on their own institutions, and offers insights on how to deal with those effects. Sociologist W. Richard Scott suggested two ways of doing this. Buffering is an attempt to shield an organization from outside environmental influences, such as a widespread economic meltdown, while boundary spanning “describes the activity of representing the organization or its interest to the environment” (Hatch, 65). An easy example of boundary spanning which most library managers have already experienced is the need for libraries to lobby for their institutions to local governments. In extreme cases like Philadelphia library managers worked within their communities to publicly protest the closures of multiple branches. The protests worked, but ultimately resulted in shorter hours to help offset the costs of keeping the branches open.

 

References

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

Hughes, Sandra. (2009) In Recession, Libraries are Booming. CBS news. Retrieved online feb 17^th 2009 from. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/02/eveningnews/main4770599.shtml

 

changing the stereotype: the welcoming librarian

There is a growing disconnect between staff members in the field of Library and Information Science (LIS). The rift I will focus on is that between library employees who possess a Master of Library Science (MLS) degree and those who do not (usually librarians vs. library clerks).


Currently if a person wants to get a position as a library it is necessary to obtain the MLS degree to be competitive in the market. As a young person currently attending library school it is distressing to me that I could choose to become a library manager over a staff of people who have much more experience than me. As I wish to become an academic reference librarian, I do not have to worry about this as much as public librarians do. However, it is of concern. Does the MLS degree make people competent librarians?




Cross, Borgatti, & Parker (2002) have examined the relationships within workplaces stating, "informal relationships among employees are often far more reflective of the way work happens in an organization than relationships established by position within the formal structure" (26). Considering this research, it is interesting to note how different libraries can be, even if they are under the same structure. At my library there are only 2 people who has the MLS degree and 7 who do not (and me: 1 in process). The majority of those 7 who do not are have their advanced degrees (or even an undergraduate degree) are more experienced than those who do have their MLS degree.



It is of concern that librarians still have a negative stereotyping associated with them, as the field of LIS progresses and receives more recognition as a profession. Our responsibility is still to serve the public. In this respect it is interesting to note the customer service that is being provided by the entire staff and how the treatment differs between those who possess advanced degrees and those who do not. Holt looked at the responsibilities of librarians and noted that in “a library's institutional and individual employee behavior is about how resources are used. The first place that great service is achieved is with consistent, reliable service. Like most things important about library operations, this one is a matter of effective communication between administrators and staff, consistent supervision and outstanding staff training (Holt, 149).


Good communication between all staff members will reveal any biases or issues in the workplace, the research shows. Cross et al. (2002) have alluded that interactions between management and staff have benefited from social networking to bring out potential biases that may exist in the work force. It is difficult to uncover such biases without great effort from both the management and the rest of the staff. Tools like social networking and effective communication can help make any library worker a super librarian, whether or not they have an advanced degree.






References
Cross, R., Borgatti, S.P., & Parker A. (2002). Making invisible work visible: Using social network analysis to support strategic collaboration. California Management Review. 44 (2), 25-46.
Hatch, M. J. (2006). Organization theory: Modern, symbolic, and postmodern perspectives (2nd ed). New York: Oxford University Press.
Holt, G. E. (2004). Simple basics: Little things that make us look stupid. The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances.. 17 (4), 147-149.

The Fall and Rise of the EPA National Library Network

About the EPA National Library Network
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Library Network is made up of three repository libraries, ten regional libraries, nine research laboratory libraries, and five specialty libraries (EPA National Library Network, 2009).
The EPA National Library Network also has an extensive Online Library System (OLS) which is updated every two weeks and contains, among other things, catalogs for the entire system, digitized documents, and historical data from some of the regional libraries.
According to their web site, “(t)he mission of EPA's libraries is to improve access to information for decision making and environmental awareness” (EPA National Library Network, 2009). Therefore, these libraries contain information on a wide variety of environmental matters ranging from biology to legislative mandates on toxic waste. These libraries are used by scientific researchers, the general public, and other government agencies beyond the EPA.
Because much of their information is produced by EPA offices, it is not readily available from other sources, and some of the regional libraries maintain collections which are specific to their geographical areas.
Like other government agencies, the EPA depends upon the U.S. Congress and the President for continued funding of the entire agency, and the library network must compete within the agency for its budget of $2.5 million (PEER, 2009).

The Fall
In February of 2006 the EPA announced that they were facing an approximately $300 million budget cut for fiscal year 2007. The EPA library network would suffer a cut of $2 million, nearly 80% of their budget, including the entire $500,000 which made up the headquarters budget (PEER, 2009). In anticipation of this cut the EPA closed regional libraries in Dallas, Chicago and Kansas City, their headquarters and chemical libraries and reduced both open hours and staff at other regional libraries. One of the justifications for the library closures was that “materials in the libraries being closed would be digitized” (Keiser, 2007).
Both the Special Libraries Association (SLA) and the American Library Association (ALA) responded quickly, offering support for the EPA libraries and questioning the budget cuts. A search of ProQuest and LexisNexis databases find newspaper articles about the closures from Washington, DC, to Seattle, Washington, all of which are concerned about the closures as either a reduction of public access to materials (Goldstein, 2006) or an example of the George W. Bush administration “marginalizing EPA research” (Lee, 2006). On December 9, 2006 The New York Times published an op-ed piece by then ALA president Leslie Burger calling for the libraries to remain open.

Population Ecology and the EPA
According to Hatch (2006, p. 83) “population ecology starts from the assumption that organizations depend on their environments for the resources they need to operate.” This could not be more apt when the U.S. Congress and President control the pursestrings and are a major factor for the EPA libraries’ environment.
The ecological niche of the EPA, and other federal government agencies, is available government funds and their allocations by Congress. This competition for funds is both independent and interdependent in the case of the EPA. This is because their funds from the same federal budget pool as other government organizations which depend upon them for information and research. The libraries in the EPA network must also continue to compete with each other for funding from the EPA budget.

The Rise
After pressure from SLA and ALA, a Government Accounting Office (GAO) investigation, a recommendation from the Senate Appropriations Committee (Kraus, 2007) and a report to Congress, the EPA was granted a $2 million dollar budget increase, the same as the cut, for Fiscal Year 2008.
This restoration of the budget has allowed the EPA to reopen its libraries, as well as restoring hours and staff. The Appropriations Committee also recommended that further funds be made available to improve the electronic data collections and digitize older data. There are problems beyond funding for the digitization process, however. According to Lee (2008) “the GAO found that, because of copyright issues, only 51,000 of the system’s more than 500,000 hard copies of books, reports, journals and maps are expected to be transfered to digital format.”
On November 17, 2008 Fred Stoss sent an attachment to the SLA News Division mailing list which contained a letter dated October 20, from then candidate Barak Obama to John Gage, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO promising complete funding for the EPA with a direct mention of the library system.



Related Links
EPA National Library System http://www.epa.gov/natlibra/
The EPA Online Library System http://www.epa.gov/natlibra/aboutols.htm
EPA Library Services and Repositories http://www.epa.gov/natlibra/libraries.htm

Resources
Burger, L. (2006, December 8). Keep the E.P.A. libraries open. The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2009 from LexisNexis Academic database.

EPA National Library Network. (2009). About the EPA National Library Network. Retrieved February 10, 2009, from http://www.epa.gov/natlibra/aboutthenetwork.html

EPA National Library Network. (2009). EPA library services and repositories. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from http://www.epa.gov/natlibra/libraries.htm

Goldstein, D. (2006, December 3). EPA closings draw criticism; Shutting of agency libraries reflects White House's suppression of science, some contend. The Kansas City Star, p. 1. Retrieved January 29, 2009, from ProQuest database.

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

Keiser, B.E. (2007, February 12). EPA libraries: Where do they stand now?. Retrieved February 11, 2009 from http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/nnbReader.asp?Articleid=19226.

Kraus, D. (2007, August). Senators want EPA libraries reopened. American Libraries, 38 (7), 16. Retrieved January 29, 2009, from ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source database.

Lee, C. (2006, May 15). Budget cut would shutter EPA libraries. The Washington Post, p. A15. Retrieved January 29, 2009, from LexisNexis Academic database.

Lee, C. (2008, March 14). EPA closure of libraries faulted for curbing access to key data. The Washington Post, p. A15. Retrieved February 11, 2009 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/13/AR2008031303649_pf.html.

PEER: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. (2009). News Release. Retrieved February 1, 2009, from http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=643

Working with Space to Secure Social Legitimacy in Libraries

Space can be thought of in several ways. There is outer space, personal space, living space—even being a space cadet. But the definition of space that I would like to talk about is as follows: “the unlimited or incalculably great three-dimensional realm or expanse in which all material objects are located and all events occur” (Dictionary.com, 2006). Within the context of two organizational theories, Organizational Aesthetics and Symbolic-Interpretivist, the idea of library space becomes more that just a practical use of a physical area, but a representation of that area’s social existence. In short, the purpose of this article is to examine how organization theory can be used to support basic managerial decisions that appear to be “simple” environmental changes; but instead, are a key strategy towards embedding library services into the mainstream culture’s lifestyle.

First, I turn to Organizational Aesthetics theory, an insight that assumes “human senses and perceptions play a major role in constructing and appreciating organizations” (Hatch, 2006, p.338). Antonio Strati, an Italian organizational theorist and artist, believed there were several ways to approach the study of organizations aesthetically. Specifically, Strati looked at “(a) images relating to organizational identity, (b) the physical space of organizations, (c) physical artifacts, (d) aesthetic understandings such as the manager as artist, or the beauty, comedy, etc., of social organizations and (e) how management can learn from artistic form and content by using, for example, music, dance storytelling, drawing, painting or sculpture (Hatch, 2006, p.339). Though Strati mentions five different approaches to the aesthetic, it is fair to assume that in general, all of them relate to the construction, interpretation, and study of space and how it affects its audience.

Acting hand-in-hand with Organizational Aesthetics is the Symbolic-Interpretive’s perspective, in which American sociologists Paul DiMaggio and Woody Powell argue that “organizations compete not just for resources and customers, but for power and institutional legitimacy, for social as well as economic fitness” (Hatch, p. 85-86). When considering what the different aspects of “space” truly are (objects in a specific area comprised of size, shape, and location—where content is continually creating and effecting events), you realize that those aspects are relentlessly working towards creating an identity. As cliché as it may sound, libraries are working to create an identity as well; one that will resonate with and become indispensible to its stakeholders.

In fact, Henri Lefebvre’s notion of spatial practice focuses on the “active and dialectical nature” of “socially produced” space (Lloyd, 2007, p.26). While patron behavior (check-outs, reference questions, etc.) are certainly legitimate and necessary concerns for libraries, the onus is on LIS professionals to create an environment that stimulates energy and awareness so that said activities can occur. There is a responsibility to create spaces in libraries that are both accessible and usable; the same way there is a responsibility to be approachable and amenable to patron needs. When push comes to shove, “experience of the real is first and foremost sensory experience of a physical reality” (Hatch, 2006, p.338) .Or basically, what you think doesn’t matter. It is how the audience you serve experiences your library that creates what the library is and decides if the library is socially legitimate or not.

So, now what? The next time you enter your library, think about how your library might look to its audience. Is it an open and flowing space? Or is it closed and cluttered? Is there a space where everyone can feel comfortable? The reality of the situation is that more and more members of our communities are looking toward the library for structure and guidance. In the quest for social legitimacy, it would be wise for libraries to carefully examine their organizations through an aesthetic lens to determine who it is best serving and how it can acclimate to meeting the needs of others. But it is also important to remember that creating and maintaining valid and useful social space is an ongoing process. “Practice is conditioned by spatial configurations, and space is produced through practice” (Lloyd, 2007, p.28). In other words, library employees cannot share their craft without adequate space; just the same as that said space is further refined as it is utilized. Through this ongoing discourse, libraries can begin to build a solid foundation of service that extends beyond immediate social approval and into long-term social legitimacy.

References

Booth, H. (2007). Serving teens through readers’ advisory. American Library Association: Chicago.

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

perspectives (2nd Ed.).Oxford University Press: Oxford, England.

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

libraries (3rd Ed.). New York, London: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

Space. (2006). In Random House Unabridged Dictionary online.

Retrieved June 27, 2008, from http://www.dictionary.com.

A Waste of Space?

It sounds like an ideal situation: teenagers in the local public library, filling the computer stations and area to network, play, explore and learn. It certainly beats many “entertainment” alternatives available to teenagers, and they might even learn something. Not everyone, however, is happy to see the teens in the library. Sometimes these people are adults waiting for their turn on the computer, but other people are concerned as well. In my community, comments from parents, grandparents, community leaders and other citizens question the value of this teen computer access. One grandparent recently announced in a local newspaper article that he refused to bring his grandson to the library at all after learning that he was playing computer games there. Even library staff can get concerned as noise levels rise, computers are not available to waiting patrons and groups of teenagers fill the computer area.

A better situation than the single, central computer area available in our small community library is one where teens have their own computer area. But even if there is a separate teen area in a library, the question of whether or not computer games justify the space, staff and equipment utilized in such an area still arises. For the adult community, is it sometimes too easy to see activities like surfing the web, accessing MySpace, or playing online games as a waste of time, and in the library’s case, money.

The truth is, however, that providing teens with internet and computer access is necessary. Teenagers are gaining skills that are required in today’s information age and all teen computer activities build the individual skills required to live and work in a computer-dominated world. According to Jones, Gorman, and Suellentrop (2004), “whether young people use the Internet for education, communication, or recreation, it is vital that they have the opportunity to learn, through hands-on experience, the information-literacy skills necessary for future success” (p. 270).

The information-literacy skills teens are honing help them succeed in a business world still heavily influenced by the modernist theories that ruled business for decades. These ideas, while currently progressing and changing as new theories are introduced, still enforce ideologies that call for advanced technologies to be incorporated into business. Hatch (2006) says that there is a “modernistic love for the newest ideas and latest techniques, and [it] supports the notion of scientific progress as a series of linear, cumulative steps toward the ideals of complete knowledge and human perfection” (p. 37). Knowing how to use computers and new applications is part of the latest business methods and advancements on the computer front are considered a scientific step forward. Teenagers need to be competent with computers to succeed in a life that demands a basic understanding at least of the latest trends and uses in computer technology and to gain these skills they need computer access.

Computer skills are not just important in the business world. Social communities are an important part of a teen’s life and more and more these communities are found online. The Communities of Practice as defined by Wenger and Lave in Hatch’s text (2004) are an example of how these online communities can be beneficial. As an informal group of people, “bound together by common interests and shared repertories,” (p. 129) these people learn from each other. Teenagers are learning a vast amount of diverse information and need a community that can share that knowledge. While beneficial to social and school life now, these are also skills that will transfer into any organization these young people join as adults. Knowing how to network and discuss information and ideas in a business or while working on a project will be another valuable skill for an employee to have. The teenager with internet access to social networking will have that skill.

It is especially important for libraries to provide internet access for teens and communities that are being left behind in the computer age. The “digital divide” that separates economically disparate communities keeps groups and individuals without means to purchase equipment and services from internet and computer access. Those without a computer at home need a place to go to participate in the continually growing online community and, according to Rubin (2004), “public libraries contribute to closing this gap” (p. 22). He also points out that computer use is rising among young adults, up to 76 percent among teens (Rubin, 2004). As “the public library is the number one place for teens without Internet access to get online who do not have Internet access at home or at school” (Jones, Gorman, & Suellentrop, 2004, p. 270), this service remains valuable to teenagers.

Internet access can provide a lot for a teenager; research for a school project, a place to find existing friends on a social network, or to find new friends in an accepting social or gaming community beyond the daily problems in a teenager’s life. These tasks are important to teenagers. It may also be “the sole means of finding information about topics…that might be considered controversial in some communities” (Jones, Gorman, & Suellentrop, 2004, p. 270). Libraries are dedicated to providing that freedom of access to everyone and teenagers are library users just like everyone else. It is not right to disallow someone access to a public computer based on the age of that individual, within the limits of the law. Teenagers need a place to get on the computer and as libraries, we are that place.

So everyday my little library puts up with the noise, the crowds, and the complaints from adults in order to ensure that every patron, teenagers included, have equal access to the computers. Knowing how important this access is to our teenage, soon-to-be adult, patrons makes the sacrifices worthwhile. It is one way libraries are making a difference in the lives of the individuals we serve.

Sources

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

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

Jones, P., Gorman, M. & Suellentrop, T. (2004). Connecting Young Adults and Libraries. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.