| Convocation on Providing Public Library Service to California’s 21st Century Population | [Back] [Contents] [Next] |
It is the year 2030; the information revolution is in full swing. New technology and technological developments pile one upon another. Is there a public library? What does it look like? Who does it serve?
These are questions that need to be considered in examining how we staff our public libraries. What is our focus? What changes should we make to improve staffing in public libraries for the 21st century?
Issues
Automation has fundamentally altered the library's internal environment. We should be able and willing to recruit in new areas for needed disciplines not part of traditional library training. In particular, there will be an increasing need for network management and telecommunications expertise. The environment is rapidly evolving and changing. The pay for these individuals will be different from that of the librarian and paraprofessional. Libraries should recognize and be willing to accept the higher scale needed to link new technologies and make them work. Libraries should be leaders in the area of linking information systems, collections and technologies, but they need the expertise to do so. We need the ability to provide information in multiple formats, electronic as well as print.
Outsourcing will become more common among public libraries. Many backstage activities have been automated or streamlined. More and more of our technical service activities will be outsourced to save time and money. These include payroll and benefits packages, cataloging and processing of materials, delinquency collections and technology maintenance. This means that some of the traditional jobs in libraries, particularly in the area of technical services, will no longer exist. Staff will need to be retrained in other, more direct public service areas.
Contracting for specialized or short-term skills such as network technology, collections recovery, employee training, customer service training and corporate fundraising is a new option. These specialized skills are available and may be much more cost-effective by contracting with private sector experts.
Diversity/new competencies in the workforce to meet new needs for services, expanded customer bases (cultures, ethnic and diverse age populations) and an increasing senior population. New and expanded skill in community outreach, marketing, public relations, community collaborations and fundraising will be needed as public libraries move to augment their services by forming alliances with other community partners. Also needed will be skills in the areas of space and building design to accommodate new services and technologies. Most of these skills are not present in the existing library workforce and are not taught in the traditional library school curriculum.
New, expanded recruiting techniques will be needed to attract and keep a broader spectrum of staff outside the library world. We must reach into diverse communities and age groups to meet and cross diverse customer and cross-cultural boundaries. Learning how to recruit in new places to find needed skills (i.e. computer technology and fundraising) will also be necessary. A more non-traditional civil service approach will be needed, especially for areas where contracts for services are established.
Increased use of hourly/temporary/unbenefited workers for routine functions is an option that can provide more flexibility for hours of service at low cost. This allows the permanent workforce to focus on core functions and complex services and technologies. These workers should reflect the need for a workforce that is diverse in age and ethnicity.
Continuing education for staff will be critical as individuals from traditional library skill areas will need to be retrained and shifted to core services or to new service areas as they emerge. As services and technologies change, librarians and other staff need to pick up skills and techniques that will help them adapt to the evolving concept of the public library. We need to make sure we offer the opportunity to upgrade skills on the job continuously.
Technology outside the library will significantly change the way we do business. We are beginning to focus more and more on extending information and services outside the library walls to the home or business. Staff who are flexible, change-oriented and customer service oriented will be essential.
Change, especially technological change, will dictate that libraries redefine their missions, goals and objectives, planning and marketing processes - the way we do business - to relate to more and more of our customers. This involves identifying our customers and their needs, interests and expectations in order to design service strategy and marketing techniques.
Ethnicity, age and cultural diversity will be a factor. We will want to develop new multilingual services to meet the interests of an increasingly diverse population. To conduct effective community needs assessment, we must hire staff from these communities and build partnerships with diverse groups.
How Can the State Library and Public Libraries Address these Needs?
There is a need to develop expertise to contract for services not available within the library, especially in the areas of technology, marketing, public relations, and community needs assessment and collaboration.
The State Library can work with and underwrite initial funding for library schools to develop one- or two-day workshops or curriculum for training in the areas of contracting and outsourcing for library directors to hire experts in new fields. Library administrators should learn how to develop scope of work and contracting terms to bring in these areas and how to evaluate their services.
Ongoing continuing education training for professionals and paraprofessionals will be desperately needed. Training resources are not always available locally. Mini-courses (i.e., one- or two- day sessions) with continuing education credit would mean expansion of the core curriculum of library schools. However, if library schools could offer these mini-courses, this would provide the diversity of training and skills needed. Library schools have the existing training structure in place to most efficiently offer this type of training and lend their credentials to a credible type of course work.
There is a need for State Library consultants in some areas of specialty, particularly for small and rural libraries which do not have the expertise or resources even within their local government to handle some changes and enhancement of services. Examples are network and information technology planning as well as community needs assessment and marketing. The State Library could provide funding opportunities for libraries needing expertise in new areas, or it could provide contract experts. Network technology in particular is becoming a critical requirement that will only increase with the implementation of the Library of California. Many libraries do not have the resources (personnel or funding) to hire this specialty and only need it for limited periods for start-up on long-range planning. The same is true of the following areas, all which are becoming critical to the success and future of public libraries:
Funding and fundraising training is critical to the assured success of public libraries. Our base will remain public funding. As a public library, we should receive public support. However, today's library is in an increasingly competitive race for declining resources. Unless public libraries adopt and master the language and techniques of our competitors, we face a decline in the significance of our services. Increasingly, we should develop the skills to build collaborations with public and private sector sources. Fundraising and grant-writing are such needed skills. The State Library could sponsor training, workshops, consultants and start-up grant monies to begin this process in local communities. All funding is a local issue - but some start-up publicity and marketing monies are needed. Finally, the need to focus on change and the willingness to adapt to new communities and technologies are critical to the future existence of public libraries.