Thousand Oaks Librarian

Almost everyone I meet is surprised when I tell them that I’m a public librarian. I think part of it is that librarianship isn’t exactly a popular or common career for people my age and from my background. Another thing I’ve noticed is that almost everyone I know who is my age does not use their public library very often, if at all. I find myself wondering why this is? Why don’t more people my age take advantage of their local public library? Sure, parents and children use their libraries, and so do older adults, but why not your average 25-35 year old? I think it’s fair to say that, for whatever reason, libraries become irrelevant to many people once they leave behind high school and college.

Emily over at Library Revolution talks about this in a recent blog. She explains how many people view the library as a community asset for others (the poor, children, and older adults), but not necessarily for them. She explains:

…It’s the gut impression that many people get when libraries are mentioned… the impression some folks get when they are not thinking real hard about it. It’s an asset to the community as a whole, but not for me. They don’t envision themselves as library users, so they never get so far as to walk in the door and see what the place is really all about.

She also asks for responses about what libraries are going to do about it? I think that one of the things libraries can do is get creative and passionate about offering interesting, fun, and engaging adult programs. People who come to the library for an interesting documentary film screening, technology class, or gaming night for adults will start to think of the library as a place that can offer them something valuable. They’ll start to see the library as relevant and want to know what else the library offers. They might get interested in our dvds, books, magazines, and other collections. They might look at our website and figure out that you can do a lot of cool things on many library websites these days…things that will save time and money. They might discover that they don’t actually have to buy Consumer Reports or pay for that online newspaper article if they take advantage of the numerous electronic resources the library offers. They might discover that their library offers free wifi access, unlike their local coffee shop that charges a monthly fee to stay connected. They might discover, or remember, that they actually like books and reading….I could go on and on.

Basically, I think most people are interested in finding a place where they can feel a part of a larger community. I think most people appreciate good services, especially free ones. What do you think?

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I’m currently taking a four-week online workshop called “Library Technology 101″ and it’s been great so far. There are five broad categories covered: network infrastructure, library management systems, public access computer management systems, materials handling, and the library website (and web-based services). For me, it’s an attempt to better understand the technology issues faced by most libraries. I’m far from being a full-on tech geek, but that can’t stop me from trying to become one

One of the statements made in our week 1 reading was of particular interest to me. My instructor writes:

Libraries are still providing many of the same services they’ve been providing for the last 100 years. Libraries provide reference service and research assistance, help people find good books to read, teach people to read, and generally improve people’s ability to participate in the world around them. Libraries encourage children to love books and storytelling long before they can read their first word. Libraries also provide a repository for valuable information about local history and serve as community gathering places.

The functional description of libraries hasn’t changed dramatically since 1871, when Boston Library began. However, in many ways the demands on libraries have increased. Libraries still teach people to read, but they also address other literacies, including information literacy, computer literacy, and Internet literacy. Being able to read was a critical skill for citizens striving to be part of our democracy. Now being able to read, use a computer, evaluate a diverse collection of information resources, and effectively navigate the Internet are all skills today’s citizens require.

From my experience helping people at the information desk, I’ve definitely seen how a lack of basic computer skills can make life difficult for someone. One example of this is when people come into the library because they need to complete an online job application. There are a lot of people out there who don’t have the basic technology competencies to fill out a basic application for employment at a place like Whole Foods.

This is why one of the things I’ve most enjoyed about my work this year has been the opportunities I’ve had to teach computer/Internet classes. It’s very satisfying to see someone become more competent with things like using email, finding and searching useful websites, and generally becoming more comfortable with technology. Each time I teach one of these classes I’m reminded of how difficult it must be for a novice to learn even seemingly simple things like using a mouse or navigating through a typical website. And the best part of the classes is interacting with the students. On the whole, the students I’ve had have been incredibly grateful to have these classes offered to them (for free!) and you can just see from the looks on their faces that they are so eager to learn something new.

But I think it’s also important not to limit technology classes to the beginner level. With our new blogging class and Flickr class, we’ve been trying to offer classes that would appeal to the intermediate level of technology users. On Saturday morning I’ll be teaching my second “Fun with Flickr” class at the library. The class is set up to introduce people to the world of storing, sorting, and sharing digital photos online. The first class was held two weeks ago and I think it was a success. The people who attended really seemed interested in learning how to share their photos with their family and friends. There were all sorts of questions, many dealing with privacy concerns, and the hands-on portion of the class was lots of fun since I asked people to bring their own photos to upload. There is a waiting list to get into Saturday’s class so it seems like a topic that people are interested in learning more about. I think there are a lot of people out there who have digital cameras (either purchased by them or given to them as gifts) but don’t know how to share photos online. In my eyes, this is just another part of teaching a new kind of literacy.

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When Nancy Pearl, the model for the coolest action figure on the planet, was the Executive Director for the Washington Center for the Book, she asked the question, “What if all Seattle read the same book?” Well, she made that thought come to life by creating the first-ever “One City One Book” program and soon after libraries all around the country began creating similar community-wide reading programs.

For the past 6+ months, I’ve been a part of a dedicated group of people (mostly Library staff) committed to bringing this “One City One Book” concept to Thousand Oaks. It’s easily the biggest project I’ve been involved with since I started here, and I have to say, it’s going to be an incredible program. The book that the committee chose for the inaugural Thousand Oaks Reads is Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. If you haven’t read it yet, you really should pick it up.

In the Fall of this year, there will be several weeks when book discussions (at the Library, coffee shops, bookstores) and special events will take place all around the City. Jonathan Safran Foer is even visiting Thousand Oaks to talk about his book and his work. I’m really excited about this project because it really represents many of the positive things that libraries bring to their communities. It’s meant as a celebration of reading and literature…it’s meant to strengthen the community…and it’s meant to enrich people’s lives.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out the project’s website at thousandoaksreads.org. Working on the website has given me the chance to become more familiar with Wordpress and learn a bit more about web design and CSS, so I’m very happy about that. It’s very much a work in progress, so if you have any suggestions on how to improve it, please let me know.

By the way, when I was in grad school at UM-SI, I heard Nancy Pearl give a lecture on campus and she was truly inspirational. Afterwards, I approached her to say hello and have my Nancy Pearl action figure autographed (yes, that makes me a certified librarian geek!). I told her that I planned on becoming a librarian and she asked me what type. I told her I was interested in public and academic libraries, and she encouraged me to become a public librarian. I believe her exact words were, “Public. Go with Public. We need more good people in public libraries.” I took her advice

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There are two types of Internet users, those that use RSS and those that don’t. This video is for the people who could save time using RSS, but don’t know where to start.

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The past couple of weeks have been very busy at work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m getting the opportunity to be creative in so many different ways and I really feel like I’m making a contribution. Besides my regular reference and collection management duties, I’m also working on a lot of programming for the library, including an upcoming event to celebrate APA (Asian Pacific American) Heritage month and the first-ever Thousand Oaks Reads — One City One Book program. I’m actually in charge of creating a separate website for the program so it’s pretty exciting for me. The site isn’t available to the public yet, but as soon as it is, I’ll post the url here. I’m also busy trying to prepare for two new classes we’re offering, one on blogging and the other on Flickr.

With everything that’s going on at work, it’s been a struggle for me to keep up with my feeds. I realized that I’m subscribed to so many feeds that missing even one day of checking my Google Reader account creates a huge pile of content to read through for the next day. With CIL 2007, there seems to have been even more posting from blogging librarians, so it’s been even tougher to keep up.

The topic that really caught my attention from all the CIL-related discussions is change management, which David Lee King presented on. Click here for some good notes on the presentation and here for DLK’s pdf files for all three (!) of his CIL presentations. Mental note: find some way to get over to the CIL 2008 conference!

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