Are you excited about the revival of downloadable audiobooks? Especially now that I'm getting a Library Genius MP3 player, I know I am. Since we purchased the iPod last year, Fiona has learned how to keep earbud volume at a safe level for her delicate ears-- partially through this educational yet addictive game-- so I look forward to seeing younger juvenile titles she can enjoy.
A note of caution, however. Don't be like me and erroneously fill out the survey on the library homepage. It looks like it wants your opinion. It smells like it wants your opinion. It never outright says it doesn't want your opinion; but if you're staff, trust me. It doesn't.
Now I'm sure somewhere down the line our opinion will be gathered, but I was so excited about downloadable audiobooks that I asked a couple questions at the Main Library yesterday. In so doing I learned I should not have filled out that survey; and neither, dear reader, should you if you are a library staffer. Our time will come. . . but not yet.
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6 comments:
I am so glad that the library is asking patrons what patrons want to read/hear. Too often, the library staff think they know better than the public what the public wants. Hopefully that is not the case at this library, but surveying the public seems like an extremely valuable and important tool in order to really be a first-class public library. Way to go, ACPL for actually asking the public what they want!
We do have an online place for staff suggestions. It is located on the DC wiki.
http://acpldc.pbwiki.com/Overdrive+Project
Please feel feel to contact anyone on the DC for the password to gain access.
Thanks
Sean
Wow, "the public". I thought our library had a pretty decent way of asking patron input for materials. I, for one, as a person who works on average less than 3 days per month feel pretty respected as a professional staff person whose Master of Library Science is needed, AND as a patron whose needs are anticipated and wanted. I never realized that the public had the impression that "the library knows best".
Hopefully you have filled out the survey, and I hope you also make good use of the other tools at the library like purchase requests and "How Did We Do" cards that are at public service desks. And blogs like this one, for that matter. ; )
Isn't this a valuable medium where you can learn something new every day. I'm surprised you didn't realize that that this attitude is something that a librarian needs to be aware of and careful not to project. I'd think that would be library school 101 but perhaps not. That is why it is so good that the library is showing that it does have good ways of asking the public for it's input and I applaud it.
I do understand that it can be hard as a librarian to really ever take off that hat and be objective and that is why these public surveys are so necessary. All those tools you mentioned and more are great ways to discover new and better ways to serve your patrons. And you'd be surprised at how intelligent library patrons really are and what valuable information and perceptions can be gained from these activities. I'm sure you've already realized this through the various ways the public has to communicate with staff.
I think the library does have good ways of asking for patron input. Does it have good ways of recognizing and implementing that input? I don't know, but I do know that a good library staff will understand the need to continually review and improve their processes, based on things the patrons and public says.
Thank you kindly, Sean. I'll check with a committee member.
Easy, "the public"-- I'm not disagreeing with you! I DO think surveys are necessary and positive. Your phrase "hopefully that is not the case at this library" made it seem that perhaps you weren't aware of those other tools. I never named ACPL in my blog; but since you do, it stood to reason you might want to know about them.
And while based on your comments I'm not sure we'd get along well enough to enjoy a slice of pizza together, I think we both actually agree that blogging is a great medium for sharing ideas and philosophies. I wholeheartedly agree that a good library regularly reviews and improves processes and that patrons have valuable insight to share.
I don't, however, think this is a "librarians v. public" issue at all-- in this case library staff just need to know that they're supposed to give input in a separate forum-- a fact which simply wasn't clear from the get-go. Fortunately that's been clarified in one of the comments above.
In sum, "the public", you're right. Libraries, librarians, people-- don't always get it right. It IS a very good thing that this survey is here, and I hope a lot of patrons fill it out.
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