Library Aspirations & Challenges

One session I attended at ARLD Day was titled “Minnesota Libraries into the Future: A Kitchen Table Conversation,” presented by Michael Dowling, Director of the Chapter Relations Office of ALA. This was an interesting session because it didn’t involve any sort of presentation; instead it consisted of attendees contributing thoughts on academic libraries’ aspirations, challenges to those aspirations, and ideas on how to overcome those challenges. Though the attendees were primarily academic librarians, many of these same aspirations and challenges run through all types of libraries. Here’s a sampling of some of the comments and thoughts shared: Aspirations

• Instead of one-shot information literacy classes, incorporate credit-bearing information literacy courses into college curriculum
• More collaboration with other institutions to reduce costs
• Sustainable staffing models to foster innovation
• Advocacy and lobbying to prevent budget cuts
• Ensure long-term control of electronic collections
• Align librarian views of library with that of users’ views
• Library leadership to be more actively vocal within the institution
• Saturating the academic field with library presence

Challenges

• Marketing- getting people to hear what libraries have to offer
• Recognition of importance of information literacy by administration and faculty
• Lack of adequate funding
• Misperceptions of what information literacy really is
• Restrictive licenses and copyright
• Bureaucracy of library/campus/university systems
• Difference between library as a space and library as a service
• Recent increase in adjuncts and communication difficulty
• Shifting job descriptions

After the group came up with the lists of aspirations and challenges, Michael asked what can associations, working with themselves or others, do to achieve these aspirations and overcome the challenges? Here are some of the group’s responses:

• Increase in education information and support on skills not currently covered in library school, including:
  • Marketing
  • Instruction
  • Advocacy
• More opportunities for high quality programming and education
• More emphasis on ALA accrediting schools
• Facilitating practical collaborations
• Continue to do studies that show what users really want

Can you think of any other aspirations, challenges, or ways to reach or overcome them? If so, please share with us by leaving a reply below.   As a brief follow-up, Michael Dowling shared a thank you “to all of the MLA members who participated in the ‘Minnesota Libraries into the Future’ session at ARLD Day. The turnout was one of the biggest at any of these programs at various state conferences. It shows the interest of the academic library community in Minnesota to create a bright future for libraries and all that you serve. “The results of the discussion are now posted in ALAConnect’s Strategic Planning Community. There are also results from other associations at http://connect.ala.org/strategicplanning.” As he mentioned in the session, the facilitated discussion is part of a wider effort from ALA with the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation to assist libraries turning outward to help their community. Here is the link to the step-by-step guide to “turning outward” to your community: http://www.ala.org/transforminglibraries/sites/ala.org.transforminglibraries/files/content/LTCGettingStarted_DigitalWorkbook_final010915.pdf.