Diane L. Velasquez

Phenomenology and organizational communication

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present ways for managers to attain the phenomenological attitude. Achieving effective communication in organizations like libraries and information agencies is a difficult challenge. The business literature offers some suggestions, but those fall short. Application of phenomenological methods by managers can help meet the challenge and bring people together around the intended messages. Design/methodology/approach – Of utmost importance to effective communication is transcending what can be called the “natural attitude” in favor of the “phenomenological attitude”. This requires recognition by managers of the unique relationship of self and other, plus the realization that action is intentional (meaning that being conscious means being conscious of something). This paper presents ways for managers to attain the phenomenological attitude. Findings – Phenomenological methods of communicating have the potential to engage and involve everyone in the organization by en...

How the Los Angeles Public Library Responded to Budget Cuts

This article provides an overview of how Los Angeles Public Library, its community, and elected officials responded to reductions mandated by its funding agencies. The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) and its communities faced and are still facing recessionary budget pressures that started in 2007. In recent decades the mayor and City Council of Los Angeles have supported the libraries that have come to define the great cultural heritage and a significant landmark in the heart of the city. The most recent budget shortfall—that which began in 2007—was brought on by huge, mandated increases in pension payments due to city workers’ funds, particularly in the police and fire departments. At LAPL the budget shortfall created severe personnel, material, and service cuts. This case study describes what happened when the budget crises occurred and how the library department, citizens, and elected city officials dealt with them.

Public Libraries and Access for Children with Disabilities and Their Families: A Proposed Inclusive Library Model

Abstract Within the library profession, there is widespread support for access to libraries for people with disabilities. However, there is limited literature on the topic of access to public libraries for children with disabilities and their families and very little empirical research on this topic exists. This paper reports on an investigation of factors influencing access to public libraries for children with disabilities and their families from the perspective of the public librarian. An in-depth study of 18 public librarians who focus on providing access to public libraries for children with disabilities was undertaken. Librarians from the United States and Canada took part in both a one-on-one interview and a questionnaire. Based on the research findings, a model for inclusive public libraries is proposed.

Forced Advocacy: How Communities Respond to Library Budget Cuts

This chapter provides in-depth case studies of two large urban public libraries in the United States and how communities and libraries respond to reductions mandated by their funding agencies. Boston Public Library (BPL) and Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) are both in communities that faced, and are still facing, recessionary budget pressures that began in 2007. Each community and library system has responded in different ways. In the recent past, in both Boston and Los Angeles, the Mayors and City Councils have supported libraries that have come to define the great cultural heritage and heart of these cities in the past. In 2010, however, both cities faced unheard of budget pressures. In Boston, there was a budget shortfall of

E-Government and Public Access Computers in Public Libraries

3.6 million. In Los Angeles, the budget shortfall began in 2007 due to huge increases in pension payments to city workers, particularly in the police and fire departments (City of Los Angeles Web site, 2011). In Boston, the community was told there could be branch closures. In Los Angeles, the budget shortfall created severe personnel, material, and service cuts. How each library and their leaders responded to those challenges differed. The level of support that their communities provided and the manner in which it was provided also differed. The two cases describe what can happen when budget crises occur and how libraries and their communities deal, or do not deal with them. The cases also reflect how the two library systems serve metropolitan areas with very distinct characteristics.

Marketing Practices in Australian Libraries: Is Promotion Enough?

This chapter presents results of a survey conducted over the summer of 2009 to 1485 libraries that serve populations of 25,000–100,000 in the United States about Internet connected public access computers and e-government. The methodology used was a mixed-methods questionnaire using 33 closed ended and three qualitative questions. The main finding was that public library staff do not have enough training in e-government and government documents to help patrons with their questions on these topics. Another aspect of the survey was to find out whether public libraries plan, fund, and allocate monies for computer hardware and software in their budgets. The limitation of the research was the size of the libraries and the results can only be generalized to this group of libraries. There could be a bias by size of library and the way the questions were worded. The practical implications of the research indicate that future librarians in library and information science programs are unaware of the need to take either government information or e-government courses. Recent emerging roles for the public library includes being the freely available place to access e-government information in lieu of the actual federal, state, or local agencies.

E-Government, Government Documents, and School Libraries

Abstract Marketing is necessary for all organisations working with a changing client or user base. In order to gauge current marketing practices in libraries, a survey and focus groups were conducted with 36 workshop participants primarily from libraries in Australia. The participants were from a wide range of library backgrounds and it was evident that the focus groups identified a wide range of practices. Participants discussed current marketing activities, highlighting some of the unique ways that libraries are marketing services and collections. Not all libraries have the support and budget necessary to develop a marketing campaign, but librarians can adopt best practices and identify strategies that increase awareness. Libraries may accomplish this by using social media, developing outcomes based marketing plans and being prepared with elevator speeches or stories to explain the library’s role within the community. These tactics are deemed necessary as libraries are competing with the Internet to fill the information needs of community members. They are also competing with business, social and educational activities, trying to draw individuals to programmes and services offered. After discussing the current marketing activities participants identified, this paper makes recommendations from the literature about ways of making marketing more efficient in the future.

The impact of technology on organizational change in public libraries: A qualitative study

This chapter discusses the use of electronic government sources and documents for school media specialists, teachers, and children in K-12 education. Ninety-seven percent of all government information is online, resulting in rich and free source of authoritative material that can enrich the electronic sources of the school media center (GPO, 2002). The ability to easily add sources for curriculum support as well as to expand general source material is something no library should overlook. Annotated e-government sources are included in this chapter along with lists of children’s and teachers’ government web sites.

Romance novels in american public libraries: A study of collection development practices

This multiple case study investigates the impact of technology on organizational change in public libraries. Over the past 12–15 years, public access computers (PACs) have been introduced into public libraries. Once these PACs were connected to the Internet, they attracted patrons who had not previously used public library services. The main themes around which this study was organized relate to the implementation of technology with facilities and services, city government, and people. The main research questions were following: (1) How has public library culture changed since the introduction of computers for patron use? (2) What adjustments were necessary to deal with the influx of computers and other technology in public libraries? (3) Have PACs changed the way the libraries are organized and how they are staffed? The findings of the study included how technology influenced changes in staffing in the public libraries. Each of the libraries has undergone a culture shift due to the introduction of technology. One of the shifts is the change of the reference desk from general reference to the addition of a help desk with reference responsibilities. Another concern of the directors was constantly funding the upgrades necessary for software and hardware that technology requires. As not all of the directors have supportive city government, this can be problematic. Finally, the facilities where the public libraries were housed had undergone changes either through renovations or through new buildings to accommodate technology and the infrastructure needed to support it.