How worried should we be by California?

LA Times OpEd
California must value librarians; libraries can't run themselves

Librarians are more than book finders, shelf arrangers, computer technicians and shush-ers. In a society overwhelmed by data, they are the gatekeepers and organizers of high-quality information.

• "Other states employ an average of one public librarian to 6,250 patrons. As of last year, 3,432 full-time librarians served 37,253,956 Californians. In other words, California librarians were each expected to serve 10,854 patrons. We also employ fewer school librarians than any other state, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Here, there is one school librarian for every 5,965 students; the national average is one librarian to 865 students."
• "Still, the idea of shutting down a library is unpalatable to most officials. So they lay off librarians to keep the buildings open, supporting the illusion that libraries can simply run themselves."
• "As one resident wrote in a letter of protest to the mayor of Anaheim, "Libraries without librarians are like hospitals without doctors." California cannot afford to lose any more librarians without risking the quality of what is left of our libraries as well."
  

And a response: Saving libraries but not librarians

Johns Hopkins Medical Library Closing

On January 1, 2012, the Welch Medical Library at Johns Hopkins University will close its physical building to users and shift all operations to an online environment. Citing a decline in on-site visitors and explosive growth of online journal usage, the decision was made to re-purpose the 81 year-old library's space and deliver all services electronically. Librarians will continue to provide support for the teaching and research missions at Johns Hopkins as "embedded informationists," found in the work-flow of clinicians, investigators and instructors.

An interesting point covered by the article from the Digital Shift is that the Welch Medical Library currently allocates 95% of its acquisitions budget to electronic journal and database subscriptions. According to the library director, Nancy Roderer, savings from closing the library will be redirected back to the collections budget, resulting in a collection that is 95% digital. Roughly translated, this means that 95% of the Welch acquisitions budget will be invested in licensed content rather than owned material. Eighty one-years of collection development and 400,000 volumes later, the Welch Medical Library is mortgaging its future as an information provider on a radically different acquisitions model.

Hey, What's the Big Idea?

This recent talk by R. David Lankes offers some novel thoughts on innovation and ideas (the bigger the better). Dr. Lankes traces how many big ideas (democracy, culture, entrepreneurial innovation) connect with librarianship as a profession, stressing how librarians - defined as anyone working in a library - have a pivotal role in improving the experience of all members of a library community.

Killing Librarianship from R. David Lankes on Vimeo.

What do you think of this reasoning? Is librarianship a cutting edge profession, capable of innovating in ways both large and small in ways that "improve society through facilitating knowledge creation?"

SLA's FutureReady365

If you are not already aware of SLA's FutureReady365 blog, check it out. http://futureready365.sla.org/
I'm bouncing in my chair at Internet Librarian 2011 right now, listening to Cindy Romaine--current SLA President--and Meryl Cole talk about the project. 365 in the name = a blog post a day related to being "future ready." I can't wait to start reading through the posts. Sounds like a lot of their thinking and dreams parallel a lot of MNFLI's thinking and dreams. I like seeing that. I like that they balance between being smart professionals and being playful and personal in their blog. I'm also embarrassed I wasn't aware of this project until 47 minutes ago.
Here's an excerpt from their about page to get your interest piqued:

What is Future Ready?

• It’s an attitude of being more adaptable, flexible, and confident in utilizing the skills of the information & knowledge professional.
• It’s a strategic shift toward being more effective at aligning with emerging and robust opportunities in the information industry and beyond.
• It’s a focus on preparing ourselves for emerging opportunities in the information industry through:
  • Collaboration to accelerate the availability of useful information
  • An adaptable skill set that anticipates and responds to the evolving marketplace
  • Alignment with the language and values of the community you serve
  • Building a community that connects stakeholders in mutually beneficial relationships

A place like no other...

An interesting mix of corporate feel and lots of kids shot. They certainly emphasize value and not books! Do they have cooking classes? Love it!

Come see us at MLA Annual Conference 2011

Session Title: Minnesota Library Futures Initiative
Tracks: Administration & Leadership

When: Friday, Oct. 14 from 9:30 to 10:30

Presenters: Members of the Minnesota Library Futures Initiative

Description: In October 2010, a group of 24 early career librarians from all library types met for the first time to start envisioning the year 2025. Since that time, the Futurists have investigated
potential economic, social, technological, and other trends
to craft an idea of what libraries—and library patrons—will
look like in the next 15 years. Join the Futurists for a brief overview of their work and a preview of what’s in store for Minnesota’s libraries in 2025. During the session, the Futurists hope to help library staff start thinking about what might be done to prepare for the changes to come. In line
with how the Futurists have approached their task, this presentation will be philosophical in nature rather than focused on the latest gadgets and fads.

Yum! Design.

The Design section of the New York Times is featuring the Children’s Library Discovery Center in the Queens Central Library in downtown Jamaica.

"Today libraries double as centers for the elderly and toddler playrooms. They’re safe after-school havens for teenagers of working parents, with rooms set aside that are stocked with computers and, at a few branches, like the Rockaways, even with recording studios."

"Libraries have also learned from retailers like Starbucks and Barnes & Noble about what people expect when they leave their homes to go someplace public to sit and read. Libraries have become modern town squares and gathering places; they offer millions of New Yorkers employment counseling, English-language classes and, crucially, Internet access. Quiet rooms, like those Carnegie built, tend to be smaller and set aside these days, almost like smoking sections in airports."
"Is that a bad thing? Times change. Research libraries still survive. To imagine that libraries could remain as they were half a century ago would entail wishing away the Web and the demands of old people, immigrants, the unemployed, schoolchildren and parents who want constructive places to keep their young children occupied at a time when public resources and political good will are in increasingly short supply."

Read more at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/arts/design/new-yorks-public-architecture-gets-a-facelift.html