This post is part of a series designed to further discussion of the PLA Results service responses, designed in 1998 to describe “what a library does for, or offers to, the public in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needs.”
The bulleted comments below were gathered in conference sessions by the PLA Results team, in an effort to update the current service responses, which were originally written almost ten years ago. The PLA Results group is looking to the community for feedback on how to update these service responses to better reflect current public library methods and standards.
“A library that offers General Information helps meet the need for information and answers to questions on a broad array of topics related to work, school, and personal life.” (definition care of the PLA Results site). The current version of the General Information service response, is available for review on the PLA Results web site (the file is an Adobe .pdf file, and requires Adobe Reader to view).
Share your feedback on the General Information service response, as well as the starter comments listed below, by leaving a comment on this post page. You can help PLA Results bring public library service responses into the 21st century!
General Information Discussion Group Comments
Should this service response be renamed?
- This has to be renamed.
- Fast Facts is a possible name.
- Fast Facts sounds dismissive.
- We could call it Ready Reference, but that term might not be understood by community members.
- Call it Ask a Librarian.
Should this service response be refocused?
- This should be focused on electronic self-service reference.
- We could include community information activities included here instead of as a separate service response.
- This too broad and people want to put everything here.
- We could divide it into two service responses: In-Depth Reference/Research and Fact Facts. This would give libraries like Pratt or Providence with state-wide information roles a service response.
- It would be preferable to drop it all together.
- Some staff really want it to continue to be a priority; others are ready to give it up.
Go back to the Service Response Discussion Index.
There are 4 Comments to "Service Response Discussion: General Information"
General Information is historically the primary duty of the library. When this is no longer a recognized priority, libraries will become progressively irrelevant. Libraries are the primary point of access when seeking information about unfamiliar topics because a human being with expertise in navigating information systems is available to assist the patron. Everyting from how to repair an appliance to who represents the patron in government has always been readily available and should remain so.
General information is historically the primary function of public libraries. When it is no longer a priority for libraries to provide human assistance from individuals with expertise in navigating information systems to patrons seeking information, libraries will become irrelevant. Libraries can not survive by attempting to serve the fashion of the moment. They must remain the place to go, whether to learn how to repair an appliance or to learn who to write to in government.
Jan, I think we are rapidly losing out to the great Google! I find myself ‘googling’ when I need some general information quickly and I am not alone. With more and more “online databases” even getting authentic information online is not that much of an issue. I analysed the number of times my family and I went to the Public Library in the last 5 years (and believe me we read a lot) – and what we went there for,
1. to pick up novels
2. to get some talking book audios
3. for movies – videos DVDs
4. for programs
5. for books on the reading list that the Professor passed out but were all taken at the Univ library.
My kids use the databases that the Univ gives them access to, for their information and home work needs and when we have appliances to repair…. we go online. General information in the form of books are already dying…. and may not be a relevant service response for libraries any more.
I accept that not everyone has computers or internet access at home and hence may need to go to the Library to use them. But my entire city has wireless and computers are slowly becoming a necessity not a luxury.
Libraries will stay relevant, only if we meet the needs of the customers, and they are voting with their fingers. The statistics of people using the common search engines – by themselves, far out weighs the statistics of those who come to the library and ask for human assistance to find information. People like to find information on their own and we need to find a role for ourselves in ways to enpower them to do so.
I was one of those who swore that every library must line their walls with those wonderful encyclopedias! I have been a Librarian for 30 years now. I wish I could agree with you!
[...] General Information (3 comments) [...]