At a time when public libraries, including PVLD, are busier than ever it's easy to get lulled into thinking that our future is secure. In an environment where we are thriving (from a usage if not from a funding standpoint) its easy to forget that there are real competitive forces that make the future less certain.
I was reminded of this in two recent blog posts on the subject of competition - one from David Lee King reminding his reader that libraries do indeed have competitors, and one from Kathryn Greenhill carrying on the conversation that David started.
Kathryn makes reference to the closing of the last Virgin Megastore in New York City, and notes that in an increasingly digital world not even the store's role as a social gathering place could save it. That's a sobering thought for libraries, again including PVLD, that have seen developing their role as community gathering places as a way of maintaining relevance.
The posts by David and Kathryn give a pretty good summary of the competition libraries face in terms of their services, but I think there are other sources of competition that may have just as significant an impact on our future. These include -
Competition for funds. For many libraries this means competing with police, fire, and other local services. Independent library Districts like PVLD don't face that particular competition, but as we try to grow our fundraising and reduce our dependence on property tax revenues we clearly face competition from other non-profit organizations.
Competition for talent. In the near term many libraries are having to lay off staff (fortunately PVLD isn't, and hopefully won't be, in this position) which because of seniority rules usually means the newest members of the staff are first to go and my fear is that once these new librarians leave we may not get them back. In the slightly longer term there is a risk that perceptions about poor job prospects lead to a repeat of the recession of the 1980s when library schools across the country were closing due to lack of enrollment. The future depends on our ability to attract and retain talented new professionals, so I see these as real competitive threats. And of course despite budget pressures we need to continue to develop innovative new services not only so we keep up with our external competitors, but so the bright young hotshots of the future think of libraries as a cool place to work!
The competition for talent also means competition for volunteers. PVLD has over 200 active volunteers, upon whom we rely for everything from fundraising to helping shelve books. Many of these volunteers are older adults - stay-at-home moms from an era when that was commonplace who became active community volunteers after their children left home and men who began volunteering after they retired (which in many cases was at a younger age than may be possible for later generations). In an era when most families have two working parents and people remain in paid employment longer I don't think we will be able to rely on the kind of volunteer support we have now. Organizations wanting to attract future volunteers will need to provide volunteer opportunities that can be scheduled around work and family commitments, are seen to capitalize on and/or build the professional skills that people need for their careers, and are project- rather than commitment-based.
Competition for time and attention. A multi-tasking, Twittering, Facebooking, and increasingly mobile world offers lots of distractions as well as lots of new ways to reach people. Libraries need to offer services that reflect the "continuous partial attention" that are the new reality, and to quickly adapt to new channels of communication as they come into favor (and abandon those that fall out of favor).
Competition? There's plenty of it - and we can't let the current spurt of activity and use breed complacency or let budget pressures and stretched staff cause us to stop growing and innovating. Not easy in the current environment!
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