PVLD Director's Blog

Thoughts on yesterday's post

Yesterday's post demonstrated one thing that newspapers have known for a long time - controversy sells!  Over the past two days that post has gotten more hits than all but one of my over 500 posts to date, and as I recall that one was pretty controversial too.

I have to confess, however, that part of me has been wondering why this issue is generating the kind of heat that it is.

I think part of the cause is that the fires on both sides are being stoked by broad-brush statements that are based on beliefs and assumptions rather than facts. 

When the CEO of LSSI says many public libraries "...are all about job security. That’s why the profession is nervous about us. You can go to a library for 35 years and never have to do anything and then have your retirement" he is not reflecting my experience that the vast majority of public library employees work extremely hard to deliver excellent service despite short-staffing and budget pressures. 

When the Director of the County of Los Angeles Public Library says “There is no local connection,” she is disregarding the fact that many LSSI employees live in or near the communities served by the libraries where they work, while many COLAPL employees commute significant distances to work in communities that are very different from where they live.

When someone says (as I have heard several times from different people) that when the profit motive is introduced true freedom of information may be lost I wonder where the evidence is to support that statement and think about the late Gordon Conable, an LSSI Executive who was a fierce defender of intellectual freedom who served as President of the American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom to Read Foundation and who was called “...an unsurpassed champion of intellectual freedom, a wise and generous mentor to many, and a consummate librarian who was a true leader of our profession,” by Library Journal editor John Berry.

It seems to me that blanket statements both fan the flames and mask the subleties and complexities of a debate such as this.

It also seems to me that both public and private organizations are capable of doing great good or great harm (just remember recent events in the city of Bell for a reminder that being a public servant does not automatically equate to sterling character).  The difference is in the quality of leadership, the systems of accountability, and the transparency with which they conduct their business.

Finally, this issue also made me think about a question library consultant Joan Frye-Williams asked in relation to a totally different issue at the Southern California Library Cooperative strategic review last week - "Are we arguing over a value or a method?"

It seems to me that the fundamental values of public librararies - access to information, intellectual freedom, confidentiality of library records, etc. - are not being questioned by either side.  What is being questioned is the method by which they are being delivered in a given community.

Yesterday Genesis Hansen made this point in a comment on my blog post - "The question is: what's best for the community? For some, LSSI will be the answer. I'm okay with that."

I'm ok with that too...

And with that I'm off to the Eureka Leadership Institute for 8 days of learning and personal growth.  I'm not sure whether I'll get a chance to write any posts while I am there...but if I do they probably won't be about contracting out library services!

Call me a heretic

Yesterday's New York Times had a very interesting article about LSSI, a privately held corporation that provides library services ranging from short-term placement of contract employees to total management of public libraries. 

The article was sparked by the city of Santa Clarita's recent decision to withdraw from the County of Los Angeles Public Library System (full disclosure - my husband is a Community Library Manager for COLAPL) and contract with LSSI to manage their libraries.

Many in the public library world see LSSI as something of an evil empire, for reasons that are articulated in the NY Times article.

As for me, I am not so sure.  

A number of years ago LSSI  provided information technology services to PVLD under a contract that was terminated by one of my predecessors due to service issues.  PVLD ended up hiring the LSSI employees (at a considerable expense as is typical when you hire someone away from a contractor) and they remain valued members of the PVLD staff today.  This tells me that the issue was not "on the ground" service from the LSSI staff, but maybe had more to do with the way the contract was structured.

I also know a number of LSSI employees including the Vice President responsible for their West Coast operations, two of their community library managers from Riverside County who I have had the privilege of mentoring through the Eureka Leadership program, a Library Director in an LSSI-operated city  library, and a long-time friend and former colleague who is a librarian in Jackson County, Oregon where LSSI took over library operations several years ago after the county government closed all of the county libraries in the face of budget pressures.

Each of these people has a Master's degree in Library and Information Management, and a commitment to the values of our profession and to providing the highest levels of service to their communities.  Each of them is someone I would be happy to work with and could see working at PVLD.

I know from my conversations with the ones who are a bit further down the LSSI organization structure than Vice President that they find LSSI to be a good company to work for, and that while they look at public sector benefits with a bit of envy they feel that overall their compensation and benefits are good.  They also talk of feeling valued by their managers, of being given opportunities to contribute, of a commitment to professional development. Over a quiet glass of wine you might also hear that people  like working in an environment where expectations of performance and service are high, and where people whose performance drags the team down can be dealt with fairly, but more expediently, than in the public sector with its "vested job rights" and complex disciplinary processes. 

I see the work these colleagues are doing in their libraries and it seems to me that the services and programs are as good as, and in some cases better than, what I see in many public libraries.  Is working for LSSI perfect?  Of course not...but where is?  When you talk to LSSI employees it certainly doesn't feel like they work for an evil empire, and I don't think they've been brainwashed!

Don't get me wrong, I believe in government and in fact think there are some areas where this country would benefit from greater government involvement.  I also don't think outsourcing is the answer in every case.  Here at PVLD we've brought a couple of previously outsourced functions (the previously mentioned IT as well as our janitorial services) back in-house and have seen the benefits of overall reduced costs, greater flexibility, and better integration of those functions with other aspects of library operations.

That said, however I don't think involving the private sector in government activities is inherently abhorrent or that hiring LSSI (or a similar company if one existed) to run a community's libraries is inherently bad.  I think of Jackson County, Oregon where the alternative to LSSI-run libraries was no libraries at all, and where my friend tells me that she thinks the quality of library services under LSSI is at least as good as what it was when the county ran the libraries directly. 

I also think of all of the public libraries across Los Angeles County that have made drastic cuts to library services and hours to save money, and wonder if those communities would be better served by libraries operated by a private company where a less financially burdensome employee benefits cost structure could translate into increased library hours and still provide a profit margin for the company.  Wouldn't this also be a better solution for the many library employees who have seen real cuts to their pay as a result of reduced hours and furloughs, not to mention the currently unemployed or underemployed recent library school graduates who might find work if library hours and services could be sustained?

At the end of the day I come back to my fundamental belief that public libraries are important, and that at a time when many communities are scaling back library services in the face of budget pressures an alternative that enables services to be sustained at a lower cost shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. 

I know that makes me a heretic in the eyes of many of my colleagues, and I expect plenty of comments on this post...but that's the way I see it!

Designing the Future of the Book

Several of the blogs I follow have featured this video from design firm Ideo, which demonstrates three conceptual models for "books" in the digital  age (you may need to double click on the video to see it full-sized, or click on this link :

I'm a long-time Ideo fan and think they are some of the smartest designers around, but I admit I have a bit of trouble getting my head around the idea of a non-linear plotline that evolves based on the readers activities.  Of course as we know, and this image from the Paleo-Future blog via Execupundit reinforces, not all predictions get it exactly right.  On the other hand, if you read the text that accompanied the cartoon some of the predictions weren't so far off after all!

Whether the Ideo designers are right or wrong I think it is great that they are willing to direct some of their creative energy to the discussion about the future of the book.
 

A Tale of Two Libraries

It's unusual for me to post twice in one day, but these two articles found their way into my inbox this morning, and the contrast is so stark I had to share them.

The first is by John Bogert, columnist for our local newspaper The Daily Breeze and celebrates the soon-to-open new North Redondo branch library.  I started my public library career as a Page (for you non-library people that's the entry level position that checks in and shelves the books) at the Redondo Beach Public Library in the mid-1980s and worked some of the time at the old North Redondo branch that is being replaced by this wonderful new facility,  Even then the North Redondo branch was cramped, out-of-date, and woefully inadequate to meet the needs of an area that is home to a good percentage of the city's residents as well as its largest commercial district. 

Like most cities, Redondo Beach is facing significant budget pressures and has made serious cuts to the library budget and I know the library staff is stretched very thin trying to sustain hours and services.  I also know that operating this new library building will stretch them even further - but as a fourth-generation Redondo Beach resident I am proud to see that our city will, at long last, be addressing the need for adequate library services in North Redondo.

The second article, from the LA Weekly, couldn't tell a more different story as it describes severe cuts to public library services in the city of Los Angeles - cuts that are disproportionately harsh relative to what is being done in most other city departments - and the impact on the communities served by the Los Angeles Public Library. 

Two cities, two stories...with the common thread of making a compelling case for the importance of public libraries even in the age of the Internet and especially in these hard times.

For a Monday morning

From  Eclecticity via Execupundit...read it, then read it again!

33 Reasons to Read More Widely and More Often

From the always enjoyable Nicholas Bate:

1. Get daily inspiration
2. Gain tips on selling
3. Learn how to write a better CV
4. Encourage your kids to read
5. Help your writing
6. Understand more everyday physics
7. Laugh a lot
8. Become the best in your field
9. Accelerate your learning
10. Discover what great presenters do
11. Grab some business-building ideas 
12. Find out what 'The Long Tail' is
13. Escape and reduce stress
14. Put things in proportion
15. Grasp the simplicity the far side of complexity
16. Find great quotes to liven up your presentation
17. Boost your wealth
18. Help your flirting skills
19. Expand your brain
20. Slow you down so that you smell the roses
21. Re-realise what's really important
22. Get back to original sources
23. Develop critical and analytical thinking skills
24. Develop supreme concentration
25. S-l-o-w down
26. Boost your creativity
27. Learn from the past
28. Er, why not?
29. Appreciate more about art
30. Be surprised at how you'd not seen it that way before
31. Gain a brilliant idea or two
32. Understand the caffeine molecule
33. Remind yourself of the best way to make tea

  

A tale of two Iphones and a wayward blog post

This past weekend I dropped my Iphone in the swimming pool.  No funny story - just bad luck.  I tried to dry it out in a bag of rice, but no success...it was dead, and so was the warranty since it doesn't cover water damage.

Took it to the AT&T store where I bought it and they said take to the Apple store wherethey might let me buy a replacement for $199 (instead of the retail price of over $500).  I made an appointment at the Genius Bar,told my soggy tale to the very nice young "Genius", and he replaced the phone...for FREE!  And in the process made me into an Apple fan for life.

Brought it home, restored all of the apps and settings from the backup in Itunes, and I am up and running again. 

The only thing is, in the process of restoring everything a blog post about unattended bags that seems to be lodged in the bowels of my phones memory got reposted for the second time since I did the original post in May.

All of this is a long was of saying disregard that last post!

The future of the book...again!

As my many blog posts on the subject prove, I've been wrestling in my own mind about what the future of books might be, so I found this article by Hugh McGuire about the inevitable (at least in his view) blurring of the line between "books" and the Internet from today's O'Reilly Radar very interesting. 

McGuire notes that "Ebooks to date have mostly been approached as digital versions of a print books that readers can read on a variety of digital devices, with some thought to enhancing ebooks with a few bells and whistles, like video" and goes on to talk about all of the things that you can do with the Internet that you (deliberately?) can't do with e-books in their current form and about the unkown, but likely immense, value that could be tapped if books offered the same kinds of accessibility and functionality as a well-designed website.  He concludes:

"I don't know what smart things people will start to do when books are truly of the Internet.

But I do know that it will happen, and the "Future of Publishing" has something to do with this. The current world of ebooks is just a transition to a digitally connected book publishing ecosystem that won't look anything like the book world we live in now."

The conundrum for me has always been not that the Internet will enable some new "digitally connected book publishing ecosystem", which in my mind is inevitable, but about what that means for the ink-on-paper, physically-bounded books that so many of us cherish today.

I keep coming back to is the idea that we will not see the end of the "book" but rather the evolution of a world in which there are in fact two publishing ecosystems - the Internet-based, API-enabled one that McGuire foresees (and by the way his layman's explanation of what an API is and why it is important is as good as I have seen), where what is published won't necessarily be recognizable as and may not be called a "book" and one where the "book" continues to be published much as it currently is. [I should note that when I say "book" I mean some form of words on a page...which could include magazines and other forms of "print" media as well].

I first encountered this idea in a NY Times Op Ed piece by James Gleick back in December 2008 - that the book much as we know it today  will continue to exist "as a physical object, and as an idea, and as a set of literary forms."

At the end of his essay Gleick urges publishers to "Go back to an old-fashioned idea: that a book, printed in ink on durable paper, acid-free for longevity, is a thing of beauty. Make it as well as you can. People want to cherish it."

Where I perhaps differ with Gleick is that I think we need  expand the idea of "book" to encompass both the physical object "printed in ink on durable paper" and the electronic version where the same words are printed in e-ink on e-paper and read on a screen...the "e-book" as we know it today.

Why?  Because as much as I love the experience of reading a traditional, physical book I can see the advantages of having the option to read that same book digitally - you can carry around multiple books on a device that weighs no more than a single physical book, you can read in bed without having the light on, you can adjust the font size and contrast so you can enjoy reading even if you are visually impaired. 

In my mind "books" will be with us for a long time to come, although our definition of what constitutes a book is no longer limited to the physical object.  Whether physical or electronic, however, they will still be structured to support the contemplative act of reading described in this essay by David Ulin that appeared in the Los Angeles Times about a year ago.

At the same time, the Internet will enable new ways of "reading" - where ideas and information may not be structured into sentences, paragraphs and chapters; where hyperlinks and global positioning systems allow you to travel from a place name on a screen to a map or satellite image of that place, where you and others can collaborate to change the outcome of a story.

I tbelieve that these two models of "reading" can co-exist.  I also believe that it is important for libraries to understand and participate in both models, but that our value will continue to be in what we do to support and sustain the former...because no matter how exciting the new world of Internet reading might be, it is not a substitute for the process and structure of organizing ideas within the constraints of the printed page, and then giving others access to those ideas through the act of focused, contemplative reading. 

 

Library colleagues in the news

It's the Tuesday after Labor Day and the glow of a relaxing holiday weekend has already been tarnished by a seemingly non-stop barrage of issues large and small.  My plan for today was to write about a couple of recent posts by Emily Lloyd, creator of the usually pointed and always funny ShelfCheck library comic strip, about the value (or not) of a Master's degree in Library Science.   I'm still hoping to muster up the time and energy to comment on Emily's thought-provoking comments...but it won't be today.

Instead I'm going to take the lazy way out and pass along a couple of news items about friends and colleagues from the library world.

The first is a terrific profile of San Diego County Library Director Jose Aponte from this weekend's San Diego Union-Tribune.  Jose is a high-energy guy and a relentless promoter of libraries, and the article not only describes him well, it describes how his libraries are thriving even in these tough economic times.  Jose is going to be my mentor-partner at the upcoming Eureka Leadership Institute...I just hope I can keep up!

The second is a radio interview  (if the link doesn't work you can click here and scroll down to "Are Libraries Necesssary") of the inimitable George Needham and Joan Frye-Williams (coincidentally, or maybe not, fellow Eureka mentors from last year!).  The interview is about 7 minutes long, and well worth listening to for George and Joan's articulation of why libraries are important. 

I especially loved Joan's statement that "We're not the grocery store, we're the kitchen" which captures so well the idea that we are not just a place where you come pull things off the shelf, but a place where real transformation takes place.  Listen!

500!

That's the number of posts on this blog since I started it nearly 4 years ago through the one I wrote yesterday. It's been quite a journey, and more work than I ever envisioned when I started.  I've had some dry spells, and written a few things that I later regretted, but overall it has been a great experience and wonderful personal development tool.  It has forced me to make time every week to read and think - something that would have continually fallen by the wayside if I hadn't made the commitment to regular posts - and the blogs, articles, and books that have fueled my posts have enriched both my personal and professional lives.

To a large extent I write the blog as much for me as for anyone else, but I hope those of you who read it have gotten at least some benefit.

Now, with the Labor Day weekend nearly here I plan to take a few days off before I embark on the next 500 posts!