My Library: Celebrate the County Public Library
Public libraries play a pivotal role in the lives of many Americans, from early education to senior services. The majority of Americans believe their local library improves their community (94%), and an equally significant number (65%) have visited at least one time in the past year (American Library Association, 2010). Residents of Connecticut are no exception. As of 2007, Connecticut boosts 195 public libraries containing a circulation of approximately 15.5 million books, and enjoys the third highest rate of per capita library visits in the nation, at 6.5 visits per capita (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009). The West Hartford Public Library, bests the state average, with approximately 10.5 library visits per capita and a circulation of almost 1 million books, a significant slice of the total state circulation (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009). As the birthplace of Noah Webster and mere miles away from the former homes of Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe, West Hartford has a rich literary history that continues to this day.
American libraries have suffered financial blows in recent years (American Library Association, 2010), with Connecticut libraries suffering a 15 year operating income low in 2010 (CT Library Community); however, in the current state of the nation, public libraries are experiencing a resurgence in popularity, as individuals hurt by the recession flock to public libraries (Rooney-Brown, 2009). Residents of communities across the country are taking advantage of the free services public libraries offer, such as dvd rentals, computer usage, social groups, workshops, lectures, and countless other benefits (Rooney-Brown, 2009)....
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...ion Statistics, 2009). If residents were aware of the numerous services offered by the library, presumably they would visit the WHPL at a greater frequency. The primary tactic of the campaign will be to leverage each service as an argument for visiting the library. The campaign will present a significant number of arguments and in turn, boost My Library’s credibility. The services presented may range from free Internet and computer usage to free mediation sessions. The diversity of the services in addition to the sheer number of services will provide a strong argument, as each service provides a unique benefit to library patrons. Equally important, the act of visiting the library requires a strong degree of motivation and effort. Research shows that several robust arguments significantly supplement the power of a message if the recipient is highly involved (Petty &
When attempting to convince other to view an issue from a different standpoint, there are multiple different rhetorical strategies that can be utilized in order to effectively do so. In the article “Not by Math Alone,” by Sandra Day O’Connor and Roy Romer, the authors argue that school systems today lack the education needed to prepare students to take part in their government. O’Connor and Romer use a variety of persuasive techniques, including establishing credibility and presenting facts and evidence, to get the audience to see how rare civic learning is and why it is important for students to learn about these things. The authors instill trust in the audience as they provide information from credible sources that supports their purpose.
The book contains some of what you would expect in a book by revolting librarians. There are the requisite essays on the suppression of civil liberties through the Patriot Act along with essays detailing the problem of cultural representation in the Library of Congress Subject Headings. And of course, there's something both by and about Sandy Berman, a living legend among progressive librarians. But there are also quite a few surprises. Ever curious about the astrological breakdown of librarians? You'll find an extensive article complete with enough statistics to make you break out your notes from IRLS 506. [Leos dominate the field, with Aquarians an astrological minority.] Another notable essay concerns what services librarians can offer to day laborers.
The focus of this paper is research that has been done in a number of articles about the problem patron specifically the homeless patron. One of the questions that this article is trying to answer is what the needs of the homeless patron are and how libraries can fill those needs. Even though this study is primarily focused on the homeless patron it also examines the emotional labor that librarians go through when they deal with problem patrons. Librarians like other employees who work with the public must put on a professional face when at work. This face was created to hide the more negative reactions that librarians experience when being confronted by an aggressive or annoying ...
This library system is utilizing all the technologies and materials available to them to serve the community in the best way. Despite certain social indicators and demographic statistics indicating that the library should not be overly utilized, it is thriving and is heavily in use. There are areas that the library can look to improve based on statistical evidence, such as reaching out to the low income population and the over 55 years age group. This library seems to be meeting numerous needs for a wide range of patrons, and doing it well.
Darnton, Robert. "The Library in the New Age." NYBooks.com. The New York Review of Books, June 12, 2008. Web. 6 March 2012.
Arist (2007) chose three outstanding examples of libraries—academic, special, and public---that demonstrate how to provide information, technology, programming, and services to their communities. Her purpose is to encourage every library to do the same.
The King County Library System is the fifth largest library system in circulation in the United States. The current director of the KCLS, Bill Ptacek, started with the organization three years ago and is in the process of working towards a new strategic plan titled "The Year 2000 Plan, which has a long-term goal of integrating all the resources of the library system equally and to coordinate all the efforts to ensure it was providing the best possible service to the community. In the three years, Ptacek worked to expand the mission to cover services for the community to include children, life-long learning, career development, and literacy (Chell, 1996, pg.2). The reworking of the mission and services of KCLS was in full swing, but there were
The article “The North West London Blues” argues that public libraries still remain an important part of the society and should be preserved. There is no doubt that she is, in fact, a part of the minority who has the same opinion due to the reason that most people tend to prefer electronics over physical copy of books, especially the younger ones. Therefore, it is important for the author to use persuasive methods to gain more support. The author, Zadie Smith, uses evidence, reasonings, and stylistic elements in order to gain support.
The name of the building I choose is the Downtown Public Library, which address is 330 Park Blvd and it has a size of 366,673 square feet. The construction began in August of 2010 and the architect that was in charge of it was Rob Wellington Quigley of the FAIA Tucker Sadler & Associates. The main materials used when building it was concrete and all of the columns where supported with steel rebar, which is a piece of metal used to reinforce concrete. The dome was made out of eight steel ribs and eight steel-mesh sail as stated in the “Construction facts of the San Diego Central Library“. The main function of this building as its name says, is to serve as a library not only for the Downtown part of San Diego but for the whole city.
Public Librarians’ Attitudes Regarding Acquisition and Access. Judaica Librarianship [serial online]. July 2014; 18:54-87. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 4, 2015.
In closing, Persuasion is a powerful tool, both in trying to persuade others and being
Libraries are essential to a community especially in difficult times. Due to rising costs and job losses, patrons may have had to cut their own expenses such as buying books or cancelling their internet service. In order to continue to have access to these materials, patrons turn to their libraries. However, libraries are often the first to get cut in budget reforms. A library can survive a budget crisis by making cuts, fundraising, developing trust, and media exposure.
Lee, S. (2007). Vroom’s expectancy theory and the public library customer motivation model. Library Review, 56(9), 788 - 796. doi:10.1108/00242530710831239
HISTORYThe Library of congress was established by an act of congress on April 24, 1800. It was originally housed in the United States capitol. The collection, which stared out small at 740 volumes, slowly increased to over 3,000 volumes by 1814. That year, though, the British along with the capitol burned those books during the assault on Washington.To rapidly replace the collection, Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library to congress at no cost, describing the nature of his books like so: "I do not know that it contains any branch of science which Congress would wish to exclude from the collections; there is, in fact, no subject to which a Member of Congress may not have occasion to refer." This changed the library from a tiny legislative workplace to the largest national institute that it was about to become.Jefferson’s more or less 6,500 volumes formed the heart of the library, and grew speedily in the nineteenth century. The new copyright law of 1870 demanded that two copies of every single book copyrighted had to be given to the library in order to receive protection.
Everyday I walk into my school library with the hope of influencing a student or a teacher to read a new book, use a new search strategy, or to collaborate on a unit of study. My goals for students range from getting to know them and their interests and then guiding the student to these new sources or literature. I look upon the library as a learning lab or, as some in my profession have dubbed it, the Learning Commons. Every morning I greet anywhere from 50 to 80 students who are waiting for the first bell of the day. These students are in the library because they have made a decision that this is their place; a hangout for those students who are drawn to a vibrant environment that is teeming with learning and discussion.