COMPETENCY B

“LEARNED INSTITUTIONS OUGHT TO BE FAVORITE OBJECTS WITH EVERY FREE PEOPLE. THEY THROW THAT LIGHT OVER THE PUBLIC MIND WHICH IS THE BEST SECURITY AGAINST CRAFTY & DANGEROUS ENCROACHMENTS ON THE PUBLIC LIBERTY.”- James Madison

B.
Compare the environments and organizational setting which library and information professionals practice.

      From the Ancient Library of Alexandria to the New York Public Library, libraries have stood as monuments to learning. Every library is unique in its individual way. Design, layout, staff and the surrounding environment play large roles in creating a distinctive library space. I have been fortunate enough to visit numerous libraries throughout my life, from small school libraries to the large Library of Congress in Washington D.C. As part of the MLIS program, we had to participate in an environmental scan of a library of our choice (Library 204 Environmental Scan). I chose to use the Dublin Public Library located in Dublin, CA. This is a relatively new library and the community is rapidly growing. By using the guidelines for the assignment, I researched the city, businesses located close to the library and the types of activities provided by the library and by the community. I looked at the trends, competitor’s activities of surrounding locations and the people who will potentially visit the site. These aspects helped me create a plan that reflects what the library needs to do to continue to grow to keep up with the needs of the community.Many libraries are creating separate spaces for teenagers. The new Castro Valley Library in Castro Valley, CA, has a separate teen space. For Library 261a, Programming for Young Adults, I visited the Castro Valley Library and viewed the teen space. I created a PowerPoint presentation that gave a tour of the teen space (Library 261a Teen Space). I used the same teen space to create an analysis regarding teen areas for Library 271a, Genres and Topics in Youth Literature. The teen space at the Castro Valley Library is very modern. The layout provides amble room for reading, socializing, plugging in laptops and there are numerous computers. This space compared to the high school library that I work at, appeals to the younger generation, because the furniture, lights and technology is new, fun and fits with the current trend. I feel technology needs to be at the forefront of any design for teens.

      I had the pleasure of visiting the Bancroft Library at University of California Berkeley. Associate Director of the Bancroft Library, David De Lorenzo, was gracious enough to give SLIS students a tour of the library and its archives. For Library 256, Archives and Manuscripts, I wrote a paper on my experience during the tour (Library 256 Tour). Housing 600,000 printed volumes and 60,000,000 manuscript items, the Bancroft library is a sight to behold. A he warehouse type room houses books from floor to ceiling. A special room with refrigerators hold close to three million images. There are beautiful rooms to study in with amazing architecture. Everything is grand in this library, a complete opposite from most public and school libraries.
      Whenever I visit a new library I always get excited. You never know what the building might contain and there are always special points that make you want to remember so you can implement that idea in your own career. On a family vacation I got to visit the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. I have dreamed of visiting this library and it was nothing short of spectacular. Marble stairways and columns greet you, along with beautiful paintings. The library is a tourist destination and you get the feeling that most people are there to look at the architecture, not do research. Exhibits are set up housing documents, books and pictures. There was an exhibit of Thomas Jefferson’s library with every book including originals that he had donated to the library.
     There is no doubt that each of the libraries I have visited are extremely different but there was one common bond between all of the libraries, they are there to serve. People come to learn, do research and explore new and exciting surroundings. Each library represents a different type of learning and person but they all are available for people to use in whichever way they choose and all the librarians work hard to keep their libraries updated and accessible.


References

The Bancroft Library (2008). Fact Sheet. Retrieved July 22, 2011 from http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/

Library of Congress (2006). On These Walls. Retrieved July 20, 2011 from http://www.loc.gov/loc/walls/

Evidence:
Libr 204: Environmental Scan
Libr 256: Library Tour
Libr 271a: Teen Space