Libr 204: Environmental Scan




 



Environmental Scan of Dublin Library
Katrina Deliramich
San Jose State University




Environmental scanning “…is a process for gathering information about activities, trends, relationships, competitors, potential dangers, and any other factor in the environment that could impact the organization” (Evans & Layzell, 2007, p.45). For my environmental scan I chose to research the Dublin Library, which is a part of the Alameda County Library and the City of Dublin. Dublin, CA is a small town located in the Bay Area with a population of 46,000 people. The city’s demographic consists of 62% White, 10% Asian, 10% Black and 13% Latino. In April of 2003 the Dublin Library was expanded and moved to a new location located at 200 Civic Plaza, Dublin, CA 94568. It is easily accessible from Interstate 580 and is visible from the freeway. The two statues added to the new library symbolize books and new technology. “The City of Dublin promotes and supports a high quality of life which ensures a safe and secure environment that fosters new opportunities”(City of Dublin, 2009).
Customers are the most important factor to any library because without them there is no need for a library. Dublin Library has many different ways it caters to the needs of the customer. It is important to look at the demographic of the customers in order to focus on their needs. “Demographic information includes age, sex, race, family size, number of children and adults in a family, educational level, income, and occupation” (Walters, 1992, p.4). By observing the customers in the library I noticed a large number of women bringing their young children in the mornings and their teenagers in the afternoon. In the evening I noticed more men on laptops and women in groups in the foyer. The elderly women were mostly at the bookshelves and I did not see any using the computers. Observation can only tell you so much about the customer. By doing surveys and interviews it would be more beneficial to Dublin Library to determine who uses what areas and what is in more demand.
 “There is often a better way and the competition will find it” (Walters, 1992, p.1). Competitors come in many forms to the library. Since the library is not technically selling anything, or at least not large quantities of anything, their competition is places that take the people away from reading, using resources, checking out books, and using the Internet. For the Dublin library there are many places close by that compete with the library. Coffee shops are the first competitors. There are many Starbucks and other cafés nearby that provide free Internet access along with food and more convenient hours, which draw people away from the library and to their locations. Next are school libraries, Dublin has seven elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school and one continuation high school (City of Dublin, 2009). Each school has its own private library with access for the students. By having easy access to these individual libraries, students are being drawn away from the Dublin Library. Across the freeway from the Dublin Library is Stoneridge Mall. The mall has free Internet available along with many stores and amenities for customers. The mall is a more exciting area for teenagers or parents to work and access the Internet while their kids or spouses shop. The last competitor is the bookstore. Down the street from the Dublin Library are Barnes & Nobles and Borders. Both these bookstores have cafes, Internet access, as well as new, up to date books available for purchase or to browse for free. All these competitors draw customers away from the library and create more need for marketing and gimmicks to get people back to the Dublin Library.
Economics plays a roll in the library system and affects funding and marketing. The Dublin Library is funded by the City of Dublin. “The City funds 31 hours of library service including Sundays and Fridays, and supports the collection with additional money” (City of Dublin, 2009). In order to have more hours added to the library schedule the library has to have the city agree. If you look at the list of priorities and goals that Dublin is focusing on for the next few years the library is not one of them. The library relies on volunteers and fundraising to make more money to add more books and items needed by the library. The City only has a limited amount of money to fund many programs and operations, an estimated operating budget of $53,000,000 for the city (City of Dublin, 2009). Unfortunately it looks like after the improvements were made and the new library opened, the library is currently not a top priority. The city is suffering, as is the world from the downfall of the economy. More people need the resources the library offers to search for jobs and get resume help. Dublin Library offers tutors to help with resumes and has a job board posted in the foyer of the library. With more customers using the library and Internet, a strain is being put on the computers and hours available, but with funding being limited, the Dublin Library will have to determine which area to use their funds.
Socio-cultural plays a roll in the Dublin Library. From observation it was difficult to pinpoint who was a paid employee and who were the volunteers. One trend I did notice was the number of women working in the library. According to Richard E. Rubin (2004) “Women librarians compose a disproportionately low percentage of administrative positions in both public and academic libraries” (Rubin, 2004, p.475). According to the Alameda County Library website the staff of the Dublin Library is made up of almost all women, in many administrative positions. I only noticed one man working as a volunteer during my observations and by looking at the staff list I only see two men listed as employees (Alameda County, 2009). This is contradictory to what Rubin (2004) has observed with women in the majority of libraries. It is important to look at how the library looks at diversity of the staff and of the customers. The Dublin and Alameda Libraries take diversity seriously stating, “The library’s primary responsibility is to provide materials in a variety of formats to meet the expressed and anticipated needs and interests of this diverse clientele” (Dublin Library, 2009).
Technological trends are changing almost daily. The Dublin Library has been keeping up with technology by adding computers to the new library. They have a dozen with access to the Internet. The old card catalogs have become obsolete and there are three computers available to search the library’s catalog. A music and movie section was added and has now been expanded to fit three rows of the library. There are conference rooms with access to DVDs and projectors for meetings and such. The check out stations are all now computer scanning machines, but a library assistant is available to help if a book will not scan. They have made significant improvements and according to their website they are continuing to add and update their catalog and technology daily. Funding will prove their biggest problem to gain more electronic equipment. Technology will always be changing and increasing. Unfortunately, new technology is expensive and “…is likely to continue to place greater pressure on libraries to increase the number of their public access computers and to pay some institutional membership fee” (Evans & Ward, 2003, p.17).
Community growth affects the library by adding customers, removing customers and potentially adding competitors. In the Dublin area a lot of growth is currently underway. The biggest addition to Dublin is the new Bart station, which will be completed soon. This addition will allow more people to access the city and all it has to offer. There are also many housing developments being built, which will bring new schools, more people and a higher income. New restaurants and businesses are opening down the street as well as a plan for a large shopping center within a few years. The new businesses and possible schools will add more competition and money in the community. The rapid growth of Dublin will affect how the library operates and manages more competition and a higher number of customers.
The internal environment of the Dublin Library is just as important as the external environment. Dublin Library is a large circular shaped building. It was recently built and that is obvious from its cheerful blue and pink colors, wide walkways and large foyer. The Dublin Library has two conference rooms that can be booked for meetings and events. The front foyer contains the checkout counter and book scanners, a wall for new books and a section with books for sale by the Friends of the Alameda County Library. The computers are located in the very center after you leave the foyer; there are many desks with lights and outlets available for using your own computer. Signs and maps direct you to each section. The bookshelves, music and DVD’s are on the left, a quiet room is located at the back and magazines are on their middle wall. The whole right section of the library is made up of the children’s section and information desk.
According to G. Edward Evans and Patricia Layzell Ward (2003) libraries “…organizational culture is implicit rather than explicit… it is shaped by the mission statement, aims, etc” (p.88). The Dublin Library’s organizational culture is shown through their mission statement, staff, and customers. The Alameda County Library “…provides and protects access to books, information and services that promote learning and enjoyment for everyone” (Alameda County, 2009).  The Dublin Library has shown a large increase in the last few years. The have a brand new building and eventual plans to increase the size even larger. The new technology is evident throughout the library and their vision is to continue to increase technology and materials. From the information I could find on the library website they mention the plan to increase the library in time, yet in the city’s plans there is no mention of the library in upcoming projects. The Alameda County Library system is currently building a new library in Castro Valley and from the evidence provided they are very focused on improving each library in turn (Alameda County, 2009). The Alameda County Library system has a foundation that has so far raised 3 million dollars to benefit all the branches of the library (Alameda County, 2009). This, with the community support and fundraisers, provides a nice advantage for Dublin Library to continue to grow, add materials and technology.
The organizational climate of the Dublin Library is very warm and friendly. The staff was communicating with each other and laughing. Customers seemed to have a rapport with certain employees and there was a constant line of people asking for help at the information desk. The foyer of the library adds an openness and place to congregate and chat with fellow customers. The community as a whole is very participative and there were flyers and signs posted in the foyer for family events, fundraisers and help. The Dublin Library itself is located in the heart of Dublin. It is close to many schools and office buildings. The freeway is easily accessible and Bart will soon be added nearby. The website is easily accessible both from the Dublin city webpage and the Alameda County webpage. The catalog is available online as well as a connection to all other branches of the Alameda County Library system.
It was not evident how the Dublin Library is reaching the non-user and underserved. I drove around Dublin looking for evidence of signs for the library, or flyers and events posted in store windows. I was not able to find much useful information to entice me to go seek out the Dublin Library. I feel they are adjusting to the major trends such as socio-cultural and technology, but they need help reaching new customers. The library is beautiful, open and friendly so I feel their biggest obstacle is getting customers inside, once in they will return.
“Organizations can and do shape their futures” (Curzon, 2005, p.34). The Dublin Library has many improvements over other libraries in the area. They have focused on the new technology by adding many computers, updating their website and catalog. The customer’s needs are being met, the children’s section is convenient for parents and kids, new books are easily accessible and despite the lack of library staff they are doing their best to help the customers. The socio-culture of the library is encouraging for women in the work place. The competitors are many but with the growth of the city the library is adapting. The economy is hurting everyone but with fundraisers and volunteers, the library is still growing. The library is laid out very conveniently for customers with signs directing to each area and the sound level is kept low for studying and reading. The Dublin Library is not perfect, it could use some updates, more funding, marketing strategies and research on the customers. Overall the Library has done a remarkable job with the new library and the customers appear satisfied and happy.



Reference List


Alameda County (2009). Retreieved from http://www.acgov.org/

City of Dublin (2009). http://www.ci.dublin.ca.us/

Curzon, S. C. (2005). Managing Change. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.


Evans, G. E., & Ward, P. L. (2003). Beyond the Basics: The Management Guide for Library and Information Professionals. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

Evans, G. E., & Ward, P. L. (2007). Management Basics for Information Professionals. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

            Walters, S. (1992). Marketing. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

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