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.
Dublin Library (2009). Retrieved from http://www.aclibrary.org/branches/dub/default.asp?topic=Dublin&cat=DUBHome
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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