The Library In The Community

Libraries are an important part of many communities, but some people have argued that they're not as necessary as they once were. Budget cuts and the rise of the internet have led some to question the need for libraries. As readers explore this point of view, they also find compelling reasons why many still consider a library in every community a necessity. These reasons are presented through accessible main text that is enhanced by fact boxes, full-color photographs, and a detailed graphic organizer. This critical thinking exercise promotes a love of reading and respect for other opinions.

Libraries, as a component of cultural space, are ubiquitous to almost every society during almost every time period. However, as places of cultural and symbolic and intellectual meaning, they have varied greatly. To capture both aspects, this collection of 14 original papers covers library spaces old and new, real and imagined, large and small, public and private. Contributions range from a consideration of the Garrison library in the British Empire, to the Carnegie library as a social institution, to the imagined library in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The result is a fascinating look at the library as a physical, social, and intellectual place within the hearts and minds of its clientele and the public at large.

Sharing numerous examples of successful change, dialogue and deliberation, and collaborative efforts, this book offers a comprehensive look at community engagement work that can help all libraries reinforce their roles as champions of lifelong learning.

The library has always been an essential part of the collegiate experience, providing students with access to knowledge and literature. However, as virtual services and online learning become more prominent within collegiate environments, the ways students conduct research and access resources has been altered. Innovative Solutions for Building Community in Academic Libraries examines new methods librarians use to engage both on-campus and online users in library services, taking into account the significant impacts of online learning on students’ interaction with library resources. Focusing on various outreach practices, techniques of literacy instruction, and the utilization of library spaces, this research-supported book is a pivotal reference source for distance educators, program planners, academics, and library professionals interested in new ways to attract users to library services.

In today's economic climate, many libraries are work cooperatively and sharing facilities, staffs, and resources. This book gives you practical examples of how to make joint use a POSITIVE reality! The first book of its kind, Joint-Use Libraries presents nine examples of situations in which libraries of different types share a building. In some cases one library takes the lead and staffs the operation. In other cases, two or more staffs inhabit the same building and divide the work. This essential book illustrates the variety of ways that public libraries, community college libraries, and college/university libraries have found to stretch their resources and better serve their users. This book explores team-based strategies for joint-use libraries and shows how various libraries have addressed questions such as, “Which library's online catalog will be used?” “How will costs for maintenance and utilities be shared?” and “Will there be one integrated staff, or separate staffs inhabiting the same building?” The libraries described range from a very small library shared by Front Range Community College and the City of Fort Collins, Colorado, to a mammoth new joint library now being built in San Jose, California. In Joint-Use Libraries, you'll encounter fascinating case studies of successful joint use that examine: school libraries that double as public library facilities a county-wide public library system in South Florida that has created partnerships with university, community college, public, and private school libraries a joint library located on a Florida community college campus but also serving a major university another joint library on a Washington state campus that is shared by both a university and a community college—with the university acting as primary provider of library services by contract with the community college a three-way library in which a community college, a university, and a public library provide their own staffing, collections, and other resources to offer services in a small community where none of them alone could afford a first-rate facility a complex situation in which St. Petersburg College and the City of Seminole, Florida are building a joint-use facility which will serve not only the city and the college, but will also serve the students of 14 other institutions of higher education a joint-use library where one institution is clearly the senior partner, but a largely new, integrated staff has been hired to minimize resistance to the new joint mission and to serve all users equally and more!