how to build a community library
TRANSCRIPT
What is a Library?
The Royal Library of San Lorenzo, photo by Jose Maria Cuellar
Seattle Public Library, photo by Theodore Scott
Second Life Library 2.0, screenshot by Andrea Mercado
Nemaha Public Library, photo by Sarah (Arahsae)
Vancouver Public Library, photo by Cecil Reniche-Smith
Stella Community Library photo by Nebraska Library Commission
What is THIS library?
Andrés Figueroa Cordero Library
A place where people can learn about, and share with a broader community of people, the depth of Puerto Rican and Latina/o history, experiences, and struggles. ... A catalyst space, that is, a point of initiation that will contribute to and support an informed practice of community activism.
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Who is it here for?
Puerto Rican Cultural CenterDr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School
National Boricua Human Rights Network
Consuelo Lee Corretjer Centro Infantil (Daycare)
VIDA/SIDA
Lolita Lebron Family Learning Center
Cafe Teatro Batey Urbano
La Casita de Don Pedro
CO-OP Humbolt Park (Community Health)
La Voz del Paseo Boricua
Problems:
People don't know about it
People can't get to it
People find it hard to use
Goals:Organize the books
Make it easy to access the library
Connect the library with the community
Step 1: Organizing the Library
Paseo Boricua Community Library Project
Local community members and students from UIUC's Graduate School of Library Science worked together to sort the books, develop a mission statement, and create an organization system that reflected the library's purpose.
... and they won VOYA's "Most Valuable Project" award in 2004
photo from PRCC flickr site
Step 2: Creating an "online library"
Step 3: Community Needs Assessment
photo from PRCC flickr site
What's Next?Offer consistent library hours and staffing through volunteers and students
Settle the library into a permanent location
Create local collections of PRCC publications
Partner with UIUC Library Archives to create a digital archive of the artwork and artifacts
Find funding sources to purchase or otherwise obtain more recent materials on current topics & projects
Community Libraries 101:What are the goals of your community?
Who does your library serve?
What do they want the library to do?
What experience do people have with libraries?
What tools already exist that can help you?
From Problems to Solutions:What does it take to turn a disorganized pile of books into a library that serves the goals and needs of a specific community?
Case Study: Subject Headings
000 Generalities 100 Philosophy & psychology 200 Religion 300 Social sciences 400 Language 500 Natural sciences & mathematics
600 Technology (Applied sciences) 700 The arts 800 Literature & rhetoric 900 Geography & history
Dewey Decimal System
Library of Congress Classification
A - General Works B - Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion C - Auxiliary Sciences of History D - General and Old World History E - History of America F - History of the United States and British, Dutch, French, and Latin America
G - Geography, Anthropology, and Recreation H - Social Sciences J - Political Science K - Law L - Education M - Music N - Fine Arts P - Language and Literature
Q - Science R - MedicineS - Agriculture T - Technology U - Military Science V - Naval Science Z - Bibliography, Library Science, and General Information Resources
PRCC "Subject Organization"1. Puerto Rico2. Latin America 3. Argentina 4. Bolvia 5. Brazil6. Caribbean7. Chile8. Colombia9. Costa Rico10. Cuba11. Dominican Republic12. Ecuador 13. El Salvador 14. Guatemala 15. Haiti16. Mexico17. Nicaragua
18. Panama 19. Peru 20. Uruguay21. Venezuela 22. Spain23. Africa24. Central Africa25. South Africa26. Southern Africa27. West Africa28. China 29. Japan30. Vietnam31. Asia 32. Southeast Asia33. Southwest Asia34. Egypt
35. Native Americans 36. African Americans37. Women 38. Latinas/os in the U.S.39. Race, Gender, and Class 40. Human Rights 41. Education42. Lenin43. Mao 44. Marxism45. Library Science46. Children’s Books/ Young Adults47. Reference48. Other
Case Study: Library WebsiteHow do you make it easy for people to find the books they want and the information they need?
Let's looking at the most popular websites for finding books and information: What makes them work? What are their problems?
Easy to find
Easy to Use
Lots of Information
Instant Results
You can contribute (reviews, editing)
Why we like them:
Hard to judge quality or accuracy of information
Can be information overload
Can be hard to find older or specific local information
May be biased, or hide unflattering information to increase sales
Problems with them:
What do we want?
A site that's easy to find, easy to understand
Easy to use (create, edit, search, share)
Fast access
Trustworthy information
Customized information
Easy to Start
Easy to Customize
Easy to Connect
Getting Started1 - 2 - 3
1: Sign Up
2: Search
3: Add Books
Customize LibraryThingCreate a profile for your library
Decide how you want to view your books (or what language to use on the site)
Change your mind about your tags?Power editing makes changes easy
Change your book covers to match the illustrations or to color code your collection
Connect & ShareShare your opinions in reviews, or add information to the "Common Knowledge" info for books or authors
Find people whose libraries are very similar to yours - browse their libraries, send them a message, or even track their additions
Join conversations about your books or find groups for topics you're interested in
Check the blog to see what's new and leave feedback