2012 Best Practices for Government Libraries

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BEST PRACTICES 2012
Every year, we are increasingly dealing with generations who have grown up
immersed in technology, and the ability to access and create information. That
ability is something that is assumed by younger generations. They’ve always been
able to create video, upload it to YouTube or Facebook, and share it. Further,
content created on the Internet spills over into our “traditional” media. Books are
created out of blogs (1000 Awesome Things), and out of Twitter feeds (Sh** My
Dad Says). Internet “memes” seem to come out every week, leading to millions of
views, and millions of people viewing content created by “unknowns.” Can you
imagine this dynamic happening even 20 years ago? Yet this is the world that is
second nature to an increasing number of our users, and we need to deeply
understand that.
A parallel phenomenon is street or guerilla art, probably best illustrated by the
British artist Banksy, known paradoxically for his anonymity and the wide
recognition of his work. No one knows who he is (supposedly), yet he continues to
create content and be widely praised for it. Similarly, Los Angeles street artist
Shepard Fairey created an icon out of his street using an image of Andre the Giant.
Now you can buy bumper stickers with this image on it.
My point in connection with pushing boundaries is that we simply would not have
this art as part of our lexicon without someone doing something they weren’t
“supposed” to do. Ordinary people are creating content and creating a world of their
own. Why aren’t we as information professionals?
So what do we do going forward? Beginning to expand our boundaries
I am a proponent of librarians, information professionals, and libraries pushing
boundaries. In order to keep ourselves vital to our users and our communities, and
simply to keep ourselves interested in what we do, we need to push our own
boundaries on a regular basis. Granted, especially in government work, there can
be a lot of constraints and potential consequences to not “following the rules.” Yet I
think we more often restrict ourselves from pushing our own boundaries.
There is no blanket solution for “pushing your boundaries” for all libraries, and so I
don’t feel I can really provide specifics. Each library and information organization
has to determine how it moves forward, because each has its own situation,
audience, and guidelines. That said, I do have some thoughts about approach and
perspective to pushing your own boundaries as an information organization.
Be willing to question everything, with detachment and without
judgment. And I mean everything. Most of us have “sacred cows” – services,
resources, ideas – that we don’t allow ourselves to even think about
changing or letting go. Keep in mind – questioning and examining are not the
same as actually taking action. It’s simply opening up the conversation.
Get a good understanding of the new landscape. Take a good look at
what’s happening out there, not just in the library world, but in business and
industry, in the arts, in brain research, in a variety of disciplines. This kind of
cross-pollination will allow you to better understand the world and to gain
ideas on how to creatively push your own boundaries.