Australia to the USA. 13 Librarians on a 3 week tour of US public libraries. Jun/Jul 2010
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1. USA Public Libraries
2.
Points of difference between Australian and US libraries
Christine
Iconic buildings Karyn
Libraries making a difference in their communities
Genimaree
New and different technologies from ALA conference -
Christine
3.
Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Columbus, Washington DC, Queens,
New York
ALA conference, Washington DC
Related organisations Gates Foundation, ULC, OCLC
Beautiful libraries OSU, University Club Library, Library of
Congress
Getty Museum, Disney Theatre, Chicago river tour, Baltimore,
Newseum
4. 5.
Budget crisis
Architecture and large central libraries
Social roles
Private funding
Collections
Staff and unions
Technology
Organisation / planning
6.
California and Los Angeles under immense pressure
Library has decreased operating budget by 15%; 28% reduction in
staff (including 150 layoffs) and cut to services 5 days from
6
Chicago laying off 120 workers and cutting hours at branches;
hiring freeze, 24 days furlough
7.
Columbus lost $11 mill since 2008 and a reduction in staff of
160 FTE since 03
NYPL and Queens facing significant cuts and layoffs
OCLC has laid off 64 staff
Communities served by libraries also affected
8. Lyn Barakat 9.
Large central reference libraries
Architectural statements
Monuments to the book, built around collections
The architects conceived the new Seattle Central Library
building as a celebration of book deciding after some research that
despite the arrival of the 21stC and the digital age people still
respond to books printed on paper.
10.
Libraries in the US provide services that here would be offered
by different welfare and social agencies
Queens notable example
11.
Significant private funding, culture of philanthropy
$85 million raised by Seattle Library Foundation
$1million pa Columbus Foundation
NYPL Genealogy Library funded through $5 mill endowment
12.
Book centric
Very large collections
Exception Columbus where spaces designed around services rather
than collections
Very traditional service models reference librarians at desks
on each floor
Seattle disposable collections
13.
Union positions
Big difference with the way unionised and non unionised
libraries are coping with budget crisis
Layoffs firstly non unionised labour (pages and managers) then
last on first off
Detrimental affect LA have lost their new fresh staff and staff
wont move
14.
Beyond the Book summit CML
Helene Blowers
What is your personal comfort with digital readiness?
How ready do you think libraries are to embrace digital reading
future?
How ready are our customers?
Tipping point price, business models, iPad
15.
Seattle community consultation 33,000 community questionnaires,
Staff survey, Community thought leaders
Columbus
Queens strategic imperative to deeply embed the library in the
community