Library sees new chapter in community service
People at work at the Buena Vista Library in Burbank. The Burbank Public Library will conduct several surveys and outreach efforts this fall to adapt to residents’ needs.
The advent of the Internet has given people access to limitless amounts of information at the drop of a hat. However, advancements in information technology have not boded well for many libraries.
To try and adapt to modern times, the Burbank Public Library will conduct several surveys and outreach events this fall to analyze how it can provide better service and amenities to residents, said Elizabeth Goldman, Burbank’s library services director, during a City Council meeting Tuesday night.
The development of a library strategic plan is a first for the city’s library services department and is needed to keep the libraries up to date as technology advances and the need for facilities changes, Goldman said.
Join the conversation on Facebook >>
“Since the time most public libraries came into existence in the early 20th century until about the mid-’90s, libraries were a very stable business,” she said. “We selected books, we catalog books, we check them out to people, we did a few children programs and we answered people’s questions. Then along came technology. So over the past 20 years, advances in technology and widespread access to the Internet meant that libraries have been going through almost constant change.”
The circulation desk at the Buena Vista Library in Burbank.
Goldman, who took over the helm of Burbank’s library services in March, said libraries have had to offer services other than checking out books or granting access to computers to entice the public to visit their facilities.
She added that some libraries have added amenities, such as senior exercise programs and passport renewals, to address the needs of their communities.
To understand what Burbank residents need from their libraries or their overall needs from the city, Goldman and her staff will hold a series of surveys and outreach events this month and in November to gather information.
“It opens, what we hope, is an ongoing conversation with the community where we demonstrate that we’re interested, responsive and committed to following through on tailoring library services to meet local needs,” Goldman said. “While there is a baseline of library services that’s universal, the library of Burbank’s needs is not exactly the same as the library of Pasadena’s needs or the library of any other city in the county.”
One technique that Goldman’s staff will use is asking questions such as “what they think is working well in Burbank and where there are issues that need to be resolved” and not specifically asking questions about the library, Goldman said.
“Through a series of exercises, we’ll focus at each event on a few issues, and people can help come up with ideas for solutions to the table,” she said. “Then, over the course of several events throughout the fall, we’ll develop a really good picture of where the community is at.”
Goldman explained that though they will get responses that don’t specifically relate to residents’ needs from library services, there are other issues that her department could possibly address.
However, the information collected from residents would foremost be used to develop an overall strategic plan for the library services department.
Councilman David Gordon asked if the information gathered from the outreach events would determine whether the city needs a new central library. Goldman explained that there have been talks about how the Central Library should be utilized and how it should be configured to better address residents’ needs.
--
Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
ALSO
Council may consider new guidelines, design rules for single-family homes in October
