O. Carteaux

Student Learning Outcome No. 4: Helping the Community/Meeting Information Needs

 

Part of the fantastic thing about being a librarian or an archivist is that we have the unique ability to make materials available to patrons, and usually for free. Despite what I have read in regards to libraries and how they are changing - the language sometimes used in reference to library practices and patrons comes to mind - a library is not a business, and should not be treated as such. I think that it is important to remember that libraries are here to provide a service rather than sell, and sometimes it is easy to see how the lines are being blurred, especially as our society continues to become more and more moneycentric and funding becomes more and more of an issue. 

 

One of the first steps is remembering the goals, mission statement, and purpose of whichever library one is a part of. There were several courses that I took at UNCG which really helped me in thinking about these kinds of issues, and really cemented ideas regarding how to best serve the patrons that one is serving. I mentioned access in previous sections of this website, and I believe that it also applies here - knowing who your patron base is and what they want is the first step in making sure they their information needs are met - and that always includes acces. Whether they need access to physical or digital materials, or even internet and a safe space, knowing who your patrons are and what they need first is key. Through the years and courses we have done several diffrent projects to figure this out, the main being an action research project and needs assessment, in which we used various tools to find out about what the community that the library serves wanted and needed at the library. 

 

My project regarding the WUAG vinyl archive is a perfect example of a project that is looking to fill the needs of a specific community - namely, the listeners of the station, as well as the DJs that volunteer there. Listeners want a larger variety of music, and much of the vinyl stacks, especially the 7' records, are not available in any other format at the station, and many DJs shy away from playing them because they are intimidated either by vinyl itself, or the amount of music in the stacks or dissaray of the records. Therefore, organizing the stacks and digitizing the music that is not available in other formats at the station is beneficial to all involved. The vinyl also holds historical significance because of its notes and what it can say about the history of the station, and making an image archive of the album covers also would allow people interested in the history of UNCG and the station, or even Greensboro as a whole, to have access to materials with historical value which can aid in research.

 

 

LIS 610 Collection Management: Templesmith Library Collection Management Guide

LIS 640 Information Organization and Access: WUAG 103.1 FM Heirarchitical Classifation paper

LIS 644 Digital Libraries: Iowa City Public Library and Their Local Music Project

LIS 650 Library Management and Administration: Needs Assessment 

LIS 656 Academic Libraries: Academic Libraries and MOOCs

LIS 688 Special Collections Rare Books and Manuscripts: Elizabeth A. Ludwig Finding Aid paper

LIS 688 Information Literacy Instruction: UNCMA Film and Media Criticism Lib Guide 

LIS 690 Independent Study: WUAG Vinyl Archive Digitization Plan

LIS 691 Practicum: Duke Archives of Documentary Ats