Exercises and Assignments

Exercises:

Chapter 5: Our Communities. 

Where do adults in your neighborhood work? If they have a long commute into the city, this suggests a need the library can fill: audiobooks for learning and enjoyment. If they stay in the local area, perhaps there's an opportunity to work with local businesses. Where do adults go in their free time? Do you find them at church? In the bookstore? At home with their families? Regardless of what they do, there are many opportunities to serve those people, if you know what their needs are. 

Chapter 6: Financing Public Libraries

Chapter 7: The Public Library Staff

Assignments:

History Paper:

During weeks 2 and 3 you will learn about the history of public libraries in the United States. Was there something that surprised you or challenged you in the assigned readings? Is there something that you want to learn more about? This assignment requires you to dig a little deeper into an idea, event, or concept that surprised, intrigued, or challenged you. Consult the references in the readings or use another method of 'digging', finding at least three additional peer-reviewed articles or a scholarly book about a subject or idea that you feel merits further exploration. Your paper should be 1500 words, give or take 200 (so between 1300 and 1700 words).

Looking for more inspiration? You might find some in one of these sources:

Decision-Making: the Big Picture.

Research a city or town where you have lived, currently live in, or would like to live and work in.

Note: larger towns and cities generally work better for this project, because they often have more data available on their websites. If you live in a small town and know where to look, though, that is fine.

Part 1 (1 - 2 pages, single spaced): Go to the American Community Survey and/or the Engagement Network, HealthData.gov, the Bureau of Economic Analysis Data.gov, the city's website, newspapers, community/neighborhood newsletters, blogs, social media sites, and other resources.

Find information about the community that would be useful for library decision-makers. How much can you find about your community? 

You must use at least five different sources (such as different databases, newspapers, etc.) for this assignment. Your facts:

Part 2 (1 - 2 pages, single spaced): Next, look at the public library's website, strategic planning documents, and/or personal interview:

Part 3 (1 - 2 pages, or 500 - 1000 words). Informal reflective essay. Make several recommendations for library services based on any social issues in the area. You will choose one of these for the two future assignments.

Continuing Education: Responding to Community Needs

All librarians need to engage in Professional Development / Continuing Education (PD/CE). WebJunction is an excellent source for free PD for public librarians. This assignment requires you to explore a PD/CE resource that addresses a need that you have identified in your community. Begin with the findings/recommendations from your last assignment (Decision-Making). Next, go to the course catalog at WebJunction.  Find a unit that is related to the issue. If you have any problems with this contact me and I will help you find a unit. Note that some of these are long - they are courses. I don't expect you to complete a course! Describe the tactics that you learned about in the unit, and consider how you could apply them in your own community.

This assignment includes:


New Library Initiative and Advocacy

Identify a social, cultural, economic, or informational policy or issue on a national or international level that affects a population that your local library might serve. Some examples to consider are prisons, access to health care, low literacy or access to tutors or learning materials, social support/loneliness, food deserts, etc. You can continue with what you learned in your previous assignments (Decision-Making and Continuing Education).

This is a culmination of what you have learned this semester, so you can include any of the semester's resources. Here are some pointers for PowerPoint - check it out please!