Libraries Are for Users!
Why are we here? For our users!
What are the sure signs that you work in a public library?
• You have too much to do.
• You have too little time to do it.
• You were the first to check out the latest book on stress.
• Yesterday you heard yourself saying, "How can I get my work done with all these people interrupting?"
And you still love what you do!
Users: Who? What? Where? in online communities?
Who uses the library? What services are important to your users? What is the mix of generations and diversity in your community? Users of different ages and cultures have different needs and ideas about the library. (Visit some of the links on this page to become more familiar with the amazing diversity of library users.) Consider library users in online communities. According to The 2008 Digital Future Project Report, membership in online communities has more than doubled in only three years.
54% log into their community at least once a day.
71% of members said their community is very important or extremely important to them.
40% say they use the Internet at least monthly to participate in such communities.
87% of online community members are participating in social causes that are new to them.
Where do users go for information?
Where are users when they access your services? The 2008 Digital Future Project Report shows the average number of hours users spend online has increased to 15.3 hours per week. 16% of Internet users said they go online to find or check a fact at least daily, while 7% of users go online daily or more often to look up the definition of a word. The Internet is perceived by 80% of users age 17 and older to be a more important source of information than television, radio, newspapers, and books. A growing number (21%) of Internet users said that their home page is a search page such as Google. Other common activities include e-mail (96%), Internet surfing without a specific destination (71%), looking for news online (60%), finding product information (43%), conducting online banking or other financial services (38%), instant messaging (37%), playing online games (35%), searching for humorous content (25%).
What do users expect online?
Fifty-five percent (up from 43% in 2007) of Internet users who are members of online communities say that they “feel as strongly” about their virtual community as they do about their real-world communities. Only 46% of Internet users said that most or all of the information online is generally reliable, although users have higher trust in favorite sites and media sources and lower opinions of search engines. A worthy goal for libraries online would be to provide and promote reliable information to users who participate in online communities, access a library web site, take advantage of library webcasts and blogs, participate in gaming projects that teach information literacy, or are active in virtual spaces such as Library Island in Second Life, an online virtual community.
Rights of Users
It's not always easy to remember that users, those "interruptions" interfering with your "real" work, are the reason we're all here. Understanding the need for fair and equitable treatment of users and consideration of user rights and needs is essential for anyone employed in a public library. Become familiar with the Library Bill of Rights, the American Library Association Code of Ethics, and the Intellectual Freedom Statements from ALA or the Intellectual Freedom Policy Statement from OLC.
Will you need to smile all the time and tell people to have a nice day? Will you require a complete personality transplant? Probably not! Common courtesy and a sincere desire to be of service will do it!
In today's library environment, your involvement with users may not even be face-to-face. Telephone, fax, email, Internet, chat, instant messaging, virtual reference systems, webcasts, blogs, and interaction through Ohio's library networks may connect you to users you never see, around Ohio and even around the World! However you make contact, respect the rights and needs of your library users.
What Now?
Some interactions with users are dictated by library policies and practices. Other interactions may be covered by Ohio law. The next page deals with law concerning confidentiality of patron records.
Complete the Activity, try the Explore section, and then go on to the next page: Confidentiality.
