I got to read a lot of information on web filtering (content control, internet filtering, etc.) today, and almost all of it confirmed my personal view that filters, if implemented, must be used with caution and in an appropriate fashion.
This, the Rock Hall Library, is not a public library. Therefore, one could surmise that it should be used for research purposes mainly. This library will not serve as an internet cafe like so many public libraries do. One would think, then, that filters would be appropriate here; they would keep people within the research context and steer them away from browsing for porn, right?
This is where things get tricky. Think about the one phrase that everyone knows to describe a certain lifestyle: Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. What would rock be without sex? What if patrons wanted to browse photographs of John Lennon, and some of them happened to be nude photos? Should the library censor that?
There are so many questions to be considered still, and I am thankful for the opportunity for real-world decision-making that this practicum has provided me so far. I will continue to research this topic, and compile my findings into a report for Andy. These are questions that a lowly practicum student cannot answer, but I am happy to provide the research to help others to do so.
Coming up next: I was able to fit some more of the policy draft I created into the mock website, and I will continue this next week. I will also continue researching on filters, with a focus on different filters that exist and their functions. I also need to work some more on the collection development for works on the inductees, so maybe I will set some time aside for that next week.
Thanks for reading, and have a good one!
Laura
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Day 7, Hour 35
Just as I had hoped, I was able to meet with Andy today to narrow down some details for policy and procedure. I asked a lot of questions, got some really helpful answers, and was able to implement these new findings into my policy draft.
I also looked into some public research libraries--like the Newberry in Chicago and the Boston Public Library Research Libraries--to get a better idea of how they interpret their policies. I am hoping that the next time I am in I can find some other research libraries that are public and not affiliated with a university or other private institution. In the mean time, if you have any suggestions, I would be happy to take them!
I did not work on the mock policy website today at all, as I was more concerned with the details of the policy itself. I have a really great working policy going so far, though, so I should be able to put it into the site on Thursday. The only basic component of policy (using other institutions' websites as a guideline) I have not yet touched on is collection development. It's a pretty big undertaking to write a collection development policy, so I am going to put that off for a bit longer. Luckily, this is something we will be working on in my Selection and Acquisitions course, so I will get some great experience.
Coming up next: Like I said earlier, I will be working on getting the policy I have created so far into the mock website I have created. I am also interested in doing some research on internet filters, as this is a topic that Andy and I spoke about. Neither of us is really in favor of filtering in general, but we did agree that this is a research library--not a public institution--that should be used mainly for research purposes. Thus, it may be worth looking into a mild filtering program, just to make sure the library is being used in the correct fashion.
Thanks for reading, and have a good one!
Laura
I also looked into some public research libraries--like the Newberry in Chicago and the Boston Public Library Research Libraries--to get a better idea of how they interpret their policies. I am hoping that the next time I am in I can find some other research libraries that are public and not affiliated with a university or other private institution. In the mean time, if you have any suggestions, I would be happy to take them!
I did not work on the mock policy website today at all, as I was more concerned with the details of the policy itself. I have a really great working policy going so far, though, so I should be able to put it into the site on Thursday. The only basic component of policy (using other institutions' websites as a guideline) I have not yet touched on is collection development. It's a pretty big undertaking to write a collection development policy, so I am going to put that off for a bit longer. Luckily, this is something we will be working on in my Selection and Acquisitions course, so I will get some great experience.
Coming up next: Like I said earlier, I will be working on getting the policy I have created so far into the mock website I have created. I am also interested in doing some research on internet filters, as this is a topic that Andy and I spoke about. Neither of us is really in favor of filtering in general, but we did agree that this is a research library--not a public institution--that should be used mainly for research purposes. Thus, it may be worth looking into a mild filtering program, just to make sure the library is being used in the correct fashion.
Thanks for reading, and have a good one!
Laura
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Day 6, Hour 30
This is really starting to feel official! The practicum, I mean. I submitted my first report to my SLIS advisor (to be completed after 25 hours) regarding my final paper/project for this experience. We have a choice, so I've decided to do a combination of the two.
I think that the nature of my practicum, which involves both collection development and policy/procedure development, lends itself well to the combination of a paper and a project. I have already gathered some great research on policy and procedure, which will lend itself well to a discussion paper. I will also include this blog and the wiki I have created in the project portion, as well as a mock website containing my final ideas for policy and procedure. As for the collection development portion, I will have several Excel documents that include the items I have suggested to the library for purchase, as well as a reflection paper on the collection development process.
After three weeks, I can say that I am really enjoying my time here. The topics I am dealing with are interesting and compelling, and I am getting a sneak peek into what goes into the opening of a brand new library. I have met some great people so far, and I look forward to learning all that I can from them.
Up next: I submitted some suggestions and questions to Andy, and I am hoping speak with him next week about policy. Once I get some more concrete ideas, I will be able to put that information into my mock website!
Thanks for reading, and have a good one!
Laura
I think that the nature of my practicum, which involves both collection development and policy/procedure development, lends itself well to the combination of a paper and a project. I have already gathered some great research on policy and procedure, which will lend itself well to a discussion paper. I will also include this blog and the wiki I have created in the project portion, as well as a mock website containing my final ideas for policy and procedure. As for the collection development portion, I will have several Excel documents that include the items I have suggested to the library for purchase, as well as a reflection paper on the collection development process.
After three weeks, I can say that I am really enjoying my time here. The topics I am dealing with are interesting and compelling, and I am getting a sneak peek into what goes into the opening of a brand new library. I have met some great people so far, and I look forward to learning all that I can from them.
Up next: I submitted some suggestions and questions to Andy, and I am hoping speak with him next week about policy. Once I get some more concrete ideas, I will be able to put that information into my mock website!
Thanks for reading, and have a good one!
Laura
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Day 5, Hour 25
Not content to simply offer Andy a list of rules and regulations, I set my sights today on creating a mock website--not unlike other institutions'--to house my workup of policies and procedures. I was delighted to see that the laptop I work on here has a copy of the Microsoft Publisher program. I have never used the program before, so it was exciting to try it out in a practical way without any instruction. I like learning in hands-on ways and figuring things out for myself, so I had a lot of fun today.
I was able to find more information on similar libraries' policies and procedure, like BGSU's Browne Popular Culture Library and The Cleveland Institute of Art's Gund Library. Many of the libraries have a similar structure where the "university community" is allowed borrowing privileges for circulating materials and can browse freely in the non-circulating materials, like reference collections. The policy for those outside of the community usually states that those members may browse materials but not check them out, may browse or check out items for a yearly membership fee, or may only access certain areas of the library, like the main stacks. The Rock Hall's library will differ, however, in that it does not have a clearly defined membership community. While the library is located on the Tri-C campus and is directly affiliated with the school, browsing privileges will not be permitted solely to faculty and staff. This may simplify our policy and procedures by allowing the rules to apply to all who visit the library, not just a specified community.
On an interesting side note, I found some great articles on the Library + Archives through my research that I'd like to share with you here. One was written by Library Director Andy Leach himself, and they all provide a really exciting idea of what the library is going to be all about. (Keep in mind that the library's original opening date of December 2010, which you will read in all of the articles, has been moved to May 2011.)
The Library and Archives at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Andy Leach (Ohio Archivist's Spring 2010 Newsletter, p. 4.).
Music History Finds a New Home Inside Rock Hall's Library and Archives at Tri-C's Center for Creative Arts, John Soeder (The Plain Dealer, February 28, 2010).
Rock and Roll Never Forgets, Anastasia Pantsios (Cleveland Scene, March 10, 2010).
Coming up next: I spoke with Dr. Belinda Boon, who teaches Selection and Acquisition of Library Materials at Kent, about getting some ideas for good resources for biographies and reference books that would fit into the library's collection. She said she will try to get back to me later on this week with some ideas, so I am going to put any collection development on hold until I can pick her brain a bit.
Thanks for reading, and have a good one!
Laura
I was able to find more information on similar libraries' policies and procedure, like BGSU's Browne Popular Culture Library and The Cleveland Institute of Art's Gund Library. Many of the libraries have a similar structure where the "university community" is allowed borrowing privileges for circulating materials and can browse freely in the non-circulating materials, like reference collections. The policy for those outside of the community usually states that those members may browse materials but not check them out, may browse or check out items for a yearly membership fee, or may only access certain areas of the library, like the main stacks. The Rock Hall's library will differ, however, in that it does not have a clearly defined membership community. While the library is located on the Tri-C campus and is directly affiliated with the school, browsing privileges will not be permitted solely to faculty and staff. This may simplify our policy and procedures by allowing the rules to apply to all who visit the library, not just a specified community.
On an interesting side note, I found some great articles on the Library + Archives through my research that I'd like to share with you here. One was written by Library Director Andy Leach himself, and they all provide a really exciting idea of what the library is going to be all about. (Keep in mind that the library's original opening date of December 2010, which you will read in all of the articles, has been moved to May 2011.)
The Library and Archives at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Andy Leach (Ohio Archivist's Spring 2010 Newsletter, p. 4.).
Music History Finds a New Home Inside Rock Hall's Library and Archives at Tri-C's Center for Creative Arts, John Soeder (The Plain Dealer, February 28, 2010).
Rock and Roll Never Forgets, Anastasia Pantsios (Cleveland Scene, March 10, 2010).
Coming up next: I spoke with Dr. Belinda Boon, who teaches Selection and Acquisition of Library Materials at Kent, about getting some ideas for good resources for biographies and reference books that would fit into the library's collection. She said she will try to get back to me later on this week with some ideas, so I am going to put any collection development on hold until I can pick her brain a bit.
Thanks for reading, and have a good one!
Laura
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Day 4, Hour 20
I focused today on more research, as I am hoping to give Andy a rough outline of policy and procedure by the end of next week. I am finding more and more that there are many research libraries that do not lend their materials; most of the repositories that do circulate materials only do so for faculty, staff, and doctoral or graduate students for the purpose of completing a research project. In light of this information, I do not think it is unreasonable to say that the materials here in the Rock Hall Library will not circulate.
I have considered the idea of allowing faculty to check out materials, but there is a slim chance this would work. First, we would have to determine if only Tri-C faculty would qualify or if we would include faculty from other colleges. There is also the issue of policy, and how well it is implemented and adhered to. I found a case study today in Library Journal titled "Faculty Borrowing Privileges" in which a university branch library director was faced with the problem of the university's faculty abusing borrowing privileges. She had a difficult time convincing the Director of Libraries that this was a problem; this director was more concerned with maintaining a good working relationship with the faculty, and feared that reprimanding them would only cause problems and subject the librarians to unfair judgment. Nancy R. John, in her response to the case study, wisely stated that "few library policies are as open to emotional attack as those concerned with borrowing privileges." Perhaps the best policy will be to not let items circulate at all, regardless of the patron's status.
Many libraries, like The Getty Research Institute Library, have differing levels of users that maintain differing privileges based on what each level permits. A high level, for example, may allow the user a wider array of browsing materials and extended hours in the library; a lower level patron may be restricted to a certain area. A great number of these libraries, however, are vast institutions with many different collections, and some collections cannot even be browsed, but require a request for materials that would later be supplied for use for a short period of time. The Rock Hall Library will contain both a browsable collection and non-browsable archives. It would not make sense to limit the browsing of the open stacks collection, since it is in the open in one large room, but perhaps the paging of items in the archives could be limited to those with a higher library status.
Coming up next: As you can see, I still have a lot of research and work to do regarding creating a working policy and procedure. I should mention that I also began compiling a survey to send to various research and academic libraries, so that we can get an idea of how their institutions operate. This will all continue into next week, so stay tuned!
Thanks for reading, and have a good one!
Laura
I have considered the idea of allowing faculty to check out materials, but there is a slim chance this would work. First, we would have to determine if only Tri-C faculty would qualify or if we would include faculty from other colleges. There is also the issue of policy, and how well it is implemented and adhered to. I found a case study today in Library Journal titled "Faculty Borrowing Privileges" in which a university branch library director was faced with the problem of the university's faculty abusing borrowing privileges. She had a difficult time convincing the Director of Libraries that this was a problem; this director was more concerned with maintaining a good working relationship with the faculty, and feared that reprimanding them would only cause problems and subject the librarians to unfair judgment. Nancy R. John, in her response to the case study, wisely stated that "few library policies are as open to emotional attack as those concerned with borrowing privileges." Perhaps the best policy will be to not let items circulate at all, regardless of the patron's status.
Many libraries, like The Getty Research Institute Library, have differing levels of users that maintain differing privileges based on what each level permits. A high level, for example, may allow the user a wider array of browsing materials and extended hours in the library; a lower level patron may be restricted to a certain area. A great number of these libraries, however, are vast institutions with many different collections, and some collections cannot even be browsed, but require a request for materials that would later be supplied for use for a short period of time. The Rock Hall Library will contain both a browsable collection and non-browsable archives. It would not make sense to limit the browsing of the open stacks collection, since it is in the open in one large room, but perhaps the paging of items in the archives could be limited to those with a higher library status.
Coming up next: As you can see, I still have a lot of research and work to do regarding creating a working policy and procedure. I should mention that I also began compiling a survey to send to various research and academic libraries, so that we can get an idea of how their institutions operate. This will all continue into next week, so stay tuned!
Thanks for reading, and have a good one!
Laura
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