Shifting Perception: Why Essentialness is Not the Problem

2min read

By Corinne Hill

The fact that the topic of “the essentialness of libraries” is trending right now reveals a completely different issue that has nothing to do with the library being essential.

What this trending topic and ensuing discussions reveal about our profession is that we’re totally insecure. We are frantic in our zeal to be everything to everyone, and we’re so busy and distracted with the gathering of evidence to defend our existence that we forget who we are.

We lament the loss of funding but can’t seem to make the difficult decisions of what to do with the money we do have. We bemoan that no one understands us, no one realizes all of the great things that we do. This says way more about us than it says about them. We are telling the world that this is all about us. And it makes explicit that we really don’t understand our communities.

Chattanooga Teen Space

在我们削弱了防御姿态,我们公开在我们的自信谬以千里。我们穿我们的非essentialness我们的袖子到如此地步,福斯特更怀疑和燃料在没有辩论的辩论。

如果我们不自己相信谁都会?请问我们的社会?请问我们的资助者?

No.

这是很过去一段时间采取这种叙述的控制。但不只是在谈话要点。这不是一个自尊的研讨会,我们写我们的日常生活肯定,直到我们真的相信他们。

这is the real work of what makes us essential. The ground level work.

这项工作是通过了解我们所服务的社区的价值观,并提供支持这些价值的服务定义。

这项工作是通过了解我们依靠资助机构的优先事项,并与他们使我们的策略定义。

这项工作的手段给社会应有的库。

织成其区域的织物的文库;一个学习机构,有助于构建更美好的城市,更明智的公民;这有利于经济发展,青年发展
和公共安全。这是关于有管理即服务交付其决策过程佣兵库,并愿意摆脱其传教士的作用。

当我们在这个共同的目标嵌入自己我们essentialness是不言而喻的。这不是为辩论。你不能碰这个。图书馆是如此明显,以它所服务的问题是永远不会带来社会至关重要。

这article was published inIMPACT杂志. See what more top library leaders think about shifting the perception of public libraries:

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photo关于作者

Corinne was awarded 2014Library JournalLibrarian of the Year and named as anLJMover & Shaker in 2004. She is the Executive Director of Chattanooga Public Library, which known for it’s innovative community-focused4th floor.

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