Blog Gadget

I added a Text gadget to the right hand side of our blog. It thanks visitors for coming to our blog and provides a link to be redirected back to the Canvas log-in page. I think this will help our bloggers easily return to the Canvas page to check due dates for class assignments, rubrics, and more! The link is in red, the same shade as the Canvas red, so it is more obvious and easy to find.

Social Networking and Libraries

We live in the era of technology. Libraries take advantage of online social networks to help them connect with their patrons and connect with authors and other collaborators to put on library events. 

A study from 2013 predicted this important role of online social networks, and found that “The tremendous popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook, Flickrs, Myspace, Nickdl, and so forth present libraries with unique opportunities for reaching students” (Tella et. al, 275).

Libraries use social media to promote their resources and events. We are facing a difficult health crisis which has closed libraries. Luckily, librarians are able to continue offering their support and library resources online by using social media to continue with their programs. One example is Youtube, where librarians now offer their story time and book clubs. Libraries use these to keep some of their programming events that have been cancelled due to the recent stay at home order. Childrens and teen librarians also use platforms like Pinterest and blogging sites to enrich their programming, and use these to find crafts that keep young readers engaged. 

Other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram allow for live video streaming that can be used to show concerts and performances that can no longer be held in person. “Libraries can respond quickly to community needs,” (Koerber, 17). Facebook Live video is an excellent tool where librarians can use with little preparation, making them more “improvisational” (17)  than anything. for books review, give tours on the special collection and share pictures. It is interactive too. Patrons can comment about books, and give recommendations on the best ones and librarians can respond quickly to their questions.  

Before the rise of online social networks, libraries were already a place of networking, and they still are. Libraries also offer a physical space for patrons to network. My public library, the Escondido Public Library, hosted a career fair where library patrons could network with employers and get help with their resumes. Additionally, library programs can help provide a place to network too, as book clubs and other programs allow people to meet and network in person. 

Videos that are posted live, such as the children’s storytime hosted by the Escondido Public Library, are shared on the library’s Youtube page too. 

Works Cited

Koerber, Jennifer. “Facebook Live from the Library.” Library Journal, vol. 142, no. 8, May 2017, pp. 17–19. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=122836973&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Tella, Adeyinka, et al. “Use of Social Networking Sites by Academic Librarians in Six Selected States of Nigeria.” New Review of Academic Librarianship, vol. 19, no. 3, Sept. 2013, pp. 274–290. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/13614533.2013.809289.

Libraries and Students Success

Libraries are an important part of students' education. They offer a wide variety of resources for students of all ages. These include: books, computer labs, databases, an internet connection, study rooms, educational classes and tutors. Sometimes, all a student needs is a quiet place to study and a stable internet connection. As a student myself, I often use my local library to complete my assignments. My daughter has been going to the library since she was born!

This is a picture my daughter sent me of the inside of the Lilly Library where she studies when she is away at college. I like to have proof that she is working hard, and she knows I like the structure of university libraries. The outside is just as pretty!

School libraries are important because they are the libraries that students have the most access to. According to Jim Neal, a university librarian at Columbia University, libraries play a key role in improving student outcomes. In his article, Fight for Schools Libraries: Students Success Depends on Them, he points out that libraries perform several roles that go underappreciated: “They strengthen communities and promote civic engagement. They enrich lives. They transform learning. They enable public libraries and academic libraries to be more effective” (Neal). School libraries help students succeed and benefit the community as well. Teachers take advantage of school libraries to help their students learn. According to Angela Pascopella, “when library media staff collaborate with teachers, average reading scores increase by 8 percent to 21 percent” (Pascopella). Students, especially younger children, benefit from library use, and set them up for success. They make them lifelong readers. At the college level, library usage can help students with research papers and any assignment they need. Librarians are there to help them to find the right information. Students need librarians to help them learn to be confident with using library resources and become more independent.This short video highlights the need for school libraries to help students who may not know how to conduct research.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTslgjLEzLw&feature=emb_logo

Public libraries also help unconventional learners in their communities. Libraries offer classes to the community on reading, writing and pronunciation which is helpful for foreign students for whom English is their second language. Libraries support their patrons and often offer seminars on how to access the resources they offer. For example, this may include information on how to download books, magazines and articles onto smartphones, computers and laptops. 

Libraries provide resources for everyone, but students rely on them for their academic needs, and may be the ones who benefit most from the variety of resources they provide. 

Works Cited

Neal, Jim. “Fight for School Libraries: Student Success Depends on Them.” American Libraries, vol. 49, no. 3/4, Mar. 2018, p. 4. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=128247716&site=ehost-live&scope=site. 

Pascopella, Angela. "Today's media specialist: trading in their traditional stereotypes for computer know-how and research skills, media center specialists are working hard to steer students to success. (Library/Media Center)." District Administration, vol. 38, no. 1, Jan. 2002, p. 40+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/apps/doc/A97116758/OVIC?u=cclc_palomar&sid=OVIC&xid=cdde5f08. Accessed 29 Mar. 2020.

Libraries and the Homeless

Libraries are visited by all kinds of people, including the homeless. It is a safe place where people who live on the street can find shelter during the day. For the homeless, libraries are their home. Some libraries face the problem of having too many homeless people. Some homeless have the problem of drug addiction, others alcohol addiction, some have lost their jobs, and some have mental illnesses. They do not have access to hygienic facilities, so a main complaint about them is that they smell bad. This creates a problem with patrons who feel uncomfortable near them. According to Patric Grace “Homeless people are not stereotypes; they are members of our society…. And they have the right to visit and use our nation’s public libraries” (Grace 54). Fortunately, homeless people have the same right to get a library card even though they may not be able to provide an address. Libraries offer resources that homeless people can use. For example, with the availability of computers they can search for jobs along with shelters where they can spend the night. Also there are a great variety of books, magazines, newspapers and more. Librarians play an important role by helping them by providing information about shelters and places where they can eat and take showers. Their lives are difficult but with some help they can start a new life by finding a job and a place to stay. 

Interfaith offers many resources for people who are homeless.
https://www.interfaithservices.org 

Works Cited

Grace, Patrick. “No Place to Go (Except the Public Library). (Cover Story).” American Libraries, vol. 31, no. 5, May 2000, p. 53. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=3072708&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Libraries and Social Hubs

There are many places where people can gather together and spend time. Libraries are a public place where anyone can enjoy the resources provided. Libraries offer many resources such as, books, DVDs, audiobooks, computer use, database use, along with programming for all ages. And most importantly it is free. Libraries are an important part of the community. Besides books, libraries also have concerts and literacy programs. According to William Senville, the editor of a city commissioner’s journal in Vermont, “Another valuable role that libraries play is in integrating immigrants and other newcomers into communities.” (Senville 102). Literacy departments are a useful resource for immigrants who are learning the language. At my local library, the Escondido Public Library, the literacy department offers programs and classes to help with improving English pronunciation, obtaining citizenship, career workshops, and other events that more generally help immigrants to integrate into the community. For children, libraries offer programs such as recycling, composting, magic shows, crafts and more. Libraries have a huge section for children, teens and adults. People who do not have a computer can benefit from computer labs to do homework, search for a job, submit a job application and much more. Libraries are a good place to learn and have a good time.

Libraries are important today even as younger generations start to rely more on technology, especially because “smaller cities and towns may have even more to gain from having a thriving library as they do not have the range of community gathering places that larger cities often have” (Senville 97). For older populations and younger ones, libraries offer book clubs. People love these programs where they read a book and then gather together once a month to have a discussion about the book along with reading so they can meet new friends around a common interest. In addition to book clubs there also offer a book in the bag, where they can check out a bag with books normally 8 to 10. This is another option at home, in a classroom or any other place besides the library. For example, virtual book clubs or low-commitment book clubs are becoming popular, not just traditional meetings. These meetings let people come together in a public space, and make use of the library as a hub for connecting people. 

Works Cited

“Literacy Services.” Escondido Public Library, library.escondido.org/adult-literacy.aspx.

Senville, Wayne. “Public Libraries: The Hub of Our Communities.” APLIS, vol. 22, no. 3, Sept. 2009, pp. 97–103. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=44266947&site=ehost-live&scope=site.