The 10-Minute International Librarian #75: Think about a barrier to use of your services

Libraries have a universal mission.

Our goal is to make sure that every person has the possibility to access the information that they need in order to fulfil their potential and realise their rights.

In particular, people in difficult situations may be the ones who need information most – to find out about opportunities and support open to them, to seek well-being, to launch a business, or simply to communicate.

Yet universal access to information remains a goal – something to aim for – rather than something we can claim to have achieved already.

Far too often, people who could benefit from library services are not doing so.

In order to progress towards our goal, we need to be able to understand what is stopping us.

So for our 75th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, think about a barrier to use of your services.

You could think both about factors that are within your control, and those that are outside of it.

Are there aspects of your buildings, or the way you organise your services, which risk preventing some people from using the library?

It could even be a small thing that risks, otherwise, making some people feel unwelcome or unable to use the library.

Looking more broadly, are there challenges in law, for example to providing remote access to works? Or to providing library cards to certain groups?

Once you have identified a barrier, you can think about how to overcome it, either through direct action or advocacy.

Share your ideas in the comments box below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! Key Initiative 2.3: Develop standards, guidelines, and other materials that foster best professional practice

As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the com