Tag Archives: needs assessment

The 10-Minute International Librarian #84: Celebrate the Local

Libraries have a mission to put global information into the hands of people, wherever they are.

Through their own collections policies, inter-library loan and document supply, and advocacy for internet provision and open access, they help overcome barriers to information.

This is a vital mission, allowing ideas to spread, mutual understanding to build, and innovation to happen.

Yet libraries are, alongside their focus on global access to information, also about fitting into their communities, responding to their needs.

They are both international and local at the same time, with a duty both to respond to local needs, and to act as a key part of the local cultural, educational and research infrastructure.

Demonstrating this attachment to the community, to the area, can also be a great way of building engagement.

So for our 84th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, celebrate the local!

Think about the particularities of your area and your community. Are there possibilities – in your collections, your services, your staff even – to draw on this as a source of strength?

What about the particular needs of your community that might mark them out from other places? Can you identify these and think how to respond?

What more can you do to attach yourself to the community you are in, in order to realise the potential of your library at the heart of ‘place-building’ and community cohesion?

Share your ideas in the comments below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! Key Initiative 3.3 Empower the field at the national and regional levels

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 comments box below!

 

The 10-Minute International Librarian #71: Reassess a service or activity

While the missions and values of libraries are lasting, the way in we deliver them varies over time.

New technologies and tools can obviously trigger change, from allowing some activities to be automated, freeing up time for other work, to opening new possibilities to achieve impact.

User expectations can evolve, for example to expect services to be faster or online, or on the contrary to value more the opportunity to meet and do things in person.

New challenges can emerge where libraries have a role to play, bringing our institutions into new areas of work and focus.

And the nature of the communities that we serve themselves also changes, with population ageing, and people moving in and out of areas.

All of these mean that the basis on which services and activities in libraries were designed in the past may no longer be optimal today.

So for our 71st 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, reassess a service or activity.

Remind yourself of its goals and intended impacts on communities, and think about whether there is any reason to look again.

Could there be more effective ways of achieving these goals? Are there other types of activity which it would be better to focus on?

It’s of course perfectly possible that you continue with what you are doing now – at least then you will know that you’re doing it for a reason.

But maybe you’ll find an opportunity to save time and resources in order to be able to do other things that will bring benefits.

Let us know about when you have reassessed services or activities, and the results, in the comments box below!

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 2.2 Deliver high quality campaigns, information and other communications products on a regular basis to engage and energise libraries

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 comments box.

The 10-Minute International Librarian #42: Assess your community’s needs

Libraries and library workers have a fundamental mission to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

This is not only about developing a collection that is relevant, but also designing services and even spaces in a way that maximises the good that libraries can do.

This is made clear in the IFLA-UNESCO Public Library Manifesto, and beyond.

But to respond to needs, you need first to understand them.

Especially at times of budgetary constraints, ensuring that you’re focusing your resources where they will count is particularly important.

Being able to show that there are challenges that need to be addressed can also support you in your advocacy for adequate support.

So for our 42nd 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, assess your community’s needs.

Clearly, this can be a process that takes a lot longer than 10 minutes!

But you can already think about your own experience and local knowledge, what your users tell you, or available statistics.

Are there challenges around internet access, digital literacy, broader literacy or a lack of space for civic activities?

Are these areas where you are in a position to provide a response? If not, could you do so with additional support?

There are some ideas of how to start in IFLA’s Storytelling Manual.

Let us know what needs you have identified in your communities in the comments box below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 3.3 Empower the field at the national and regional levels.

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 comments box below.