Although libraries are closing and statistics are showing less use, I don’t think a wholesale move to virtual library services is the right answer and misses the opportunity for the one to enhance and promote the other. In the UK, government policies to cut costs seem to have been the driving force behind closures, not necessarily a sharp decline in demand. To play devil’s advocate, however, an issue that has come up regularly throughout my career is how difficult many libraries and information professionals find promoting both themselves and their services, perhaps because this wasn’t as much of a necessity in the past, or because it’s still not considered part of traditional library work. This leads to what I think is one of the biggest problems facing libraries – many people don’t actually know what they offer anymore. Libraries may have moved with the times, but do user communities know that? Not according to the ‘Libraries in the Digital Age’, an American report on public libraries by the Pew Research Center, which concluded that, although the importance of libraries within communities hasn’t diminished, few patrons are aware of all the services available.
Children are now being brought up with Google as an intrinsic part of their lives, believing that all answers can be found in a couple of clicks. Information professionals have always been the key to helping people find quality information and hidden resources, however, and this doesn’t change with the advent of the virtual environment. Indeed, with every user now a potential publisher on the net, skills that can discriminate between poor and high quality information online become more vital than ever. There is also the concern that socially disadvantaged people or those with disabilities may find themselves closed off from the wholly virtual library. Going back to the idea of the People’s Network, libraries should always provide a physical hub to the virtual services available worldwide. It shouldn’t be a choice between the two. Ultimately, then, marketing and promotion should be as important to libraries as to commercial organizations, and the virtual environment should be used to do just that. I don’t think it’s enough just to advertise events on library websites, though. We have to learn to reach people, not simply expect them to find us first.
One of the suggestions in the Pew Research Center study was that libraries should form greater links to local businesses and organizations. In 2011, I was also privileged to attend a seminar by Melanie West of North Ayrshire Libraries discussing their children’s programme and was very inspired by the range of innovative ideas they had to create partnerships with local schools and businesses to cross-promote learning services for children. My library app would therefore be focussed on creating virtual links between libraries, school children and local organizations. Similar to the highly dynamic reading list software currently being introduced into my academic library, my app would enable collaboration between teachers, community workers and librarians to develop tailored resources that school children could access via the app, which could perhaps take the form of a virtual environment similar to Second Life. A school project could then be initiated by the teacher and the app tailored to provide pertinent links to multimedia, book titles and articles available at the local library; and specialized information, talks, multimedia and events information provided by local organizations e.g. the Scottish Wildlife Trust. This could be a great way of getting children interested and knowledgeable about what local libraries offer at an early age and to promote stronger links and shared resources between schools, libraries and the wider community.
I’d love to hear from anyone within the public library sector as to developments in this area – Is this kind of app already available? Are there reasons why it would be unrealistic? More research is certainly required!!
Leigh 2.0 
I find all of this a thorny issue and agree with you that reductions in library spending is more about Council’s cutting cost than a decline in library use. After all I see no evidence for statistics from twenty years ago so how do we know that library use has declined so much.
In addition, in an attempt to cut costs, libraries are now rarely open when those who work 9-5 can use them. Why bother with all the effort to remember when your local branch is open so you can return something, when you can buy it cheaply online?
As for promotion, well…. This is a battle I have been fighting for years. They are willing to spend tens of thousands on online resources but not a couple of thousand for professional promotion. People don’t know what we have.
Children’s outreach has been huge in recent years where I work. The result is clearly seen in increase in users and issues. We have a lot to learn from this.
Alot of work is undertaken by public libraries not just to provide free internet access but also basic IT training. However, the worry is, that this is all we will become. For those with average IT skills, most libraries are unable to help. This seems a bit unfair.
As I’m in the academic sector, I was really interested to read your comments given your breadth of public library experience. I had wondered if how things seem from the outside looking in was perhaps too black and white, but it seems that the case for closing libraries really does have a much more political than practical motivation and I find that very sad.
I’ve been volunteering for a special project based in a local public library over the past few months and it’s really opened my eyes to the huge range of services and facilities on offer. The project I’m involved with couldn’t function without the support of the public libraries, so I’m more passionate than ever that they should be protected.
As you say, though, promotion seems to be the real sticking point, which is so unfortunate and unnecessary at a point where the worth of services and information professionals needs be pushed at every opportunity. I wish you every success in your battles!! I’m very happy to learn of the increased focus on children’s outreach, though, and it might be the key to promoting services in the absence of a more definite approach.
I do understand the danger that public libraries might become something other than what it should be e.g. IT specific, or a base for community projects that shift away from information provision. Hopefully a happy medium can be found.