Definition of Competency or Understanding of Competency
Librarianship consists of information professionals in a workplace context. Organizational settings are many including academic, national, archival, religious, legal, corporate, and governmental libraries. Here I will focus on school, prison, and public libraries, with a particular emphasis on the latter.
Who a library serves, its patronage, will be reflected in its mission, a concept that developed over three millennia (Rubin, 2008, pp. 4-7). It was not until 1840 though, that a library type came into being whose mission was to serve the common person— the public library (p 7; Shera, 1974, pp 170-175). The public library model in some ways emerged out of, and is derived from the global university library system that preceded it by centuries, and shares with that system an ability to create strong professional and educational institutions that promote the advancement of its mission and values (Gorman, 2012, pp 117-118). School libraries in the United States arguably begin with the appointment of the “first professionally trained school librarian” in 1900 (Woolls, 2005, p 2); prison libraries can be traced backed to 1831, with the birth of the penitentiary, but do not begin to look modern until the first four decades of the 20th century (Coyle, 1987, pp 25-40).
The public library introduced the concept of the “reference librarian” (Deng, 2014, p 254; Palmer, 1999, p 2; Tyckoson, 2008, p 129-130), as well as the idea of librarians being predominantly female, a break with the past that continues today (ALA, 2011). Despite this change female librarians today “face economic inequality in the field and underrepresentation in leadership roles” (Mars, 2018, p 7). Across all the library types librarianship roles are diversifying (Hirsch, 2018, p 69). During the latter half of the 20th century a school might employ a single school librarian or media specialist (Michie, 2005, p 5), whereas in the 21st century responsibilities have expanded to cover a wide range of roles, “from program managers to literacy expert.” (Harlan, 2018, p 72). Prison libraries tend to be run by a single correctional librarian (Rubin & Suvak, 1995, p 45) although IFLA recommends staffing levels be based on inmate population (2005, p 10). Prison libraries, unlike public or school libraries, often employ inmate workers for assistance in the running of prison law and lending libraries (Maflinger, 1995, p 47; Mongelli, 2017, p 3).
Modern libraries are generally grouped into four types: academic, school, public, and special (corporate/governmental); Buckland argues that the types mostly differ due to a) the nature of patron inquiries and b) the distribution of resources (2014, p 192). According to Kane, library missions can be differentiated by determining a) the nature of information sought, b) patron demographics, and based on these, determining how to “best orchestrate resources to add value” to the mission (2017, p 43). Gorman by contrast, contends that libraries “have never been primarily about ‘information’” and that this idea ignores “library as place” as well as how deeply libraries are enmeshed with struggles involving literacy, education, and preservation of the past (2012, p 122). Tyckoson seems to agree, arguing that libraries are not isolated from the communities they serve. “Public libraries serve the residents of specific geographic areas. Academic and school libraries serve the students, faculty, and staff of specific educational institutions” (2008, p 128). If the mission of public libraries is to serve the public, school library missions are to support school’s efforts to educate young people, but also to advance learning “beyond the classroom.” (Harlan, 2018, p 72). The mission of the prison library is to protect the public (Mongelli, 2017, p 8) but also, ideally to provide “support for educational, recreational, and rehabilitative programs” (IFLA, 2005, p 4). A typical library policy manual notes that “in correctional Librarianship, the target service group is not the offender…but rather the public or the State,” which is where funding is derived (MDC, 2014, pp 4- 6; Mongelli, 2009). The ALA and IFLA both defend prisoner’s right to read (ALA, 2010; IFLA, 2005, p 5), but unlike in public or school libraries, selection and order of materials can be restricted or censored (MDC, 2014, pp 6-7)
Of the major modern library types public libraries serve the broadest cross-section of the public, have the widest range of funding sources (local, state, and federal), and offer the fewest restrictions on who may use their facilities or services (Kane, 2017, p 43). As has been mentioned, school libraries tend to serve those in the educational institution to which they are attached, (Hamlin, 2019, p 2); the prison library attaches itself to the penitentiary (Coyle, 1987, pp. 13-20). School libraries “receive little outside funding,” relying on budgets “determined by the state and local governments.” (Hamlin, 2019, p 3), and in contrast with public libraries have a more narrowly defined purpose of supporting educational programs and advancing both literacy and information literacy (Kane, 2017, p 46). According to Woolls, public libraries should usually be located where population is most dense, whereas school libraries should be built at the epicenter of the school in question; public librarians will report to a board of trustees while school librarians will report to a principal. (2005, p 366). The purpose of prison libraries, at best, is rehabilitative in nature (Coyle, 1987, pp 89-107). Correctional librarians, unlike public or school librarians, work within a para-military organizational structure and ultimately report to the head executive officer of the Correction’s department (Mongelli, 2017, p 9).
Information professionals and their workplaces vary greatly, and we sometimes use a form of shorthand language to describe them and how they come to be constituted. The reasons for how the librarianship profession manifests itself in the present are due to a complex combination of historical, cultural, social, economic, and related forces from the past and present, while at the same time being informed by the future, as our profession in many ways remains an aspirational one. As an information professional it behooves me to be aware of our profession’s past, how I fit into librarianship as it is presently constituted, and how I might contribute as it reaches into the future. Librarianship, by contrast, is strengthened when it can pass on to its members a) a description for how things work, b) our mutual aspirations, and c) a cohesive social memory of where we came from. Studying how librarians and libraries come together helps ensure a stronger future for both.
Preparation to Understand Competency B: Coursework and Work Experience
I have over ten years of experience working for the XX library system (XXXX), one of the largest public libraries in the United States. Within XXXX I have worked at every location in the system (urban, suburban and rural; small, medium, and large) as a page, a library technical assistant (LA/LTA), and as a public services assistant (PSA). I have driven a bookmobile on a regular route servicing small daycares and senior centers. As a PSA I have worked at a wide variety of reference service points including a phone & email reference service, a children’s reference desk, an information desk, and numerous full-service reference desks. I have also worked as a youth detention facility, where XXXX maintains a library under the auspices of the Xxxx Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. I regularly take courses relevant to public librarians at the XXXX administrative building, and I have worked on three different committees that have exposed me to XXXX’s administrative departments. Besides having worked in every circulation area within the system, I have also toured most of the system’s administrative departments including Selection and Order, Shipping, Mobile Services, Human Resources, the Director’s Offices, and Technical Services. Working within such a sprawling, dynamic public library setting has imbued in me a public librarian gestalt, and a personal praxis that I can take with me wherever I am employed.
For course work I learned a great deal from taking INFO 282 Seminar in Library Management (Prison Library Management) with Professor Mongelli, a correctional librarian overseeing a Massachusetts State prison library. Studying under Mr. Mongelli gave me a framework for understanding how and why things work similarly to and differently from a public library model, and it prepared me for working at the juvenile detention facility (CDF). For the INFO 210 Reference and Information Services class my final assignment involved working with DF Public Library’s “Serving Diverse Populations/Jails and Reentry Service Program” and their “Reference-By-Mail Program,” where I performed three reference service transactions for prisoner patrons. This coursework helped me see how reference services for inmates, even if done as a program by a public library, cannot escape the rules and structural limitations imposed by a penitentiary and by extension, the prison library. Finally, for my 294 Internship in XXXX’s Eastern region, I had the opportunity to follow a XXXX teen librarian, Ms Garner, on a visit to FG Children’s Center in MNOP, Washington. Aside from CDF, FG is the only other youth detention facility in the Washington area, and it was a rare opportunity to interact with incarcerated kids for a joint public/prison/science museum program. I did not actually visit the library, but the experience showed me how public libraries can partner with other organizations for mutual benefit.
I have also had the opportunity to visit many fascinating libraries including academic libraries (examples: University of Washington’s Suzzallo and Allen libraries; the Widener Library at Harvard University); and special libraries (examples: The Providence Athenaeum; ABCD Tool Library; and a zine library.
For my first piece of evidence I chose a snapshot of my log and tracking sheet for INFO 294, which shows that I worked assisting children’s librarians for a program at a local school library. My second piece of evidence, from INFO 282, I chose because it shows I can articulate why one library model (public) might not work for another library type (prison). I chose my third evidentiary item, an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of a particular prison library model, because it shows I can objectively articulate in detail why or why not a library model might be a good fit. For my final evidentiary item I decided to present both an interview I conducted with a youth prison librarian and my reflections on that interview, because I think it shows that through observation and inquiry I am capable of determining what kind of library or librarian I am encountering, and thereby act accordingly.
Evidence
Log and Tracking Sheet Entries for BCD Elementary School Library
Discussion of Evidentiary Items
https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:eedafc39-e30c-4aff-8fd2-15776d0ac7ff
For my INFO 294 Internship I worked alongside XXXX librarians, assisting with their programs. Of the 40 programs I attended, four involved proximity to a library other than a public library (e.g., school, prison, or religious library) but only one involved working with the library space itself— the BCD Elementary School library. For this event I worked alongside three children’s librarians in the library, speaking to different groups of children about both the two libraries, XXX (public) and BCD Elementary (school). Describing and promoting the two library types was partly promotional, partly educational, and partly programmatic (as the program involved a book giveaway sponsored by XXXX). XXXX also sponsored the follow up science themed sing-a-long, which brought teachers from the two library systems together.
As a male information professional who happens to not have children of his own, this was a rare opportunity for me to work within a school library environment. The experience was worth mentioning because it allowed me to experience how different library types and different librarian professionals work together in symbiotic fashion to accomplish their own particular ends.
Reasons a Public Library Model Might Not Work for a Prison Library
Discussion of Evidentiary Items
https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A847ddad4-0dc5-44cf-8fa7-e8ef2b4ecd8a
While taking Professor Mongelli’s prison library seminar (INFO 282) there was a point where we were tasked with explaining why a public library management model might not work for a prison library. For that week’s discussion I drew upon Professor Mongelli’s Jailfire blog to list the many ways the public model is inappropriate in a prison environment, but go beyond this to contrast my experiences within a public library system and describe how and why my interactions with public library patrons might not be appropriate for inmates visiting a correctional library. In particular I articulate some of the differences between the public and prison library patrons, and how the needs of each are best served by a particular model. Being able to verbalize these differences provides more evidence that I can fit in and function appropriately within different information environments.
The Public/Therapeutic Hybrid Library Prison Model: Strengths and Weaknesses
Discussion of Evidentiary Items
https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:67e46b73-a16d-4f0a-80bf-0904ddddcaf3
One of the more painstaking projects I participated in for INFO 282, this analysis of Professor Mongelli’s Public/Therapeutic Hybrid model (PTHM) of prison management, involved deconstructing both the public and the therapeutic models, and then describing how they might both function working in tandem, both positively and negatively. For this project I provided most of the research and explication found in the literature review and I conclude that the two models, like the two library types (public and prison), are always essentially warring over conflicting ideals and daily praxis.
I was completely involved with each principle articulated in this document and in teasing out how the clash between these two models might practically affect the correctional librarian, the functioning of the prison library, and its inmate patrons. Being capable of articulating how and why policy is defined, and how much and what kind of agency it gives the working librarian is not simply theoretical knowledge but an understanding I can apply in a working environment. For instance, the intricacies of this model directly informed my experiences working as a librarian assistant later in the year at CDF Youth Services Center.
CDF Youth Services Center Interview and Reflection
Discussion of Evidentiary Items
https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:872c0cb9-3022-4d02-b595-ad9efa56c8f5
One of the highlights of my INFO 282 class was interviewing a professional librarian in a correctional facility, Ms. Sue Sullivan (SS), the head librarian at CDF Youth Services Center (CDFSC). It was striking to learn that XXXX’s library runs under a public services model (for instance, selection of materials is not based on rehabilitation of inmates), yet XXXX’s contract with the Department of Corrections (DOC) means that the librarian must be a CDF employee before they are a XXXX employee, which means that the center cannot be run under a strictly public model and is therefore a hybrid model. I discovered that the HJ Public Schools interagency provided a regular school regimen for the inmates and that the library supported programs in the XYPL/CDF classrooms, which means this public library was not only functioning as a prison library but also a school library as well.
I discovered that, in contrast to a library strictly modeled around correctional objectives, this library (through its librarian) remained concerned about issues like race and Intellectual Freedom. For instance, SS noted how race relations in the community outside CDF affected the inmates, and also related how ‘street literature,’ while available, could be taken away if political winds shifted. I also learned how tax and territory affect libraries within jails and prisons. CDF (jail) was run and funded by the county (X), while the FG library (prison) was run and funded by the State (X), yet the better funded state library had a more meager collection than the relatively under-funded county library. My interactions with CDF administrators, both of whom lived in the neighborhood, convinced me of the importance of prison libraries as place, and the importance of the human contact to be found there. Finally, it was interesting to observe to what degree a public librarian, working within a library situated in a correctional facility, takes on any roles associated with a correctional librarian.
My interview with SS, my reflection on that interview and my first experiences within CDF provided me with a chance to see how far a public library model can be functionally stretched before it becomes unworkable. It also allowed me to put one foot into the world of the prison library, and see what factors come into play that might require a completely different model in order to function. Being able to identify these factors, both structural (race, taxing districts) and individual (emotional intelligence, trauma) enable me to navigate different information environments more capably, and thereby maximize my effect as a librarian. This project also shows I can identify appropriate opportunities to collaborate with other organizations or agencies, and the obstacles that need to be overcome to achieve those partnerships, a necessary skill to have sheathed in one’s librarian belt.
Conclusion
Having both theoretical and practical experience with library environments and with those who work there can only make me a more experienced information professional capable of giving back to those same institutions. My understanding of the myriad similarities and differences across library types will help me remain flexible but exacting when working within or between informational organizations. An ability to understand and articulate specific library models and types, and their associated policies should help my ability to function at a higher level within any particular informational agency. Understanding and participating with these models and policies in practice, in a real work environment, especially where roles and institutions overlap or hybridize, should arm me with the ability to seize opportunities for collaboration and partnerships when they arise, and ensure that they serve the mission and agenda of any organization for which I might be employed.
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