Huh. Not long after posting below on three of the new on-line services at the library, I noticed on article in today's Metro section of the Dallas Morning News on libraries that was very much related: "In digital age, libraries turn a page on services they offer."

The article quotes Claire Bausch, Library Director, Kathleen Cisek, Central Library manager, and Bettye Haynes, Library Advisory Board member, and features a photograph of Katie Mills, electronic resource librarian. The article also includes quotes from librarians from other nearby cities.

The move by libraries to embrace the digital age was not always a given. A decade ago, many communities forecasted a budget dividend as books and research moved to the Internet. Cities such as Chicago drastically cut funds to libraries. Even with some on-line book services, it's easy to see that the Internet has not supplanted libraries. As in the article, libraries have become a digital-age resource. Libraries have even become the portal to the Internet for many citizens without a computer or on-line access.

I read a couple years ago that Chicago made a drastic course correction at the end of the 90's, pumping many more dollars toward libraries to both save them and to expand them. New libraries were constructed. The library became the focal point in many communities, offering meeting rooms and other local programs. In one library that straddled two economic zones, affluent to the east and challenged to the west, poor elementary students studied after school at the library and were tutored by volunteers that came mostly from the wealthier side—a community working together.

To learn more about how libraries are addressing the digital age in our area, be sure to catch the article in today's DMN or online:

In digital age, libraries turn a page on services they offer

Many using every trick in the book to expand selections for computer-savvy patrons

 

12:00 AM CST on Sunday, December 9, 2007
By FRANK TREJO / The Dallas Morning News
ftrejo@dallasnews.com

 

As libraries turn increasingly digital, they aren't just for reading anymore.

 

A growing number are offering audiobooks, certain movies and television shows, online homework help and other specialized programs, as well as readable "e-books," to anyone with a library card and an Internet connection.

 

Because such services don't require patrons to even step foot inside the door, some may wonder whether the digital trend will mean the eventual demise of brick-and-mortar libraries.

 

Area librarians answer with an emphatic no.

 

"Libraries are very different now, with more online services and people being so busy, but books and libraries are not going away anytime soon," said Claire Bausch, director of Garland's Nicholson Memorial Library System. "If anything, automation and technology have actually increased demand for information, including books. Just about every morning, we have patrons waiting for our doors to open."

 

As Ms. Bausch and others see it, librarians are trained to provide access to information, regardless of the format.

 

Loriene Roy, president of the American Library Association, noted that 10 years ago, only about 25 percent of public libraries provided public access to computers. Today, it is close to 99 percent.

ONLINE SERVICES Classic movies and television programs Language learning Audiobooks E-books, which can be read on computer screens Live homework help Library catalogs Newspaper and magazine databases Genealogy resources Health resources, such as Eldercare, which provides information about long-term care facilities Many libraries also provide on-site computers, and some offer wireless access so patrons can access services via their own laptops—even in the parking lot. Source: Dallas Morning News

 

"The transition to digital has changed not only the physical configuration of the library, but in many cases policies have had to change to keep up with the times," Dr. Roy said. "Libraries are social institutions; they respond to need."

 

She knows of one library that lends out a CPR doll and another with a cake pan collection that patrons can check out.

 

Dr. Roy, a professor in the School of Information at the University of Texas in Austin, said the new technology is prompting public libraries to consider new uses of their space, from comfortable reading lounges to video game areas to coffee shops that let them compete with bookstores.

 

"This is really an exciting time to be working in libraries because of the options," she said.

 

Earlier this fall, the Garland library system launched MyLibraryDV, a digital video service that allows patrons to download classic and independent movies, as well as certain cooking, travel, home improvement, health and many other types of programs. The service can be reached from any computer with Internet access as long as the patron has a library card.

 

Up to 10 programs can be "checked out" at a time, and when the loan period expires, the program returns itself, so late fees are avoided.

 

Also this fall, the Garland library system began offering online audio access to Rosetta Stone language learning software.

 

The improvements came about a year and a half after the Garland library began offering downloadable audiobooks and e-books, which patrons can read on their computer screens.

 

Even patrons who previously had no interest in electronic gadgets have become hooked.

 

Bettye Haynes, a longtime Garland resident who sits on the library advisory board, feels right at home with her MP3 player. She uses it not for music but instead to hold up to 10 audiobooks – usually mysteries – that she's checked out from the library.

 

"I think it's just fantastic that you can put several books on this little bitty thing," she said. "I use it all the time, when I'm jogging or when I'm on a plane."

 

Providing information options is the library's goal, said Kathleen Cisek, manager of Garland's Central Library.

GARLAND LIBRARY   307,000 Patrons who used public access computers last year   25,418 Patrons who used electronic resources   79,122 Electronic searches conducted through library online services   1,098 Patrons who took practice tests online   4,877 Students tutored through Live Homework Help   12,318 Patrons who read or listened to books online   DMN Sources: Garland's Nicholson Memorial Library System; Dallas Morning News research

 

That sentiment was echoed by Marcine McCulley, reference librarian at the Rockwall County Library, which offers a variety of databases, as well as audiobooks, movies and other services online.

 

"We still think that the actual book collection is very important," Ms. McCulley said. "We have about 50,000 volumes in our collection. But some patrons want the convenience of digital information."

 

She noted that Rockwall's current library is "stuffed to the gills," which is why the county is building a new $11.5 million, 52,000-square-foot facility.

 

"There will always be a need for physical buildings," Ms. McCulley said. "The focus may change, and we may have new technology, but they will always be there. Especially for leisure reading, you can't compare curling up with a good book, as opposed to an electronic device."

 

Julie Torstad, acquisitions librarian for the Plano Public Library, said patrons there download an average of 250 audiobooks per month. The Plano library began offering that service in 2006.

 

"Online services are just becoming a big thing for some patrons, something they want," Ms. Torstad said. "For us, it helps eliminate the damage and need to replace things like books or CDs. And many more patrons can view or listen to something at the same time."

 

The Dallas Public Library, which logs 3.6 million patron visits each year, also is expanding its online services, said Miriam Rodriguez, assistant director. It offers live homework help for students, as well as access to databases including test preparation, investment information, automobile repair and even a digitized collection of documents and photographs from the Texas/Dallas History Division.

 

Lyle Vance, manager of adult services at the Irving Public Library, said it offers some databases and online access to its entire catalog. Irving also is preparing to expand its services soon. Among the additions will be downloadable audiobooks.

 

But Mr. Vance said he also believes the library building will remain a "cultural experience" that people will continue to want.

 

"America is very much involved in experience, whether it's Six Flags or football games or a movie," Mr. Vance said. "A library is still an experience."

 

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1 comment

Comments:

Comment from: Ann [Visitor]

You cannot use any of the download service/features etc if you do not use Windows. Linux, MAC and other O/S's are shut out of these services completely.

12/11/07 @ 18:15

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