Collaborative Resource Sharing between Public and School Libraries

Perez, Rosa

Reference: Smith, D., Shea, M., & Wu, W.N. (2014). Collaborative resource sharing between public and school libraries. Interlending & Document Supply, 42(4), 159–164. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1108/ILDS-09-2014-0045

In this article, the authors explore the importance of collaborative resource sharing between public and school libraries. The study focused on collaborative collection development and interlibrary loans between public libraries and school libraries. The methodology used to conduct the study was a survey sent to 265 youth service librarians across the USA. The results show that the majority of the libraries involved in the study believe it is important to collaborate with their neighboring school libraries. They believe in collaboration because it helps both institutions save money and shelf space. By sharing resources the libraries can stretch their limited funding and purchase more materials and programs for patrons. Furthermore, this collaboration is a good promotional tool for public libraries. Students already use the school library but may not use the public library during school breaks because they are unaware of the programs and resources available. But through this collaboration, they are made aware of the resources they have access to during those breaks. This increased awareness increases foot traffic and usage in the public library. The school library benefits from the additional resources they can provide to their students. The collaboration is beneficial to both the public library and the school library but the ultimate beneficiaries are the patrons being supported by both institutions. 

This article reminds me of the current collaboration my school district (Anaheim Union High School District) has with the Anaheim Public Library. This connection called ACES (A Card for Every Student) allows all AUHSD students to access the Anaheim Public Library’s online resources by using their student ID card. This resource is helpful because it helps fill the digital gaps that the AUHSD libraries face. ACES allows students to access ebooks, audiobooks, databases, and homework help platforms among other resources. 

How Are Academic Institutions Innovating Under Pressure

Bimson, Amanda

Carpenter, T. A. (2020, April 7). How are Academic Institutions Innovating Under Pressure. Retrieved April 13, 2020, from https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2020/04/08/academy-innovating-under-pressure/

Carpenter did a good job defining all the pain points that colleges and universities are going through at the time of a crisis like the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020. He explained how these institutions are having more of a technology gap in such a technologically advanced time is poignant. Some institutions already had some shutdown orders in place from previous issues he used as examples, however nothing had prepared them for the magnitude of what was being thrown at them now. Once they did the quick and dirty work of determining what and how to teach, it became apparent the need for documentation and definitions were needed for not only the staff but also the students. What was shown as a positive outcome of this crisis was how the support for such a time was already there from “educational technology support organizations,” librarians, and other institutions.

Why did this connect with me? I found this intriguing for a few reasons. Firstly, the concept of online learning should be present in every institution. Not every learning organization is prepared or even has a form of online learning. But if we can take away one point from the whole of the issues that COVID has brought to light within the learning communities, it is that online learning should be incorporated into every institution. Secondly, I work for one of those “educational technology support organizations” that have stepped up and provided assistance in the wake of this global need for online learning and access to information. To see the good from inside and out of an organization adn to hear how truly helpful and how much you have contributed to a crisis of this scale is a rewarding task. Finally, focus on guide production was a useful thought. Educators right now are having so much thrown at them and they have to learn quickly or be caught in the dust of others. Guides from their organizations, with the help of others per Carpenter, are essential items to start now and update often. This situation is not going to change any right now. So these guides will be what can save them in the longer term as their institutions make business decisions about how to proceed with the future of their organizations.

The future of books in an academic library

The article Books and ebooks in an academic library discusses the perdictions the authors had about eBooks popularity in the future. The authors suggested that eBooks will become more popular by 2020 and will increase the number of academic libraries transitioning their collections to have more online materials than physical books. eBook purchases from academic libraries are increasing. The article also discusses the future of journal articles. Print articles are still continuing to be produced, however libraries and scholars are using a lot more electronic resources (Wells & Sallenbach, 2015). This has cause academic librarians to allocate their resources and use their budget to purchase more electronic resources and less physical materials.

I believe that electronic resources are becoming more popular, but they're are still a lot of people that prefer the physical copy of a book. Right now the academic library I work for is focusing their budget on electronic resources.

References

Wells, D. & Sallenbach, A. (2015) Books and ebooks in an academic library. 64:3, 168-179, DOI: 10.1080/00049670.2015.1041216

-Daly, Briana