Friends of the Oakland Public School Libraries: Building Bridges to the Local Community

Ramirez, Carmina

Kaun, T. tomkaun@gmail. co. (2014). Friends of the Oakland Public School Libraries: Building Bridges to the Local Community. CSLA Journal, 38(1), 20–23. Retrieved from

http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=109348275&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Due to reduced funding for library resources and staff, the Oakland Public School Libraries relied on the help of volunteers to build their book collections. This group of volunteers mainly focused on expanding the library collections by acquiring books through community donations. But noticing that school libraries in the district needed much more, the volunteers created a non-profit named Friends of the Oakland School Libraries whose mission became to fully refurbish all fourteen libraries in the school district. They are also ensuring that all libraries are up to date and they advocate for quality trained staff. Out of 47 sites they have helped refurbish 26 library spaces and others are being evaluated for updates. The group has accessed grants to fund their work. This is a great example of partnerships helping libraries while advocating for much needed certified library staff.

This article is a reminder of the urgent need for more library certificated staff. It is phenomenal what a community has been able to accomplish when they come together with a clear goal. But it should be a message that although the community its providing what is needed, more has to be invested from public funds to support library services.

Untapped Resources: Graduate Assistants and Collection Development

Dailey, Kaitlin.

Todorinova, L., Deputy, B. R. (2011). Untapped resources: Graduate assistants and collection development. In B. R. Bernhardt, L. H. Hinds, K. P. Strauch (Eds.), Something's gotta give (pp. 584-589). DOI: 10.5703/1288284314969

Summary:
This book chapter discusses how libraries are incorporating MLIS students into collection development practices, and the positive impact that this has on not only the students but also the library since the budget does not have to be reallocated to accommodate additional staff members. I felt that this chapter was something that as MLIS students we could all identify with as we are learning about collection development and could incorporate some of the ideas or themes into our own libraries. The article starts off with a brief introduction of where collection development falls within a library, where "paraprofessionals and student assistants" play a role currently, and the history of paraprofessionals in the library. After this brief introduction, the article discusses what role collection development plays in the current curricula, graduate students in the library, along with the incentives of incorporating graduate students into the library.

Evaluation:
So, I really liked this article because I feel that I am someone who learns the best in a very hands-on environment, so this article catered to me. However, I can see the hesitance in some professionals when incorporating students into their institution. When I started working in libraries as an undergraduate, there was a fair amount of training that I had to complete prior to being on the floor (and I was being paid). Looking at graduate students, it may be more difficult to motivate them when they're already working so hard to complete their degrees. Additionally, I've noticed that many of the students in this program are library professionals already in some capacity so it may be less of an incentive to help their library for free when they're already working so hard as it is.