When I’m not thinking about libraries proper, I often think about records, information and knowledge management. In that environment, activity is driven by a combination of organizational needs and compliance requirements. Certain kinds of records must be kept for a certain period of time – for many people, the requirements to keep income tax related records for seven years is a good example. There are also times when records and information has to be managed in order to support work, analysis and other needs of that nature.

The social cost of poor records management had not occured to me however. In yesterday’s New York Times, there was an article called Recession Drives Surge in Youth Runaways which described growing numbers of young people who decide to run away from home. The full extent of the problem is not understood and the authorities often have a difficult time helping those who need help due to poor records and weak record systems. Here’s what the article found:

And in 16 percent of cases, the local police failed to enter the information into the federal database, as required under federal law, according to a review of federal data by The New York Times.

<…>
Police officials give various reasons for not entering the data. The software is old and cumbersome, they say, or they have limited resources and need to prioritize their time…The police also say that entering every report into the federal database could make a city’s situation appear to be more of a problem than it is.

But in 267 of the cases around the nation for which the police did not enter a report into the database, the children remain missing. In 58, they were found dead.

There are several issues to take notice of here. The reports are being entered into a crime related database and arguably, that may not be a great place to store this type of social services information. Further, the users of the system find it difficult to use. There is also a cultural problem where records are not kept properly since that could be embarrassing. Sadly, there does seem to be an implication that a lack of records leads to a greater chance of death or something else terrible happening. I would be the first to admit that this is a large, complex problem that needs a whole host of people to cooperate. Good records and record systems could go a long way to solving the problem though.

Yesterday, USA Today reported on how American libraries are helping people get through the recession. Two points in particular struck me as noteworthy from this article. I have seen a number of articles about this trend, but this one offered some particularly interesting observations that I wanted to write about it. It is worth reading the article as well to read about the nurse who found a job through the library – libraries and librarians made a difference for that person.

“Libraries are really the first responder in this economic crisis, and particularly for job seekers,” says Larra Clark, who managed the study due for release Sept. 15.” [the ALA is conducting a study into libraries and the recession]. One could argue that unemployment benefits are the ‘first’ responder, but libraries are more flexible and have more to offer. While benefits can help with bills now, libraries are helping people to find work which is more important in the long term. Beyond Internet access, libraries are also offering classes to help people get ready for their job search.

Despite this critical role in assisting people in economic difficulties, libraries have suffered as well. Larra Clark points out that 22 states have cut funding for libraries though demand for services has only increased. I suspect this may be due to the fact that many city budgets have taken a hit and some of these cuts have been passed along to libraries. This is short sighted given the role libraries play in helping people climb out of the recession. I wonder if the study will compare states that have retained or expanded library funding with those that have seen cuts. I look forward to this study coming out later this month.

I was browsing through the Newseum Front Page (which shows you the front page of newspapers around the world) function and I happened to stumble across an article in the Guelph Mercury: Book-borrowing is where it’s at.

The article’s main thrust is that libraries are good because they have “free” (“free” is a bad way to put it – everything provided still costs real money but the costs are covered through taxation) materials and resources. People appear to be most interested in free computers and Internet connections. All these are good things and I’m happy to see people enjoy them. However, the article gives no attention to the staff so far as I can tell. Aside from a few quotes, one gets the sense that this article could have been written about a warehouse with a computer lab in it. I wonder about the community stories involved there. Has the Library helped people learn new things? On the leisure side, has it helped people feel happier or more relaxed?

Book use, movie loans and children’s programs have all seen big increases in demand as people have less disposable income.

But the biggest difference from other trying economic times is that this is the first post-internet recession, and people are flocking to the library to use its electronic services and access.

“We are definitely experiencing an upsurge,” said Norman McLeod, the library’s chief executive officer. “When times are tough people turn to the public library. It’s a service they know will be there and they value it more than they normally do.”
[...]

Now it’s not just free books and magazines or cheap entertainment for the kids that people are looking for. It’s internet access.

“Our role has changed since the last recession in 1983 because of the internet. It’s not just demand for traditional services anymore, it’s a demand for access to information. That’s been quite a dramatic change,” McLeod said.

People want access to job searches, resumé writing, even printing services.

“They’re not just borrowing more,” McLeod said, adding that there were 600,000 visits to the library website last year.

“But books are still the biggest thing we offer. I don’t see that changing in the near future,” McLeod said.

That quote in the last line has me wondering. Does “biggest” here mean “most” (i.e. the largest percentage of the collection) or does it mean something more like “best” or “most distinctive”? In any case, I hope the Library is studying what their users are doing so that they can design new services and help people even more.

Several of my friends in my graduate program have been offered and have accepted positions, even though they will not quite be done for a few more weeks. I will not be available for full time employment for several more months as I am still researching and writing my Master’s thesis, but I follow such developments with great interest. It is reassuring to see that employment trends are still looking promising in my field, despite all the bad economic news that one sees on a daily basis. I want to dig a bit deeper than that though. In aticles in various places – often the New York Times (e.g. As Layoffs Surge, Women May Pass Men in Job Force) – that argue that the recession is having an uneven gender impact. Industries dominated by men (everything from financial services to automotive manufacturing) have seen major losses in employment while those sectors dominated by women (nursing, teaching and so forth) are, thus far, seeing very few losses.

I wonder why women-dominated sectors and professions tend to resist recessions better? It might be that such professions tend to be public sector and that sector is comparitively more stable in terms in employment. For Canada, librarianship is female dominated (78% female in 2004 nationally); perhaps the sector will continue to soldier on despite the recession. Last fall, I met someone in the field who had the bad fortune to have his first job interview on September 11, 2001 (having graduated from his Master’s program a few months earlier) and thus spent more than six months searching for employment. This person has now found a very good position at a consulting firm, so it worked out. That’s another potential positive aspect to the recession; it encourages people to think more creatively about employment (and services and technology; the 1930s was actually a time of substantial innovation in several sectors).

Perhaps more men should consider working in the historically women dominated professions. In my field, there is plenty of interesting things happening and new job postings are continuing to be released on a regular basis.

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A few days ago, there was a great article on the role of public libraries in New York, New York in the New York Times. When I last visited the city in 2006, I very much enjoyed visiting the “headquarters” (central?) branch on 5th Avenue and 42nd Street. It might be the most majestic public library building I’ve seen anywhere. As much as I liked it, that is not the point of today’s post.

The article describes the main functions of the public library in the recession in specific, positive terms. Libraries provide free* Internet access, training to help people look for work (and the related network of skills required for successful job hunting) and supportive environment. For some unemployed professionals, for example, the public library takes on the role of an office. Sure, you could do some of these things at home (though that assumes you have Internet access at home – 25-30% of Canadians still do not have broadband access), but the library provides a environment that supports study and recreation. Unlike a coffee shop, you can stay in the Library as long as you want without buying anything.

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The “Great Recession” has had all kinds of effects, some good and some bad. One effect that has interested me a great deal is the accelerating decline of newspapers. Professionally, this is a concern on several levels. Most immediately, some newspapers have responded to this situation by laying off staff including information professionals. More generally, newspapers are a great source of information, opinion and reporting that is still unmatched compared to other forms of media. The blogosphere does some great things, but I still remain skeptical that it can replace full-time paid journalists (though I remain open minded on this). Personally, I have always enjoyed reading newspapers both online and in print. When I travel abroad, looking through the local newspapers is always an enjoyable experience. The flexibility to read whatever one wishes makes me like them much more than TV and radio news too.

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