As we have entered into a another academic year with new services and resources, a revamped look to the first two floors, an emphasis on marketing and publicizing, and making the very best use of funds, the thought occurred to me that while I think the library is indispensable nevertheless there may be some who might ask, “what’s so special about the library?”
My first response might be “we are not special, just different”. Of course, I could also quickly point to our mission and overwhelm you with lots of examples in defense of that mission but I think considering the (valid) question from a broader perspective is worth exploring. Here are a few items, in sum, that I believe substantiate this idea of being different (different not being better or worse, just different).
Sure it is a dedicated building but is the library for research or simply a quiet place to study? The library (as a physical entity) is rightly, I believe, a place for each activity, though to find a happy medium in this tension with respect to open hours will always be a personal one. There would be a few users who would live in the library were it open 24 hours (not physically healthy I would suspect) while there are some users who never darken the doorway (not intellectually healthy I would caution). In any case we continue to provide weekend and evening (with reference assistance) hours for however you need to use the facility.
Are librarians staff or faculty? Again, the answer is both. As terminally-degreed (M.L.S.) professionals we are administrative appointees (12 month contracts) at the College, but with faculty status. This means, among other things, we are active on campus in committees, participate in faculty meetings, and teach (not only providing curricular support via library instruction sessions but also from time-to-time have been involved with teaching for-credit courses). Though ours are not tenure track positions we can apply for administrative leaves (a sabbatical if you will), receive Faculty Development Grants, and attend/participate in professional conferences with the College’s support. On the other hand we provide statistics, administer budgets, do evaluation, manage student workers, maintain a web presence, order materials, and other jobs (yes, even paper pushing) typically defined as administrative.
So, is the library an administrative or academic unit? In a sense, we are a combination. The library is an administrative department [as evidenced by policies and procedures
] under the umbrella of Academic Affairs, serving equally all academic departments. We provide academic support to students and collaborate with faculty. Concomitantly, we rely on other campus departments, like IT, Physical Plant, and the Business Office, et al, to provide that support properly. However the library is categorized, without productive partnerships we simply could not meet user needs at the level you expect and that we hope we provide.
Additionally, though our primary purpose is serving existing students, we are also available to the community (for example, many local school children have enjoyed campus visits arranged through the Archives) as well as involved professionally at the state level through our consortial participation with PALNI (library system including PantherCAT) and ALI (many online databases). Are these academic or administrative responsibilities? Staff or faculty tasks? Ownership or access modes? Are such demarcations important? If so, when and why?
After giving this some thought, I guess I have reached the conclusion that the library is the educational equivalent of the hybrid car; shifting between dual functions for maximum efficiency, no matter the landscape. Although I don’t believe we are special (for that implies a notion of greater importance) I can say that we are a bit different. While such seeming ambiguity might challenge assumptions and expectations of some, I think recognizing the library’s distinctiveness is a key to successfully fulfilling our mission as we strive to reflect the very best that Hanover College has to offer.
Ken