APL+Field+Study

= =
 * = Home ||= Norbert Wiener Book Review ||= Writings ||

Field Study Project  On April 2nd, Graduate Students Daniel Lerch, Heather Witkes, and Elizabeth Schroeder visited the Albany Public Library in order to conduct a field study. Below are the notes we took for the project, as well as the field study paper we authored. Feel free to download the paper here: [|601fieldstudy.doc].



= =

= = = = ** Albany Public Library **

__Particpants__:

Dan Lerch dl962327@albany.edu 773.910.3162

Heather Witkes

Elizabeth Schroeder


 * __Meeting:__

Chris Saagas April 2nd, 9:15 161 Washington AvenueAlbany, NY 12210 __Additional Questions:__

__Questions to Ask:__

1) What population does APL serve? What are the information needs of the people? Does APL have any data on who does (and does not) use its services?

2) History. How long has APL been around? Has its mission changed over time?

3) Is there a mandated management body? Who is on it and what is the role of the head manager? What are the responsibilities of this group, and how well are they qualified to fulfill them? Is there an official policy document on management? (***I still have that flow chart from our guest speaker).**

4) What is its budget of APL and from where does funding come? How has funding changed over the years? Is the budget sufficient to meet APL's needs?

5) Size and makeup of APL materials. Different types of materials collected (any recent changes or developments?) Do they have special collections? If so, what are they?

6) Numbers of professional and nonprofessional staff. How their roles differ? Where do they fit in the management structure? Are these sufficient to provide efficient service? Has there been much staff turnover in recent years (and what might be the reasons)?

7) How involved is APL in using technology to do its business? What areas are automated and how? How has the introduction of technology changed staff roles? Has technology changed the mission of the organization? Are there new positions or have the old staff learned the job? is there an official policy on what workers can or cannot do re: technology use during working hours?

8) What new services has APL introduced in the last few years (if any)? Were these in response to technological developments, user requests, or perceived need? Are they especially related to particular user groups or aimed at the general population?

__Observations We Need to Make:__

Floor Plan - This needs to be included in the appendix of our paper.

General Impressions: What were the general issues that surfaced during our field work? Were there surprises, interesting facts, procedures that we would recommend to others?

Sugestions for improvment: What specifically needs to be changed and how would we go about making these changes? What works really well and what should not be changed? This is largely subjective.

__Odds and Ends:__

Collect copies of any materials APL have on display.

Top ** Albany Public Library - A Case Study **
 * Name || Responsibility ||
 * Liz Schroeder || Participated in interview, paper introduction and conclusion, pages 3-5 of paper, took photos of APL, poster, presentation on issues with APL ||
 * Dan Lerch || Participated in the interview, paper introduction and conclusion, pages 6-8 of paper. ||
 * Heather Witkes || Set up interview with Chris Sagaas, participated in interview, introduction and conclusion, pages 1-3, poster, presentation on Albany History room at APL ||

In March of 2009, Heather Witkes emailed Chris Sagaas about doing a field study project at Albany Public Library’s (APL) main branch. On April 3, 2009 Heather Witkes, Liz Schroeder, and Dan Lerch met with Chris Sagaas, the head of Reference Services to discuss APL. After our interview, our group met to discuss APL and create a field study project. We decided to meet again after spring break, at which point we divided the topics of the paper. In addition to meeting with Chris Sagaas, our paper refers to Tim Burke’s APL presentation given on January 29, 2009.
 * Introduction**

The APL Main Branch is open Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The library is closed Sundays in July and August. APL offers free access to a large and diverse collection of books, DVDs, music CDs and audio books, public computer use and WiFi access, public programs, including children’s story times, computer classes, financial workshops, music performances, book reviews, and lectures, access to professional reference librarians, use of community meeting rooms and exhibit spaces, available in each new library. Residents of the city of Albany may register for an APL card. Persons living outside the city of Albany but within Albany or Rensselaer counties may register for an Upper Hudson Library System card. Persons living outside Albany or Rensselaer counties may register for a non-resident library card for a fee of $25.00 per year. This non-refundable fee must be paid in cash or by check at registration. College students residing in Albany and Renssalaer counties are exempt from this fee, but will need to re-register for their card annually.
 * APL Background**

Each month at APL circulates approximately 90,000 books, magazines, DVDs, audio books, and electronic materials. 55,000 people use the libraries, 11,000 people use library computers for research and entertainment, 6,000 people use the reference librarians for research assistance, and 400 new library cards are issued. More than 60% of circulation and computer use come from the main downtown branch alone. The APL’s mission is “APL educates, entertains, and empowers our community.” This mission statement was recently updated. Originally the main branch was an IRS building therefore the building is not ideal for a library. APL moved into its current location in 1977. The building was remodeled in 1998. The original branch of APL was housed at what is currently the Social Services building on Washington Ave. It was built in the 1920’s. There are many small rooms and the only windows are at the front and the back of the building. APL is undergoing big changes in 2009. The Pine Hills Branch will almost double in size when it utilizes the second floor of the existing building. Natural light will be provided by the addition of a skylight. The John A. Howe Branch will be rehabilitated and will have an addition in the rear for accessibility. The new Delaware Branch will be in a renovated building on Delaware Avenue that will also feature skylights and a roomy parking lot. The interim director, Tim Burke, runs APL. APL has been looking for a new director for two years, but in past few months has interviewed four people for the position. The Director is the liaison between the board of trustees and the staff. In addition, the director reports on the library’s statistics such as circulation, manages the budget, and manages the planning and construction of new libraries. Currently, the branch is involved in three renovation projects: the Pine Hills, John A. Howe, and Delaware Branches (See appendix D information on management).
 * Circulation and Management**

Funding at APL is provided by tax-payers. Their budget gets voted on by the public, the same as school districts. If tax-payers disapprove of library performance, or the budget, citizens can vote the budget down. Fortunately, this does not happen often, as people value the library and its mission. The budget is attached as Appendix A, and hovers just above $8,000,000. Their budgets have been higher in the past few years as they are undertaking The Branch Improvement Plan (See Appendix A). APL is renovating several branches and constructing two new buildings. The tax-payers, by approving the budget, clearly viewed the renovation as a necessary service, which will improve access. However, one problem we saw with the plan was the decision not to make changes to APL’s main branch (to be discussed later). When Tim Burke visited class, he viewed tax-payer support as an asset. There are many library systems that do not rely on tax-payer funding, and operate at a disadvantage when private money is reduced, or runs out entirely. They have not encountered any major challenges soliciting tax-payers funds when needed. This provides a sense of security to the staff at APL. Unfortunately, Albany remains a city that has a large population that cannot afford to go to Barnes and Noble or Borders to purchase new books every week, let alone every month. In addition, with technology playing a large part in information seeking activity, many populations cannot afford to have a computer with Internet access. APL is vital for these populations: they have sixteen computer terminals (usually filled) available during normal business hours. Although this operation is expensive, APL manages to receive the necessary funding.
 * Monetary Funds**

The collection at APL is made up of books, fiction and non-fiction, audio books, videos, periodicals and a children’s section. They have 350,000 volumes in their collection, including audio visual and large print. In the past few years, the videos have seen a sharp increase in circulation numbers. In Appendix B we can see that circulation of videos far exceeds any other material. They have a special collection called the Pruyn Collection of Albany History located in the Albany History Room, which is archival material about the city of Albany, some of their materials as old as the Revolutionary War. They have an array of materials, such as old city directories, reverse look-ups, and newspaper clippings, just to name a few. In addition, APL is in the process of building a climate-controlled room that maintains archives. Currently, they store the archives in a separate room. However, anyone can go in and handle the materials, which are not monitored. Many of the books are falling apart, and they hope to stop further deterioration by placing them in a less accessible location. Chris Sagaas said this has been a project proposed time and time again. It may be that funding falls through and nothing happens again for another year. In the Reference Room is the Job Information Center, an area dedicated to helping people make the correct choice in careers, or help finding that necessary part time job. Mr. Sagaas mentioned that with the economy as poor as it is, this area is seeing more foot traffic than usual. In the same area are the Higher Education Resources, a section with information about colleges, how to prep for SAT’s and other college relation information. Having these two collections next to each other is helpful, as people can see what credentials are required for their dream job, then find which college or vocational school has that program. Another special collection APL has is the bookmobile. Residents have provided positive feedback about this recent addition to the library system. It is a big bus that travels around the Capital District bringing books to areas that do not have access to libraries. They visit senior citizen centers, low-income neighborhoods, schools, and any other location that requests their presence. It is an invaluable resource for this area.
 * Circulation and Special Collections**

Appendix D is a flow chart that shows how many professional and non-professionals are employed by APL. This was given out by Tim Burke during his visit to class. There are approximately 20 professionals in the main branch and about 25 non-professionals. Both are important to the day-to-day functions of the library. Professional staff (librarians) work in many different departments. Reference and reader’s services have the most librarians. Reader’s Services has the most non-professional staff, as they are the employees who are in charge of work such as re-shelving and circulation. Mr. Sagaas mentioned that during his ten- year tenure, there has been little staff turnover. There is a lot of job security if one can get their foot in the door. The non-professional staff is hired based on civil service exams, as they are dependent on tax-payer funding.
 * Professional and not so Professional Staff**

Technology has not changed the role of APL’s mission. The role of the librarian, which was repeated often to us by several APL employees, is simply to connect the user with the information they are seeking. Technology remains a tool to aid in this goal, not necessarily the automatic solution. However, APL’s Main Branch, which serves an economically disadvantaged area, is concerned with issues of the digital divide. Therefore providing reliable online access is a staple of the service provided. APL uses many popular databases including //ReferenceUSA, Historical New York Times, Primary Search,// and //ProQuest.// The library is fully wired with an unsecured network (while we were there our iPhones automatically connected to the network). Unfortunately, electrical outlets are limited and some patrons use their laptops in inconvenient locations, such as the history room, to access an outlet. In addition, the library makes several computer terminals available to patrons to access the Internet. The public shares these limited resources through an automatic kiosk system to ensure that all patrons will have access. APL is transitioning many of its resources to electronic formats gradually. The Automated Services Department manages databases, servers, maintains the wireless network, and maintains the library hardware and software. Rather than hire staff outside the field, Marcia, formally a reference librarian, took it upon herself to learn these technological skills and implement them into the library. She is now The Automated Services Librarian. Out of the entire main branch, only a few employees are needed at a time to maintain the technology infrastructure. This efficiency may be in part due to Marcia’s cross training: by being both a librarian and an IT professional, she can create systems that serve the needs of employees and patrons alike. For Information Studies students who wish to work in IT for a public library, Chris Sagaas, suggests starting off as a librarian and integrating IT duties into the position. In summary, specialized IT skills are an additional tool a librarian can bring to the job, but not necessarily the most important skill to have.
 * Technology and The Albany Public Library**

APL adds and changes new services continually. APL is often compared to a community center. For example, they have hosted art exhibits and tax seminars. In addition, due to the recession, the library has considered hosting seminars with representatives from The Department of Labor. The library also hosts basic computer training courses in The Edgar Tompkins Computer Lab. Here patrons can learn marketable skills such as word processing, spreadsheets, power point and basic operating system. In addition, there is The Tulip Queen Reading Room, which offers story time to children.
 * New Services**

After visiting APL and speaking with staff, we identified areas for improvement. Our biggest concern was APL’s building. The original purpose for this building was for the IRS. Some of our concerns include issues of space, aesthetics and security. For example, new books are processed on the basement level, but processed on the third floor. The books must then be re-shelved on the main floor. Patrons must go to the second floor to access computers, but access book materials on the main floor. In addition, there is no quiet room for patrons. The Edgar Tomkins computer lab is only made available for computer classes, while the public computer lab often has a logjam of patrons. This room should be made available to the public. APL is a valuable resource to the City of Albany. They see more foot traffic than any other branch, making this location irreplaceable.
 * Conclusion**

Top