For reasons I cannot easily explain, I found myself browsing the archive of poll results on Library Journal’s site this week. I also found myself fighting the irritating pop-up ads for AARP which cover the data and cannot be easily dismissed but that’s another matter. If there is a more negative set of responses out there on the future of libraries, I’ve not had the misfortune to find it. These polls are weekly snapshots of readers’ responses to rather pointed questions (and one might argue that the very framing of the questions reveals their bias but a that’s also another matter). Try these results:
The Future is bleak:
93% believe the next 10 years look less promising than before for the profession of librarian.
70% believe their libraries’ commitment to intellectual freedom is diminishing even when 81% believe the need for public libraries to protect intellectual freedom is increasing.
55% believe more fee-based services are in their future, 44% believe the library’s place in the market is eroding.
Who’s to blame? Round up the usual suspects:
Prime suspects: the LIS educators! 93% think that LIS schools are focusing on the wrong things (I won’t rest until we get that up to 100% 🙂
But it’s not just LIS schools’ fault, it’s those incompetent administrators and and stuffy old boards:
86% believe the staff are more concerned with the future than the administration
87% believe the library trustees fail to raise the visibility of the library in the community, and have no political clout, even as 71.4% of respondents believe their library board is becoming older and more political! 57% feel there is no common understanding between staff and boards on the library’s direction anyhow.
But wait, what about the public? Surely they still love and respect us?
Yes, it’s just turning the love into dollars that is a problem. 57% believe voter support for libraries is increasing even if 48% feel public support for libraries is eroding. I suppose the public is not always the same as the voters, must be all those super delegates that love libraries.
Could it be that libraries are not addressing community problems? 77% believe this is a real problem. No wonder since 40% think the library does not even understand the community agenda, despite those old politicos on the boards.
Fear not though, 52% believe their library does measure its impact on the community. What exactly is being measured or learned from this is hard to guess if one doesn’t understand the community’s agenda but hey, impact is impact right?
Will it change? Libraries are failing to groom new leaders according to 65% of respondents and the majority feel there are not enough staff recognition award programs (see a trend here?) but there is a bright spot: 65% report that their libraries are beginning to promote extroverts! Since extroverts supposedly suffer less depression than introverts, this sounds like a winning strategy — give the person who came up with this idea an award!
Of course, none of the survey items ask if these respondents are the cause or the recipients of the problem, but what do you expect when those terrible LIS programs never taught anyone about good survey design. Pass the happy juice.