Developing Community-Led Public Libraries: Evidence from the UK and Canada

by John Pateman, Ken Williment

This important book examines the potential for a new community led service model in public libraries. Using theoretical approaches to working with socially excluded community members, with a direct application of those approaches in Canadian public libraries, the authors offer a powerful and persuasive case for adopting the community led approach in libraries worldwide. The book showcases good practice and outlines the challenges to community development work. With public libraries facing budget cuts, this book offers an alternative way forward based on a community led approach to developing needs based library services. This book makes a unique contribution to public library thinking and policy, synthesising the outcomes of research and best practice at the cutting edge of library service delivery, and will be essential reading for all those researching and working in the public library sector.

Genres: Librarianship, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5+ stars. Very interesting introduction to the concepts of community-led libraries that promotes further study.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This text provides a strong insight into the structuring of a Community Led library by looking at evidence from both UK and Canadian libraries. The focus of the text is primarily on how librarians, libraries, and library staff can better integrate community wants and needs into their library environment. While at times a bit repetitive, the authors provide a good number of tips and examples for how libraries might successfully integrate this type of framework. They also inform the reader of various challenges that might be faced when attempting to integrate this sort of system. This book would be an effective tool for many working in public libraries, and anyone who wishes to learn more about community led engagement. Additionally, it provides some basic methodologies which can be used in an attempt to measure the impact of library services on the local community. These methodologies are useful alternatives to traditional methodologies such as simply measuring circulation numbers. Additionally, they present an argument for why Community Led libraries are integral to the continuation of libraries in the face of neoliberalism. By adopting a community led approach, the library can show that they are an integral part of the community and a necessary service. (This final notion is one that I struggle with. In justifying themselves to neoliberal principles, do libraries condone neoliberalism?)

Despite its overall tone and focus holistic planning and community driven initiatives, where the book fails is in a number of its normative assumptions. Despite a persistent cry that the librarian ought not consider themselves an expert who knows better than their community, the authors do make a number of assumptions about the needs of certain communities. The most glaring of these instances occurs when the authors discuss how libraries can show communities without internet access why they (these communities) need internet access. Despite many communities desire to not have this access, the authors suggest that libraries ought to push internet access towards these communities, as it will benefit their social capital. These struck me as inconsistent with the overall message of the book. Why, in some circumstances, is it best to listen to the community, while in others it is appropriate to act as an expert who understand the communities needs better than the community itself? This criticism is not far reaching, and does not damper the overall focus of the book, yet I thought it an important question to raise. If nothing else, it shows the nature of the library professional of falling back into the role of expert.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but the online workbook was better