Purpose of Libraries Existence - Essay Example

1. Introduction Purpose of libraries' existence is to provide information to people. Information is considered the cornerstone of modern society, to the extent that we label it the information society. But as more and more information is generated, people are overwhelmed by the sheer amount of knowledge that is available. To help them, librarians are acting the role of information professionals. So they must develop a deeper understanding of information acquisition, transmission and use, to develop client-oriented systems, services and products. To do this, all information professionals must be aware of the barriers obstructing access to information, and they must actively work to overcome these barriers. Before librarians have been aware of the needs of users, there is a lot of research around which identifies different client groups and their information needs. These client groups often require certain types of information particular to their needs, so the profession has recognised that different types of information exist. And the clients can be divided into recognisable groups, for example, by age, interests, or types of work. The interest of my essay are particular groups such as information poor and socially excluded, and developing specific strategies to make access to proper information easy for them. 2. Information literacy Though the role of information literacy is very important, there is no consensus withing the literature what is information literacy and who can be considered an information literate person. Doyle (1991) cited in Harvey et al (2004) defines information literacy as 'The ability to access, evaluate and use information from a variety of sources.' I understand information literacy as a set of person's abilities concerning various information activities: gathering, processing and providing it to others. The information literate person should obtain all these abilities, not one or two of them, because they form a complete system of work with information. 2.1. Digital divide There is a big difference between people who can easily access all needed information and people who cannot. First group has the same advantages over the second as sighted person over blind one. Digital divide is a notion that defines a barrier between people who can easily access all needed information and people who cannot. Definition of digital divide given at American Library Association (2001) is: Differences due to geography, race, economic status, gender, and physical ability In access to information through the Internet, and other information technologies and services In the skills, knowledge, and abilities to use information, the Internet and other technologies. Solutions to the Digital Divide are: Computer/technology access in every home. Computer literacy and skills training from preschool through college. Regonition that libraries are central to digital divide solutions. Collaborative and cooperative partnerships. 2.2. Groups who need help in information literacy There are a number of social groups that are disadvantaged in relation to information access: Those who living in isolated areas. Telephones or Internet connections can be absent in regions difficult of access or they can be spoiled and hard to repair. So communications with these regions are impossible and people who live there feel lack of information about events in the world. Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people can be illiterate, so even they have possibilities to access to information, they can not use it and enjoy advantages of it. Women. For example, in Muslim society women are usually sitting at home and do nothing except the housekeeping. It's very difficult for such women to get to a public place, because the religion prohibits their social life. If there is no TV or Internet access in their home, these women are cut from the world. They are placed at an information island, which includes their home and their relatives. The elderity. It can be difficult to communicate for the elder people. They are hard to learn new things, especially if they didn't see anything of this kind. The disabled. People with special needs hardly can do things which are easy for others. It is impossible to take a bus and to get to a lirary for a person who can't move. People with poor eyesight cannot use computer and Internet. So special tools of the information access as braille are needed for such people. The poor. People can have economical barriers to the information access. These people can access to some free or cheap resources such as free newspapers or public libraries, but a lot of useful information is unavailable for them, because it is chargeable. People from non-English-speaking backgrounds. The most widespread language is English, so people who don't understand English are isolated in their country and unable to get to know a lot of important and interesting things from the whole world. Illiterate people. Illiterate people are able to watch the TV, but this way they only consume the information given to them via the TV. But this consumption of information is one-way. They are not able to search in huge massives of textual information and they often cannot give their response on some issue. Special efforts should be made to provide access to information for these groups. 3. Problems of information poors As I understand the information poverty, it is no more than inability to be information literate. Really, a simple definition of information poverty is that: people are information poor if they perceive themselves to be without access to information they need. In simple terms we are information rich when we have the desired information and we are information poor when we lack information we need. Improving information poverty levels (another way of putting this is th say 'helping people to became information rich') is often linked with improving people's access to the Internet. But many people are concerned about this. For example, why worry about computer access for people who have no books (Harvey et al, 2004) The three aspects of access Wresch (1996) cited in Harvey et al (2004) points to - the quality of information, the flow of information and our ability to process information - underlie the issues of information poverty levels. There are three reasons of information poverty: The information available is not the information needed (quality) The necessary information infrastructure elements are missing or inadequate (flow) The skills needed to access and process information are inadequate (individual ability) As well as infrastructure, flow and ability constraints, structural constraints on access can include financial, cultural, political and geographic ones. Some other individual constraints to access to information include lack of technical skill, reluctance to use new technology, lack of money, taboos within their cultural group, and discrimination because of age, gender or disability. 4. Strategies and opportunities There are 7 parts the information process: the information is selected, acquired, catalogued and classified, processed, circulated, and housed and preserved. All these parts of the information process give librarians opportunities to assist information poor and socially excluded groups in information literacy. But I think the most important part for this process in circulation of information. As mentioned at Beacon Council Research (2001), public libraries have an equity role to ensuring that no section of the community should suffer from information disenfranchisement. The introduction of an economy driven by market forces for the delivery of services, especially those services that play an important role in developing and maintaining social capital, have adversely affected the delivery of those services and consequently affected the life chances of disadvantaged groups and areas. Thus the people who would most benefit from the services have increasingly been excluded by the modes of service provision and delivery. This is true for both areas of urban deprivation and of rural erosion. Fostering partnerships is seen as one way of weaving together the contributions of partners to ensure better access to services. The research project, "Open to All" (2000) cited in Beacon Council Research (2001) found that libraries mostly provide passive access to materials and resources, and they have service priorities and resourcing strategies that favour existing users rather than excluded or disadvantaged communities or groups. The report recommends the following strategies: Mainstreaming provision for socially excluded groups and establishment of standards to monitor the provision The adoption of resourcing strategies that prioritise the needs of excluded groups Encouraging staff to take a more socially responsive and educational approach Targeting excluded groups Staffing policies and practices that address exclusion, discrimination and prejudice Development of a community-based approach to library provision, which incorporates community consultation and partnership Adopting ITC and networking developments, which actively focus on the needs of excluded groups Most of these strategies refer to the circulation of information, so it gives librarians the most opportunity to assist information poor and socially excluded groups in information literacy. It is also confirmed by the American Library Association (2001), which describes how libraries bridge the digital divide in following way: Libraries have provided information access and services in the U.S. for more than 100 years. Most libraries have the technical infrastructure, electronic resources already and are existing facilities: 16,047 public library outlets 98,169 public and private school media centers 3,408 academic libraries. More than 90% of public library outlets offer public access to the Internet and other electronic resources. Librarians are trained professionals that assist and instruct patrons. American Library Association (2001) gives following recommendations to minimize digital divide: Support libraries as central to digital divide solutions. Include libraries as key collaborative/ cooperative partners in all digital divide remedies. Minimize duplication and maximize use of existing library facilities, and professional and trained library staff in the expansion of access and creation of needed services. Define and pursue 21st century computer/information literacy. Ensure deployment of and access to broadband in underserved communities. Information process in the libraries must help to improve social inclusion of all people, including minor groups which are hard to involve in it. The concept of social inclusion is closely linked to information poverty. In the DCMS report (1999) the notion of social inclusion is given as opposed to notion of social exclusion: 'Social exclusion takes many forms. It can be direct or indirect and can embrace both groups and individuals. Exclusion also has a geographical dimension embracing rural, urban and suburban areas alike.' The social inclusion policy described in DCMS report (1999) includes the following issues: Social inclusion should be mainstreamed as a policy priority for library and information services Library authorities should consider what specific services need to be tailored to meet the needs of minority groups and communities Library authorities should consult and involve socially excluded groups in order to ascertain their needs and aspirations Libraries should be located where there is a demand, but should build upon existing facilities and services wherever possible Opening hours should be more flexible and tailored to reflect the needs and interests of the community Library and information services should develop their role as community resource centres, providing access to communication as as well as information Library authorities should consider the possibilities of co-locating their facilities with other services provided by the local authority Libraries should be local learning place and champion of the independent learner Libraries should be a major vehicle for providing affordable (or preferably free) access to ICT at local network Partnership with other learning organisations Library authorities should consider whether some services might be more effectively delivered on a regional basis Of course, every of these actions is applyable to specific group of social excluded people. For example, operating more flexible opening hours will help working people to attend libraries after work. Online libraries can provide affordable access to their resources to poor people. For example, they can provide free trial 14 days accounts or give access to some specific areas of knowledge with a great discount. Forming partnership with other learning organisations allows libraries to widen their services, so socially excluded people can select more sutable information between partners. It is useful to take into consideration expirience of American Library Association. Following issues must be kept to assist information poor and socially excluded groups to overcome the digital divide in Australia: All library services must be provided to all who enter the doors regardless of age, race, language, religion, sex, and physical ability Libraries must be located located throughout the country, in rural, inner city, suburban, and in remote areas Libraries should provide special programs for specific groups: babies and toddlers, children, youth, young adults, seniors, students, families, cultural groups, small businesses, corporations, local and state governments, and community organizations Libraries should provide services regardless of income, including to the homeless Many libraries must be open every day, during the evening hours, and on the weekends Libraries should train a professional personnel with the skills and abilities to help library customers to use all materials available within and outside of the library 5. Conclusion Information literacy is key notion in contemporary society. Libraries have an important role in furthering the goals and alleviating the disadvantages of individuals and groups within the community. To do this, libraries have a number of strategies pertinent to all parts of information prosess. Proper retreiving of information and providing it to the end users gives the most opportunity to assist particular groups such as the information poor and the socially excluded. Various strategies of effective information organisation also helps to improve information literacy of groups and communities. Bibliographies 1. ANZIIL - Australian & New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy (2003). Available: http://www.anziil.org (June 4, 2005) 2. American Library Association (2001). 'What is the Digital Divide'. Available: http://www.ala.org/cfapps/archive.cfmpath=oitp/digitaldivide/what.html (June 4, 2005) 3. Bundy, A (2004). 'Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework principles, standards and practice'. Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy: Adelaide 4. DCMS (1999). 'Libraries for all: Social inclusion in public libraries'. Available: http://www.culture.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/42818901-0EA3-4AE5-B1C2-1689ABC069BD/0/Social_Inclusion_PLibraries.pdf (June 4, 2005) 5. Durham County Council (2005). 'Learning Opportunities in Libraries'. Available: http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/usp.nsf/pws/Libraries+-+Learning+Opportunities+in+Libraries (June 4, 2005) 6. Harvey R., Eyre G. and Higgins S. (2004). 'Library and Information Services'. Charles Sturt Univercity: Learning Materials Center 7. Miers, J (2000). 'Information Literacy'. Magill Primary School. Available: http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/jmresources/infolit/infolit2.html (June 4, 2005) 8. The Library Association (2001). 'Social inclusion and libraries a resource guide'. Available: http://www.la-hq.org.uk/groups/csg/si/si.html (June 4, 2005) 9. Queensland University of Technology (2005). 'Information Literacy standards'. Available: http://www.library.qut.edu.au/ilfs/il_standards.jsp (June 4, 2005) 10. UniSA Library (2004). Information Literacy. Available: http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/infoskills/infolit/default.asp (June 4, 2005) Read More