Re: Libraries and their patrons

[_ocelott_]

Recently Pew Internet did a survey about the goodness of libraries, how people are using them, and what patrons would like to see offered in the future. There's a bit of data about changes in library use over the past few years, which library services should be prioritized (and it pleases me to see the #1 answer to this was that libraries should

Comments

[sue_bursztynski]

Most libraries I know already have an on line "ask a librarian" service. Goodness, you MUST be getting lost if you want Satnav facilities! :-) The public libraries I know do have connections with schools, although in Melbourne, at least, anyone under 18 has to have parental written permission to join the library. Fortunately, most of my own students are already members and I show them all the good stuff they can get from the public library web site, such as subscriptions to Britannica and other databases that I, as a teacher-librarian in one of Melbourne's poorest schools, can't afford.

I very much doubt if there's enough staff and time to plough through an individual patron's borrowing records when they want to know what new novel to read, but anyone working in a library, through training and experience, can ask the right questions to help the user choose a book they will enjoy or that can help them in their studies. :-)