RE: [Publib] Which schools would YOU target?

[McConnell, Jill]

I'd say offer equal services to all the districts.  If the ones that are on the fringes need additional services due to their economic situation, further location, etc., I'd say go for it since that's what libraries do.  We attempt to bridge any gaps in those areas as much as possible.  Plus, reaching out to those groups might provide your library with grant opportunities.
 
 
Jill McConnell, Assistant Reference Librarian
Lauri Ann West Memorial Library
1220 Powers Run Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
412-828-9520, ext. 15
www.lauriannwestlibrary.org

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From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org on behalf of John
Sent: Wed 8/16/2006 3:57 PM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] Which schools would YOU target?



Here's a question.  Maybe two.  In Alpha Park's territory--official pop. served is 28,545--there are eight (8) little, independent K-8 school districts.  IL and TX rank at the top for numbers of teeny, tiny school districts--a rare distinction.  Anyway...this year, the Youth Services Dept. is going to try to have an open house, or open houses, for teachers in all the districts, and do even more than they already do to serve/reach the schools.  Three of the K-8 districts have high numbers of kids eligible for reduced-price or free lunches.  Others are in-between, and one or two think they're pretty Hot Stuff, with bigger, better tax bases.  Two of the three poorest schools are on the outer fringes of the library district.  Not so oddly enough, the two at the fringes claim more students who don't use the library, whose parents aren't library-oriented, etc.

The $64K question is, if you were in this situation, with this number of schools at varying levels of wealth, which schools and teachers would you work the hardest to target--the ones far away, or the ones closer and whose students-parents-faculty are more likely to use the library anyway?  I'm thinking that with political or ballot issues, like referenda, the general wisdom is to target the people who are library users, are positive about the library, and don't bother with the others when a campaign gets underway, with publicity, et al.  Is it more productive to try to bring the more distant, poorer places into the fold, as it were--or to take services to them--or is it more productive to work on the potentially most receptive audiences?

(This sounds like an essay exam question for a library school management class, in library schools where faculty and deans still know what libraries are, and sport deans and faculties with library degrees.  Think of it as such...except this is The Real World, and I'm asking a Real World question.  On behalf of the Youth Services folks.)

John D. Richmond, Director
Alpha Park Public Library District
3527 So. Airport Road
Bartonville, IL 61607-1799
Ph: (309) 697-3822, x. 12
Fax: (309) 697-9681
E-mail: jrichmond at alphapark.org
________________________________________________________________________
"The past is never dead.  It's not even past."
Wm. Faulkner, REQUIEM FOR A NUN

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