Entrepreneurs in the Public Library: Reinventing an Institution

Library Trends, Wntr, 2000 by Edwin S. Clay, Iii, Patricia C. Bangs

* a $7,500 grant from America Online to help start a Computer Clubhouse for disadvantaged youth;

* a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to host a "National Connections" book discussion series for adults learning to read;

* a partnership with the Inova Health System for the Office's Health Information Project to increase the depth of the library's medical resources; and

* a partnership with a local theater to host the library's classical music recital series.

The staff of the office has also been instrumental in establishing partnerships for the library with other County agencies. One such exciting effort includes the partnership with the Department of Information Technology in the development and deployment of multimedia electronic kiosks that are housed in nine library branches. The kiosks have over 7,000 pages of information about county programs and services, and they permit citizens to transact business with the county, such as paying taxes, from library branches. Since the kiosk program was established three years ago, the interest in kiosks from other jurisdictions--both in Virginia and in other states--has exploded, and the county now serves as consultant on kiosk development to other organizations.

One of the office's recent accomplishments is the $25,000 matching grant obtained for the library to digitize the contents of its Virginia Room, which houses historical records, documents, and memorabilia. Scanning of the items began in mid-1999 along with the development of full MARC records.

VOLUNTEER SERVICES

The library's volunteer program has tripled in the past ten years, first under the leadership of the personnel director when tax funding first began to diminish and then under the stewardship of a paid volunteer coordinator hired in 1993. In all, more than 3,000 volunteers donated more than 142,000 hours last year.

Implementing the library's philosophy that any task is possible for a volunteer, the volunteer coordinator offers an array of nontraditional volunteer job opportunities, including those of Web and database designer, grant proposal researcher or writer, and recital manager and landscaper. Also, the library solicits corporate assistance in its volunteer efforts. For example, FCPL's Volunteer Tech Force includes a corps of fifty-five technically knowledgeable volunteers, some representing technology firms in the region such as America Online, IBM, and EDS. Volunteers provide one-on-one tutoring as well as group workshops for individuals learning to navigate the Internet and use other library electronic resources. In FY 1999, forty-five Tech Force volunteers contributed more than 4,855 hours in tutorial activities as well as Web and database design. The contribution of these volunteers allows paid library staff to devote more time to public reference questions or other essential tasks rather than the technology instruction and troubleshooting that can sometimes take up valuable staff time.

Another unique volunteer project is the "Rising Star" concert recital series, headed by a retired music librarian who donates fourteen hours a week, and sponsored by the library's Friends of Music. Through this concert series, the library supports one of its goals of meeting the recreational needs of its users.