Community Building Plan for the Clayton County Library System (CCLS)
The Board of Trustees, Board of Directors, and library team of professions attribute the benefits reaped from CCLS by the Clayton County Community to the good working environment that it provides. This community plan has been drafted to help solicit financial support for the library to keep its programs in line with the CCLS schedule. The plan focuses on CCLS’s capacity to influence social aspects of community building through its programs for children, adults, and inmates. With these in motion, the library is open to partnerships and funding that would assist meet its objectives (Erikson and Markuson, 2007).
The Clayton County Library System
Clayton County Library System is located in Jonesboro, Clayton County, GA. It was established in 1941 by Jonesboro women’s group (CCLS, n.d). The CCLS is made up of six branches located in various areas of Clayton County. The six branches are Jonesboro Branch, Forest Park Branch, Morrow Branch, Lovejoy Branch, and the Headquarters Branch on Battle Creek Road. In the year 2011, CCLS checked out 616, 628 materials to visitors. Out of this, 348,478 were children’s materials. In 2010, the circulation was 703,244 while there were over 1.3 million visits. In the year 2011, CCLS was recorded to have conducted 104 adult programs and 494 children programs. It also holds a rehabilitation program for inmates through the Clayton County Correctional Institution. The CCLS Board of Trustees delegates the authority and responsibility for the achievement of its objectives to the Director, Library services, and the team of professionals that involves the Assistant Directors for Branch Services and Collection Development, Assistant Director for Youth Services, Branch Librarians, Branch Managers, Senior, and the professional staff of the Headquarters Library (Serritella, 2011). CCLS’s Friends of the Library group began in 1950 through the efforts of the library board and Jonesboro women’s group. They help the library raise funds and to run a number of library activities.
As addressed in the board meeting held at the headquarters on July 10, 2012, the library will be affected by the proposed cuts in budgetary allocations. The budget for the year 2011 was $3,968,615 ($3,304,648 from County general fund). The reduction is by 8% of the previous allocation, at $1.91 per capita, it was lower than the statewide per capita average of $14.77(G.P.L.S., & I.M.L.S, 2012). The board meeting highlighted the fact that the amount earned through the monthly book sales organized by CCLS’ Friends has been reduced. CCLS would like to expand the work-based programs that engage inmates with skills for self-actualization. It is also realized that recreational materials such as fictional books do not easily capture financial support even though they are recognized as motivators for high library visits. This is because government managers are most likely to dissociate public library services with the immediate needs which include public safety, health, and economic development. However, to the affluent in the private sector, the case is different as they recognize amenity services provided by libraries (ICMA, 2011). To enhance the informed democratic participation of the citizen in politics, there is a need to conduct more programs such as political forums and civic education. Civic education is considered under-taught in schools (McCook, 2000). This allows space for press censorship. CCLS would like to be more involved in civic education (Bester, 2007). According to the board meeting, the library acts as a community forum for socialization.CCLS also recognizes how far accessibility can reach through electronic media (Minkler, 2005). Therefore, it would like additional support for the ongoing installation of virtual desktops at the Community Development Dept., the six libraries, and the new Lovejoy Recreational Center.
With all these financial challenges emerging within the same period, CCLS will find it difficult to meet its objectives. Some new programs may have to wait till sustainable sources of funds are reached. CCLS carries outdoor programs for both children and adults which are approved through the community forum structure. Its benefits include reduced interpersonal conflicts and enhanced community building (Clausen, 1968). This corresponds with the inmates’ program. Generally, active programs such as outdoor programs incur higher costs. The report by ICMA (2011) is gladly received in that the affluent in the private sector is more willing to finance recreational materials and programs. These programs altogether make libraries functional though they are downplayed by government managers. The Board of Trustees in conjunction with the Board of Directors, and the senior professional staff will be delighted to engage partners with a similar motive.
Cultivating a Community Building Focus
The library on board meetings recognized the need to structure a community forum, whose main objective is socialization, civic education, empowering inmates, attracting more visits through recreational materials and programs, among other needs of the community. With the need for expansion like the Lovejoy Recreational Centre encountering reduced budgetary allocations and minimal per capita distribution, there is a hindrance in assessing the effectiveness of programs towards set goals. This is because recommendations become difficult to implement once constraints are laid by a lack of funds and are likely to disallow the flexibility of operations. This support would ensure that the objectives towards community building are reviewed, evaluated, and met (Dewe, 2006).
Social Services and the library
The library’s Clayton Correctional Centre may be developed to ensure that work-based skills are provided with a wide range of variety apart from the few that are already running. The library would like to expand accessibility to recreational materials and programs which mostly are despised when it comes to funding. This is because these materials and programs assist the informational programs by streamlining attitudes and should not be neglected for extra emphasis on circulation and collection of materials only (ICMA, 2011). Since children comprise the majority of visitors, the library may arrange for print motivation, narrative skills, vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and print awareness similar to those found in the “Every Child Ready to Read” found in a library in Dallas. There can be an expansion for rehabilitating the depressed and social misfits in society in a program similar to that for inmates. On adult learning, the library may focus first on socialization as agreed on board meetings than on training adults on sustainability (Hill, 2009).
Conclusion
There is a wide range of programs that can be expanded from the existing structures, however, the cost of the operation is usually the limiting factor. The list of libraries as printed by ICMA (2011) indicates the vastness of programs that can almost match our unlimited community needs. With support from sponsors, partnerships, together with the existing resources then the capacity of the library to address society’s daily challenges is boosted to levels of coverage and effectiveness (Wiegand, 2011).
References
Bester, G. (2007). Personality development of the adolescent: peer group versus parents. South African Journal of Education, 27(2), 177-190. CCLS. (n.d). Web.
Clausen, A. (1968). Socialization and Society. Boston: Little Brown and Company.
Dewe, M. (2006). Planning public Library Buildings: Concepts and Issues for the Librarian. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company.
Erikson, R and Markuson, C. (2007). Designing a School Library Media center for the Future. American library Association.
G.P.L.S., & I.M.L.S, (2012). Annual Reports of Georgia’s public library systems for Fiscal Years 2009 – 2011 and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Public Library Survey for Fiscal Year 2009. Web.
Hill, C. (2009). Inside, Outside, and Online: Building Your Library Community. Christie Hill.
ICMA. (2011). Maximize the Potential of Your Public Library. A Report on the Innovative Ways Public Libraries are Addressing Community Priorities. International City/ County Management association.
McCook, K. (2000). A place at the table: participating in community building. United States of America: American Lib. Assn.
Minkler, M. (2005). Community Organizing and Community Building for Health. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.
Serritella, J. (2011). Clayton County Library System Materials Selection and Management Policy. Clayton County Library Board of Trustees. Web.
Wiegand, A.W. (2011). Main Street Public Library: Community Places and Reading Spaces in the Rural. Iowa: University of Iowa Press.