Adam Carlson LI 863XI

The Core Principles of Libraries and their Purpose in Society Executive Summary In order for societies to thrive they must organize information so that knowledge creation can occur. Libraries are designed to efficiently organize information and help the public in the process of knowledge creation. They do this best by allowing for access to information and knowledge, creating a shared space by which knowledge can be shared person to person, and by understanding the needs of individuals and communities. Through their ability to help people navigate and make sense of information, libraries and librarians ultimately facilitate knowledge creation; an important necessity for democracies to survive. Introduction In order for societies to thrive it is necessary for them to organize. One major aspect of this is the organization of information. Societies organize information in order that it might be accessed, shared, and made sense of more easily. When information is organized it leads to more efficient knowledge creation. On an individual level, knowledge creation can be seen simply as learning. Learning is not easy. But when it happens societies are, generally, better off. In a democracy learning is encouraged because when people learn they become informed citizens that can then participate more fully in creating a better society. As Lankes (2012, pg 20) writes, a true democracy requires the participation of an informed citizenry. Library's and librarians do many things. But at their heart they are designed to efficiently organize information. Library's and librarians, then, serve an important purpose in creating better societies. By organizing information libraries facilitate knowledge creation. But there are many ways to organize information, both on an individual and societal level. So why, then, are libraries necessary? Put simply, because they are the most efficient agencies through which information can be accessed, shared, and made sense of. Library's and librarians, then, should focus their efforts, goals, and aims towards the shared achievement of these three core principles. Knowledge Access Information does little good in a vacuum. In order for it to be put to use people must first be able to access it. There are many ways to access information. Friends, family, and other social connections are one way to gain access. Religious, governmental, business, and media sources have also been used throughout history for the spread of information. Unfortunately, all of these sources are subject to some degree of bias. While Google may be a great source of information today, it is subject to its profit oriented bottom line in how it presents information and what information it presents. Information, then, is not equally accessible because some information may be seen as more profitable to the

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organization that is presenting it than other information. In addition to bias, information sources are not free. All sources of information have costs either built in or explicit. Google may offers its services to the general public for free. But people must still pay Internet service providers for Internet access in the first place. Admittedly, libraries are no exception. They still must be funded through the publics tax dollars. In addition, libraries cannot guarantee total lack of bias in the information they present. Because they have limited resources librarians must make distinctions about what information will best benefit the public. This can quickly turn subjective. Libraries may not be entirely free and may not be entirely unbiased. But they are the most efficient and unbiased systems for free and equal information delivery to the public. Once set up, public libraries in the United States offer virtually unlimited information resource access to the public. Having this free and equal access to information is a cornerstone of our democracy. Which is why it is so important that libraries fight any attempts to create access have and have-nots. Censorship of information limits access by definition and leads to an eroding of the publics ability to participate fully in oversight of governments and other organizations. Governments are not the only culprits of this problem. Any attempt to limit, give preference to, or control certain communities information resources over another create informational divides that then create bottlenecks in efficient information distribution and absorption. It is not only wrong, but it is inefficient. Our democracy and quality of life will suffer because of it. Here, again, Libraries are not exempted from this problem. They may fail in their attempts to create equal access for all. Equal access is hindered by the realities of the communities libraries and librarians are a part of. In addition not everyone in a democracy needs participate for it to function. Some may choose to stay uninformed and some may choose to not vote. Democracies existed before the public library. But libraries do help democracies function better by broadening the experience brought to the table. The more people informed and the more they can participate the better. In the past, libraries were often the publics only source for free information access. Today there are many ways to access information. But they are not always free, equal, or unbiased. Libraries should focus then on efficiently providing access, whether physical or virtual, and on maintaining their impartiality in providing it.

Knowledge Sharing In addition to providing access to information materials libraries are best suited to providing a space through which

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knowledge sharing can happen. Much of human learning and experience is not or cannot be expressed though informational media. Instead it must be shared through human to human interaction. In order for knowledge sharing to occur a space must be provided for people to meet. This space can be physical or virtual. There are many spaces in which people can meet and share knowledge. But there is no place within our society more naturally suited to knowledge sharing than libraries. Libraries represent a sharing of communal resources. When people share their knowledge others are educated and enriched. This can lead to both economic prosperity and growth in a community. It can also lead to happier, more socialized communities. The informed citizen comes not only from access to information but from when people participate in their communities. Because knowledge sharing is based off of person to person interactions it can be difficult to pin down exactly what it is and how it takes place. Two things that it is not should be understood. First, the term knowledge sharing should not be taken in the context of social safety nets. Libraries are often seen as collective buying agents that share with the poor what the rich already have. If this were the only purpose of libraries, then the rich would have no need of them. Knowledge sharing is something that all people rich and poor can benefit from. Second, when we talk about knowledge sharing, it may be easy for us to confuse what role the library and librarians have in the process. Library's should not be seen as educational centers and librarians should not be seen as teachers. Instead, the educator is the public. Libraries simply should act as facilitators in knowledge sharing by providing a space through which community knowledge sharing can occur. Libraries, then, should not only be about connecting people to ideas through information access. They should also be about connecting people to people.

Knowledge Creation The final core principle or element of libraries purpose in society is in facilitating and helping people navigate through the process of knowledge creation. It is perhaps both the most important and hardest purpose to understand. At its core is the process of making sense out of what we read and hear. It is when we move from the sharing of information to the organization and understanding of it. While some would argue that knowledge creation is something that is done in schools and colleges, in reality, for the majority of people, knowledge is formed outside school. Most of the questions people have in life and the problems they encounter require both information seeking and information understanding to be resolved.

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The process by which information is turned into knowledge can be seen through two authors within the library and information science fields. Brenda Dervin (1983) introduced the concept of sense-making to libraries. It is based on the assumption that people seek information when they encounter an obstacle or gap of some kind in their lives. To bridge the gap individuals use information that is helpful to them. It is a simple concept but profound because it implies that individuals may need help in finding the right bridge to cross their gap. Carol Kuhlthau (2004) took the sense-making process, as well as other theories to create a model she calls the Information Search Process or ISP. In it she delves more deeply into the psychological processes people must go through while they attempt to make sense of and navigate the world of information. Throughout the process there are three realms of experience: feelings, thoughts, and actions. In order for the process of information seeking to move forward, then, people must be able to navigate these feelings, understand what thoughts they are having, and know what actions they must take in order to keep moving. Librarians are in a unique position to help both in the broad sense of sense-making and in the more intimate understanding of the ISP model. While access to and the sharing of information is great it is important to be able to facilitate a process by which they can be navigated. If librarians best understand the processes through which knowledge creation can take place then they can be the facilitators and mediators to make it happen. In order to navigate through information, people need help from a librarian. This is what ties space, materials, and programming together. It is reference and readers advisory at work. It leads to knowledge creation.

Conclusion In 1931, S.R. Ranganathan (1931) detailed the five laws of library science. Eighty two years later libraries can still apply these laws to meet the needs of communities in the 21st century. The first law, books are for use requires that librarians help people find and use them. A collection is not enough. Access is required. The second law, every reader his/her book requires librarians to understand the different needs of each individual and the types of gaps, emotions, etc that they may encounter and need help in navigating. Access is not enough. Facilitation is needed. The third law, every book its reader requires that librarians know what information is available. Access is not enough. Reference and readers advisory are required. The fourth law, save the time of the reader requires efficiency in meeting peoples needs. To do this libraries need knowledgeable librarians and access to good collections. The final law, the library is a growing organism requires that the library always be willing to change to meet the needs of the community. Whether this means creating more

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space for community interaction or accepting Google as a useful information tool, the important thing will always be in focusing on changing to fit the communities needs for better, more efficient, knowledge creation. Change, however, does not mean we are constantly adding to what we do. Libraries cannot do everything that promotes learning. Instead libraries must be about picking what most efficiently creates knowledge. Libraries are the most efficient agency through which information is accessed, shared, and made sense of. This makes libraries a platform for knowledge creation and for democracy. Other institutions like schools and the media help as well in knowledge creation. But no other institution in society can better facilitate the knowledge creation needed to navigate toward solutions to its problems.

References

Dervin, B. (1983). An overview of sense-making research: Concepts, methods, and results to date. Kuhlthau, C. (2004). Seeking meaning: A process approach to library and information services. Lankes, R. (2012). Expect More: Demanding Better Libraries for Todays Complex World (p. 124). CreateSpace. Ranganathan, S. (1931). The five laws of library science.