Jason Sharp

Part 2.1: The Parent Organization (10% of total grade)

The author will be working with the Whitehaven Library, located in Memphis, Tennessee,
to expand the Young Adult Fiction collection The author is employed as the Youth
!ervices "epresentative at this library, which provides him with access to in#ormation
about the collection that the public would not normally be able to ac$uire, in#ormation
that he can then use #or the purposes o# this assignment Much o# the in#ormation #or this
assignment has been based on his own personal work experience, internal reports and
in#ormation gained a large number o# community contacts
2.1.1 Identify yor agen!y. "hara!terize the parent organization of the agen!y and
the people #ho are e$ployed in it. (%or e&a$ple' a ni(ersity is the parent
organization of an a!ade$i! li)rary). *hat +ind of organization is it, *hat are its
$e$)ers li+e,
The author will be working with the Whitehaven Library, a large branch library
located in Memphis, Tennessee This particular branch has #ive circulation
representatives, #our librarians%library assistants and a manager over both circulation and
re#erence The author is one o# those employees and acts as the Youth !ervices
"epresentative, a position that a##ords a certain level o# access to circulation records and
library personnel
The parent organi&ation is the Memphis 'ublic Library !ystem, which is
responsible #or seventeen branch libraries located throughout Memphis and one #our
story (entral%Main Library There are do&ens o# administrative and support sta## located
at this main library, ranging #rom those in marketing to grant writers to volunteer
coordinators There are three #ull)time employees that are primarily responsible #or
collection development, although there are additional librarians that are responsible #or
ordering materials such as horror, inspirational #iction and urban #iction
The Whitehaven Library is directly in#luenced by the decisions o# the Memphis
'ublic Library system, which is in turn in#luenced by its own parent organi&ation, the
(ity o# Memphis The highest levels o# library administration are mayoral appointees
*+ody, ,--./ so there is a high level o# in#luence #rom the (ity in matters related to
library policy
2.1.2 S$$arize the parent organization-s $ission' goals' and o).e!ti(es.
The Memphis 'ublic Library0s mission statement is to 12satis#y3 the customer0s
need to know4 *(ase !tatement, The Library0s Mission section, subheading 5/ This
statement encompasses a wide gamut o# goals and ob6ectives, so the author reached out to
the Memphis !outh 7istrict Manager to provide insight into the speci#ic goals o# the
Memphis 'ublic Library system *( Mars&alek, personal communication, !eptember ,8,
,-58/ and learned that the top goals o# the administration involved procuring additional
print materials #or circulation, advancing library technology and increasing the number o#
new library patrons in e##ort to provide more e$uitable access across various income
levels These goals were closely aligned with a strategic planning report published by
+ones and 9rrin *,-58/ in which improving literacy through the purchase o# additional
materials is a core tenet *+ones : 9rrin, ,-58/
2.1./ 0o# does the parent organization $easre s!!ess,
The Memphis 'ublic Library !ystem measures success in a large number o# ways
;n an interview with the Memphis !outh 7istrict Manager, the author learned that two o#
the main #actors in determining success involve material circulation and the number o#
customers that the library serves *( Mars&alek, personal communication, !eptember ,8,
,-58/ 9ther important ways to measure success involve the number o# library programs
and their attendance, computer usage statistics and the number o# new library card
registrations
2.1.1 0o# s!!essfl is it, Please )e spe!ifi!.
According to communications with the 7istrict Manager, the Memphis 'ublic
Library system is considered to be success#ul by its parent organi&ation, the (ity o#
Memphis *( Mars&alek, personal communication, !eptember ,8, ,-58/ The Memphis
'ublic Library system has met the internal standards set #orth by the (ity 2to which the
author does not have access3 and has achieved some impressive statistics that are outlined
below, however many o# the statistics mentioned have seen decreases over the past #ive
years leading one to $uestion the precise level o# success
According to the Memphis 'ublic Library and ;n#ormation (enter0s Annual
"eport *,-58/, this past #iscal year has seen ,8 million customers, an 5.< decrease o# its
,= million #ive)year average Material circulations saw a 58< decrease #rom its 5>?
million #ive)year average with 5? million items circulated in #iscal year ,-58 The only
signi#icant increase is in program attendance, with a total o# ,,.-- separate programs and
@,,.-- participants in the ,-58 #iscal year The #ive)year average contained ,,5--
programs and ?5,=-- participants, with a respective 8A< and ,5< increase
The Whitehaven Library has seen the same decreases in circulation and customer
countsB however it remains as one o# the top per#ormers in the Memphis Library system
according the Memphis 'ublic Library and ;n#ormation (enter0s Annual "eport *,-58/
,?,--- customers were served per #ull)time employee at the Whitehaven Library and
,@>,--- customers were served in the #iscal year ,-58 at this one library alone
These numbers indicate that the library system is being heavily usedB however
steps must be taken to decrease this gradual decline and ensure continued success
2.1.2 0o# $ight an appropriate !olle!tion help the parent organization )e $ore
s!!essfl,
An appropriate collection will provide a larger variety o# $uality materials #or
circulationB this will lead to increased circulation statistics and an increase in customer
count once customers view the library as a viable location to procure reading materials
This will meet the two main goals discussed by the 7istrict Manager in section ,58 and
will allow the library to meet its other goals in increasing computer usage and program
attendance once more patrons begin to attend the library ;t should also be noted that
increasing a collection in a highly tra##icked area like Whitehaven will help ensure that
materials are more easily discovered and circulated These materials can also be sent to
other libraries #or circulation via an inter)library transit system so any materials
purchased will bene#it not 6ust one particular library, but the system as a whole
2.1.3 If yo !old de(elop one !olle!tion to help this parent organization to )e $ore
helpfl' #hat #old it )e, *hy,
;# the author could develop one collection to help the Memphis 'ublic Library
system be more success#ul, it would be an expanded Young Adult Literature area ;n an
interview with the Whitehaven Cranch Manager, it was discussed how teenagers are o#ten
an underrepresented population in the Memphis library systemB however they are also the
ones that we should be most trying to impress as they will be the ones to in#luence our
library budgets in the next #ew years *T Craswell, personal communication, !eptember
,8, ,-58/ ;# the Memphis 'ublic Library system truly wishes to appeal to untapped
demographics, they need to consider the wants and desires o# teen readers ;# one o# the
goals is to increase literacy skills amongst children and teens, they need the opportunity
to read high $uality, high interest materials written on their own interest level
This Young Adult collection is important #or teenagersB however its appeal
reaches much #arther than that limited age range 'ublishers Weekly recently released an
article stating that ??< o# Young Adult Cooks are purchased by those 5. and older, with
a #ull ,.< o# these books purchased by those ages 8- to AA *1Dew !tudy,4 ,-58,
paragraph 5/ The appeal #or Young Adult Literature is so wide that even the AA"'
maga&ine is now recommending these materials #or purchase *Deithercott, ,-5,/, making
this collection important to all ages
Euality is no longer an issue with Young Adult literature as there are now several
awards such as the 'rint& and the Folunteer !tate Cook Awards to re#er to and popularity
has not been an issue #or several years a#ter the rise o# Garry 'otter and the Gunger
Hames Young Adult Cooks now have their own category in several best seller lists,
however per#orming an Ama&oncom search #or the top sellers in books o# all age ranges
reveal two Young Adult Cooks currently in the top 5- *Ama&oncom, ,-58/, providing
#urther proo# that Young Adult books are a popular and sought a#ter category o# literature
"e#erences
Ama&on Cest !ellersI Cest Cooks *,-58/ Amazon.com "etrieved !eptember ,A, ,-58,
#rom httpI%%wwwama&oncom%best)sellers)books)
Ama&on%&gbs%books%re#J&gKbsKnavK-
(ase !tatement *,-5-/ Memphis Public Library Website "etrieved !eptember ,,, ,-58,
#rom wwwmemphislibraryorg%about%support%casestatementhtml
+ody, ( *,--., +anuary A/ Mayor taps Mc(loy as libraries director The Commercial
Appeal "etrieved !eptember ,A, ,-58, #rom
httpI%%wwwcommercialappealcom%news%,--.%6an%-A%mayor)taps)mccloy)as)
libraries)director%
+ones, T, : 9rrin, ( *,-58/ The city and its libraries: Increased need and a vital future
2,-58 !trategic 'lan "eport3 Memphis 'ublic Library ;ntranet, Memphis 'ublic
Library, Memphis, TD
Memphis 'ublic Library and ;n#ormation (enter *,-58/ Annual tats !eport "#$%&'
Memphis 'ublic Library ;ntranet, Memphis 'ublic Library, Memphis, TD
Deithercott, T *,-5,, April ,?/ Gow teen literature has become the best new #iction #or
adult readers AA!P "etrieved !eptember ,A, ,-58, #rom
httpI%%wwwaarporg%entertainment%books%in#o)-,),-5,%best)teen)#iction)#or)
adultshtml
Dew !tudyI ??< o# YA Cooks Cought by Adults *,-5,, !eptember 58/ Publishers
Wee(ly "etrieved !eptember ,A, ,-58, #rom
httpI%%wwwpublishersweeklycom%pw%by)topic%childrens%childrens)industry)
news%article%?8=8>)new)study)??)o#)ya)books)bought)by)adultshtml