Annotations wk2

In this week’s annotations exercise, I am reading Exploring Basic Needs Support Across Public and Community College Libraries: Opportunities for Collaboration by Sindy Lopez, Sage J. Love, and Melissa Blankstein (July 16, 2024). As I reflect on this reading, I consider my current role as a public librarian and student.

There are clear connections between public libraries and community colleges, especially when the community college is located nearby. From my experience, community colleges farther away do not have the same close relationship with their local public libraries, likely due to the distance. 

Now, it is true that public libraries address their community patrons first and foremost and are primarily funded through millages, meaning a portion of local tax dollars supports their operations. This funding is crucial if the community values its library, it will fund it. If not, it won’t. Community college libraries, on the other hand, are usually funded through state grant programs.

One correction I would make to this article is the use of “childcare services.” This terminology is inaccurate, in my opinion. While public libraries offer children’s programming and information for child-related services, they should not have used the term “childcare services.” It implies that the library functions as a daycare center, which it most certainly does not. I do not have as much academic library (community college library) experience, but I believe they would agree with me on this point. The correct terminology for this article would be “children’s programming and information services.” I made corrections to my annotations upon further reading, as you will see. Initially, I thought the article was implying that libraries provide childcare services, which triggered this lengthy response.

A wonderful service offered by many public libraries and community college libraries is social services. For example, some libraries have a social worker on-site to assist community patrons seeking services in their area. As stated in my annotation, I am unsure if community college libraries offer this service, as community colleges typically have full-time staff dedicated to social services such as counseling and mental health.

Libraries were established to be resources—a brick-and-mortar institution to help you find what you are searching for and provide those resources. As you will see, there are differences between public and community college libraries, but there are also common similarities.

As these annotations continue, I will reference previous discussion posts.

Cheers!