Comments on: Libraries != Borders

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:11:34 +0000

I read both of Collin’s books.
There are of course tremendous differences between businesses and non profits, the most obvious being the capacity of a business to have an “unlimited” revenue stream whereas libraries and local government entities are restricted by statutes and tax policies.

The message I took away from Collins (after reading the second book) was that the principles of creating great organizations, whether businesses or those in the nonprofit sector, were essentially the same. He rejects “business speak” in both sectors and instead promotes the importance of sound leadership, hiring the right people and defining a mission that differentiates the organization within their sector.

When I heard that he had written the second book (which he describes as the last chapter to the first), I thought the message would be that “the social sector is not a business”, but I was surprised by his findings that the business model doesn’t necessarily work for the private sector either.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 19:07:52 +0000

Ooo - thanks!

By: T Scott

T Scott — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 14:43:19 +0000

I’m generally skeptical about the latest business/management books, but Collins is very definitely worth reading. We used his book as the basis of a very productive discussion series among the staff a few years ago and have tried to use some of his principles in our latest round of strategic planning. I’ve written a bit about that here: http://tscott.typepad.com/tsp/2007/01/what_makes_us_g.html

By: Deb Waugh

Deb Waugh — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 13:12:29 +0000

This post is tantalizing, but leaves me wanting much more. (Could that be why we're supposed to reply? o_O

There has been a lot of talk about the bookstore model for libraries over the last few years, and it's only been very recently that I've seen the opinions on this trend shift.

I agree that using bookstores as a model is not the only or best solution for creating successful libraries (especially in high school libraries such as where I work).

I know that one other model we must think of is the Internet search engine model. Instant results, instant gratification. And the Web 2.0 style is even more pertinent. The tagging concept is now becoming engrained in many libraries. My students rarely want an entire book on one subject, but if by my adding keywords (tags) to the cataloging record they can quickly find a page, a chapter, or a section that addresses what they need, it is a start.

A major problem with trying to model on Web 2.0 concepts in a school library is the strict filtering system. My students are allowed no access to anything interactive on the web (and frankly, not much access to anything else). So, for now, the only solution seems to be to incorporate it into book cataloging, and to encourage them to use specific blogs, RSS feeds, Google alerts, etc. at home.

I'm not sure where else to go with library connections/models at this point. Sports venues? Hiking trails? Opium dens? I'll have to give this some more thought.

Thanks for the kick start into this stream of consciousness!