Kings County Library system is one of the more impressive and expansive library systems in the United States. It boasts dozens of locations and thousands upon thousands of books, magazines, journals and other resources. However, it has become clear in recent months and years that the basic form and function of the library is not what it could or should be and the modernity and selection of the facilities is starting to falter. The patrons of the library system have made notice of issues that they see and the same is true of the people that work for the library themselves. Meetings and other operational activities are handled in a haphazard and inefficient way and this has led to work not being completed in a manner that is consistent with what is possible and perhaps required and demanded given the public funds used to keep the system going. Throwing good money after bad, to use an expression, is certainly not a solution but it is has become clear that some measures need to be taken to make operations the best for the most people and conducted in a way that is amicable for as many guests and employees alike. Given all of this, it is important to plan improvements and refinements that will emerge over the next decade and restore Kings County to the upper echelons of customer service and knowledge, such as should always be the case.One aspect of all of this that has become clear is that the problems are not hidden or hard to see. Indeed, when it takes an inordinate amount of time to get a new microfiche machine approved when one is clearly needed, that is a red flag. When requests and feedback rendered to the management of the library system can either be heeded or just get ignored with no feedback in the long run and it is a crapshoot as to which will happen, that is a red flag. There are just a few examples of the issue that have arisen and that need to be addressed. The larger goal and plan for the library is to prepare and move forward in a concerted and proper way for the year 2020. There are already a decent number of things that have been identified and there will surely be more as processes are corrected, tested, perfected and refined. Among the ones that are clearly on the itinerary, they are as follows:
• Inefficiency -- Since the Kings County Library system is in large part funded by the donations of the wealthy and the largesse of the public coffers, it is important that operations be handled in a way that balances utility and avoiding waste. There is a modest amount of money that could and should be spent to ensure that the proper expenditures are covered. It will be discussed what the proper balance and way of doing things should be when it comes to wasted motion and avoiding the same (Bartel & Harrison, 2016).
• Customer Satisfaction -- This has rendered in a number of ways. A good example is the video checkout system that exists. People like the facets of the system including the mail return option and the service in general. However, there is more than one title that is commonly in demand yet never available and the overall selection offered at this point is rather poor. In addition, there are other ways, mostly digital, that the library could offer that would allow for more consumption on demand, satisfaction for library patrons and perhaps even new and strong revenue streams for the library system. The customers and taxpayers are one and the same and they deserve to have a library system that is representative of the substantial investments that have been made (Miller, 2011).
• Reception of Feedback -- As noted earlier in this executive summary, the way in which feedback is received, considered and responded to is not done very well right now within the Kings system. Indeed, there are requests that get handled but that take a long time. Additionally, there are requests that are put forth and then eventually get forgotten about. This sort of inconsistency and lack of accountability needs to completely stop. Even if an idea is not financial reasonable or possible at a given time, all feedback should be given consideration with a straight "yes," "no" or at least a "we'll discuss further." If it comes to the latter, a firm date should be set as to when that discussion will take place. It should not simply be forgotten about or swept aside. Defining how that paradigm should...
However, unless there is an overarching reason why similar situations should not be handled the same, then that is precisely what should happen. This relates to a number of important topics including how shelves are restocked, the opening and closing procedures for each location, the procedures used for administration tasks and beyond. This and more will be covered in more depth in this report (Mole, 2002).
• Media Selection -- As is noted throughout the material and feedback submitted for this project, the selection of videos that are available from the library is a good idea in theory but it has been underwhelming in its execution. There is certainly demand for the video library system in place but the selection is rather bad, per the customers, and the popular videos are always checked out. Rather than wait-listing people or otherwise allowing the status quo to take hold, things need to change. Additionally, the mediums and methods that are used can be expanded and in a way that benefits the bottom line of the library system itself (TAI, 2016).
• Accountability -- This one is related to the fact that some suggestions, ideas and discussions are falling by the wayside. Generally speaking, all ideas should be assigned to a discussing body or manager and full updates should be given as to when it will be discussed and what final decisions have been made.
• Transparency -- Because of the presence of taxpayer dollars and city/county governance within the paradigm that the Kings County library exists and operates in, it is important that everything that the client does is "above aboard" rather than being shrouded in secrecy. As such, it important that the proper announcements, information dissemination and money trail for the taxpayer dollars that are allotted are revealed in a timely and complete fashion. There are multiple methods and pathways to get this done and those shall be explained in this report's analysis section (TAI, 2016).
A Move Towards 2020
King County Library System (KCLS)ReportThe Year 2020 PlanExecutive SummaryThe current culture of the library system can be described as ineffective, inefficient, and unproductive. The need for corrective measures to be undertaken so as to optimize the system for service delivery cannot be overstated. This will be the subject of the long-range plan. The problem to be addressed is two-fold. To begin with, there are inherent tensions at DAC that effectively
If the question is left unaddressed, this would result in increasing dissatisfaction among customers and staff, and a possible loss of library patrons. Another strategic issues is the shift to the central purchasing of books. This policy entailed the decision to move the book buying capability to the Service Center in order to implement the goal of a more in-depth and sophisticated level of collections. This was implemented without consulting with
Prison Libraries When most people think about prison libraries today they most likely recall the 1995 movie, "The Shawshank Redemption" which revolved around the library of Maine's state prison from 1947 through the late1960's (Shawshank pg). The movie portrayed the evolution of the library during some twenty years, as it went from a small cramped room housing a meager selection of books to larger quarters with vast selections of books, music
Stream Degradation and King County' Salmon Population King County in Washington State is home to some of the most significant spawning beds in the nation for several major species of salmon, such as the endangered steelhead and Chinook (or King) species. As a result of Washington's urbanization over the preceding years and decades, the purity and integrity of King County's streams and rivers have been degraded and the waterways contaminated (Morley,
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