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Service and Specialization
by Elisabeth Filar
Librarianship has traditionally been a service profession -- but what, exactly, does service entail? For a librarian, service includes helping patrons find materials by providing access to these materials, promoting the collection, and teaching classes. Yet service is more than in-house daily library activities. Service also involves librarians expanding their horizons, by growing, learning, and continually educating themselves and others about their field. Most librarians are in some way specialized, whether they are middle school library media specialists, academic map librarians, or anything in between. We need to constantly educate and be educated in our specialty areas. What better way to do this than through involvement in associations and organizations?
Library associations and organizations range from local to international, including many in specialized areas. Involvement in these organizations is beneficial, but there are also associations and organizations outside the field of librarianship that librarians should join. We need to look in our specialty areas for non-library organizations that benefit our library and ourselves. Joining such organizations also provides us with the opportunity to educate others outside our field about the libraries' abundant resources and services. Through our participation, we will expand our knowledge base, network with others in our specialty field, and reap other benefits such as getting donations of resource materials or funding.
Mapping it Out
As the Map Librarian at the University of Colorado, Boulder, I am involved in several organizations and associations which focus on both library and non-library specialty fields. The importance of my involvement can better be understood with some background in what a map library contains.
A map library collection consists of government- and commercially- produced paper maps, atlases, reference materials, microfilm, and digital spatial data. Much of the digital data is for use in a GIS, Geographic Information System. A GIS is a computerized mapping system which can capture, store, manipulate, analyze, and display all forms of geographic and spatial information. Data can be in the form of themes such as population, zoning, topology, or aerial photos and can range in scale.
Data produced for use in a GIS is created by local, state, federal, international, and commercial agencies; some is distributed freely, but most is for sale. Most libraries do not have funds to buy these resources, given that might take several hundred CDs of data to cover just one state at an adequate scale. If data is not detailed enough, users probably will not be able to make use of it. Librarians must find alternative ways to obtain these resources. They must also inform the GIS professionals about the funding issues facing libraries and how such issues affect the public.
GIS Success
I have become deeply involved with a resurgent Colorado organization called GISCO (GIS in Colorado). In fall 2000, I attended the first meeting aimed at recreating this GISCO organization into a strong statewide GIS organization. I quickly realized that most of the other attendees were the government workers in the field who actually created the data I wanted to acquire. What better way to possibly get access to this data then through my involvement in the organization?
I volunteered to start up a web site and e-mail discussion list for the group, in order to promote the organization and communicate ideas quickly and efficiently. As I became known as the webmaster for GISCO and manager of the GISCO list, people in the group would recognize me, call on me, and possibly provide me with useful information (and, especially, resources). I could then educate them as to the needs of the library-using public. Others in the GIS field would hopefully realize the importance of librarians' skills -- in organizing information, from the web site, and managerial skills, through the e-mail list.
Benefits of Belonging
Over the past few months, I have been attending board meetings, maintaining the web site I created, managing the e-mail list, and networking with people around the state. I have been involved in discussions concerning issues related to the GIS and map field that have both helped to educate me professionally and helped my map library. I have heard about new issues, new resources, and now have direct connections to those people managing, creating, and maintaining the resources I am hoping to acquire.
If nothing else, I have an "in" and have networked with others. I have also expanded my knowledge base, and have gained insight into the complexities that everyone faces, whether they are the creator or acquirer of the resources. I have also taught others how important it is to have these resources available to the public. I have explained that there is a lack of library funding to purchase such materials, and have promoted the importance of librarians as information professionals in specialized fields.
As the year continues, I hope to make even more progress and more connections. I wish to acquire data or at least to gain the knowledge of how cost-effectively to acquire such data for my library. Other members on the GISCO board have even mentioned setting up a repository for statewide data, looking to me as the manager of such data. The benefits of becoming involved in this non- library, specialized organization far outweigh the time spent, and I encourage other information and library professionals to do the same. Look outside the library field to gain open minded, open-ended opportunities by participating in such organizations.
Elisabeth Filar has an undergraduate degree in Geography/GIS from Johns Hopkins University and an MLS from the University of Maryland. She has been the Map/GIS Librarian at the University of Colorado, Boulder for almost two years and is involved in many organizations and associations, locally and internationally. Check out her Map Library web site.