Transparency
Meredith Farkas has a terrif post on her blog Information Wants to Be Free called “Being Transparent Isn’t Enough.” Are school libraries transparent for students, parents, teachers, and administrators? I know that when my school recently underwent our SACS review they asked repeatedly what processes we have in place to encourage anonymous comments and suggestions for approval. YIKES! Sometimes we write surveys in a way that we won’t look bad and won’t tantalize our patrons with possibilities that have no chance of becoming reality. Are we being open or setting ourselves up for ill-will?
Be sure to read the comments in the post, especially Walt Crawford’s regarding Meredith’s points on “Is it reasonable to toss aside or alienate a loyal existing audience in attempts to gain a new audience?”
Great information. Much to think about. How can I apply it to my library? How can I synthesize my feelings towards transparency and my users? How can I create something better? Hmmm. Off to think.
