Competency B

Librarians and information professionals work in diverse environments. The LIS field does not apply exclusively to libraries, but a large part of what we do in the profession involves libraries. Traditionally, there are four main settings for a library environment: public, academic, school and special, each with their own clearly defined goals. According to the American Library Association, "each type of library...should have a central, guiding mission statement that defines the library's purpose and describes who the library serves" (2020, para 1). Each type of library has a different audience, funding, collections focus, etc., but they all share an overall mission of providing access to information, be it in the form of books or technology. Here, we will discuss each of these different types of libraries and the communities they serve.

Public Library. Perhaps the most common type and one that everyone generally thinks about. Public libraries generally serve the cities and towns they are geographically located in. The goal of any public library is to provide free and easy access to information. In larger areas, many libraries belong to one greater library system. For example, the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) has a central location in downtown Los Angeles and 72 branch libraries located throughout the greater Los Angeles area. All are linked, and a patron can access materials from any of the 73 LAPL branches. The collections promote a diverse range of programs and materials available for the general public, such as adult literacy, veterans resources and technology instruction. Some will focus on more specialized collections better suited for the community they serve. For example, according to the Los Angeles Public Library, the North Hollywood branch (Amelia M Earhart Regional Branch), because of patron interest and community support, houses a "special collection on books on various aspects of aviation and women in aviation in particular, which has been dubbed the Amelia Earhart collection" (n.d., para. 8). While the branch follows the overall library's vision and provides the same programs and resources system-wide, it also offers a specific collection for the community. Funding for public libraries comes from the city's taxpayers. The tax revenues help fund the programs offered in addition to any public donations to the library.

Academic Library. This type of library is located on colleges, universities and any institution of higher education. They provide services and resources for respective students, staff and faculty. Generally, academic libraries promote intellectual growth, creativity and research assistance. For example, the Cornell University Library's mission statement states that the library "engages with the ongoing transformations of society to deliver world-class physical and digital content and services critical to research, education, and outreach, now and in the future (2020, para. 2). The libraries support this mission statement by focusing their collections on materials needed for classes, degrees, departments and individual faculty research projects. Further collections can be catered to specific schools within a university, such as a medical school or law school, which will be discussed in the special libraries section below. The funding for these types of libraries comes from university fees, public grants (if a state university or college) and donations.

School Library. The school library serves various types of primary and secondary schools, ranging from elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, or a combination of students in a special school. These libraries offer services specifically to their respective populations, i.e. students and staff, depending on the specific education levels offered at the school. The focus is primarily on the educational advancement of the respective students. Using the Channelview High School Mission of Texas School Libraries as an example, they state their mission "is to ensure that students, teachers, administrators, and staff are effective users of ideas and information" (2020, para. 2). They accomplish this by providing access to materials in various formats, i.e. physical books and magazines, e-books, journal subscriptions, etc., in order to stimulate interest in using the provided information. Funding for these libraries can be a bit complex, as it comes from taxpayers but managed through the city and school district. This has given rise to charter schools, which provide donations to a specific school, thus allowing school libraries to incorporate more technology and resources to further enhance education advancement.

Special Library. These types of libraries operate in a more specialized environment, catering to specific communities, patrons or sponsoring organizations. This is a kind of catch-all term, as the possibilities are endless in the specific scope. Special libraries could include hospitals, museums, legal/law, corporations, private businesses, prisons and archives. The respective mission statements vary, but they generally aim to promote access to information and research to their respective communities. The collections will vary to support the stated mission and theme of the library, such as a law library providing various legal texts and documents. One instance of a special library would be an archive that organizes their collection and focus specifically to the stated community, such as a film archive or historical society. Some special libraries are located within another type of library system. For example, a law library can also be an academic library if located on a university campus as part of the law school. The Harvard Law School has a law library located on the Harvard University campus, and their mission statement makes it clear that they "...support the research and curricular needs of its faculty and students by providing a superb collection of legal materials..." (2020, para. 1). They further state that ..."consistent with their mission, the Library supports the research needs of the greater Harvard community..." (2020, para. 1). This highlights that though they operate within their own special context, they still provide support as an academic library. Funding for these types of libraries can vary, but most are privately funded by the sponsoring organization or have a combination of funding sources, such as the law library example from above.