Submission by Frank Biss, Counting Opinions

Biss, Frank

Counting Opinions

November 2014

English

Library leaders and key stakeholders need to step up and recognize that demonstration of value that is aligned with stakeholder goals and Library objectives is increasingly important in this era of rapid change. We would argue that the goal of having informed students/graduates who can “think” and “effectively access/resource information” would suggest that those students need to be trained on the skills they need in an “information-based” world. And, many academic library staffers need to expand their customer support skills – especially with 1st year students. We would argue that a library (large urban or small rural) can have a decided impact on its resource levels by way of professional, valid arguments. Frankly, it is called “competing ...and winning!” The lack of a Federal perspective is in stark contrastto that of the U.S. where the Federal Government sees public libraries as an instrument for the contribution to and in some cases, the execution of national policy initiatives (literacy, entrepreneurism, etc.). We believe that the contribution that libraries can make to federal initiatives is currently a glaring “missed” national opportunity

Royal Society of Canada’s Expert Panel on The Status and Future of Canada’s Libraries and Archives