A Personal Philosophywhat public librarianship means to me

Prepared by Joann Ransomfor Horowhenua Library Trustees

March 2010.

Responsibility

For yourself For others

Fill your own glass firstthen nurture others with the over flow

Community

Belonging Adding value

The responsibility we all have to live joyfully, to be pleasant to be around.

Hope

Enabling Role modeling Inspiring

The responsibility we all have to engender hope in others.

Key influences in my life

Early 1950s …

A series of family disasters saw my Great Grandmother suddenly raising 4 children aged under 5 years, while my 24 year old Grandmother and her brother went out to work fulltime to support the family.

Great Grandmother was Secretary of the NZ Labour Party, concerned with public health, state housing & social welfare.

Key influences in my life

Early 1980s …

The pain I felt for my father who at the age of 40 couldn’t find a job because he was too old.

He went on to become a very successful self employed engineer.

Lifelong learning

right resources, finding information, skills development, digital literacy.

The digital divide is an economic one and disenfranchises our people.

Community - belonging

being noticed, being valued, loneliness kills you, volunteering is

important.

Hope

Enabling Role modeling Inspiring

Library’s change lives

Peoplelike us

Librarians change lives

Poverty and not reaching full potential as citizens is an intergenerational problem.

Literacy is the key that we have to start turning in a child’s early years.

Our Children having

children

We sell our public shortevery time we … make do with less funding than we need, increase income through fees and charges, stretch staff further, provide substandard equipment

and resources, do things only if they generate

income.

What our ratepayers need

Conversationsnot transactions,

places and spaces, a free library service.

The people who need us most can’t afford us.

Living Room of the town.

Staff who have the time to serve our patrons well,

and are able to satisfy our patrons information needs,

Resources which meet the needs of our patrons,

Spaces for people.

The Darien Statementson the future of libraries

2008.

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