Innovation squashed by no $$?
It’s hard to believe a no-brainer fantastic innovation of this kind — fabulous store front branches in underserved areas of the Brooklyn DUMBO neighborhood — could go underfunded by the New York Public Library when library just received a $100 million donation just last week.
Library Outposts are storefront library service points, no more than 1500 sq. ft. in size, centrally located in busy commercial districts or near transportation hubs. The storefront presence makes the Outpost agile and adaptable to the particular features of each community, providing fundamental library service and serving as a gateway to the full range of programs, classes, and events offered throughout the larger service ecology. The space is easily transformable; one moment a silent reading room, another moment a performance art space, another moment a forum for a community group meeting. Storefront library facilities have been attempted in the past with limited success, but the Outpost model takes advantage of emerging technologies to reconsider the distribution of library content and materials (you know, like books, DVDs, etc.) and invent itself as something entirely different.
Nate Hill put two years of work into the project, and you can read all about it because he’s hoping that his knowledge will be put to good use somewhere.
So, who’s going to step up and use this packaged-with-a-bow plan? What could/would you do with it? Where else do you want to see it applied? I’m interested to hear about it.
Tags: DUMBO, innovate, public libraries, urban
Just to clarify- DUMBO is in Brooklyn, which is Brooklyn Public Library’s service area, not New York Public’s. The sad story lies in the fact that major private $ often goes to NYPL, and not Brooklyn Public Library, where we could really use it. We have the ideas and innovation in Brooklyn, we just don’t always have the $ to follow through. We need more $ from the city and more $ from private funders so that we can do more for our patrons!!!!
Nate »
I guess I wasn’t as clear as I’d like to have been; I wrote this while I was working a busy Info Desk on a Saturday afternoon, which might explain a lot. That’s right kids, don’t work-multitask and blog!
In all seriousness, thought, I think my point is mostly that while a large institution like the NYPL, comparatively dripping with money, receives large donations like this one, smaller institutions like the Brooklyn Public Library that need donations don’t see the large donations they need. How can that be?
Do wealthy benefactors only feel the need to give to what they believe to be “notable” institutions with high reputations? Do they realize that the NYPL is separate from the other borough libraries, or do they assume that, since all boroughs are part of NYC, that all libraries are part of the NYPL? Do libraries who receive large donations like this ever think or want to share these large donations with local institutions in need? Can they? Are the libraries talking to each other enough to know what other libraries are doing, and where they might need help? Are (especially smaller) libraries too busy “keeping their heads above water” and to think about these questions and try to find better ways to get the word out?