IMLIS ‘Library Search & Compare’

As part of my studies this week for LIS 5804, The Public Library, I explored the “Library Search & Compare” datasite, hosted by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, for statistics about my local public library.

Through my explorations, I learned that Sonoma County Library has a service-area population of 492,980. It has one central library and 14 branch libraries. The most recent statistics are from more than two years ago (from 2020) and are already out of date, as they state that Sonoma County Library does not have a bookmobile.¹

As of 2020, the library employed 73 librarians, all of whom held a master’s degree in Library Science from a graduate program accredited by the American Library Association (IMLS, n.d.).² “All other paid staff” consisted of 121.7 full-time-equivalent positions.

I couldn’t locate demographic information about the library workforce, e.g. race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or possession of disability. This is important to me, because I identify as an “invisible” minority, and I would like to be assured that I would be treated fairly when applying for work at any library.³

Sonoma County Library’s collection includes 658,186 print materials and 264,632 eBooks. Among its audio resources, 162,126 can be downloaded, while 30,416 are physical. Among video offerings, 125,042 can be downloaded, and 67,294 are physical. The library subscribes to 85 databases, of which 82 are considered “Local” and 3 are described as “State.”

During COVID-19, Sonoma County Library “Physically Closed Branches to Public.” It “Continued Public Services While Closed,” “Issued E-Library Cards,” “Added or Increased Electronic Material Access,” “Provided Live Virtual Programs,” “Provided Recordings of Programs,” “Increased External Wi-Fi Access,” and “Reassigned Staff to Other Government Agencies or Non-Profits.”

As an aspiring youth librarian, one statistic that interested me was that circulation of children’s material accounted for 31 percent of total circulations.

Programs for children and young adults made up the bulk of program offerings: in 2020, out of 6,184 total programs, the number of programs intended for children were 2,862. Young Adult programs consisted of 893, and “All Other Programs” amounted to 2,429.

Children’s programs enjoyed an attendance of 74,057, while 20,093 patrons attended programs for Young Adults. All other programs saw attendance of 36,141, for a total program attendance of 130,291.

Notes:
1. Sonoma County’s “BiblioBus,” its mobile library, arrived in Sonoma County in August 2021 (Sonoma County Library, 2021).

2. At the Dec. 7, 2022 meeting of the Sonoma County Library Commission, the branch manager of the downtown Central Library confirmed that for a Librarian I position, “qualified experience” could be considered as an alternative to a Master’s degree, while the Librarian II position and above would require an MLIS (Sonoma County Library Commission, 2022).

3. In a previous post, I expressed concern that “unwritten” expectations and the social aspects of job hunting might prevent an employer from considering my abilities, my job performance, and my commitment (Parkhill, 2023).

References:
Institute of Museum and Library Services. (n.d.) Sonoma County Library. Library search & compare. https://www.imls.gov/search-compare

Parkhill, C.M. (2023, Feb. 1). Equity of access : Core value of modern libraries. Cynthia Parkhill. https://cynthiaparkhill.blogspot.com/2023/02/equity-of-access-core-value-of-modern.html

Sonoma County Library. (2021, Aug. 25). It's HERE! The BiblioBus- Sonoma County's Mobile Library arrived at library headquarters yesterday. #SonomaCountyLibrary staff was delighted to welcome and [Image attached] [Status update]. Facebook. http://bit.ly/3KfzKzx

Sonoma County Library Commission. (2022, Dec. 7). 5.2: Presentation on joint union-administration staffing study. Library Commission meeting [Official minutes]. https://sonomalibrary.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/15468/?preview=19833