Running head: LIBRARY SCAN NARRATIVE OF THE OBION COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Library Scan Narrative of the Obion County Public Library
Danny Hussey
University of Tennessee School of Information Science
1
LIBRARY SCAN NARRATIVE OF THE OBION COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
2
Abstract
The library scan narrative describes various programs, services, collections and staffing for the
Obion County Public Library in Union City Tennessee. The statistics provided within this paper
were derived from the Tennessee Public Library Survey for 2012 - 2013, public financial reports
from the Obion County Commission, organization reports, and the Obion County Public Library
website. The information and statistics gathered and presented within this report help to identify
areas of improvement for library operations.
LIBRARY SCAN NARRATIVE OF THE OBION COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3
Library Scan Narrative of the Obion County Public Memorial Library
The Obion County Public Library is the only public library located in Obion County
Tennessee. The Obion County Public Library is a part of the Obion River regional library
system. The official population area served by the library is 31,340 people. The first library
building for the county was constructed in 1966. The original library featured a 2,600 square foot
space with around 4,600 total items when it opened. The library continued to grow up until the
late 90’s when the collection had reached 36,000 items. The library was located in downtown
Union City and did not have adequate space for building expansion. The old library was crowded
and books were stacked nearly to the ceiling. Fundraising for a new building began in the late
1990’s and by 2003 the new library building was completed and ready to open. The new Obion
County Public Library facility was opened on November 16, 2003 and is located at 1221 East
Reelfoot Avenue in Union City, Tennessee. The facility is a 30,000 square foot building on
approximately 4 acres of land. It includes a grand reading room, public computer area, large
study and meeting rooms, a computer lab, a spacious children’s library, teacher resource center,
14 staff offices and departments and a genealogical research room. The new facility hosts a large
outdoor area which includes a large parking lot, outdoor reading areas, the library park, the
library gardens, water fountains, and an outdoor amphitheater with a covered stage. The total
cost of the new facility was 2.6 million dollars contributed by 3 individual donors (oclibrary.org
2014).
The library collection currently contains 78,627 books and 5,116 video and audio
materials. The library currently contains a grand total of 93,549 information objects. This
includes newspapers, magazines, genealogical documents and periodicals. When constructed the
library was estimated to have a 110,000 maximum capacity. The collection includes 50,493 adult
LIBRARY SCAN NARRATIVE OF THE OBION COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
4
books, 2,536 adult periodical titles, and 21,000 children’s books. The library currently subscribes
to 127 different magazines and receives 11 different newspapers. The library has one daily
newspaper which is called The Union City Daily Messenger. The library currently retains all
printed local papers and other assorted papers for five years. These items are stored in the
archives room of the building. In regards to all materials and resources the library has seen a
continual increase in the number of available items. Sharp increases in the number of eBooks
purchased and also increases in the number of DVD purchases made yearly yield the greatest
statistical increase in holdings for 2013. The Obion County Public Library has a separate
collection located in the children’s part department with various DVDs and audiobooks
available. The Teacher Resource Center also hosts various educational DVDs and media
available for checkout. The total number of children’s DVDs is 741 and the total number of
youth audio materials is 260 (Tennessee Public Library Survey 2012 - 2013).
Total number of current employees at the Obion County Public Library is 22. This
includes 11 full-time employees. The library director currently possesses a bachelor’s degree and
works 40 hours per week. The assistant director also holds a bachelor’s degree and works 40
hours per week. The posted salary for the director found is $52,020 a year and the salary for the
assistant director is $37,527. The lowest paid full time employee at the organization is the library
assistant position with some required college experience. This position pays $19,990 a year. The
average salaried employee makes $25,377 a year and works an average of 37.5 hours a week.
The library is open 55 hours per week with 4.5 hours per week after 6 PM. The library is open
until 3:30 PM on Saturdays and closed on Sunday. The library was open 2860 hours in 2013
(Tennessee Public Library Survey 2012 - 2013).
LIBRARY SCAN NARRATIVE OF THE OBION COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
5
The Obion County Public Library attendance via statistics gathered from a laser door
counter found at the site show 127,138 people visited the library in 2013. During 2013, the
library assisted with 6,450 reference questions, 129,006 adult circulations, and 42,230 juvenile
circulations. The library grand total for completed circulations was 171,236 in 2013. The total
number of library programs in 2013 was 255, with a total attendance for these programs at 6,435
people (Tennessee Public Library Survey 2012 - 2013).
The Obion County Public Library uses an integrated library system to manage its
collection. Holds can be placed on items online, via phone, or by in person at the circulation desk
(Researcher, 2014). The Obion County Public Library website offers access to the library
catalog, patron account information, links to important resources and databases and access to the
regional electronic and audiobook download system for downloading digital eBooks. The
oclibrary.org website currently contains 73 online databases, a calendar of events with online
registration, social media integration and various forms of media including publications,
documents, policies and photographs. The majority of the publicity done by the library reaches
the website and various social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, and video uploads to
YouTube.com (oclibrary.org, 2014).
The library provides 36 public access computers, six children’s computers with Internet,
and four children’s early literacy station computers. The computers include various software
including Microsoft Office 2010 and public printing for $.10 per black-and-white copy and $.50
per color copy. The library provides up-to-date computers and a 100 MB internet download
speed. The library also hosts Wi-Fi for library patrons on library property. Library patrons are
limited to two two-hour sessions per day on public computers. The Obion County Public Library
LIBRARY SCAN NARRATIVE OF THE OBION COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
6
averages over 3,500 computer user logins per month (Tennessee Public Library Survey 2012 2013).
The library is host to several reoccurring programs each month. Preschool story time is
every Monday at 10 o’clock. This program includes craft time and a snack. The children’s
librarians also use the puppet theater for puppet shows during this time. Each Thursday night in
the children’s department the library hosts family game night. Different board games are
provided for families and friends to play in the library. During the summer the library hosts
movie nights in the park each month. Last year over 340 people visited movie night in the park.
Each year Summer Reading hosts various programs and events offered to 0-6-year-olds and 6-12
year olds. The library also hosts a Teen Summer Reading program for ages 13 through 18. The
Teen summer reading program is facilitated by the children’s librarians and supported by the
Obion County Public Library teen advisory group which encompasses 22 members
(oclibrary.org, 2014).
Adult programs are also available on a regular monthly basis. Each month a minimum of
two computer classes are given. Last month, the classes included a Microsoft Excel 2010 class
and an email class. Computer class attendance is usually consistent at 5 to 20 guests per class.
These classes are given at assorted times during the week, in the morning, in the afternoon, and
in the evening. The Adult Book Club meets once a month with currently 14 active members and
is hosted and coordinated by one of the libraries reference librarians. The genealogical staff hosts
a minimum of one monthly geological class per month. Last month’s class brought in an
instructor to teach about the Find-A-Grave website which included how to find grave sites and
obituary information. These classes usually involve 20 to 25 students per class (Tennessee Public
Library Survey 2012 - 2013).
LIBRARY SCAN NARRATIVE OF THE OBION COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
7
The primary limiting factors and performance issues of programming and services are
determined by investigating several influences. The primary factor in most need of attention is
how well advertising and publicity are being implemented for events, programs and services.
Issues in regards to dates and times of the events and programs, and whether or not they conflict
with other community programs and events is a common performance issue is many programs
administered. The last major factor in regards to communication is whether or not the program or
service is particularly popular within individual interests presented to the targeted audience. One
of the main complaints noted by the circulation staff is that more classes are continually
requested and more diversity in coursework is routinely sought after. Many of the programs and
services provided are routine programs typically given by the same instructors. This aspect may
limit the range of coursework being implemented and the experiences class members have as
skills in a particular subject area increase. More specialty technology classes are requested more
and more frequently according to the organizations Technology Coordinator. Classes in web
design, photo editing and multimedia are examples of requested subject areas for instruction.
Finding individuals who can serve an instructional role in content areas and with the skills
needed to create meaningful and easy to navigate course curriculum is a challenge. In the past,
instructors from the University of Tennessee at Martin have offered their time to instruct classes
such as yoga, self-defense, computer software classes and various others (oclibrary.org, 2014).
Several professional instructors require a fee which may or may not be feasible for the
organization at the time. Finding better access to meaningful instructors and coursework that
meets the needs of the community is increasingly important for the Obion County Public
Library. The library also plans strengthen its communication model and standardize its publicity
methods as to maximize the reach of its events and programs. Strengthening these areas will help
LIBRARY SCAN NARRATIVE OF THE OBION COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
better fulfill the mission of the Obion County Public Library, and help to enrich the lives of the
citizens of Obion County.
8
LIBRARY SCAN NARRATIVE OF THE OBION COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
References
Obion County Public Library. (2014). Obion County Public Library. http://oclibrary.org/.
Obion County Public Library. (2014). Obion County Public Library Online Researcher.
http://75.130.66.226/.
Obion County Commission. (2013). Obion County Public Library Yearly Budget &
Appropriations. Union City, Tennessee.
Tennessee Public Library Survey. Yearly Report 2012 – 2013. Union City, TN: Author.
9