South Dakota State Library Study and Transition Plan
What does the transition of the South Dakota State Library mean... for citizens?
When the South Dakota State Library was organized in 1913, one of its primary missions was to help establish new public libraries and to assist existing libraries so that they could provide the best possible services at the local level. This mission was accomplished through various methods including the Traveling Library - boxes of books that were sent to communities and made available for circulation to citizens.
Over the years, the State Library began to drift away from the "help libraries" model and assumed more direct responsibility for direct delivery to citizens. Many South Dakotans wrote their high school term papers using books that were ordered directly from the State Library. While this did get books into the hands of citizens, it did not encourage the development of good research skills since the end user did none of the research to select the most appropriate research materials. This model was followed for over 50 years but is no longer the best model.
The world of information has continued to evolve and the State Library has evolved with it. For the past few years, citizens have been able to utilize information delivered to their local library and to their desktop computers by the State Library, Google, and other internet resources. This new reliance on electronic resources has eroded the usage of traditional print resources and it is time for the South Dakota State Library to re-examine the type of resources that are most helpful for citizens statewide and how those resources can most effectively be delivered.
Over the years since 1913, a network of almost 140 public libraries and over 300 school libraries has been established. The majority of South Dakota's citizens have direct access to a public library that is supported with their tax dollars. The approximately 20% that do not live in areas served by tax supported public libraries, can purchase non-resident library cards from a near by public library at a cost that does not exceed the amount paid by a household in the taxing district. A recent study of library services in South Dakota has shown that the best model for the delivery of public library resources is at the local level. The State Library will put additional emphasis on helping to improve the ability of the local libraries to provide the best possible library services for their citizens.
What does this mean for you?
Effective January 1, 2007, the South Dakota State Library will place their primary emphasis on helping local libraries to provide top quality services to you - the citizens of South Dakota. Citizens will no longer be able to check out books directly from the State Library but they will continue to have access to collections owned by the State Library and other libraries throughout the state by using interlibrary loan services provided by their local library. Interlibrary loan is one of the most basic services that a local library can provide for their citizens and all public libraries will be encouraged to participate in this program. No library in South Dakota can afford to purchase all of the books that their diverse citizens may want to read or use for research. By sharing between South Dakota libraries, the books available to South Dakota's citizens number over 1 million volumes. If you do not find the book that you are seeking at your local public or school library, please request that the library order it for you via interlibrary loan. South Dakota's libraries can not charge a fee for borrowing materials through interlibrary loan, but they can ask you to reimburse the cost of return postage. This cost should not exceed the postage that your library paid to return books to the State Library.
For citizens who have research needs, your first stop will also be your local public or school library. The State Library recognizes that every library in the state does not have highly trained research staff that will be able to answer all of your questions. Because of this knowledge gap, the State Library will be providing training for local library staff to help them improve their research skills. The local library can also refer any questions that they do not have the resources to answer to the Research staff at the State Library. The State Library will then assist with answering those questions.
The direct services that have been provided by the Braille and Talking Book Library will remain almost unchanged. Registered patrons of this special library will continue to receive an uninterrupted supply of recorded books. Registered patrons who receive Braille books will see no changes in their services. Patrons who regularly receive large print books will be directed to their local public library. The staff of the Braille and Talking Book library will gladly work with the staff of the local public library to help identify titles that meet your profile and will assist the local library in obtaining them through interlibrary loan if the local library doesn't own them. Many public libraries already have large print book collections and can meet at least a part of your needs.
Another direct service of the South Dakota State Library that will remain available to all citizens and libraries is access to the online databases currently provided by the State Library. Citizens can continue to use their State Library Card as the key to access the online resources such as ProQuest, Contemporary Authors, South Dakota Newspaper Association database, HeritageQuest genealogy database, electronic books from NetLibrary, and more.just as they have in the past. These resources will continue to be available to citizens on a 24/7 basis. These online resources will help students complete their term papers, business owners to make more informed decisions, parents to assist their children, family history buffs to do research, etc. There is something there for everyone. If you don't have a computer at home, you can find a public access computer as close as your local public library.
While the collections of the South Dakota State Library will be changing and downsizing, the State Library will continue to collect and make available: state and federal documents, non-fiction books about South Dakota and the surrounding region, non-fiction books about Native Americans of the Upper Midwest, a professional collection of books about libraries and library services, and a small general collection that will support State Government employees. While the new role of the South Dakota State Library is more of a "special library" role than a "public library" role, the State Library will remain open to citizens who wish to do onsite research.
The South Dakota State Library is changing to meet the changing information needs of South Dakota's citizens. We ask for your patience as we make these changes.
Please visit your local library and give them your support.
