When we staff Q&ANJ, we also serve as back-up for the rest of the country and the United Kingdom (yes, that’s right…we answer reference questions for people in England!). I am finding that although I try to prioritize NJ questions, I predominantly answer questions from people out-of-state. Questions from NJ customers just don’t come in as frequently (at least when I am online). I don’t mind trying to help people from other states, but usually the questions are related to a local issue. I think they are best served by contacting their local library. I also find that most people, including in NJ, believe they are already chatting with someone at their local library when they log on – maybe some form of direct chat with one’s local library would be better for most than a Q&ANJ type service. Even if a lot of money were put into marketing in NJ, there is still an issue of the local library being the best place to answer a question.

Q&A is used mainly by kids doing homework (in the summer the service is really quiet!). I find that a lot of the kids I help on Q&A are not from NJ. Again, it’s not a problem helping people from other states (although I wonder what the taxpayers in my municipality would say)- the problem with Q&A for homework is that for the majority of questions, the kids are not really learning anything. I send them an answer to a question, which is nice, but they have not taken part in the learning process.

I love helping kids, and sometimes a child will be working on a project and need research materials. However, if I find something in a database, it can’t be sent through the Q&A software. Articles and database entries need to be sent via email. Children are taught, correctly, not to share email addresses online with strangers, so I usually can’t email them database entries. I think that maybe in the future, it would be better to put any funds into a tutor service or perhaps expand the homework help service.

Although I think Q&ANJ is a nice supplementary service to have (and in some ways I would miss it), in my opinion it’s not something that is absolutely essential. There are now new ways for patrons to interact with their own libraries that weren’t available when the service began a decade ago. I don’t believe that Q&ANJ, as it is right now, is sustainable. There are libraries in NJ that are on the brink of closure and if there are any extra funds to be found in the budget, perhaps they should go to saving these endangered public libraries.

When the demand came to move library services in NJ forward and make them multitype, it was also agreed that the new system needed to have more grass roots input. Thus the regional system, with its elected executive boards and LNRB reps, and the plethora of committees, plus membership across all types of libraries.

That was 1985. Librarians got used to the idea of having input into service decisions, and even making the decisions. Then we got hacked back from 6 regions to 4 under the Florio Administration, with some forced mergers. New communties and working relationships were developed. But we still made our own decisions about services.

Now we are down to one region, covering the entire state. It will be hard to maintain the level of democratic participation, given our geographic spread. I hope the Q&ANJ situation is not the precursor of a change in how the NJ library community comes to agree on how we deliver cooperative services.

I’ve invited Norma to release the budget numbers with detailed spending information to the library community so we can all be informed and have a reasoned discussion about spending priorities.

That saves me a trip to the State Library (gas is expensive these days) and has the added benefit of informing everyone, not just me.