- I'd also like to know how this *practically* plays out in real-life libraries. I've spent probably 40-50 hours alone on this project so far, and that doesn't include all the surveying, etc. that a real library would be doing. Do librarians seriously have the time, in this day and age, to put that much effort into each and every service?
- In answer to your question: NO ONE has time to do this much planning for one program or service, in my experience. My library is big on process maps right now, so we might map out the process and figure out who is responsible for what, and write a proposal for funds. But it's definitely no where near as intensive as this project.
Someone actually asked this quesiton to Scott and I think his response was very good:
"What we are teaching you in this class is the 'gold standard'. It is what you should strive for. The reality of what you can achieve will vary by the library and funding and administrator support.
If you strive for the gold, and get some of it, you'll still be better off than if you strive for mediocrity.. as you probably won't hit that, either.
It's like a lot of what we teach - we teach on the conceptual level, and when you apply it to a specific library setting, it will change. The problem is the changes in different library settings will be different - public, school, academic, and special libraries all have to focus on different aspects of the PMA package."
Still I personally still see the advantage of doing this project. I also think my classmates I've quoted above make a good point and our professors response was a good explanation of why we are learning this way.