task

After having thought all semester about various public library topics, this is your chance to define what you want your public library to be.

Describe how your public library will fit into the community, what services it will provide the community, and how it will be structured in terms of local political and governmental structures. Consider whether or not your public library will be a stand-alone library or a part of a larger system. Don't be constrained by current realities - if you wish to envision an environment that doesn't yet exist (but which could exist, given sufficient public and political will), feel free to work in that new environment. You may be writing this paper as an exercise in advocacy, so consider how the ideas might be received were you to be afforded the chance to try to convince others to share your vision. Your vision should be grounded in reality, so be prepared to offer citations for your suggestions.

You may take any approach you wish to address this topic.

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alternative task

If you have an issue relevant to your current public library situation and you wish to use this final task as a way to both meet the class requirement and the needs of your personal situation, discuss the idea with me. We can use this opportunity to create something useful in your professional life as well as in your academic life.

If you choose the alternative task, it will still meet the condition and standard discussed below.

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condition

I expect that one will not be able to fully cover the topic of what one wants a public library to be in less than five pages of text. Plan to send me your paper as an email attachment (or as a Google Doc, if you choose). It should be at least a five page paper (five pages of text; any endnotes, reference list, or bibliography will be in addition to the five). You may use any document generating program you wish, but be sure that the paper meets these specs:

  • maximum of one inch margins top and bottom, left and right
  • font size no larger than 12 points
  • double spaced
  • use endnotes for references
  • place your name and the page number in the header or footer of each page

I will provide you with an example of what a paper might look like.

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standard

We will use the American Psychological Association (APA) format for this paper. APA is the citation format most commonly used in the social sciences. If you are not familiar with this format, you should locate a style guide. The following links may be helpful with this format

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is the definitive guide to APA format. Every reasonably sized library should have a copy of this work.

The APA has a site that offers help in using APA style, but it is not as useful as other, free resources.

You have a choice of citation builder tools

One of the better resources to assist one in using APA style is Purdue University's APA Formatting and Style Guide.

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