The mission of the Brookfield Zoo Library is to contribute to the education of the people, the studies of the conservation of wildlife, and the diversity of biological knowledge by providing research access to scientific ready reference materials, books and monographs, periodicals, and global information resources.
Friday, January 12, 2007
About The Brookfield Zoo Library
The Brookfield Zoo Library is a small, not-for-profit library that holds over 10,000 volumes and 300 subscriptions to various periodicals. It began in 1965, and was previously connected to a book store in the zoo. Today, the library is open from 9:30 am until 5:00 pm on weekdays, and on weekends by appointment. The library has a hotline to answer any animal-related questions as well. It also contains a collection of publications from other zoos; additionally, the Special Collection includes materials on the history of the zoo, expeditions, research, exhibitions, and more. Library use is available to zoo keepers, interns, and other zoo personnel to research new species, living habits, genetics, conservation and economy.
More About the Library
The library is staffed by librarian Courtney Lavery, a few other part-time librarians, and volunteers. Courtney is attempting to establish a “Friends of the Library” program to allow more of the public to use the library. The library itself is organized by the Library of Congress call system, which separates the volumes into genres. Upon visiting the library, a student noticed it contains 104 volumes based on the condor alone, a testament to how specialized the library truly is. The animal hospital, genetics lab, marketing department, and design department in the Brookfield Zoo house satellite collections that are connected to the main zoo library, in order to offer quicker access to vital books in those specific departments.
A Bit About Courtney (Manager of Library Services)
Courtney did not begin her career as a librarian. With a degree in English, she worked at various places for a few years before she moved to New York, where she attended library school. After completing library school, Courtney moved back to Chicago, where she found an opening for nine months to essentially sort through and organize the archives at the Brookfield Zoo. After she completed her time in Brookfield as an archivist, she became the librarian at the zoo and took on the task of reorganizing the library as well. Visit http://www.mydeo.com/videorequest.asp?XID=4527&CID=65168 to listen to Courtney talk about the library’s condition when she became librarian at the Brookfield Zoo.
Funding Concerns for the Library
It is disappointing to hear that the library does not receive very much funding and is overlooked as an integral part of the Brookfield Zoo. The library itself is contained in a small building located behind a dog and cat gift shop in the zoo, with shelving quarters that are pretty snug. When Courtney first arrived at the library, the archives were even kept near animal feed, in an area with no temperature control or attempts at preservation. Courtney says she would love to see the library receive money to help it grow and develop so it can become more available to others. Additionally, organization of the archives has not been achieved yet, as documents from 1950 to 2007 still need to be arranged and preserved.
Associations and Networks
The Brookfield Zoo Library works with a number of organizations. One group the library is involved with recycles old videotapes from the library. Courtney is also involved with the Chicago Board of Trade Endangered Species Fund, the Solo Librarians Division, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The library is also connected to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the Chicagoland Environmental Network, the Metropolitan Library System, and the Online Access to Research in the Environment. Library collections are also available online through SWAN and OCLC World Cat.
Discussion and Information
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