What Are Library Best Practices?
The Best Practices document for libraries provides a framework to evaluate the library’s strengths as well as weaknesses. It also serves as the basis of strategic planning. This document has multiple sections with some repeating. Each section should adhere to certain standards. For example, it should maintain clean, high-quality code.
To build a library that is useful, you need clean code.
Clear, clean code is essential for a variety of reasons. It makes it easier to understand, maintain, and read your code. It is also easier for other developers to understand, making it more secure. Here are some guidelines to help you write clean code. First, make sure to separate large amounts of functionality into different classes. Next, test your code to make sure it behaves the way you expect.
Use sensible and consistent naming for public API methods. Consistent names make it easier for users to find functionality. Use abbreviations only if they make sense. Otherwise, try to be consistent. Always capitalize the first letter in acronyms.
Planning package structure
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners has released Library Space: A Planning Resource For Librarians. This resource contains best practices that can be used to jumpstart planning projects. The document looks at space and programmatic issues, as well as how to communicate needs and a business case to municipalities and potential funders.
A mission statement is created
When creating a mission statement, it is important to consider the unique needs and strengths in your community. Also, consider how the library can have a positive impact on that community. Your mission statement should be clear and concise. It should also convey a strong sense about what the library hopes for. Alternatively, you can create a vision statement to share your hopes and dreams for the community.
While a mission statement may not seem necessary at first glance, it can be a very useful tool in planning. It can guide decisions about technology, programming, purchases, and other important matters. The mission statement can be used to promote the work of your library to other stakeholders.
The best mission statements are those that reflect the core values of the organization. A mission statement that is too vague will make it difficult for the company to be recognized. A vague mission statement is like trying to convince someone to apply for a job and not providing them with the details they need.
Documenting your library
You should include as much information as possible when documenting library best practices. This will help you identify potential areas for improvement, and provide the basis for strategic planning. A reference document should include all functions that are exposed by your library, expected input and output values, side effect information, and purpose. It should also contain implementation examples. Reference documents can be generated automatically, or they may list several solutions to the same problem. However, it is better to give a written explanation for each reference.