When identifying a need for a library a person must identify the needs to the organization or community. If, for example, we want to create a special library for a humane society or animal shelter that has a significant presence online then we must identify the needs of the veterinarians, veterinary technicians, gardeners, landscapers, Web development programmers, business development specialists, public relations staff, graphic designers, website managers, media producers, member services staff, marketing staff, adoption coordinators, vegetarian cooks, members, human resources staff, and volunteers. Not only would a library be beneficial for the workers and volunteers, but it would also supply the adopters with information on the care of their new cat or dog. The library would be open to visitors of the shelter and would be an area of attraction for potential adopters.
The needs of each animal can differ quite a bit and experts are rarely supervising, which demonstrates the need for organized and easily accessible information. While the collection of library materials needs to be diverse enough to correspond with the variety of clients, the collection must also be specific and specialized to adhere to the veterinarian-centered focus of the organization. The American Booksellers Association and BookWire, which gives access to thousands of book stores, will help with the selection of books. Another prime location for discovering appropriate books is on ALA’s Booklist site online. To get the library started with the initial round of serials I looked at veterinary libraries around the United States to get an idea of what they are using.