Editorial

New Library World

ISSN: 0307-4803

Article publication date: 27 March 2009

433

Citation

Ashcroft, L. (2009), "Editorial", New Library World, Vol. 110 No. 3/4. https://doi.org/10.1108/nlw.2009.072110caa.001

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited


Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: New Library World, Volume 110, Issue 3/4

A report from Research Information Network (RIN, 2008) identifies how new technology has created desktop access to vast new resources, but that researchers’ skills have not kept pace with this rapid change. It also points out that training provided by libraries tended to be “relatively traditional”, but that some libraries tailor their training by taking on board any expertise that they already had. The paper from Van Duinkerken et al. focuses on new technology in terms of remote reference transactions. They argue that specific reference interview “best practice standards” should be developed for remote access reference services, and they develop a methodology for evaluating the reference interview in a virtual reference transaction.

A recent book on library staff training (Wood, 2007) focuses on common themes that apply across sectors. The book provides examples of competencies and describes expected performance levels for professionals, para-professionals and non-professionals, and these models move nicely into the training needs analysis section. Chapman, in her paper, considers a human resources programme that includes planning for recruitment, selection, orientation, socialization and retention. She argues that all of these processes are closely linked to helping new employees become part of an organisation, and that staff retention is important for a period when many librarians will retire.

The 2008 Attitudinal Survey from JISC (http://tinyurl.com/5tof3v) shows senior library staff in further and higher education feeling that electronic resources are the key challenge, and this assumes more importance than budget concerns. This involves issues regarding managing the sheer mass of e-content and making it available. However, they felt well-informed on e-learning and VLEs. Virkus et al. explore, in their paper, the literature on integration of digital libraries and virtual learning environments (VLEs). They note that digital libraries and VLEs have been designed, developed and maintained separately and various projects have demonstrated how to harness the potential of their integration for achieving educational goals.

According to the OpenDoar project (www.opendoar.org) there are 132 functioning digital repositories in Britain, and much technical advice and resources have been made available for setting them up. Now, within the IT community, there is confidence that technical issues can be addressed if and when they arise. Hunsaker et al. present the virtual library plan for twenty-three California State University (CSU) campus systems in their paper. They discuss the MERLOT repository of high quality digital learning objectives (DLOs) within the information literacy portion of this project. As the CSU system has identified a core set of DLOs, which are easily available in MERLOT, local development efforts focus on the design and creation of DLOs of local significance.

High Wycombe, England, has a new library in the Eden shopping and leisure complex, which has three floors and a mezzanine. The mezzanine can host exhibitions and events and there is an innovative “Headspace” are for young readers, who will help to run their own area. Evjen and Audunson’s paper reports the results of studies carried out in two Norwegian cities regarding people’s images of public libraries. The results found the public library as a complex institution with many tasks. While users were more informed about new developments and facilities, the non-users held more conservative views. The only limit set by the respondents’ images was the need to recognise the library as a library.

Recently Bruce Madge, CILIP President, commented on the variety of his duties in his presidential year. He noted how it is important to be prepared for all eventualities, such as him being interviewed by Iranian television, which involved being trained in media skills beforehand (Madge, 2008). Another angle on the need to be prepared for all eventualities is disaster planning for libraries – and this situation in India is the topic of Kaur’s article. Kaur points out that disaster planning in university libraries in India remains a neglected area, and provides case studies of two university libraries hit by floods, commenting that this neglected area should be given more importance at a national level.

Linda Ashcroft

References

Madge, B. (2008), “From the president …”, Library + Information Update, Vol. 7 Nos 7/8, p. 18

RIN (2008), Mind the Gap: Information Handling for Researchers, Research Information Network, London

Wood, A. (2007), A Comprehensive Library Staff Training Programme in the Information Age, Chandos, London

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