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Article
Publication date: 19 October 2018

Nove E. Variant Anna

This paper aims to observe the province’s public library websites in Indonesia and to give some recommendation about knowledge portal website that can support the creation and…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to observe the province’s public library websites in Indonesia and to give some recommendation about knowledge portal website that can support the creation and invention of knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

Data and information were gathered by observing library websites at the provincial level to see the digital survey and collection. This survey includes 34 province public library websites in the period from August 1 to 15, 2017. As the survey focuses on the availability of online digital collections, availability of digital services such as the user can have conversation with the librarian through a chat reference service, the availability of trusted external information sources, the availability of user forums for discussion.

Findings

The result of the research showed that the public library websites in Indonesia are still static (less interactive) and only give standard information about the library services, its operational hours, contact numbers and their collection. According to the result, it is recommended for every public library transforms its website into a knowledge portal website that can give a real and direct effect to the users, especially in the creation of innovation.

Originality/value

This paper also recommends a framework for a knowledge portal that includes e-resources, user needs, partnership, internet resources, integrated OPAC and collaboration. A survey on a library website is rarely conducted in Indonesia; therefore, this result will be beneficial for developing library websites.

Details

Library Hi Tech News, vol. 35 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0741-9058

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 September 2011

Siobhan Stevenson

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the value of French School Regulation theory for questions of relevance to researchers and practitioners working in the field of…

1578

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the value of French School Regulation theory for questions of relevance to researchers and practitioners working in the field of information policy in general and public librarianship in particular.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is divided into two parts. Part one outlines Regulation theory's twin analytic tools of Fordism and post‐Fordism and its value for questions about the evolution of the public library. Part two provides an example of the approach's explanatory potential when applied to a series of public library planning documents produced by the Government of Ontario, Canada from the 1950s.

Findings

An interpretation of the evolution of the identity of the library user from patron to customer to information producer‐consumer is proposed at the intersection of the neoliberal state's austerity in social spending, the ubiquity of the new information and communication technologies, and fundamental changes in libraries as sites of waged‐work.

Research limitations/implications

The research facilitates the development of a political economy of the contemporary public library of potential value to the international public library community. Also, conceiving of the public library as first and foremost a site of productive work forces one to re‐engage with the meaning of shifting relations between the library user and the institution on working conditions.

Originality/value

The applicability of a relatively under‐utilized theoretical framework is modelled that enables one to ask new questions of relevance to the field of library and information science.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 67 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 March 2022

Rocco Palumbo

Publicly owned libraries deliver a fundamental public service, fostering the citizens' access to knowledge. However, little is known about the factors underpinning the public

Abstract

Purpose

Publicly owned libraries deliver a fundamental public service, fostering the citizens' access to knowledge. However, little is known about the factors underpinning the public libraries' organizational attractiveness. The article aims to shed light on this issue, investigating how the public libraries' service offering contributes to increasing their attractiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary data were collected from the national census study of libraries carried out in 2019 by the Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). More than 4,500 publicly owned libraries established in Italy were involved in the analysis. A linear regression model was designed to examine the implications of public libraries' service offering on the number of people who visited them in 2019. The units of analysis were grouped in three clusters based on their organizational size.

Findings

Small-sized libraries' attractiveness relied on loan services (LS) and catalogs' integration, as well as on the availability of spaces for promoting social exchanges (SE) and interactions. The same was true for medium-sized libraries, whose attractiveness was also fostered by digitization. Large-sized libraries' ability to attract users was primarily affected by LS and by the provision of people-centered cultural services (CS).

Practical implications

Publicly owned libraries should arrange tailored strategies to increase their attractiveness. Small-sized and medium-sized libraries should exploit community-oriented initiatives to establish a co-creating dialog with users. Conversely, large-sized entities should advance the users' access to conventional services and implement people-centered cultural activities, recontextualizing their exchange with users in the digital domain to enhance service quality.

Originality/value

The article originally investigates the factors affecting the attractiveness of publicly owned libraries, providing intriguing insights to managers and practitioners.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. 35 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 February 2011

Francisco‐Javier García‐Marco

This paper sets out to address the issue of the impact and evolution of digital libraries and information services using the concept of information ecologies.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper sets out to address the issue of the impact and evolution of digital libraries and information services using the concept of information ecologies.

Design/methodology/approach

After setting the perspective, digital libraries are explored from their functional logic inside the social subsystem that deals with transferring knowledge in the form of information among people and generations. The current landscape is then presented, which is complicated by the enormous technological shift in course. The concept of information ecology is useful for reducing this complexity.

Findings

Trends affecting modern information ecology in which digital libraries are evolving are studied. Specifically, eight noteworthy processes in this development are analyzed: ubiquity of information management; digital convergence; technological standardization and leverage; the surging of a worldwide space of collaboration, and competition; swift advances in the international division of informational work; the transformation of the physical information units toward the provision of proximity services; the entry of new agents in the field; and the growing emphasis on data management.

Originality/value

The changing environment in the libraries field is explored using the concept of information ecologies. Some of the most important trends in the digital environment are identified and their effect on the social and economical functions of libraries is shown. Information ecology is very complex, with many actors, and libraries have some niches ensured (heritage preservation, proximity services …), though others could be better performed by emerging full‐digital organizations.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 July 2019

Cheryl Stenstrom, Natalie Cole and Rachel Hanson

The purpose of this paper is to discuss a review of the literature on the value of public libraries and propose a preliminary value framework for the public library based on the…

1921

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss a review of the literature on the value of public libraries and propose a preliminary value framework for the public library based on the results. The review was conducted and the framework was developed as part of a larger ongoing project exploring the value of California’s public libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a literature review of approximately 130 international, national and local resources from 1998 to 2018. Findings were developed through an analysis and synthesis of the works as they relate to public libraries.

Findings

The themes that emerged from the exploration of studies fell into three intersecting categories: support for personal advancement; support for vulnerable populations; and support for community development. A wide variety of quantitative and qualitative methods have been employed in this area of research. Among the many ways to discuss value, the most appropriate for the user will always depend on the context for which the concept of value is being defined.

Practical implications

Practitioners may find the various definitions of value useful when sharing information about public libraries with decision makers and other stakeholder audiences and when designing service models and outcomes.

Originality/value

The authors believe this paper is the first to identify the emergence of a value framework for the public library based on a literature review exploring both the social and financial value of public libraries.

Details

Library Management, vol. 40 no. 6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 15 December 2016

Eric D. M. Johnson

This chapter explores the recent trend in libraries: that of the establishment of spaces specifically set aside for creative work. The rise of these dedicated creative spaces is…

Abstract

Purpose

This chapter explores the recent trend in libraries: that of the establishment of spaces specifically set aside for creative work. The rise of these dedicated creative spaces is owed to a confluence of factors that happen to be finding their expression together in recent years. This chapter examines the history of these spaces and explores the factors that gave rise to them and will fuel them moving forward.

Methodology/approach

A viewpoint piece, this chapter combines historical research and historical/comparative analyses to examine the ways by which libraries have supported creative work in the past and how they may continue to do so into the 21st century.

Findings

The key threads brought together include a societal recognition of the value of creativity and related skills and attributes; the philosophies, values, and missions of libraries in both their long-standing forms and in recent evolutions; the rise of participatory culture as a result of inexpensive technologies; improved means to build community and share results of efforts; and library experience and historical practice in matters related to creativity. The chapter concludes with advice for those interested in the establishment of such spaces, grounding those reflections in the author’s experiences in developing a new creative space at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Originality/value

While a number of pieces have been written that discuss the practicalities of developing certain kinds of creative spaces, very little has been written that situates these spaces in larger social and library professional contexts; this chapter begins to fill that gap.

Details

The Future of Library Space
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-270-5

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 17 August 2020

Lilian Oyieke

Discourses on critical librarianship have been mainly theoretical. However, discourses with a practical application of Critical Theory in librarianship, critical librarianship, or…

Abstract

Discourses on critical librarianship have been mainly theoretical. However, discourses with a practical application of Critical Theory in librarianship, critical librarianship, or library management and operations are limited. Yet, librarianship underscores efficiency and practicality in service provision with the dominant ideology in librarianship being practicality. Based on Critical Theory and emerging power dynamics in e-services, this chapter presents a discussion on the practical application of Critical Theory in academic libraries. The Web 2.0 technologies have triggered a shift in information seeking and use by empowering the academic library users to seek and use information from nontraditional sources. This shift in information seeking behavior and the resultant power dynamics has an impact on strengthening of the academic library as a public sphere; a public virtual space where people can meet and exchange ideas with the eventual outcome of democratization of knowledge. This chapter analyses the practical implications of power dynamics in academic libraries and the need for realignment of academic library functions to key Critical Success Factors (CSFs) including the role of library management, a focus on librarian power, a focus on user empowerment, creating awareness of the Web 2.0 services, and maximizing the use of Web 2.0 technologies. A proper realignment of the shifting power is necessary and must be pursued as a deliberate strategy by academic libraries to facilitate generation and sharing of information. It concludes by presenting the practical implications of power dynamics in academic libraries and recommendations on dealing with the emerging paradigm shifts.

Details

Critical Librarianship
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83909-485-9

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1998

Mary Anne Craft

Public libraries are taking on business ventures that involve the selling of products and services. Most common are food services but these are primarily for customer and staff…

824

Abstract

Public libraries are taking on business ventures that involve the selling of products and services. Most common are food services but these are primarily for customer and staff convenience rather than profit as they generally earn less than 0.25 percent of a library’s operating budget. The real income is in services, as in managing libraries at other institutions (Martin Library, York, PA), which earns nearly half of the library’s operating budget, or services such as issuing passports, and establishing a virtual university (Palm Springs Public Library, Palm Springs, CA) which are estimated to earn 15 to 20 percent of the library’s operating budget. In considering business ventures libraries should pay attention to the following considerations ‐ the library’s mission, its capability, the financial impact, legal aspects, community relations value, and professional and ethical issues.

Details

The Bottom Line, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0888-045X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2004

Frances Schofield, David McMenemy and Kay Henderson

The people's network (PN) aims to ensure the provision of free and open access to Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) through public libraries. This paper compares the…

1629

Abstract

The people's network (PN) aims to ensure the provision of free and open access to Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) through public libraries. This paper compares the usage of a PN converted library to an original learning centre. It was found that a wide range of people from different age groups and backgrounds use the ICT facilities. The results also indicated that both libraries had been successful in providing access to ICTs for people who would otherwise have had no access, although the age of the technology available in the more established learning centre had a negative impact on users, and the take‐up of online learning opportunities had not been as prominent as would be expected.

Details

Library Review, vol. 53 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1991

R.J. Prichard

The closing years of the last decade saw the United Kingdomgovernment trying to implement changes which could drastically alter theconcept of the public library service in this…

Abstract

The closing years of the last decade saw the United Kingdom government trying to implement changes which could drastically alter the concept of the public library service in this country. These developments provoked a nationwide reaction from both librarians and the public which was expressed in the national and local press as well as in the anticipated professional sources. In the event the measures taken were not as draconian as feared, but the threat to the public library service remains. These events are chronicled and illustrated.

Details

Library Review, vol. 40 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Keywords

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