The Future of Reference and Information Service in the Public Library

1978 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 463-475
Author(s):  
Thomas Childers
Keyword(s):  
Information Service ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Future

Immaterial labour, public librarians, and third-generation public libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 117 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 186-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhan A Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Future ◽  
Public Librarians ◽  
Policy Arena ◽  
Blind Spots

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to draw attention to one specific upper-level government policy document in which a discourse of perpetual innovation and customer service is promoted, and the kinds of questions such discursive interventions raise for the future of work in public libraries; and second, to demonstrate the explanatory potential of the concept of immaterial labour for questions relating to emerging labour processes in libraries. The concepts of “prosumer” and Web 2.0 are included as discursive resources of relevance to any discussion of immaterial labour. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents a critical discourse analysis of a public policy visioning document for public libraries in Ontario, Canada, with reflections on related literatures. Findings – The concept of immaterial labour provides an additional analytic tool suitable for questions of relevance to public librarians and library scholars. Within the government text under review which deals specifically with the future of the public library to 2020, the identity of the public librarian is alarmingly absent. Conversely, the library patron as a producer and consumer is privileged. Research limitations/implications – Failure to attend to the broader policy arena within which the public library resides creates dangerous blind spots for public library professionals, educators and researchers. Practical implications – This paper demonstrates the value of a discourse analysis for uncovering the ideological dimensions of policy documents, while simultaneously modelling the method using the kind of policy text commonly produced in governments around the world. Social implications – This paper shows how failure to attend to the broader policy arena within which the public library resides creates dangerous blind spots for the public library community. Originality/value – This paper contextualizes the immaterial and volunteer labour of the public library user as producer/consumer in the context of the future of the frontline professional and waged librarian.

scholarly journals Recap of Media Democracy Days 2015: Taking on the Federal Election

1969 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Ackerley ◽  
Sydney Ball
Keyword(s):  
Public Library ◽  
Alternative Media ◽  
Federal Election ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Future ◽  
Independent Media ◽  
Media Democracy ◽  
Media Practices

Over the 15 years since its inception Media Democracy Days (MDD) has provided a chance for the public to gather with members of Canadian independent media, journalists, and activists to discuss alternative media and the future of Canadian journalism. This year the MDD community came together with the goal of sharing what has been learned about alternative media practices in light of the recent federal election. MDD took place on November 7th at the Vancouver Public Library and was held in partnership with the SFU School of Communication, OpenMedia, Vancouver Public Library, and Fonds Graham Spry Fund.

scholarly journals Membership of the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) among library and information service workers in KwaZulu-Natal

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Musawenkosi Phumelelo Khomo
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Support Staff ◽  
Public Higher Education ◽  
Service Workers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire

The objectives of the study were: 1) to investigate the extent to which workers in library and information services in KwaZulu-Natal are members of LIASA; and 2) if there are substantial numbers of LIS workers who are not currently members, then what are the possible reasons for this? The study surveyed three types of library services in KwaZulu-Natal, namely, academic, public and special libraries with 330 LIS workers participating in the study. A census was done of LIS workers in special libraries and in academic libraries of public higher education institutions in KZN. Simple random sampling was used in selecting public libraries in KZN for participation in the study. All staff in the selected sample of public libraries were surveyed. The research instrument used was a self-administered questionnaire. It was established that a significant number of LIS workers in all three types of libraries surveyed in KZN are currently not members of LIASA for various reasons. LIASA has been unable to draw significant membership from the support staff category in LIS services despite its constitution claiming to embrace all LIS workers. The study recommends that LIASA market itself more aggressively to increase membership levels particularly in the public library sector and among support staff in all LIS services. It also recommends that LIASA should consider involving itself in the industrial concerns of the LIS sector.

Ad fontes! Books on shelves!

2014 ◽  
Vol 115 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 272-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
John van de Pas
Keyword(s):  
Public Library ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Virtual Library ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Commons

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a signpost to the librarian that might be helpful in making strategic assessments for the future of the public library, and helping in the process of decision-making about the course to be followed. Thereby critical remarks about the Internet-based “virtual library lobby” are summed up as arguments against following that path blindly, and alternatives to a technology-centred approach are put forward by focusing on the cultural uses of the library as a public place. Design/methodology/approach – In this article a viewpoint is developed, based on an exploration of selected literature on the function of the library as an institution in society, and different viewpoints that are put forward in the debate on the future of libraries in the Internet era are analyzed. Some contend that going virtual is the only feasible course to take. Others emphasize that many functions of the library are unquantifiable because of their cultural nature, and rooted in physical interaction of citizens with a real space of bricks, mortar and books. These functions may never be fully virtualized, but are deemed essential to the community in which the library institution is rooted, and even society at large. Findings – If librarians choose the technological path of the virtual library, they are rapidly being made obsolete by the multinational commercial information aggregators, where free access to information is no longer provided. If the library takes the cultural path, defining its future as an institution instrumental to “the commons” providing freedom to citizens, the actual use citizens make of library as public places should be taken as central starting point for a feasible future, and technology should be used as a means to that end. Research limitations/implications – The article is a viewpoint, based on a limited selection of literature. Practical implications – The viewpoint offers a critical assessment relevant to those librarians responsible for creating a roadmap for the future of their public library. Social implications – This study underpins the importance of the public library as one of the last true public areas, open to all for the benefit of the community. Originality/value – This study offers a different point of view, possibly even a warning call, against embracing technological determinism that brings with it enclosure of The Commons, which the Public Library in its true meaning should offer. Internet-based services are often put forward (and welcomed by many) as the solution for the future for free access to information. In the article, the case is made that unfettered free access for information to citizens is at odds with actual developments on the Internet, that according to leading Internet critics is rapidly being turned into a commercial advertising platform or market place.

scholarly journals ‘Wanting it now’: baby boomers and the public library of the future

2006 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsty Williamson ◽  
Marion Bannister ◽  
Lynne Makin ◽  
Graeme Johanson ◽  
Don Schauder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baby Boomers ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Future
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