scholarly journals Research in public libraries: finding a way forward.

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (65) ◽  
pp. 13-17
Author(s):  
Ray Prytherch ◽  
John Pulse
Keyword(s):  
Present State ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Library Research ◽  
The Future

To review the present state of public library research, to debate what research is needed in the future and what structures to support it might be required.

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.

A Study on Research Trends in Public Library Research in Korea Using Keyword Networks

Libri ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seongsin Lee
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Research Trends ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Library Research ◽  
Library Studies ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Keyword Network ◽  
Management Issues

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to draw a network among the keywords used in public library studies in the LIS field in Korea using a social network analysis method. To achieve the purpose, this study (i) analyses the keywords used in LIS peer-reviewed journal articles on the subject of public libraries, (ii) finds the important keywords of public library studies based on network perspectives, and (iii) compares the keyword network of public library studies for the most recent five years with the keyword network of public library studies of different time periods. Through a keywords analysis of public library studies, the following research trends have been found: (a) Korean public library studies have mainly focused on management issues; (b) there has been much discussion about library cooperation between public libraries and other kinds of libraries; (c) the subjects of research related to evaluation have been diversified as a result of influence from the fields of management and business; (d) scholars became interested in special users; (e) many studies paid attention to human resources issues in public libraries; (f) there have been many studies that are focused on small libraries; and (g) considerable research has been related to lifelong education, in particular, during 2001–2009. In addition, through comparison of the keyword network of public library studies for the most recent five years and the keyword network of public library studies for different time periods, the researcher finds that (i) keywords have both similarities and differences, and (ii) socio-environmental factors influence the research trends.

scholarly journals Research activities in public libraries-findings from fieldwork: Facts and methods

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (71) ◽  
pp. 15-23
Author(s):  
Deborah Goodall
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Library Research ◽  
The Social

Reports current research activities in public library services drawing from a series of interviews with 20 chief librarians. Findings reinforce earlier perceptions and findings about public library research activities. Of particular concern is the fact that research activity and method is largely confined to'simpler' issues of operational service development and does not extend to 'harder' research addressing the social and economic impact of the service. To assess trustworthiness and make best use of the data the interview transcripts are analysed using three techniques: initial data analysis by coding down, dilemma analysis, and intensive analysis carried out using the constant comparative method. Concludes that the restricted research capacity within the public library sector may endanger the realisation of its strategic potential.

scholarly journals An overview of public library research activitity and developments in Northern Ireland

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (102) ◽  
pp. 12-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Osborn
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Government Department ◽  
Library Research ◽  
The Government ◽  
Academic Qualifications

The author describes research undertaken by the government department responsible for public libraries in Northern Ireland to inform policy development and by practitioners to inform practice or in pursuit of academic qualifications.

scholarly journals The relationship between culture and public library use: non-Western students in Scotland

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Salzano ◽  
◽  
Hazel Hall ◽  
Gemma Webster ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Western Countries ◽  
Library Research ◽  
Library Use ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
New Community

Introduction: Individuals’ cultural backgrounds influence their use of societal resources, including those offered in public libraries. Well-established in library research are explorations of the benefits of public library use to new-comer communities, including migrant workers, immigrants, forced migrants, and international students. However, to date no research has been completed on why these communities use particular resources. Methods: The project outlined in this poster concerns international students from non-Western countries in Scotland. Using a mixed methods approach, the study presented will explore why international students from non-Western countries use specific public library resources, and the cultural factors that influence this use. Analyses: Findings will derive from thematic analysis of participant responses in interview and questionnaire data. Conclusion: An understanding of the perceived value of certain resources can assist in the effective tailoring of resources to serve new community members.

scholarly journals Information Equity and Cultural Sharing

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-24
Author(s):  
Shuqing Chu ◽  
Shumin Tu ◽  
Nuo Wang ◽  
Weiran Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Social Equity ◽  
Present Situation ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Growth Environment ◽  
Cultural Life ◽  
The Future

It is very important to study public library services available to migrant workers, which have the potential to enrich public library services and promote social equity. After analyzing the present situation and characteristics of migrant workers in China, this article takes the services for migrant workers offered by Hangzhou Public Library as an example and explores the best ways to service migrant workers in public libraries, including how to further break down the obstacles to service, how to expand the mode of service, and how to make a greater effort to optimize the growth environment of migrant workers and promote their integration into urban cultural life in the future.

What threatens public libraries? The viewpoints of library directors in Sweden

2014 ◽  
Vol 115 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 426-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina Michnik
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Library Directors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Library Research ◽  
Local Decision ◽  
Local Decision Makers

Purpose – This article aims to identify threats perceived by Swedish public library directors as the most prominent. Design/methodology/approach – A web questionnaire was sent to public library directors in all of the Swedish municipalities. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings – The findings reveal that the main threat was considered to be the tension between the current activities of the public library and the expectations of the public, or of local decision makers. One reason for the lack of correspondence between activities and expectations is that public library managers regard the expectations on the public library as unrealistic. Another reason is that lack of resources prevent public library staff from meeting many of these expectations. Public libraries are thus prevented by both ideological and practical barriers in fulfilling expectations. Originality/value – A central issue in current public library research concerns how change in Western society affects public libraries. Many of these studies are either theoretical or based on interviews with politicians. Few researchers investigate how public library directors perceive the situation of public libraries today. Therefore, this article identifies perceptions made by public library directors.

scholarly journals The public sphere and Habermas: reflections on the current state of theory in public library research

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 251-258
Author(s):  
Håkon Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Spheres ◽  
The Public ◽  
Library Research ◽  
The Public Sphere

PurposeThis article addresses a recent debate in this journal between Buschman and Widdersheim and Koizumi on public libraries and public sphere theory in library and information science (LIS). The article moves beyond the debate as the debate has been too focused on the theories of Jürgen Habermas. In order to really understand the democratic mission of public libraries and how it is related to the public sphere, the author argues that LIS scholars need to look beyond Habermas' theories of the public sphere.Design/methodology/approachThis is a theoretical article that discusses different theories of the public sphere, and how they have been and can be applied in library and information science.FindingsThe author finds that a main disagreement between Buschman and Widdersheim and Koizumi is whether one can use the concept of a public sphere without doing it in a “traditional” Habermasian way. The answers put forward in this article, is that we can and should look beyond Habermas' work when seeking to understand the role of public libraries as public spheres.Originality/valueThe article puts forward theories that are not commonly used in LIS, and advocates for broadening the theoretical scope of LIS scholars studying the relations between public libraries and public spheres.

scholarly journals Project EARL (Electronic Access to Resources in Libraries)

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (62) ◽  
pp. 18-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Smith
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Focus Of Attention ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Access To Resources ◽  
Scoping Study ◽  
The Future ◽  
Communication Software ◽  
Electronic Access

Public libraries are facing significant challenges over the next decade and into the 21st century. The need for public libraries therefore to network their services is now increasingly becoming the focus of attention. Project EARL will examine the services, technical infrastructure, and application/communication software required to network public library information and resources services. It will also produce a networking strategy with associated costs for providing public libraries with access to the Internet. Following the workshop, 14 libraries agreed to fund a scoping study which would draw up recommendations and produce costed options for the future funding of major developments.

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