What Is the Role of the Library?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
Subscription Libraries

What do we mean when we say “libraries”? Obviously, there are many different kinds of libraries with a variety of missions: Public libraries, corporate libraries, hospital libraries, subscription libraries, school libraries, and academic libraries all exist to do subtly but significantly different things. Since this...

scholarly journals Evidence based research activities, interests and opportunities exist for practitioners in all library sectors in the British Isles

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie McKenna
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
Future Research ◽  
British Isles ◽  
The Past ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Survey Questionnaires

A review of: McNicol, Sarah. “Is Research an Untapped Resource in the Library and Information Profession?” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 36.3 (September 2004):119-26. Objective – To scope the range, nature and challenges of present, planned and future research by practitioners within libraries in the British Isles. Design – A series of survey questionnaires sent by mail. Setting – Public, academic, health, special and school libraries of the British Isles. Subjects – A total of 2384 questionnaires were sent out and 334 responses were received. 62 academic libraries, 83 health libraries, 78 public libraries, 63 school libraries and 48 special libraries participated in the study. Methods – This study was undertaken in 2003 by a research team at the University of Central England. Survey questionnaires were sent by mail to library directors in all public library authorities, academic libraries, health libraries and special libraries in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In addition, questionnaires were sent to the librarians in all state and independent schools within a sample of nine local education authorities. Each participant was asked to identify past and future research issues of interest and the barriers to research practice within their library. Research was defined to include work on both externally funded and in-house projects and examples of the types of activities that this might include were provided. Main results – Half the respondents reported that they had been involved in some form of research in the past two years, with the lowest level of involvement from school libraries and the highest in public libraries. Generally, only the library directly involved in conducting the research made use of the findings and a gap in the dissemination of results was identified across sectors. User surveys were the most common form of research undertaken across libraries and slightly fewer respondents intended to carry out research in the coming twelve months than had in the past (the area most commonly mentioned was user surveys). Information and communications technology (ICT) was an area of planned future research in all libraries, as were user needs and user behaviour. The most frequently cited barriers to research activity across all sectors were lack of time and financial resources. Staff skills and the lack of focus on practical problems to solve were indicated as a barrier in health, public and academic libraries. Libraries reported a range of common uses for the research findings including: informing strategic and service planning; providing benchmarking data and measuring the effectiveness of services; identification of marketing and public relations opportunities; discovery of staff training needs; and use of the results to demonstrate the value of libraries to funding bodies. Conclusion – This study provides insight into practitioner-focused areas of research interest and possible areas for future investigation. As the author reports in her conclusion, the survey results cannot be considered representative of the wider population. Since research interests often overlap, a sector wide or cross-sectoral research approach should be considered to allow library staff to identify and resolve common problems. Wide dissemination of research results within the practitioner community would be of benefit to all. Greater communication between practitioner and information science communities is also encouraged, as these communities’ work is mutually beneficial.

scholarly journals Promoting a reading culture in school community: how to engage reading activities cross curricula, directors, teachers, students, parents, administrative services, local authorities, public libraries and other partners – Relating a project

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Bela Martins ◽  
Alexandra Marques
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
School Library ◽  
School Community ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
Administrative Services ◽  
Reading Culture ◽  
Reading Activities

The main purpose of this paper is to present how an intensive collaboration between the National Portuguese Reading Plan and the School Libraries Network Programme plays an important role in the promotion of reading literacy as a baseline to develop all kinds of other literacy abilities and empower the role of school libraries and the collaborative work between the school community and the school library, by reporting on one of the most significant projects, which shows the relevance of this partnership. School libraries are a privileged structure in the school for skill development, not only in accessing information, available locally or remotely, enabling students with critical thinking, transforming information to knowledge, supporting curricula, but also in readers training and the promotion of reading habits, which is a basic tool for lifelong learning.

Managing and accessing indigenous knowledge for national development: The role of academic libraries in Ghana

2021 ◽  
pp. 026666692110099
Author(s):  
Paulina Afful-Arthur ◽  
Paulina Nana Yaa Kwafoa ◽  
Matilda Ampah-Johnston ◽  
Vida Mensah
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
National Development ◽  
Target Audience ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Collaborative Efforts

This paper is to examine the role academic libraries can play to organize and make indigenous knowledge accessible for national development. The target audience for the paper are academic librarians in Ghana, researchers of African studies in Ghana and other stakeholders. This is a qualitative study with data from interviews with the librarians and a desk-top literature review. Academic librarians in Ghana recognize the importance of indigenous knowledge organization, but little has been done by way of research. Most academic libraries in Ghana have the basic resources to manage indigenous knowledge. Academic librarians need to be proactive in their collaborative efforts to manage indigenous knowledge. Academic librarians in Ghana should be proactive towards effective management of indigenous knowledge, for easy accessibility. Again, academic libraries need to be well resourced to manage indigenous knowledge. Finally, academic libraries need to create awareness about the importance of indigenous knowledge using different media platforms to all stakeholders.

The role of public libraries in the development of social capital in local communities – a theoretical study

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-196
Author(s):  
Maja Dorota Wojciechowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

PurposeSocial capital, understood as intangible community values available through a network of connections, is a factor in the development of societies and improving quality of life. It helps to remove economic inequalities and prevent poverty and social exclusion, stimulate social and regional development, civic attitudes and social engagement and build a civic society as well as local and regional identity. Many of these tasks may be implemented by libraries, which, apart from providing access to information, may also offer a number of services associated with social needs. The purpose of this paper is to present the roles and functions that libraries may serve in local communities in terms of assistance, integration and development based on classical social capital theories.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the classical concepts of social capital in the context of libraries. It analyses the findings of Pierre-Félix Bourdieu, James Coleman, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Putnam, Nan Lin, Ronald Stuart Burt, Wayne Baker and Alejandro Portes. Based on their respective concepts, the paper analyses the role of the contemporary library in the social life of local communities. In particular, it focuses on the possible new functions that public libraries may serve.FindingsA critical review of the concept of social capital revealed certain dependencies between libraries and their neighbourhoods. With new services that respond to the actual social needs, libraries may serve as a keystone, namely they may integrate, animate and engage local communities. This, however, requires a certain approach to be adopted by the personnel and governing authorities as well as infrastructure and tangible resources.Originality/valueThe social engagement of libraries is usually described from the practical perspective (reports on the services provided) or in the context of research on the impact of respective projects on specific groups of users (research reports). A broader approach, based on original social theories, is rarely encountered. The paper draws on classical concepts of social capital and is a contribution to the discussion on possible uses of those concepts based on an analysis of the role of libraries in social life and in strengthening the social capital of local communities.

‘The whole of the proceedings were very orderly’: Gunpowder Plot celebrations, civic culture and identity in some smaller Kent towns, 1860–1890

Urban History ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
IAIN TAYLOR
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Civic Culture ◽  
Business Relationships ◽  
Local Variant ◽  
The Social ◽  
Gunpowder Plot ◽  
Formed Part

ABSTRACT:This article looks at how and why Bonfire Night celebrations became more peaceful in the later nineteenth century in some smaller Kent towns and what this process reveals about local civic cultures and identities. The drive towards respectability is seen both in the changing business relationships between participants, spectators and local tradesmen and in the evolving role of satire within processions. The ‘social energy’ visible at these events was channelled such that earlier class and other vertical conflicts within these towns were superseded by horizontal rivalries without, as they competed against each other (an important local variant of civic boosterism) to build free public libraries, for example. Moreover, more peaceful ‘Fifths’ and better reading facilities were linked, since both formed part of the much-altered prevailing civic cultures in these towns – their comprehensive, continuous, identity-driven efforts to present themselves in the best possible light against their rivals.

Librarian perspectives on the role of virtual reality in public libraries

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kung Jin Lee ◽  
W. E. King ◽  
Negin Dahya ◽  
Jin Ha Lee
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Public Libraries

Changes and developments in Greek libraries

2001 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Papazoglou ◽  
Eva Semertzaki
Keyword(s):  
European Community ◽  
Educational System ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
National Level ◽  
Community Support ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Bibliographic Records ◽  
National Book ◽  
Additional Support

Greek libraries have experienced a tremendous evolution towards modernization during the last few years. The lack of tradition in libraries and the existence of an educational system based on the single textbook did not favor until recently the development of libraries in Greece. However, the European Community action aimed at enabling European libraries to play an important role in the information market, and the Community Support Framework, through which libraries could be funded at the national level, allowed for a dynamic set of actions for Greek libraries. All types of libraries, academic, public and school are moving ahead – 500 school libraries were established in secondary schools alone. In the academic libraries, the horizontal action can be proud of the creation of a consortium called HEAL LINK that shares journal subscriptions and will also operate a Union Catalog of bibliographic records. Library‐related organizations such as the National Documentation Center and the National Book Center, offer additional support in this movement of progress. This paper describes these initiatives and others.

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