scholarly journals Regulating internet access in UK public libraries: legal compliance and ethical dilemmas

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrienne Muir ◽  
Rachel Spacey ◽  
Louise Cooke ◽  
Claire Creaser
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Legal Obligations ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – This paper aims to consider selected results from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded “Managing Access to the internet in Public Libraries” (MAIPLE) project, from 2012-2014. MAIPLE has explored the ways in which public library services manage use of the internet connections that they provide for the public. This included the how public library services balance their legal obligations and the needs of their communities in a public space and the ethical dilemmas that arise. Design/methodology/approach – The researchers used a mixed-method approach involving a review of the literature, legal analysis, a questionnaire survey and case studies in five public library authorities. Findings – UK public library services use a range of methods to regulate internet access. The research also confirms previous findings that filtering software is an ubiquitous tool for controlling access to and protecting library users from “inappropriate”, illegal and harmful internet content. There is a general, if sometimes reluctant, acceptance of filtering software as a practical tool by library staff, which seems to contrast with professional codes of ethics and attitudes in other countries. The research indicates that public library internet access will be a valued service for some time to come, but that some aspects of how public library services regulate internet access is currently managed can have socially undesirable consequences, including blocking legitimate sites and preventing users from accessing government services. Education could play a greater part in helping the general population to exercise judgement in selection of materials to view and use. This does not preclude implementing stricter controls to protect children, whilst allowing public libraries to continue providing a social good to those who are unable to otherwise participate in the digital age. Research limitations/implications – The response to the survey was 39 per cent meaning that findings may not apply across the whole of the UK. The findings of this study are compared with and supplemented by other quantitative sources, but a strength of this study is the depth of understanding afforded by the use of case studies. Originality/value – This paper provides both a quantitative and qualitative analysis of how internet access is managed in UK public libraries, including how library services fulfil their legal obligations and the ethical implications of how they balance their role in facilitating access to information with their perceived role as a safe and trusted environment for all members of their communities. The findings add to the international discussion on this issue and stimulate debate and policy making in the UK.

scholarly journals Regulating use of the internet in public libraries: a review

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 478-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Spacey ◽  
Louise Cooke ◽  
Adrienne Muir ◽  
Claire Creaser
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Legal Compliance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Funded Project ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Technical Solutions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review current knowledge, research and thinking about the difficulties facing public libraries offering internet access to their users in ensuring legally compliant and non-offensive use of this facility whilst still adhering to the professional value of freedom of access to information. Design/methodology/approach – A range of recently published sources (1997-2013) relating to the technical and organisational measures used to manage public internet access primarily in public libraries in the UK with some limited international examples were reviewed and analysed. This work was undertaken as the underpinning research for an AHRC-funded project, MAIPLE (Managing Access to the internet in Public Libraries). Findings – The provision of public internet access is a well-established component of the role of public libraries, but is seen as a potential problem due to the possibility of misuse, and it appears that simplistic technical solutions have disappointed. Legislation increases the need for more effective solutions that can provide a balance between the need for legal compliance, a welcoming environment for users, and the protection of key freedoms. A range of measures are being adopted worldwide in response to this dilemma. Originality/value – Research exploring internet access in public libraries and its management in the UK is numerically small and much of it dates back to the start of the twenty-first century. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the available literature and is of relevance to practitioners and academics in the fields of public librarianship.

scholarly journals Filtering wireless (Wi-Fi) Internet access in public places

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Spacey ◽  
Adrienne Muir ◽  
Louise Cooke ◽  
Claire Creaser ◽  
Valérie Spezi
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Public Places ◽  
Security Issues ◽  
Legal Obligations ◽  
Acceptable Use Policies

This paper discusses selected results from the AHRC-funded ‘Managing Access to the Internet in Public Librarie s’ (MAIPLE) project and explores Wi-Fi Internet access in UK public libraries. It investigates how this compares to commercial provision of public Wi-Fi. It discusses security issues, filtering of Wi-Fi access and acceptable use policies. A mixed methods approach was used involving a review of the literature, a questionnaire survey of UK public library authorities and five case studies of selected authorities. A majority of UK public library authorities offer Wi-Fi access to the public at one or more of their libraries and they generally have an authentication system in place for their users. The majority of survey respondents that provide Wi-Fi use filtering software. There are similarities and differences in the ways that public libraries and commercial outlets provide and manage access to their wireless networks. Differences mainly relate to security and privacy: these differences reflect to an extent the underlying purposes of providing public Wi-Fi access as well as legal obligations. In some ways, public library Wi-Fi access is better managed than commercially provided public services. Evidence from the case studies suggests reluctant acceptance of filtering on the part of public library authorities, based on a perceived need to balance providing access to information with providing a safe and trusted public space for all.

Estimation of GDP from public library usage: Turkey sample

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 153-171
Author(s):  
Semanur Öztemiz ◽  
Mustafa Agah Tekindal
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Var Model ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Causality Test ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integration Test ◽  
Library Users

PurposePublic libraries are institutions that provide information services to all citizens in a country and support the development of lifelong learning, awareness and creativity. All these provide an advantage for having a developed economy and being a developed society. This study aims to reveal the interaction between the gross domestic product (GDP) and public library usage in Turkey. The study also purposed to increase awareness of the economic benefits of public libraries.Design/methodology/approachIn the study, a vector autoregression (VAR) model and co-integration techniques were used. Johansen co-integration test was used examining the long-term relationship between the variables. Due to the variables moving together in the long term, the vector error-correction model was preferred instead of the VAR model, as a result.FindingsAccording to the causality test results, GDP was found to be affected when there was a change in the number of library users. According to the Granger causality test result, a change in GDP was also found to have a significant effect on the number of library users. All these indicate an interaction between GDP and public library usage in Turkey between 2001 and 2017.Social implicationsThe revealed interaction between GDP and the number of public library users can be useful for policymakers who are making decisions to develop public library services and to increase GDP.Originality/valueThe interaction between public library usage and GDP can be seen such as an unlikely combination. However, this study presented a mutual interaction between public library usage and GDP. The findings of the study will be of a great importance in developing countries to be motivated to make public library services better.

scholarly journals Free and for all? A comparative study of programs with user fees in North American and Danish public libraries

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 103-115
Author(s):  
Noah Lenstra ◽  
Mia Høj Mathiasson
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
User Fees ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Cross National

PurposeAs a research topic within the field of LIS, programs in public libraries are underexplored, and the question of user fees for programs has not previously been addressed.Design/methodology/approachThis article compares data collected from two individually conducted studies of public library programs in North America and Denmark to enrich our understanding of user fees in relation to programs.FindingsThe comparative analysis shows both similarities and deviations regarding the levying of fees for library programs. While paying a fee to attend a program is rather normal in Denmark, it is more of a fringe idea in North America.Research limitations/implicationsBy exploring a previously understudied facet of contemporary public librarianship, this article opens up new avenues for inquiry regarding how the relative accessibility and availability of programs relate to theoretical discussions about programs as public library services.Practical implicationsThis article provides library managers with needed information about how to conceptualize the roles of programs as public library services.Social implicationsAs programming surges to the fore in contemporary public librarianship, the levying of user fees has social implications in terms of social equity and the public library ethos of free and equal access for all.Originality/valueThis article is the first study of user fees for public library programs, as well as among the first cross-national comparisons of programming as a dimension of public librarianship.

Impact and performance measurement in public library services in the UK

2004 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 96-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill Macnaught
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Keynote Address ◽  
Library Services ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Uk

The paper was presented as a response to Curtis's keynote address published immediately preceding. Bill Macnaught is Head of Cultural Development at Gateshead Council, UK, with responsibility for public libraries. He contextualised Curtis's statements, with reference to the Gateshead experience.

scholarly journals Innovative public library services – staff-less or staff-intensive?

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 469-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Gustav Johannsen
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Customer Relationships ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leadership Initiatives ◽  
Library Development ◽  
Self Service

Purpose – Several recent library innovations seem to make professional and clerical staff superfluous such as automated loan and delivery equipment, staff-less libraries open in 80 hours a week, and virtual services, enabling users to search the library catalogue and make reservations of library materials from their home address. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether such developments will necessarily lead to a situation where public libraries become self-service institutions or to what extent self-service and innovative staff-intensive library services can develop and co-exist. Furthermore, the paper will examine what challenges library leaders face and what they can do, and actually have done, to handle staff resistance and other related problems to the benefit of both the users, the local communities, and also, the staff, in particular, when introducing new and innovative services. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on the author's evaluations of two recent Danish library development projects. Both evaluations are based on empirical data and apply quantitative (questionnaires) as well as qualitative (interviews, observations) methods. Findings – The findings reveal that staff attitudes toward staff-less libraries, and – more surprising – also toward more staff-intensive practices have been somewhat reluctant and skeptical. The paper also presents leadership initiatives which have proved to handle such resistances constructively. Originality/value – The paper contains a first-hand report on the results of a recent (2011-2012) unique, full-scale, Danish public library development project, investigating the experiences with pro-active and guest-customer relationships within a public library setting.

scholarly journals ‘To be understood as to understand’: A readability analysis of public library acceptable use policies

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 713-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Robinson ◽  
David McMenemy
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Testing Procedures ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Ease Score ◽  
Acceptable Use Policies ◽  
The Uk ◽  
High Level

Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) are documents stating the limitations users must agree to when first accessing information and communications technologies (ICTs) in organisations, such as employers, educational institutions and public libraries. AUPs lay out the parameters of acceptable use expected of someone accessing the ICT services provided, and should state in clear and understandable terms what behaviours will attract sanctions, both legal and in terms of restricting future access. Utilising a range of standard readability tests used to measure how understandable documents are, the paper investigates how readable the AUPs presented to public library patrons in the UK are in practice. Of the 206 AUPs in use across the local government departments who manage public library services 200 were obtained and subjected to a range of readability testing procedures. Four readability tests were used for analysis: the Flesch Reading Ease, the Coleman-Liau Index, the Gunning Fog Index and the SMOG Grade. Results for all four readability tests administered on all AUPs raise significant questions. For the Flesch Reading Ease score only 5.5% of AUPs scored at the standard readability level or higher (60+), and 8% scored at a very high level of difficulty akin to a piece of scientific writing. Similarly, for SMOG, only 7.5% of the 200 AUPs scored at the recommended level of 10. Likewise, very few AUPs scored at levels recommended for a general audience with either the Gunning Fog Index (11.5%) or the Coleman-Liau Index (2%). With such variability in readability, the fitness for purpose of the average AUP as a contract patrons must agree to can be called into question. This paper presents the first ever analysis of the readability of library AUPs in the literature. Recommendations are made as to how public library services may improve this aspect of practice.

scholarly journals Perceived outcomes of public libraries in Finland, Norway and the Netherlands

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 927-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pertti Vakkari ◽  
Svanhild Aabø ◽  
Ragnar Audunson ◽  
Frank Huysmans ◽  
Marjolein Oomes
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Measurement Instrument ◽  
Mail Survey ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Web Surveys ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the perceived benefits of public libraries and their structure in the major areas of life between Finland, Norway and the Netherlands. Design/methodology/approach – The data were based on representative samples of Finnish, Norwegian and Dutch adult library users. In Finland a mail survey was used and in Norway and the Netherlands web surveys were used for data collection. The distribution of the proportion of those benefiting from the library in various areas of life at least sometimes was compared across countries. The structure of benefits was compared across countries by factor analysis. Findings – The results showed that the level of the nineteen benefits observed was considerably higher, and the range of benefits remarkably broader in Finland compared to Norway and the Netherlands. It is likely that the greater supply of library services in Finland compared to the other two countries explains the differences in benefits derived from the public library. The study validated the measurement instrument for the perceived overall outcomes of public libraries. Research limitations/implications – Comparing only three countries is too limited for producing valid results on the relations between the supply of library services and their use and the benefits derived from that use. Analyzing these associations in a larger sample of countries would create reliable results also for policy making. Practical implications – The policy implications of these findings are discussed. Originality/value – This is the first across-country comparison observing perceived benefits of public libraries across major areas of life.

Public library Twitter use during the early period of the COVID-19 lockdown in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Youngok Choi ◽  
Sung Un Kim
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The United States ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analysis Scheme ◽  
Community Information

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the Twitter use of public libraries during the early period of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic to evaluate the focus of Twitter communication. Design/methodology/approach A total of 57 active, public library Twitter accounts were used for data collection and analysis. The tweets examined were a combination of original tweets (n = 1,465) and retweets (n = 516) posted from other Twitter accounts on the public libraries’ Twitter feeds. A content analysis scheme was developed to analyse topical aspects of the tweets. Findings The most frequent tweets were about library events, programmes and activities. However, there was a relatively low focus on sharing community information and addressing information related to the pandemic. The study suggests that public libraries could use Twitter to provide library resources and services to their patrons, whilst also acting as a virtual community centre safely keeping patrons engaged in the face of a global pandemic. By doing so, Twitter could be used as an integral part of promoting the mission of public libraries. Research limitations/implications The study examined a limited number of public libraries’ Twitter posts. Whilst the study carried out a random sampling of 10% of public libraries from the five states that had the highest COVID-19 cases in the month of April 2020, the study only examined tweets of 57 public libraries being active in posting. Thus, the findings of the study are not for generalizing. Practical implications The content scheme includes content types regarding library services and community information. The content category scheme is general to reflect themes of content during a normal time and any emergency. Thus, this framework could be helpful for the content development of public libraries in planning social media use. Originality/value The study used a new content analysis framework to examine both original tweets and retweets for information sharing of library services and community information. The approach of content analysis is distinctive to examine libraries’ communication trends on social media not only in normal times but also in times of crisis as well. The study also incorporated additional measures to assess Twitter practices including hashtags.

Public libraries and the social web: a review and analysis of the existing literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Namjoo Choi ◽  
Lindsey M. Harper
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Social Web ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
General Acceptance ◽  
Literature Searches ◽  
The Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to update Carlsson (2015), which examined the research on public libraries and the social web published from 2006 to 2012, and it also intends to go beyond Carlsson (2015) by including six additional variables. Design/methodology/approach Literature searches were performed against Web of Science Core Collection and EBSCOhost databases. By adapting Carlsson’s (2015) three level key phrase searches, which were then complemented by chain searching, a total of 60 articles were identified and analyzed. Findings In comparison to Carlsson (2015), this study shows that the recent research, published between 2012 and 2018, leans toward a more general acceptance of the social web’s usage to improve the services provided by public libraries; that the public library is rarely premised to be in a state of crisis; and that the social web is mostly perceived as having a complementary relationship with librarianship and library services. The findings from analyzing the six additional variables are also presented. Research limitations/implications The findings from this study provide LIS professionals a greater understanding of where the research stands on the topic at present, and this study also identifies gaps in the literature to offer insight into the areas where future research can be directed. Originality/value Given the continued popularity of social web usage among public libraries, this study examines the literature published on the social web in the public library context between 2012 and 2018 and offers implications and future research suggestions.

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