Managing a library service through a crisis

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Cowell
Keyword(s):  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Scenario Planning ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Library Service ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Viewpoint

PurposeThe study aims to explore public libraries' ability to respond to worst-case scenarios and whether planning and scenario planning is a useful exercise to prepare library staff and library organisations for quick and agile responses to crises in the future.Design/methodology/approachPersonal viewpoint of crisis management of a library service through the experience of the library service the author manages.FindingsThis paper describes Yarra Plenty Regional Library’s (YPRL’s) response to the pandemic and lockdowns in Metro Melbourne. It offers some opinions on library services readiness to respond to crises and describes the foundations of YPRL's successful response.Originality/valueYPRL is a regional corporation governed by a board of directors and serves three councils. This is one of 10 such corporations in Victoria. The organisation's response and the development as a corporation through this crisis is something that other organisations can learn from.

Information management during a crisis – providing an open and reliable information infrastructure for a sustainable world

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarmo Saarti
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Information Infrastructure ◽  
Reliable Information ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Academic Resources

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of the corona situation on the academic library services, policies and activities.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology of the paper is opinion piece based on experiences.FindingsThere is a need for global policymaking for both the open academic resources dissemination and crisis management.Originality/valueThe originality of the paper is based on recent experiences.

Information seeking and/or identity seeking: libraries as sources of cultural identity

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 12-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Szabolcs Dancs
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multicultural Environment ◽  
Personal Process

Purpose What are the responsibilities of libraries, if there is any, in the personal process of constructing cultural identity? The purpose of this paper is to find answers to this question and pose several others such as: Can the author define a standard for creating group identity, for instance, by involving or integrating tools and experiences from the area of bibliotherapy? How can libraries support their patrons to work with their tradition, on their tradition, i.e. to create their own cultural identity? Design/methodology/approach The author provides with proposals to develop library services to meet new expectations that are raised by the increasing importance of bridging communities of different cultural backgrounds. Findings By expanding the scope of bibliotherapy, the author might assist in solving social problems and international tensions. The author should consider the possibility of running projects involving historians, culture experts and bibliotherapists to build a shared digital corpus and design specific tools for research and constructing common narratives. To find common cultural references in a multicultural environment is a challenge that requires openness in many fields. Public libraries are mainly at the frontline. There are some old responsibilities that need to be refined under the changing circumstances; new tasks and principals might emerge. Originality/value Despite the role of libraries in creating cultural identity is emphasized by a couple of relevant IFLA and UNESCO documents, there are no specific guides on methods to implement. A few ideas have been outlined in this paper about how libraries could contribute to bringing cultures together and challenge prejudices and stereotypes.

Perceptions and acceptance of librarians towards using Facebook and Twitter to promote library services in Oyo State, Nigeria

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 870-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omobolanle Serifat Fasola
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
Library Service ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Media Tools ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on research that examined librarians’ perception and acceptance of use of Facebook and Twitter in promoting library services in Oyo state, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – The survey design and interview were used to collect data from librarians in Oyo state. The questionnaire contained questions that are pertinent to the issues being investigated. The 81 responses (81 per cent) received were processed, analysed and results presented. Findings – The paper reveals that majority of the libraries in Oyo state, Nigeria, have Facebook profiles, though minority have Twitter accounts. Librarians in Oyo state, Nigeria, have high perception and acceptance of using Facebook and Twitter to promote library services. Findings also reveal that librarians in academic and special libraries in Oyo state, Nigeria, are more highly receptive to use of Facebook and Twitter to promote library services. Findings revealed further that younger librarians showed more positive perception and higher acceptance. Research limitations/implications – While the research was limited to librarians in Oyo state, Nigeria, it has applications to librarians and libraries all over Nigeria. Practical implications – This research provides information on the perceptions and acceptance of social media tools (Facebook and Twitter) in promoting library services. The findings may help provide information to library heads on adopting new and popular technologies to bring the library closer to the user and attract more users and on why it is not being used where they are provided. Originality/value – At the time of completing this study, research had mainly been on librarians’ use of social media for personal issues not on librarians’ perception and acceptance of using it to promote library services. This research also focuses on libraries in Oyo state having a presence on Facebook and Twitter to promote library service and direct and prompt communication with their users.

A study to evaluate the digitization level of Korean libraries (part II)

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-403
Author(s):  
Younghee Noh
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Library Services ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
College And University ◽  
The World ◽  
Library Program

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the current digitization levels of Korean libraries by identifying key elements of library services and measuring them for conventional vs digital approaches and use. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilized previous research related to digital libraries and consultations with experts to arrive at 13 evaluation elements and components within them to analyze. For the purpose of this study specialized libraries, college and university libraries, and public libraries were surveyed, and their responses analyzed to rate their current digitization levels vs more conventional approaches. Findings – First, after determining the elements that characterized the conventional and digital libraries by analyzing different pieces of literature and consulting with experts, 92 factors were identified for each of the conventional and digital elements based on the axis which was composed of 13 items. Second, this study indicated that the libraries obtained one of the conventional or digital characteristics independent of the situation, rather than that the digital library was more effective than the conventional library. Third, in evaluating the chosen libraries used as the examples, it was observed that the libraries had more conventional characteristics among the elements of the digital and conventional libraries. Also, based on the axis used for comparison of 13 items, elements such as the next generation service, the SNS service, and the library program service were more conventional, but elements such as classification and cataloging, acquisition, and the organization were more digitized. Originality/value – This study is the first study in the world to measure the level of digitization of the library. Therefore, hereafter, each library will be able to measure and determine its digital position based on these elements. Up to now, some research was performed in pursuit of extracting the elements of a library but it had relied solely on literature review. Comprehensive research had never been performed as in this study.

scholarly journals Public libraries as public sphere institutions

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1396-1415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ragnar Audunson ◽  
Svanhild Aabø ◽  
Roger Blomgren ◽  
Hans-Christoph Hobohm ◽  
Henrik Jochumsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Library Service ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Actual Use ◽  
Representative Samples

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of public libraries as institutions underpinning a democratic public sphere as reasons legitimizing libraries compared to reasons that are more traditional and the actual use of libraries as public sphere arenas. Design/methodology/approach A survey of representative samples of the adult population in six countries – Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Hungary and Switzerland – was undertaken. Findings Legitimations related to the libraries role as a meeting place and arena for public debate are ranked as the 3 least important out of 12 possible legitimations for upholding a public library service. Libraries are, however, used extensively by the users to access citizenship information and to participate in public sphere relevant meetings. Originality/value Few studies have empirically analyzed the role of libraries in upholding a democratic and sustainable public sphere. This study contributes in filling that gap.

AI and libraries: trends and projections

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adetoun A. Oyelude
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Human Intelligence ◽  
Library Service ◽  
Robot Interaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Horizons ◽  
Advanced Technologies

Purpose This paper aims to focus on the trends and projection for future use of artificial intelligence (AI) in libraries. AI technologies is the latest among the technologies being used in libraries. The technology has systems that have natural language processing, machine learning and pattern recognition capabilities that make service provision easier for libraries. Design/methodology/approach Systematic literature review is done, exploring blogs and wikis, to collect information on the ways in which AI is used and can be futuristically used in libraries. Findings This paper found that uses of AI in libraries entailed enhanced services such as content indexing, document matching, content mapping content summarization and many others. AI possibilities were also found to include improving the technology of gripping, localizing and human–robot interaction and also having artificial superintelligence, the hypothetical AI that surpasses human intelligence and abilities. Originality/value It is concluded that advanced technologies that AI are, will help librarians to open up new horizons and solve challenges that crop up in library service delivery.

Sprawl of the COVID-19 in changing scenario: a methodology based on social interaction

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav Kumar ◽  
Akshay Kumar ◽  
Farhan Mohammad Khan ◽  
Rajiv Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Mitigation Strategy ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Scenario Development ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Scheme ◽  
Business As Usual ◽  
Inter State

PurposeThere are several methods developed in the recent past to predict the spread of COVID-19 in different countries. However, due to changing scenarios in terms of interaction among people, none could predict the case close to the actual figures. An attempt to simulate people's interaction due to economic reopening concerning the confirmed cases at various places as per changing situation has been made. The scenario development method's base lies in the hypothesis that if there were no inter-state transportation during India's lockdown after May 24th, the number of infection cases would have started lowering down in a normalized progression.Design/methodology/approachThis study has developed three scenarios from the worst to the business-as-usual to the best in order to project the COVID-19 infections in India concerning infections observed from January 30th till May 24th, 2020, since the domestic flights became operational from May 25th, 2020, in India.FindingsBased on the observed cases till May 24th, the rise of cases is projected further in a random progression and superimposed to the normal progression. The results obtained in the three scenarios present that worst case needs complete lockdown, business-as-usual case needs regulatory lockdown and best case assures complete lockdown release by the second week of September 2020. This study suggests the preparedness and mitigation strategy for a threefold lockdown management scheme in all-inclusive.Originality/valueThe work has been done on a hypothesis which is solely original.

Towards effective crisis management

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 7-9
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Damage Limitation ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Firms and entire sectors can be vulnerable to both immediate and lasting effects when a major crisis occurs. Swift response utilizing appropriate strategies can enable effective crisis management that enables not only damage limitation and recovery but scope to transform the industry’s future. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

scholarly journals Better than before: the resilient organization in crisis mode

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Epaminondas Koronis ◽  
Stavros Ponis
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Organizational Characteristics ◽  
Managerial Ability ◽  
Organizational Survival ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Better Than

Purpose The paper aims to adopt a strategic view of organizational survival and argue that preparedness, responsiveness, adaptability and learning abilities constitute organizational drivers of resilience and provide a new direction on crisis management. Design/methodology/approach As a conceptual and literature exploration, the methodological focus is to combine various concepts within a unified model for resilience. Findings The proposed conceptual model highlights the need for strategic reconfigurations toward the construction of a resilience culture and the development of a supporting social capital in organizations. It also portrays organizational survival and sustainability as being dependent on strategic characteristics rather than on the managerial ability to handle situations and manage crisis. Research limitations/implications In this paper, implications, methodological concerns in the study of resilience and further research directions have been presented. Practical implications The paper approaches a new way of thinking about crises and provides a set of cultural and organizational characteristics that would increase resilience and crisis management abilities. Originality/value While organizations are nowadays more than ever affected by disruptions and crises, their inherent ability and strategies to protect their sustainability have been undertheorized. This paper aims at contributing to a growing and fruitful discussion.

Considerations for collecting Japanese anime for academic libraries

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-56
Author(s):  
Glenn Masuchika
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
Areas Of Concern ◽  
Japanese Animation

Purpose Too often, academic library selectors of DVDs purchase Japanese animation (anime) for their popularity without any further concern of their important contributions to the combined wealth of researches of an academic library. The purpose of this paper is to offer considerations for an academic selector to ponder before adding this particular type of animation. These considerations do not necessary pertain to the collection development considerations for selectors at public libraries. Design/methodology/approach This paper will discuss the major problems of actively adding anime to an academic library, the present areas of concern, and will offer warnings and suggestions based on a conceptual framework of anime having true academic value. Findings Anime cannot be chosen independently as if it has any apparently intrinsic value sui generis. Anime must be added concomitantly according to the collection development policies with other resources, especially DVDs, to create a full, rich and useful collection to scholars. Originality/value Academic studies concerning anime and collection development for academic libraries are usually comprised of only long lists of suggested anime, with no further discussions about its implications to the general worth of an academic library. This paper offers no such lists. Instead, it offers considerations selectors must take into account before investing time and money adding anime to an academic library collection.

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