scholarly journals Practices of community representatives in exploiting information channels for citizen democratic engagement

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 950-961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazel Hall ◽  
Peter Cruickshank ◽  
Bruce Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Public ◽  
Democratic Engagement ◽  
Primary Means ◽  
Information Skills ◽  
Information Channels ◽  
Council Work

The purpose of the research was to investigate the practices of elected, yet unpaid, community councillors in Scotland as they exploit information channels for democratic engagement with citizens. Its focus is both novel and significant in that it considers the information literacy of a group that has not been studied before: volunteer representatives active in hyperlocal government. The primary means of data collection was semi-structured interviews of one hour in length with 19 community councillors. Research design and data analysis were informed by the SCONUL 7-Pillar Model of Information Literacy, and by Activity Theory. The main finding of the analysis is that community councillors engage with a range of information sources and tools in their work, the most important of which derives from local authorities. Three recommendations emerge from the analysis. These relate to: (1) information literacy training; (2) valuing information skills; and (3) the role of the public library service in supporting community council work.

Libraries and the Preservation of Public Intellectual Space and Heritage

2020 ◽  
pp. 218-230
Author(s):  
Anil Kumar Nauriya
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Public Intellectual ◽  
Public Intellectuals ◽  
The Public ◽  
Intellectual Heritage ◽  
Epistemic Justice ◽  
Primary Means

There is one aspect of Libraries that needs particularly to be highlighted, namely the role of the public library as a par excellence site that upholds the public intellectual space when contrasted to the more restricted academic space. It is a primary means by which public intellectuals and, through them, civil society, may hold even academia to account when the latter becomes confined by dead habits or restricted by institutional, bureaucratic, elitist or other, structures. It needs to be emphasized that academia and scholarship are not necessarily congruent. The interplay between academia and scholarship is crucial and that is made possible by the public library. Open libraries, especially public libraries, are at least as vital as the academia. The importance of a library or a museum is not necessarily related to its location or its size. “Preservation” and “intellectual heritage” need to be decolonized in order to realize epistemic justice.

scholarly journals An elephant in the room?

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Hackett
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Text Analysis ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Active Citizenship ◽  
Digital Inclusion ◽  
The Public ◽  
Information Skills

Despite its recognised role in education, lifelong learning and active citizenship, the term information literacy (IL) is rarely used in the context of public libraries. At a time when public libraries are operating in an environment of financial austerity and are under increasing pressure to demonstrate the value of their role in UK society, this paper presents the findings of a small-scale research project examining the narratives surrounding public libraries and IL. Through a qualitative text analysis, a picture is built up of the roles of public libraries as presented by government, professional organisations and charitable organisations. This analysis shows that IL is not a concept explicitly associated with public libraries; that the government’s focus is on public libraries’ role in delivering digital inclusion while at the same time depicting a largely passive role for libraries and diminished role for professional library staff; and that while current library advocacy supports this digital role, it does not effectively address the deeper need for transferrable information skills. Based on this analysis, this paper recommends greater collaboration between academic research, higher education, and the public library sector, with a view to fostering a better understanding of IL and its potential to create a wider, more educationally-focussed role for public libraries and their staff.

scholarly journals An elephant in the room?

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Diana Hackett
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Text Analysis ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Active Citizenship ◽  
Digital Inclusion ◽  
The Public ◽  
Information Skills

Despite its recognised role in education, lifelong learning and active citizenship, the term information literacy (IL) is rarely used in the context of public libraries. At a time when public libraries are operating in an environment of financial austerity and are under increasing pressure to demonstrate the value of their role in UK society, this paper presents the findings of a small-scale research project examining the narratives surrounding public libraries and IL. Through a qualitative text analysis, a picture is built up of the roles of public libraries as presented by government, professional organisations and charitable organisations. This analysis shows that IL is not a concept explicitly associated with public libraries; that the government’s focus is on public libraries’ role in delivering digital inclusion while at the same time depicting a largely passive role for libraries and diminished role for professional library staff; and that while current library advocacy supports this digital role, it does not effectively address the deeper need for transferrable information skills. Based on this analysis, this paper recommends greater collaboration between academic research, higher education, and the public library sector, with a view to fostering a better understanding of IL and its potential to create a wider, more educationally-focussed role for public libraries and their staff.

The Role of the Public Library in Developing Canadians’ Information Literacy Skills

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Julien ◽  
Reegan Breu
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
The Public ◽  
Information Literacy Skills ◽  
Public Librarians

This paper reports on a national survey of information literacy (IL) instruction in urban and rural public libraries, and public librarians’ attitudes towards these services. The survey is the first phase of a study exploring the actual and potential role of Canadian public libraries in developing the public’s IL skills.Cette étude présente un sondage national sur les programmes de connaissances informationnelles (CI) dans les bibliothèques publiques urbaines et rurales et les attitudes des bibliothécaires envers ces services. Le sondage constitue la première étape d’une étude exploratoire sur le rôle réel et potentiel des bibliothèques publiques canadiennes dans le développement des connaissances informationnelles (CI) du public. 

ROLE OF LIBRARIANS IN TEACHING INFORMATION LITERACY IN ZIMBABWEAN AND SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Mousaion ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinashe Mugwisi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Communications Technologies ◽  
Information Skills ◽  
The University

Information and communications technologies (ICTs) and the Internet have to a large extent influenced the way information is made available, published and accessed. More information is being produced too frequently and information users now require certain skills to sift through this multitude in order to identify what is appropriate for their purposes. Computer and information skills have become a necessity for all academic programmes. As libraries subscribe to databases and other peer-reviewed content (print and electronic), it is important that users are also made aware of such sources and their importance. The purpose of this study was to examine the teaching of information literacy (IL) in universities in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and the role played by librarians in creating information literate graduates. This was done by examining whether such IL programmes were prioritised, their content and how frequently they were reviewed. An electronic questionnaire was distributed to 12 university libraries in Zimbabwe and 21 in South Africa. A total of 25 questionnaires were returned. The findings revealed that IL was being taught in universities library and non-library staff, was compulsory and contributed to the term mark in some institutions. The study also revealed that 44 per cent of the total respondents indicated that the libraries were collaborating with departments and faculty in implementing IL programmes in universities. The study recommends that IL should be an integral part of the university programmes in order to promote the use of databases and to guide students on ethical issues of information use.

From the History of the Public Library in the Village Tagai of Simbirsk District in Simbirsk Province

2010 ◽  
pp. 102-106
Author(s):  
Valentina M. Patutkina
Keyword(s):  
Public Library ◽  
Library History ◽  
The Public ◽  
Ulyanovsk Region ◽  
History Of ◽  
In The Beginning ◽  
The Village

The article is dedicated to unknown page in the library history of Ulyanovsk region. The author writes about the role of Trusteeship on people temperance in opening of libraries. The history of public library organized in the beginning of XX century in the Tagai village of Simbirsk district in Simbirsk province is renewed.

scholarly journals A Content Analysis of Public Policy Design and Implementation in Slovenia: Weighing Strategic and Normative Factors

2021 ◽  
pp. 70-88
Author(s):  
Žiga KOTNIK ◽  
Dalibor STANIMIROVIĆ
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Policy Cycle ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Public ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Strategic Factors ◽  
Normative Factors

"Policy processes are complex systems and require an in-depth and comprehensive analysis. Especially, factors that affect public policy design and implementation, as two important stages of the public policy cycle, have not been sufficiently explored. The aim of the paper is to analyze the relationship between two critical factors that influence the design and implementation of public policies in the case of Slovenia, namely strategic factors and normative factors, and offer a basis for comparison with similar countries. Based on twenty-two structured interviews with prominent public policy experts in Slovenia and content analysis of the responses, the findings reveal that, although strategic factors are identified by the interviewees as the most critical, the role of normative factors is also important and should not be underestimated. For various reasons, in practice, normative factors often turn out to be crucial."

Democracy, digitisation and public libraries

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Skøtt
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
National Library ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Media Types

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate what democratic challenges the digitisation of the public libraries in Denmark has entailed. Using the concepts from a national library professional strategy from 2012, an analysis of 9 librarians’ experiences with digital dissemination in practice is conducted. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a part of a larger research project called “If digitisation is the answer, then what was the question?”. This sub study builds on the semi-structured interviews with library staff members, case-descriptions of two central providers of digital public library materials, as well as literature studies of missions, vision and strategies from different public library policy institutions. To frame the study, a literature review has been conducted. Findings The author detects the presence of several incompatible conditions in digital dissemination. These conditions are predominantly of an organisational nature, potentially containing major consequences for citizens’ free and equal access to information, knowledge and culture. Among other things, the Danish public libraries risk substantiating an already existing and problematic polarisation between technologically capable and incapacitated groups of people. Originality/value The digital transformation of society has only just begun. Therefore, it is important to examine the consequences of the transition to digital media types for central cultural institution such as the public libraries. The present study is an early and minor contribution to the illumination of a process requiring many more and large-scale studies.

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