scholarly journals Seed Libraries Can Be a Promising but Challenging Way to Support Community Engagement and Social Innovation in Public Libraries

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 154-156
Author(s):  
Abigail Alty
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Seed Collection ◽  
Resource Limitations ◽  
Self Sufficiency

A Review of: Peekhaus, W. (2018). Seed libraries: Sowing the seeds for community and public library resilience. Library Quarterly, 88(3), 271-285. https://doi.org/10.1086/697706 Abstract Objective – To describe and investigate the establishment, operation, function, purpose, and benefit of seed libraries within public libraries and local communities. Design – Exploratory study. Setting – Public seed libraries in Arizona, California, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Subjects – 10 librarians actively involved in creating or maintaining seed libraries. Methods – 60-75 minute interviews, primarily over the phone, with subjects selected by means of purposive sampling. Main Results – According to the participants interviewed, starting and operating a seed library requires front-end effort from the “host” library, active participation by a dedicated librarian and community members, as well as ongoing funding, usually on an annual basis (estimated by one participant to be $2,500/year, mostly for the purchase of seeds). Participant descriptions of their seed library operations differed, but most had a dedicated seed librarian. Participants noted that primary activities included deciding what seeds to put in the collection, arrangement of the seed collection, development of checkout and return procedures, and ongoing education. Several participants noted that such operational work was seasonal and not steady. None of the libraries included in this study had enough seeds donated to sustain their collections, but rather they relied on purchasing seeds in bulk or asking for donations from seed companies. Cataloging procedures varied in terms of complexity, and participants from one library system reported the use of a seed library cataloging template as being helpful. All participants noted they gave patrons containers to return seeds. While educating patrons in formal sessions is often difficult for reasons such as resource limitations, the interview informants agreed that seed libraries fit into the missions of public libraries by furthering information sharing, access to resources, and knowledge development. Conclusion – Seed libraries are an active service that assist public libraries in responding to social challenges and in engaging with their local communities as a type of knowledge commons. Seed libraries align with public libraries’ shift in priorities from increasing physical collections to enriching lives by providing knowledge and tools to support food autonomy, self-sufficiency, civic engagement, and community education. These libraries are a novel service that engage and attract patrons and support libraries’ positions as community hubs.

Public Libraries and Local E-Government

2009 ◽  
pp. 647-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul T. Jaeger
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Access Point ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Primary Location ◽  
And Training

Many residents and local communities rely on public libraries for access to and training to use e-government. Many local governments direct citizens to the public library for help in using e-government, while citizens seek help from the public library in using local e-government when they have no other means of connecting or when they want help using e-government. As a result, public libraries now serve not only as instrumentalities of local government, but as a primary location for access to local e-government and a very successful link between citizens to e-government. As residents, communities, and governments rely on public libraries as a main access point to e-government, it essential to better understand the connection and education roles of public libraries to improve the delivery of local e-government.

How Do Public Libraries Assist Small Businesses in Rural Communities? An Exploratory Qualitative Study in Tennessee

Libri ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bharat Mehra ◽  
Bradley Wade Bishop ◽  
Robert P. Partee II
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Information Poverty ◽  
Low Degrees

AbstractThe purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how public libraries assist small businesses in rural communities in the state of Tennessee in the United States. Tennessee’s rural residents, especially in its Appalachian counties, face debilitating economic and social challenges such as inadequate financial prospects, information poverty, unemployment and low degrees of information literacy and educational attainment. The article presents findings from interviews and focus groups with 25 public library small business liaison representatives gathering input about their needs, expectations and experiences with rural public libraries. The foci are the existing and proposed ways rural public libraries provide small business assistance and identify components of a

scholarly journals Carnegie Revitalisation of Public Libraries in Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Baffour-Awuah
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
School Library ◽  
Public Library ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Disadvantaged Communities ◽  
Carnegie Corporation ◽  
Library Development ◽  
The Impact

The Carnegie Corporation of New York has embarked on a revitalisation programme of some African public libraries. The Corporation has made grants to those public library systems targeting previously disadvantaged communities. Those aspects of the programmes that the grantees have drawn up which could impact school library development in the recipient countries are highlighted here. The selected public libraries of Botswana, Kenya and five provinces within South Africa, as grantees of revitalisation awards are the objects of focus here. Seven other African countries that have benefited to a relatively lesser extent are mentioned as issues emerge that relate to them. Suggestions are made as to the impact some of these public library programmes could make on school libraries and school pupils.

Latvian public libraries as a resource, cooperation partner and initiator for promoting media literacy and civic participation in local communities

2021 ◽  
pp. 096100062110367
Author(s):  
Kristine Kine ◽  
Agnese Davidsone
Keyword(s):  
Media Literacy ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Civic Participation ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Library Resources

The aim of this study is to explore the involvement of public library librarians in improving media literacy and promoting civic participation in Latvia. Within the framework of this research, 15 semi-structured interviews with librarians of public libraries were conducted. The main findings indicate that librarians can strengthen information consumption skills by providing lifelong learning opportunities for all members of society. However, several problematic aspects emerge, among them are the lack of methodological materials specifically for library use, difficulty in reaching audiences who need media literacy training and insufficient media literacy skills among librarians themselves. The librarians in the study stated that more up-to-date knowledge of media literacy is required, as technological developments have changed the criteria by which we evaluate information. Libraries also engage in building civil competence, mainly by facilitating different forms of civic participation and ensuring equal access to infrastructure and library resources. Librarians themselves consider libraries to promote local community awareness and strengthen its identity, thus perpetuating a democratic society. Libraries also promote a sense of responsibility towards the community in members of society by organizing events and organizing volunteer work. Therefore, there is the need for public libraries to become more visible in the local communities as promoters of civic participation, engage more in the communities’ life. This requires librarians to take a more active role, and their participation in community events and partnership building. Librarians’ own media literacy and pedagogical skills need to be continuously improved.

Dangerous Librarians: The Survival of Branch Libraries in New York’s Fiscal Crisis

2020 ◽  
pp. 009614422096557
Author(s):  
Julia Rabig
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
South Bronx ◽  
York Public Library ◽  
New York Public Library ◽  
District Council ◽  
History Of ◽  
The City

The recent history of urban public libraries reveals significant changes in the way librarians, city officials, and patrons understood the value of public institutions. Branch libraries in the South Bronx during New York City’s financial crisis of the 1970s reveal both the dramatic and seemingly minute developments through which the city shifted toward neoliberalism. This article draws on archives of the New York Public Library and the papers of Local 1930 (The New York Public Library Guild, AFSCME District Council 37).

scholarly journals The Public Library as Resistive Space in the Neoliberal City

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofya Aptekar
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Ethnographic Research ◽  
Underground Space ◽  
Immigrant Assimilation ◽  
Safety Nets ◽  
The Public ◽  
Middle Class People

With reduced hours, decaying infrastructure, and precariously positioned staff, local public libraries provide much needed services in cities devastated by inequality and slashed safety nets. In this article, I draw on ethnographic research of a small public library in a diverse, mostly working class neighborhood in Queens, New York. I show that in addition to providing an alternative to the capitalist market by distributing resources according to people’s needs, the library serves as a moral underground space, where middle class people bend rules to help struggling city residents. Although the library occasionally replicates hegemonic ideologies about immigrant assimilation, it provides a striking example of cross-class and inter-class solidarities and resistance to the neoliberal social order. I conclude by discussing the potential of public libraries as everyday spaces of subversion and emancipation, as well as research sites for urban scholars.

scholarly journals The role of libraries in misinformation programming: A research agenda

2020 ◽  
pp. 096100062096665
Author(s):  
Jason C. Young ◽  
Brandyn Boyd ◽  
Katya Yefimova ◽  
Stacey Wedlake ◽  
Chris Coward ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Science Research ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Effective Community

Misinformation, or fake news, has exploded across social media platforms and communities over the past few years, with serious social and political implications. Many library practitioners and organizations have argued that libraries can and should play a central role in educating the public about this emerging issue. However, serious gaps exist in understanding how libraries can create effective community education about misinformation. This article maps out a research agenda that researchers and public library practitioners can use to make libraries more effective sites for combatting misinformation. This research agenda is grounded in analysis of interviews and workshop discussions of public library staff from Washington State. This analysis reveals three areas in which academic partners can support public libraries: through the design of effective programming, through the development of tools that help librarians keep up-to-date on relevant misinformation, and through interventions in the political and economic contexts that hamper the freedom of librarians to engage controversial topics. Our hope is that this article can help to spur more expansive library and information science research across these areas and become the beginning of a longer and more empirically grounded conversation about how public libraries can achieve their potential for combating misinformation.

Readiness and Capacity of Librarians in Public Libraries to Implement a Breast Cancer Outreach and Screening Campaign in Medically Underserved Communities

2005 ◽  
Vol 12 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 13-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliott J. Goytia ◽  
Bruce Rapkin ◽  
Elisa S. Weiss ◽  
David Golub ◽  
Vivian Guzman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Medically Underserved ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
Underserved Communities ◽  
Library System ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Important Means ◽  
Cultural Bridge

Community-based partnerships are an important means of addressing cancer health disparities in medically underserved communities. Public libraries may be ideal partners in this effort. To assess the readiness and capacity of a public library system to implement cancer recruitment and outreach campaigns, 58 librarians in the Queens Borough Public Library System in New York completed self-administered questionnaires before and after a training on breast health, cancer, and screening. Results indicate that they are interested in participating in a cancer outreach campaign and feel it is a critical need in their community. Many librarians lacked the knowledge about cancer and cancer information resources needed to participate optimally. Nevertheless, librarians provide a cultural bridge to medically underserved communities. Partnering with a public library system to improve access to care has great potential, yet a number of challenges need to be overcome.

scholarly journals Barriers to School Library Development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Baffour-Awuah
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
School Library ◽  
Public Library ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Disadvantaged Communities ◽  
Carnegie Corporation ◽  
Library Development ◽  
The Impact

The Carnegie Corporation of New York has embarked on a revitalisation programme of some African public libraries. The Corporation has made grants to those public library systems targeting previously disadvantaged communities. Those aspects of the programmes that the grantees have drawn up which could impact school library development in the recipient countries are highlighted here. The selected public libraries of Botswana, Kenya and five provinces within South Africa, as grantees of revitalisation awards are the objects of focus here. Seven other African countries that have benefited to a relatively lesser extent are mentioned as issues emerge that relate to them. Suggestions are made as to the impact some of these public library programmes could make on school libraries and school pupils.

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