Proving our worth? Measuring the impact of the public library service in the UK

This paper presents the results of a mixed methods study of interlending and resource sharing in UK public libraries, based on the results of a survey distributed to both senior library managers and interlending staff, and in-depth follow-up interviews with 20 respondents. We present an analysis of perspectives towards rates of interlending, the rationales and strategies for providing the service, the perceived value for money offered by various interlending schemes, the impact of the current digital environment, and views on the future of interlending in the UK. Our findings suggest that while interlending services are undoubtedly threatened by the drastic cuts to public library funding, and that demand for the service is more generally in decline, resource sharing is viewed by some as a potential means of mitigating the effects of increasingly limited acquisitions budgets, and ensuring the public library system continues to provide access to a wide range of resources for its users.

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The Impact and Effect of Learning 2.0 Programs in Australian Public Libraries

Evidence Based Library and Information Practice ◽

10.18438/b8qs4q ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 53 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael Stephens ◽

Warren Cheetham

Keyword(s):

World Wide ◽

Public Libraries ◽

Public Library ◽

Library Service ◽

Data Set ◽

Web Based ◽

The Public ◽

Library Staff ◽

The Impact ◽

Positive Effect

Abstract Objective – With adoption of the program world-wide, the Learning 2.0 model has been lauded by library professionals as a mechanism to educate library staff and transform libraries. This study, part of the 2009 CAVAL Visiting Scholar project, seeks to measure the impact and legacy of the model within Australian public libraries to understand what benefits, changes and effects occur. Methods – A national Web-based survey for those who had participated in a learning 2.0 program. Results – The national survey had 384 respondents, and a total of 64 respondents were identified as the public library staff data set for this article. Public library staff reported success in the program and described feelings of increased confidence, inclusivity, and a move to use emerging technologies as part of library service. Conclusion – The analysis yields the following thematic areas of impact and effect: personal practice is enhanced with knowledge and confidence; impact is mainly personal, but organisational changes may follow; the library is using the tools to varying degrees of success, and organizational blocks prevent use of tools. These finding offer evidence that Learning 2.0 programs can have a positive effect on library staff and subsequently on the organization itself.

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"The love in the room": Evaluating the National Year of Reading in an Australian public library

Library and Information Research ◽

10.29173/lirg604 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 38 (117) ◽

pp. 37-53

Author(s):

Sue Reynolds ◽

Bernadette Welch

Keyword(s):

National Level ◽

Public Library ◽

Small Scale ◽

Library Service ◽

Outcome Framework ◽

Group Interviews ◽

The Uk ◽

Service Data ◽

Reading Activities ◽

The Impact

This study was influenced by research into the impact of the UK National Year of Reading in 2008 using the Generic Social Outcome Framework from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. In 2012 a National Year of Reading was held in Australia which offered another opportunity to investigate the nature of impact. While formal evaluation processes were put into place at the national level, our study was a small-scale qualitative research project which considered the evaluation of impact related to National Year of Reading activities at one urban public library service. Data collected included focus group interviews with library staff, as well as desk data from the library service. The findings suggest that it is necessary to give due consideration to impact measures and collection of appropriate data at the planning stages in order to evaluate impact effectively. Measuring impact is much more difficult but ultimately more worthwhile than that of measuring output. The evaluation of impact is an important tool in strategic planning and advocacy and new ways of measurement need to be incorporated into planning and management.

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Older Adults and the Public Library: The Impact of the Boomer Generation

Public Library Quarterly ◽

10.1080/01616846.2013.818814 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 204-222 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Renee Bennett-Kapusniak

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Public Library ◽

The Public ◽

The Impact

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The Living Wage: An Economic Geography Based Explanation for a Policy for Equality

Social Policy and Society ◽

10.1017/s1474746415000482 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 589-605 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Carlo J. Morelli ◽

Paul T. Seaman

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Labour Force ◽

Living Wage ◽

Labour Force Survey ◽

The Public ◽

Household Inequality ◽

The Uk ◽

Wage Demand ◽

The Impact ◽

Low Pay

This article examines the theoretical underpinning of living wage campaigns. The article uses evidence, derived from the UK Quarterly Labour Force Survey from 2005 to 2008, to examine the extent to which a living wage will address low pay within the labour force. We highlight the greater incidence of low pay within the private sector and then focus upon the public sector where the living wage demand has had most impact. The article builds upon the results from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey with analysis of the British Household Panel Survey in 2007 in order to examine the impact that the introduction of a living wage, within the public sector, would have in reducing household inequality.

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Change in store? An investigation into the impact of the book superstore environment on use, perceptions and expectations of the public library as a space, place and experience

Library and Information Research ◽

10.29173/lirg158 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 28 (88) ◽

pp. 13-26

Author(s):

Helen Cartwright

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Focus Group ◽

Public Library ◽

Focus Group Interviews ◽

Community Resource ◽

Middle Income ◽

The Public ◽

Group Interviews ◽

Perceptions And Expectations ◽

The Impact

The book superstore is promoted not just as a place to buy books but also as a community resource in which to read, learn and socialise: traits that have in combination traditionally been the preserve of the public library. This study investigates the impact of the bookstore environment on public library space. The attitudes and behaviours of library and bookstore users were examined through focus group interviews and a self-completed questionnaire. Clear areas of overlap in the functions of the two sites were found, as was evidence of age and income-related splits in use and perception of bookstores and libraries. Results suggest attention should be paid to the beliefs and behaviours of young people and middle-income earners (the groups most noticeably increasing their use of the bookstore) and to the desired balance of education and recreation in the image and nature of the public library.

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Social Impact Archaeology: Pontefract Castle and the Gatehouse Project

Internet Archaeology ◽

10.11141/ia.57.18 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Brendon Wilkins

Keyword(s):

Social Impact ◽

Social Values ◽

Theory Of Change ◽

The Public ◽

Evidence Framework ◽

Standards Of Evidence ◽

Professional Field ◽

Collaborative Platform ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

Archaeology is said to add value to development, creating a deeper sense of place, community identity as well as improving health and wellbeing. Accentuating these wider social values has been welcomed by a profession keen to broaden its public relevance and legitimacy and protect its seat at the table in modern cultural life, but how much, if at all, do the public actually benefit from developer-led archaeology? Benefits to individuals and communities from archaeology projects are often abstract, intangible and difficult to attribute, and the discipline arguably lacks a satisfactory frame of reference around which it can express and design for these additional social values. Drawing on the language of social impact investing, this article will explore how the UK-based collaborative platform, DigVentures, has addressed this challenge. It introduces a 'Theory of Change' and 'Standards of Evidence' framework to account for the impact of development-led archaeology programmes, illustrating the causal links between activity and change through the case of the Pontefract Castle Gatehouse Project. It is complemented by a short documentary film exploring the spectrum of digital and physical opportunities for participation by the public alongside a team of highly experienced professional field archaeologists, demonstrating how development-led archaeology can be designed to accomplish far more than answer a planning brief.

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