Behind Closed Doors: The Hidden Intellectual Work and Images of Librarianship

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne McKechnie ◽  
Kirsti Nilsen
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Community Leaders ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Intellectual Work ◽  
User Perceptions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Intellectual Responsibility

Unlike many professionals, much of the intellectual work of librarians takes place behind closed doors, hidden from those who actually use the resulting service. Research on user perceptions of collection development work in public libraries, (the Who Decides? study), revealed that collection development is a hidden intellectual responsibility. Brief interviews were conducted with 106 adults in twoCanadian public libraries. Only 40% identified library staff as being responsible for collection development. Others suggested a variety of decision makers, including users and “ the public” , committees of community leaders, government officials, publishers, and pre-existing lists. Most respondents indicated that they were guessing. They frequently used mental models to generate answers. The authors contend that at least part of the misunderstanding of librarians and their work may be attributed to its hidden nature. Why the public does not know that librarians select materials is considered along with the implications of these findings with respect to the image of librarians, and the staffing and funding of libraries.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Collection Development Policies of the Public Libraries in Turkey

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emine Cengiz ◽  
Özgür Külcü ◽  
Bülent Yılmaz
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
The Public ◽  
Development Policies

Port, maritime and hinterland development in Southeast Asia

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Subhan ◽  
Sabariah Yaakub ◽  
Ahmad Bashawir Abdul Ghani
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
The Public ◽  
Port Authorities ◽  
Maritime Studies ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
Related Service

This book addresses myriad of issues and challenges in the field of port, maritime and hinterland development in Southeast Asia from multidisciplinary perspectives.Instead of focusing on only certain aspects of the maritime discipline, the book presents a range of different viewpoint from business and management, historical development, geography, law, and others.Although the book is made in the form of an edited book, readers will benefit and gain knowledge on many important issues in the field of port, maritime and hinterland development in Southeast Asia. This book will also be beneficial to all parties in this area, including policy and decision makers, government officials, port authorities, port operators or terminal operators, maritime-related service providers such as freight forwarders in port, ship agents, navigation officers, customs brokers, stevedores and other port users, shippers, passengers, and carriers.This book is also catered for those involved in maritime research or students who take maritime subject, or to the public who are interested in maritime issues.The contributors of this book are experts from diverse backgrounds with extensive experience in the fields of port, maritime and hinterland development.This is because we believe that maritime studies are intertwined with many aspects of life from environmental management to disputes at the sea, which will affect the maritime trade industry.Hence, issues in this book are also various.However, the emphasis is on the development of port, maritime and hinterland sector in Southeast Asia.

Collection development and management within public libraries in Delhi

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 99-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prabhjeet Kaur ◽  
Paramjeet Kaur Walia
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Physical Region ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Masses ◽  
Development And Management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to find out about the collection development and management in the public libraries governed by the government or its agencies in Delhi and compare them with the international standards for public libraries. Design/methodology/approach – In all, Delhi has three chains of public libraries namely Delhi Public Library (DPL), like Hardayal Municipal Public Library (HMPL) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) public libraries. The librarian/heads of selected branches were approached with a structured questionnaire aimed at collecting information on the collection development and managements in these libraries and selected branches. The data were then analysed and interpreted. Findings – It was found that with the advent of ICT and its impact on the society, it is evident that the public libraries are not making the desired effort to reach out to the public and make it more appealing to the users. The main problem with the library remains to be the lack of membership. A few initiatives have been taken, but still there were not many digital services being provided by these public libraries in the present day digital environment. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to the public libraries within the physical region of Delhi only. Practical implications – The evaluation sheds light on the existing scenario of public libraries in Delhi and may contribute in their future development. Social implications – With the acceptance of the international standards as suggested in the study, the public libraries in Delhi would be better able to provide information resources and services to the masses. The better learned masses make the society more advanced. An information rich society would thus lead to an overall growth and development of the state. Originality/value – There have been many studies in the past on DPL but none have intended to cover other public libraries chains like HMPL and NDMC public libraries which are governed by the government or its agencies and are established with aim of imparting information to the population of Delhi. Also, a similar the comparison with international standards was never done earlier.

scholarly journals Consulting the community : how customers' needs are reflected in public library collection development policies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sarah Marion Osborne
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
The Public ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
Study Participants

<p>This study is an investigation into the methods of community consultation that are undertaken by a sample of New Zealand public library managers during the formulation and application of their libraries' collection development policies. The gathering of information about the needs and wants of customers helps ensure that the public library is practicing responsive collection development. A qualitative methodology is used, consisting of in-depth interviews with a sample of library managers from medium-sized, non-metropolitan public libraries in the lower North Island of New Zealand. Discussion during the interviews centres upon the participants' use of community needs analysis techniques; both "direct" community consultative methods, and "indirect" data analysis methods. The role that formal collection development policies play in the participants' institutions is discussed, together with the relative importance of informal collection development policies, practices and procedures. The study's findings reveal that the process of collection development policy formulation is less well-structured than that described in the literature, and that informal policies, practices and procedures are used to inform day-to-day collection management activities. The application of community consultative techniques by the study participants is less well-developed than descriptions of its use in the international literature.</p>

scholarly journals Consulting the community : how customers' needs are reflected in public library collection development policies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sarah Marion Osborne
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
The Public ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
Study Participants

<p>This study is an investigation into the methods of community consultation that are undertaken by a sample of New Zealand public library managers during the formulation and application of their libraries' collection development policies. The gathering of information about the needs and wants of customers helps ensure that the public library is practicing responsive collection development. A qualitative methodology is used, consisting of in-depth interviews with a sample of library managers from medium-sized, non-metropolitan public libraries in the lower North Island of New Zealand. Discussion during the interviews centres upon the participants' use of community needs analysis techniques; both "direct" community consultative methods, and "indirect" data analysis methods. The role that formal collection development policies play in the participants' institutions is discussed, together with the relative importance of informal collection development policies, practices and procedures. The study's findings reveal that the process of collection development policy formulation is less well-structured than that described in the literature, and that informal policies, practices and procedures are used to inform day-to-day collection management activities. The application of community consultative techniques by the study participants is less well-developed than descriptions of its use in the international literature.</p>

scholarly journals Partnering Public and School Librarians for School Readiness Programming

2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget Alexis Bloomer
Keyword(s):  
School Readiness ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Kindergarten Readiness ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
The Other ◽  
Community Leaders ◽  
School Librarians ◽  
The Public ◽  
Childhood Education

Partnerships from public and school librarians for programming can prove to be beneficial for connecting with the community. When collaborating for school readiness programs, such as a school readiness fair, the expertise can bring about the best resources and services that both the public and school librarians have to offer, alongside the other community leaders in early childhood education. The paper discusses how to create a school readiness fair based on a collaboration between public and school librarians. Covering aspects of networking, programs such as Every Child Ready to Read, and school curriculum standards, it brings about the best parts of collaborating for a community event.   Keywords: School Readiness, school libraries, public libraries, programming, kindergarten readiness

scholarly journals REDUCING THE “JUSTICE GAP” THROUGH ACCESS TO LEGAL INFORMATION: ESTABLISHING ACCESS TO JUSTICE ENTRY POINTS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-128
Author(s):  
Beth Bilson ◽  
Brea Lowenberger ◽  
Graham Sharp
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
Legal Information ◽  
The Public ◽  
Legal Advice ◽  
Entry Points ◽  
Limited Scope

Among the strategies to improve public access to justice, increasing the accessibility and comprehensibility of legal information must be ranked as important. In this paper, the authors explore how libraries and librarians might play a role in providing the public with access and guidance to legal information. These issues are considered primarily in the context of two scenarios: that of the self-represented litigant, and that of a party to a limited scope retainer. The authors consider in particular how public libraries as a public space and public librarians as trusted intermediaries might support the objective of greater access. The possible roles of law society/courthouse and academic libraries in training and collection development are also considered. The distinction between providing access to legal information and giving legal advice is discussed briefly, and the authors suggest some possible ways of clarifying this distinction while pursuing the goal of expanding public access to legal information.

The libraries’ communicating popular scientific knowledge

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Pavlichenko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Research Institutions ◽  
Population Groups ◽  
The Public ◽  
Library System ◽  
Project Activity

The author examines how the public libraries could promote scientific knowledge. M. Lermontov Interdistrict Centralized Library System develops programs targeted at different population groups. The project activity is being accomplished in partnership with academic and research institutions, and universities.

The Road to Iraq

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Idrees Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Iraq War ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Road ◽  
Cohesive Group ◽  
Political Agents

The Road to Iraq is an empirical investigation that explains the causes of the Iraq War, identifies its main agents, and demonstrates how the war was sold to decision makers and by decision makers to the public. It shows how a small but ideologically coherent and socially cohesive group of determined political agents used the contingency of 9/11 to outflank a sceptical foreign policy establishment, military brass and intelligence apparatus and provoked a war that has had disastrous consequences.

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