scholarly journals “Book Nerds” United: The Reading Lives of Diverse Adolescents at the Public Library

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Literacy ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The Public ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Diverse Community ◽  
Adolescent Learning ◽  
Project Data

This research asks the question: How does a public library contribute to the literate lives of a diverse community of adolescents? To explore this question, this article presents portraits of three young women, for whom a public library provided transformative opportunities. These portraits come from a larger ethnographic case study that examined a public library’s role in sparking and sustaining adolescent learning. Over 18 months, the author observed library activities involving youth, interviewed library staff and adolescent patrons, and led teen volunteers in a participatory research project. Data were analyzed in a constant comparative method within a sociocultural-historical framework. Through attention to the girls’ activities within the public library, two contributing elements— 1) a democratic space created by library practices, and 2), the diversity in discourse facilitated by the teen librarian—expanded the participants’ literacy practices and perspectives on reading. This article informs our understanding of diversity in adolescent literacy and highlights the practices that libraries and communities can use to foster the next generation of readers.

When Culturally Significant Songs are Decontextualised: The Initiation Song Somagwaza, A Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Dowling ◽  
Somikazi Deyi ◽  
Anele Gobodwana
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Popular Song ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Ritual Music ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Small Focus ◽  
Over Time

While there have been a number of studies on the decontextualisation and secularisation of traditional ritual music in America, Taiwan and other parts of the globe, very little has been written on the processes and transformations that South Africa’s indigenous ceremonial songs go through over time. This study was prompted by the authors’ interest in, and engagement with the Xhosa initiation song Somagwaza, which has been re-imagined as a popular song, but has also purportedly found its way into other religious spaces. In this article, we attempted to investigate the extent to which the song Somagwaza is still associated with the Xhosa initiation ritual and to analyse evidence of it being decontextualised and secularised in contemporary South Africa. Our methodology included an examination of the various academic treatments of the song, an analysis of the lyrics of a popular song, bearing the same name, holding small focus group discussions, and distributing questionnaires to speakers of isiXhosa on the topic of the song. The data gathered were analysed using the constant comparative method of analysing qualitative research.

The e-book war in Denmark

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-105
Author(s):  
Lisbeth Worsøe-Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Book Market ◽  
The Public ◽  
Library System ◽  
Commercial Market ◽  
Book World ◽  
Traditional Understanding

The aim is to investigate how digitisation and in particular e-books have changed relations between private players and public institutions within the Danish book world through a case study of eReolen, a private-public partnership functioning as common platform for public libraries’ lending of e-books in Denmark. Traditional and new models of the book world are discussed as the basis of understanding relations between the players. A new way of analysing the field outlined by literary sociologist, Professor Johan Svedjedal, is adopted. The main conclusions are that the lending of e-books has disrupted the traditional understanding and interaction between the public library system and the commercial book market. In addition, the Danish library system through the partnership has taken on a new function in relation to the commercial market, namely acting as the engine in building a market for Danish e-books.

A Furry Partnership

2013 ◽  
pp. 823-839
Author(s):  
Mary L. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Public Library ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
School Staff ◽  
Therapy Dog ◽  
The Public ◽  
Summer Reading ◽  
Third Grade Students ◽  
Reading Loss

This case study describes the partnership between the Bedford Public Library and an elementary school. This partnership consists of a program designed to assist grade school children with literacy skills. Third grade students read aloud to a Pet Partners team made up of a therapy dog and a handler who is a professional public librarian. The team visits the school weekly with books selected from the public library’s collection to provide animal assisted therapy. School staff and teachers collect and provide assessment data on students to create goals and track progress for the students. The librarian, teachers, and school staff work together to create new methods of assessing progress attributed to reading to the dog. During the summer months, the Pet Partners team visits a local Summer Meals site to help address the problem of summer reading loss. Children of all ages are invited to read aloud to the team to participate in animal assisted activities.

#ArtGoals

2021 ◽  
pp. 40-65
Author(s):  
Aisha Adel Provoteaux
Keyword(s):  
Middle School Teachers ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Art Curriculum ◽  
Developmental Needs ◽  
Adolescent Students ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Extrinsic Motivators

This qualitative case study investigated the challenges and opportunities for fostering artistic engagement in early adolescent students. As developmental stages are likely to be factor, the experiences of three middle school teachers were analyzed to identify strategies for nurturing artistic engagement in this population. A constant comparative method of analysis of interview data revealed the following themes: the importance of artistic engagement, how to recognize it, challenges with fostering this type of engagement and strategies for overcoming them, opportunities for promoting artistic engagement, the developmental needs of adolescent students, their relationship to artistic engagement and the implications for the secondary art curriculum. Ultimately, it was found that while stages of development do influence artistic engagement, extrinsic motivators also play a role. Challenges, however, can be mediated by a constructivist approach to art education, as it motivates and empowers students to become responsible for their learning, through the creation of meaningful artwork.

scholarly journals Application Level Security in a Public Library: A Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 107-118
Author(s):  
Richard Thomchick ◽  
Tonia San Nicolas-Rocca
Keyword(s):  
Secure Communication ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Transport Protocol ◽  
Sensitive Information ◽  
Privacy And Security ◽  
The Public ◽  
Security Challenges ◽  
Personally Identifiable Information ◽  
Active Attacks

Libraries have historically made great efforts to ensure the confidentiality of patron personally identifiable information (PII), but the rapid, widespread adoption of information technology and the internet have given rise to new privacy and security challenges. Hypertext Transport Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a form of Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) that enables secure communication over the public internet and provides a deterministic way to guarantee data confidentiality so that attackers cannot eavesdrop on communications. HTTPS has been used to protect sensitive information exchanges, but security exploits such as passive and active attacks have exposed the need to implement HTTPS in a more rigorous and pervasive manner. This report is intended to shed light on the state of HTTPS implementation in libraries, and to suggest ways in which libraries can evaluate and improve application security so that they can better protect the confidentiality of PII about library patrons.

Public libraries and public primary school literacy: a Kenyan case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 689-701
Author(s):  
Peter Mose
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
School Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
Teachers And Parents

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explain how public libraries have been instrumental in early child school literacy teaching and learning. Most African public schools do not usually afford enough core textbooks and supplementary readers.Design/methodology/approachThis was a qualitative case study in Western Kenya amongst public library staff members, public primary school teachers and parents of library children clients. The following questions were addressed: What is the book situation in public primary schools in the study site? What school-type literacy-related services are offered by the sampled public library? and What are library staff members’, teachers’ and parents’ feelings about the public library services offered? Observations, interviews and document studies were used to collect data. Data were analysed thematically.FindingsPublic schools do not have enough core textbooks and the situation is worse for supplementary readers; the public library branch studied offers critical school-type literacies to school children both at the library building as well as at public schools registered with it; and library staff members, teachers, and parents express positive feelings about the services offered.Research limitations/implicationsThis was a case study whose findings might not apply to the larger situation and the study did not confirm actual literacy benefits of the library services amongst school children by, for instance, conducting literacy tests. The findings are, however, an index to the possible situation in the macro context.Practical implicationsThe relevant stakeholders should find ways of co-opting public libraries as associates of public schools in literacy teaching. This relationship is not straight forward in Kenya.Originality/valueThe findings reported are from original research.

scholarly journals Faktor Individual dan Struktural pada Kepuasan Kerja Bidan Era Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 520-530
Author(s):  
Amalia Raafiah
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Individual Factors ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Interview Technique ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Interview Guide

Abstrak Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional telah berjalan kurang lebih empat tahun, namun Praktik Mandiri Bidan yang bekerjasama dengan BPJS Kesehatan di Kota Semarang mengalami penurunan, pada tahun 2017 sebanyak 95 PMB dan menurun menjadi 85 PMB di tahun 2018. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui faktor individual dan struktural pada kepuasan kerja bidan era Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan pada bulan Mei s.d. Juli tahun 2018 di Kecamatan Ngaliyan, Kota Semarang, jenis penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi kasus dan teknik pengambilan data menggunakan teknik wawancara mendalam. Informan dalam penelitian ini berjumlah 7 orang dengan 4 orang informan utama dan 3 orang informan triangulasi. Instrumen yang digunakan diantaranya panduan wawancara mendalam, alat perekam dan buku catatan. Data dianalisis menggunakan metode perbandingan tetap. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa faktor individual pada kepuasan kerja bidan adalah nature of work, pencapaian nilai dan motivasi, sedangkan faktor struktural pada kepuasan kerja bidan adalah supervisi, rekan kerja, komunikasi dan keadilan. Simpulan penelitian ini adalah tingkat kepuasan kerja bidan cukup puas pada era JKN.   Abstract Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional has been running for at least four years, but Independent Practices Midwife who collaboration with BPJS Kesehatan in Semarang City has declined, from 95 IPM in 2017 to 85 IPM in 2018. The objective of this research was to figure out individual and structural factors of Midwife’s job satisfaction in Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional era. This research was occurred on May until July 2018 in Ngaliyan Sub-district, Semarang City, this research was a case study with descriptive qualitative research using in-depth interview technique. Informants in this study amounted to 7 people with 4 main informants and 3 triangulation informants. The instrument used was an in-depth interview guide, a tape recorder and a notebook. Data were analyzed with constant comparative method. Result showed that individual factors of midwife’s job satisfaction were nature of work, value attainment and motivation, and structural factors of midwife’s job satisfaction were supervision, co-worker, communication and equity. Conclusion of this research was a phase of midwifes’s job satisfaction were enough in JKN era.  

scholarly journals Cultural identity of bilingual adults : a case study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Anastasiia Gorlova
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Graduate Studies ◽  
Hybrid Identities ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Research Findings

This case study of the cultural identity of bilingual adults aims to discover the changes in the self-identification of sequential Russian-English bilingual adults that occur as a result of the immersion in the second language and culture. The study strives to answer the question of the change in self-identification of bilingual adults and the way they perceive those changes as well as the role that language plays in the transformation of identity. The participants of the study are Russian-born graduate students pursuing their graduate studies at the Universities in the United States. The data for this qualitative study were gathered through oral semi-structured interviews and samples of participants' writing and analyzed using the constant comparative method. The research findings show that the participants of the study are situated on a various levels of the construction of hybrid identities. Among the factors that influenced that transformation of identity, the most were the loss of network and connections and the differences between American and Russian cultures. Additionally, language as a factor in the change of self-identification affects the identity when individuals temporarily lose the ability to communicate and then learn new communication strategies that involve a system of both languages based on the principles of efficient communication.

scholarly journals From means to an end to ends in themselves

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-52
Author(s):  
Mia Høj Mathiasson
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Historical Case Study ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
The Public ◽  
Broad Variety ◽  
And Function ◽  
Role And Function ◽  
Source Materials

Offering a variety of activities and events is considered a central part of many public libraries today. Under the term public library programmes, this article presents the findings from an empirical study of the development of publicly available and publicly announced activities and events offered within or in relation to Danish public libraries over a sixty-year period. The aim of the study was to enrich our understanding of these library services from a historical perspective focussing on describing development. Inspired by Historical Case Study (HCS), the study was designed as a diachronic analysis of a broad variety of empirical source materials collected from two case libraries, documenting programmes offered between 1960 and 2020, including interviews with programming librarians. From analysing the source materials, a development is described which shows that while the different types of programmes offered throughout the period have been somewhat consistent, their format and content have expanded in parallel with the expansion of the public library, its collections and services. At the same time, the reasoning behind offering programmes can be described as a development from programmes considered as a means to an end (e.g. education, publicity or community building) to programmes also considered as ends in themselves. By supporting and enriching the knowledge on programmes as services, this study provides an empirical foundation for discussions and debates about the role and function of public library programmes as part of the public library in the future as well as rich empirical examples for further research.

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