scholarly journals Understanding Social Justice Through Practitioners’ Language

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-70
Author(s):  
J Elizabeth Mills ◽  
Jacqueline Kociubuk ◽  
Kathleen Campana
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Library Science ◽  
Equal Treatment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Science Field ◽  
Outreach Programs

Researchers have recognized that aspects of social justice are present in library efforts by acknowledging the importance of using library programs and services to promote social justice and the significance of social justice for the LIS field. However, while public libraries have indicated a strong interest in reaching underserved communities, they may not yet possess a thorough understanding of various aspects of social justice, especially the concepts of equity, engagement, and empowerment, despite the increasing focus on social justice’s centrality in the library science field. This work-in-progress study presents a grounded theory analysis of twenty semi-structured interviews that were conducted as part of an existing study with library staff and their community partners (staff who work at organizations with which the libraries partner to offer outreach programs in the community). The analysis explores and unpacks practitioners’ language to demonstrate a complex, multifaceted portrait of how these practitioners describe equity, engagement, and empowerment. These practitioners express both broad and individual approaches to this social justice work in an effort to offer equal treatment to the whole community while also recognizing individual barriers. Moreover, they underscore the importance of a role for the community to play in achieving their own goals and strengthening connections between community members and institutions. This analysis yields a critical semantic foundation of social justice concepts, situated in practitioner understanding and prior research in social justice.

Abstract P871: Community and Academic Partner Creation of a Community-Informed, Behavior Theory-Based Music Video to Encourage Stroke Preparedness During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Cielito Robles ◽  
Casey Corches ◽  
Morgan Bradford ◽  
Tia Rice ◽  
Devraj Sukul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Acute Stroke ◽  
Stroke Care ◽  
Music Video ◽  
Community Partner ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Acute Stroke Care ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Academic Partner

Background: Black Americans comprise 14% of Michigan’s population, but 30% of the COVID-19 cases and 40% of deaths. The accumulating national quantitative data on decreased presentation and increased pre-hospital delay during the pandemic confirmed our Flint, MI community partners’ impression of a decline in stroke presentations. Thus, we set out to understand the community’s perception of seeking acute stroke care during the pandemic which will inform the development and dissemination of public health messaging in a predominantly Black American community. Method: To honor social distancing orders, we conducted semi-structured interviews based on the Theory of Planned Behavior via HIPAA-approved teleconferencing with community members. Due to the clinical and public health implications of the pandemic, we employed a rapid assessment approach to streamline qualitative data analysis. Results were used to inform the creation of a music video. Lyrics were written by the academic team, set to a soundtrack and sung by a community partner. The music video theme was conceptualized by the academic team and performed by both academic and community partners. Results: We reached thematic saturation after completing 15 semi-structured interviews with Flint, MI community members. Mean duration of interviews was 40 minutes. Eighty percent of participants were Black; median age was 50; 74% were women and 47% reported some college or above. There was an unfavorable attitude towards seeking emergent stroke care via ambulance and at the hospital, due to concerns for viral transmission at the hospital, hospital capacity and ability to triage, and quality of care. Community and academic partners co-created a music video with verses addressing the community-identified barriers: “ stroke is an emergency all the time, even with COVID-19 / get to the hospital as soon as symptoms start, it’s so important to do your part, be Stroke Ready” (https://youtu.be/lKefAiUM2W0) The video reached over 1,200 users on our community-academic partner Stroke Ready Facebook page. Conclusion: We found that community members’ attitudes and perceived behavioral control to seek emergent stroke care were impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. We addressed these barriers in an academic-community partner created music video. Academic and community partnerships facilitated a timely, innovative response to seeking acute stroke care in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Conceptualizing Practical Aspects of Public Library Initiatives Provides a Useful Model for Future Research

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 233
Author(s):  
Sara Sharun
Keyword(s):  
Community Engagement ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
News Program ◽  
Library Staff

A Review of: Sung, H. Y., Hepworth, M., & Ragsdell, G. (2013). Investigating essential elements of community engagement in public libraries: An exploratory qualitative study. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 45(3), 206-218. doi: 10.1177/0961000612448205 Objective – To examine characteristics of a community engagement (CE) initiative in a public library in order to identify and describe essential elements of CE and develop a model for CE in public libraries. Design – Case study. Setting – A public library in a mid-sized city in England, United Kingdom. Subjects – An unspecified number of community members, library staff, and external agency staff participating in a community news program. Methods – There were 12 semi-structured interviews conducted with library staff, community members, and participants from 12 community news agencies operating under the umbrella of a larger community news organization. The authors directly observed an unknown number of undescribed program meetings and events. They also performed document analysis on unspecified government policies, media reports, and program publications to corroborate the information gathered from their interviews and observations. Main Results – The data were analyzed in an inductive manner using ATLAS qualitative data analysis software. Results are described in a qualitative manner and do not correspond directly to the individual methods used. The coding of data from interviews and observations (which are not analyzed separately) resulted in the identification of seven themes related to community engagement in libraries: belonging, commitment, communication, flexibility, genuineness, relevance, and sustainability. Conclusion – The “essential elements” model that was developed from this case study can be applied by other public libraries in their processes and practices, and can contribute to the creation of a more genuinely community-driven approach to service.

SUSTAINING FAMILY ROUTINES AFTER TRANSITIONING INTO PARENTHOOD: COUPLES’ PERCEPTIONS OF ASSISTING FACTORS

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17
Author(s):  
Christine De Goede ◽  
Abraham P Greeff
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Specific Problem ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Major Theme ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
Family Routines ◽  
Temporal Complexity ◽  
Context Specific

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore what assists couples in sustaining family routines after the transition to parenthood. Participants were recruited from two day-care centres in Cape Town, South Africa. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 couples, mostly from low-income households, who had gone through this transition between one and four years previously. Grounded theory analysis revealed one major theme, Factors that decrease task and temporal complexity, with seven subthemes: Support from the wider family network; Couple cooperation and tag-teaming; Planning and pre-empting future problems; Adhering to schedules; Facilitative characteristics and skills of individual family members; Parents’ sense of commitment and responsibility towards family members; and idiosyncratic accommodations. Results underscore the need for professionals to help parents gain support from relatives; strengthen partner teamwork; foster schedule consistency; improve skills such as planning; foster their caretaker self-concepts; and facilitate context-specific problem-solving.

Perceptions on Job Requirements of LIS Graduates in Public Libraries: A Reflection on Public Libraries in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Mousaion ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mpilo Siphamandla Mthembu ◽  
Dennis Ngong Ocholla
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Computer Literacy ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Structured Interviews

Public libraries play a crucial role in the information and knowledge society. Their access and services in the fourth industrial revolution require review as well as the knowledge of the competency requirements for Library and Information Science (LIS) graduates to offer professional services. This paper presents the competencies LIS graduates require for work. It also seeks to examine the challenges they encounter in public libraries. The study is driven by the notion that a skills gap and a lack of training for LIS professionals are still daunting challenges in most public libraries. The post-positivism paradigm was employed through the triangulation of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies in data collection and analysis. Content analysis and a survey were employed as research methods. The study scanned job advertisements in four newspapers spanning a three-year period (from January 2015 to December 2017). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with assistant directors and structured questionnaires were administered to LIS graduates. Grade 12, one to three years of work experience, computer literacy and communication skills are the most required competencies to work at public libraries. There seems to be no balance between theory and practice offered in most LIS schools, which suggests the need for curricula revision. Employed LIS graduates are facing several challenges, which include lack of practical exposure or knowledge, lack of qualification recognition and individual promotions, and lack of ICT skills and knowledge.

scholarly journals User-driven efforts in creating knowledge graph information system

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-111
Author(s):  
Stanislava Gardasevic
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Resource Discovery ◽  
The Body ◽  
Knowledge Graph ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper presents the results of a qualitative study that involved students of an interdisciplinary PhD program. The study objective was to gather requirements to create a knowledge graph information system. The purpose of this study was to determine information-seeking practices and information needs of this community, to inform the functionalities of a proposed system, intended to help students with relevant resource discovery and decision-making. Design/methodology/approach The study design included semi-structured interviews with eight members of the community, followed by a website usability study with the same student participants. Findings Two main information-seeking styles are recognized and reported through user personas of international and domestic (USA) students. The findings show that the useful information resides within the community and not so much on the program website. Students rely on peer communication, although they report lack of opportunities to connect. Students’ information needs and information seeking are dependent on their progress through the program, as well as their motivation and the projected timeline. Practical implications Considering the current information needs and practices, a knowledge graph hosting both information on social networks and the knowledge produced by the activities of the community members would be useful. By recording data on their activities (for example, collaboration with professors and coursework), students would reveal further useful system functionalities and facilitate transfer of tacit knowledge. Originality/value Aside from the practical value of this research that is directly influencing the design of a system, it contributes to the body of knowledge on interdisciplinary PhD programs.

Enhancing racial equity in LIS research by increasing representation of BIPOC

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-256
Author(s):  
Charles R. Senteio ◽  
Kaitlin E. Montague ◽  
Bettina Campbell ◽  
Terrance R. Campbell ◽  
Samantha Seigerman
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Health Inequity ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Social Injustice ◽  
Racial Equity ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Racial Injustice

The escalation of discourse on racial injustice prompts novel ideas to address the persistent lack of racial equity in LIS research. The underrepresentation of BIPOC perspectives contributes to the inequity. Applying the Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach meaningfully engages BIPOC to help guide LIS investigations that identify evolving needs and concerns, such as how systematic racism may contribute to social justice issues like environmental and health inequity. Engaging with BIPOC, using the CBPR approach, can help address racial equity in LIS because it will result in increased racial representation which enables incorporation of the perspectives and priorities of BIPOC. This shift to greater engagement is imperative to respond to escalating attention to social injustice and ensure that these central issues are adequately reflected in LIS research. The discipline is positioned to help detail the drivers and implications of inequity and develop ways to address them. We underscore the importance of working across research disciplines by describing our CBPR experience engaging with BIPOC in LIS research. We highlight the perspectives of community partners who have over two decades of experience with community-based LIS research. We offer lessons learned to LIS researchers by describing the factors that make these initiatives successful and those which contribute to setbacks.

scholarly journals Rethinking success, integrity, and culture in research (part 2) — a multi-actor qualitative study on problems of science

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noémie Aubert Bonn ◽  
Wim Pinxten
Keyword(s):  
Research Misconduct ◽  
Research Integrity ◽  
Research Culture ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Questionable Research Practices ◽  
Research Problems ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Research Students ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Research misconduct and questionable research practices have been the subject of increasing attention in the past few years. But despite the rich body of research available, few empirical works also include the perspectives of non-researcher stakeholders. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with policy makers, funders, institution leaders, editors or publishers, research integrity office members, research integrity community members, laboratory technicians, researchers, research students, and former-researchers who changed career to inquire on the topics of success, integrity, and responsibilities in science. We used the Flemish biomedical landscape as a baseline to be able to grasp the views of interacting and complementary actors in a system setting. Results Given the breadth of our results, we divided our findings in a two-paper series with the current paper focusing on the problems that affect the integrity and research culture. We first found that different actors have different perspectives on the problems that affect the integrity and culture of research. Problems were either linked to personalities and attitudes, or to the climates in which researchers operate. Elements that were described as essential for success (in the associate paper) were often thought to accentuate the problems of research climates by disrupting research culture and research integrity. Even though all participants agreed that current research climates need to be addressed, participants generally did not feel responsible nor capable of initiating change. Instead, respondents revealed a circle of blame and mistrust between actor groups. Conclusions Our findings resonate with recent debates, and extrapolate a few action points which might help advance the discussion. First, the research integrity debate must revisit and tackle the way in which researchers are assessed. Second, approaches to promote better science need to address the impact that research climates have on research integrity and research culture rather than to capitalize on individual researchers’ compliance. Finally, inter-actor dialogues and shared decision making must be given priority to ensure that the perspectives of the full research system are captured. Understanding the relations and interdependency between these perspectives is key to be able to address the problems of science. Study registration https://osf.io/33v3m

scholarly journals Rethinking success, integrity, and culture in research (part 1) — a multi-actor qualitative study on success in science

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noémie Aubert Bonn ◽  
Wim Pinxten
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Research Integrity ◽  
Current Paper ◽  
Research Quality ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Research Students

Abstract Background Success shapes the lives and careers of scientists. But success in science is difficult to define, let alone to translate in indicators that can be used for assessment. In the past few years, several groups expressed their dissatisfaction with the indicators currently used for assessing researchers. But given the lack of agreement on what should constitute success in science, most propositions remain unanswered. This paper aims to complement our understanding of success in science and to document areas of tension and conflict in research assessments. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with policy makers, funders, institution leaders, editors or publishers, research integrity office members, research integrity community members, laboratory technicians, researchers, research students, and former-researchers who changed career to inquire on the topics of success, integrity, and responsibilities in science. We used the Flemish biomedical landscape as a baseline to be able to grasp the views of interacting and complementary actors in a system setting. Results Given the breadth of our results, we divided our findings in a two-paper series, with the current paper focusing on what defines and determines success in science. Respondents depicted success as a multi-factorial, context-dependent, and mutable construct. Success appeared to be an interaction between characteristics from the researcher (Who), research outputs (What), processes (How), and luck. Interviewees noted that current research assessments overvalued outputs but largely ignored the processes deemed essential for research quality and integrity. Interviewees suggested that science needs a diversity of indicators that are transparent, robust, and valid, and that also allow a balanced and diverse view of success; that assessment of scientists should not blindly depend on metrics but also value human input; and that quality should be valued over quantity. Conclusions The objective of research assessments may be to encourage good researchers, to benefit society, or simply to advance science. Yet we show that current assessments fall short on each of these objectives. Open and transparent inter-actor dialogue is needed to understand what research assessments aim for and how they can best achieve their objective. Study Registration osf.io/33v3m.

Public libraries digital services and sustainability issues

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 34-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina Michnik
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Digital Services ◽  
Local Politicians ◽  
Physical Spaces ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study how Swedish local politicians perceive the impact of public library digital services on public libraries and to discuss how this can affect the sustainable development of public libraries. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical data were collected through semi-structured interviews with local politicians from 19 different Swedish municipalities. Data were treated to qualitative content analysis and discussed based on the concept of sustainable organization. Findings – According to local politicians, public library digital services may affect public libraries through changes to libraries’ physical spaces, librarians’ tasks and competencies and libraries’ economic situations. Based on these findings, public library digital services can both strengthen and weaken public library sustainability through, for example, increased access and expenditures, the latter of which may threaten public library sustainability. Research limitations/implications – Interviews did not focus specifically on the politicians’ views on public library digital services but dealt generally with their views on public libraries. To identify reasons for variations in views on this topic, follow-up interviews should be done. Data on views from public library managers would also be of use to determine the degree to which they are shared with local politicians. Originality/value – When sustainability and public libraries are discussed, the focus is generally on the library’s contribution to a sustainable society. Here, the focus is instead on the sustainability of the public library itself.

scholarly journals Towards the Construction of Productive Interactions for Social Impact

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 485
Author(s):  
Blanca L. Díaz Mariño ◽  
Frida Carmina Caballero-Rico ◽  
Ramón Ventura Roque Hernández ◽  
José Alberto Ramírez de León ◽  
Daniel Alejandro González-Bandala
Keyword(s):  
Social Impact ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Project Duration ◽  
The Social ◽  
The One ◽  
Different Levels

Understanding the value of research for society has become a priority, and several methodologies have been developed to assess the social impact of research. This study aimed to determine how productive interactions are developed during the execution of research projects. A retrospective study was conducted on 33 projects from 1999 to 2020. Semi-structured interviews with the technical managers were conducted to analyze how different actors of the project—researchers, government officials, and civil society and private sector stakeholders—were involved, illustrating how productive interactions occur in specific biodiversity contexts. The results revealed different levels and intensities of productive interactions; on the one hand, three projects involved all actors; eight involved researchers outside the institution; and 25 involved community members. The number of participants ranged from 2 to 37. All research evaluated had a disciplinary orientation. The type and time of interactions with other interested parties depended on the amount of funding, project type, project duration, and, significantly, on the profile of the technical manager. The importance of assessing and valuing productive interactions was identified as a fundamental element in promoting the social impact of research, as well as integrating inter- or multidisciplinary projects that impact the conservation of socio-ecological systems.

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