Electronic Resources and Next-Generation Public Library Catalogs

2014 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Tracy L. McPeck
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The Other ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Electronic Resources ◽  
Library Catalogs

This case study examines the user experience of six public library catalogs (OPACs) in terms of the next-generation characteristics identified by library literature. One open source Integrated Library System (ILS), Evergreen, was compared to one proprietary system, Polaris. One library used its respective ILS alone, while the other libraries’ catalogs used a third-party discovery layer in conjunction with the ILS. The purpose of this study is to compare open source versus proprietary ILSs and discovery layers in terms of their next-generation characteristics with particular attention to electronic resources, namely e-books. Of the six libraries compared, the two libraries that used the proprietary add-on BiblioCommons featured the most advanced next-generation catalog characteristics. The two ILSs that did not use any added layers offered the fewest next-generation traits. The catalogs of public libraries vary greatly in their offerings, but add-ons, such as BiblioCommons, enhance the user experience and the retrievability of electronic resources.

Electronic Resources and Next-Generation Public Library Catalogs

2015 ◽  
pp. 1820-1834
Author(s):  
Tracy L. McPeck
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The Other ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Electronic Resources ◽  
Library Catalogs

This case study examines the user experience of six public library catalogs (OPACs) in terms of the next-generation characteristics identified by library literature. One open source Integrated Library System (ILS), Evergreen, was compared to one proprietary system, Polaris. One library used its respective ILS alone, while the other libraries' catalogs used a third-party discovery layer in conjunction with the ILS. The purpose of this study is to compare open source versus proprietary ILSs and discovery layers in terms of their next-generation characteristics with particular attention to electronic resources, namely e-books. Of the six libraries compared, the two libraries that used the proprietary add-on BiblioCommons featured the most advanced next-generation catalog characteristics. The two ILSs that did not use any added layers offered the fewest next-generation traits. The catalogs of public libraries vary greatly in their offerings, but add-ons, such as BiblioCommons, enhance the user experience and the retrievability of electronic resources.

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.

Library services enriching community engagement for dementia care: The Tales & Travels Program at a Canadian Public Library as a case study

2021 ◽  
pp. 096100062110651
Author(s):  
Jiamin Dai ◽  
Joan C. Bartlett ◽  
Karyn Moffatt
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Based ◽  
People With Dementia

Growing dementia-friendly library services are contributing to community-based dementia care. Emerging community programs in libraries and museums provide notable opportunities for promoting engagement and inclusivity, but these programs have yet to receive in-depth assessments and analyses to guide future research and practice. This paper presents a case study examining a social and storytelling program for people with dementia run by a Canadian public library. It investigates two research questions: How can public library programs contribute to community-based dementia care? And what are public libraries’ strengths and challenges in running programs for people with dementia? The study involves participant observations of the program and semi-structured interviews with people with dementia, caregivers, and program facilitators (librarians and Alzheimer Society coordinators). Through thematic analysis of fieldnotes and transcripts, the study reveals how this inclusive platform supports engagement, fosters relationships, helps caregivers, and reaches broader communities. This research further uncovers the librarians’ diversified roles as demonstrated through their collaboration with professionals, preparation and research, and facilitation of the sessions. This paper advances librarianship research on enriching community-based dementia care, including furthering inclusivity and engagement and extending accessible library services. By analyzing library programming for the dementia community and assessing its strengths and challenges, the paper highlights librarians’ awareness of the community’s evolving needs and their collaboration with other professionals. It offers practical insights on useful resources and emerging best practices that will hopefully inspire other initiatives in which information professionals can help improve the well-being of vulnerable populations.

A Case Study of Mifos Implementation at Asomi

2010 ◽  
pp. 72-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Puspadhar Das
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
The State ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
Loan Portfolio ◽  
Operational Strategies ◽  
Microfinance Institution

Mifos is an open source enterprise solution for microfinance. This chapter is a practitioner’s point of view on implementation of Mifos in an organization, based on the author’s experience in implementing Mifos at Asomi, a microfinance institution operating in the state of Assam, India. The factors to be considered in selection and implementation of Mifos are discussed. Various inputs, analyses and resources required for implementation are discussed. Any organization must have a concrete set of operational strategies that enables it to track its borrowers and loan portfolio effectively and on time in order to succeed. Wrong assumptions and choice of wrong technology may only aggravate MIS implementation. Development of technology has removed all the barriers to technologies and has enabled organizations to develop computerised systems streamlined to their operational needs and not the other way round. It is attempted to justify this by using the case of Mifos.

Exploring the Integration of Indigenous Knowledge Into Public Library Services With an Inclusive Intent Using a Critical Theory Lens

2020 ◽  
pp. 266-285
Author(s):  
Maned Mhlongo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Critical Theory ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Multiple Case

Despite legislative and regulatory frameworks that have paved the way for transformation and inclusivity of public libraries in South Africa, there seems to be little or no integration of indigenous knowledge (IK). The exclusion of IK from public library services has potential to counteract efforts towards the provision of inclusive services. This chapter demonstrates how critical theory was used as a lens in a multiple case study that explored the integration of indigenous knowledge (IK) into services of public libraries in South Africa. Looking at the articulation of IK, services that are provided to ensure inclusivity, and issues that impact on IK integration in public libraries, semi-structured interviews were conducted from purposefully selected heads of provincial library services in South Africa. Thematic analysis was used. Using critical theory to frame the analysis, findings indicate understanding of aspects of IK including its oral nature. A paucity of engagement with IK as an aspect of inclusive service provision was noted.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Effective Factors on Social Interactions in the Design of Public Libraries

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-410
Author(s):  
Reza Askarizad
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The Other ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Effective Factors ◽  
The World ◽  
Controversial Topic ◽  
Inferential Analysis

Nowadays, the interaction of people in the world is deemed a controversial topic and consequently, the creation of an appropriate context for interacting with individuals is one of the issues that is considered by architects in many designs. In this research, it has been endeavored to consider the factors affecting social interactions in the design of public libraries through the descriptive-inferential analysis. The results of this research reveal that in the architectural spaces that have been designed with open-configured plans, spatial integrity and sociability will increase. On the other hand, the factors such as depth and the level of privacy are also reduced. Therefore, in designing a public library with an approach toward social interaction, there should be a variety of open and closed-configured spaces in the plan that allow users to choose the space they optionally want and in which they would enjoy in their own presence by choosing their own activities.

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 Evaluating the benefits of joint-use libraries

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Calvert
Keyword(s):  
Formative Evaluation ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Evaluation Methods ◽  
The Other ◽  
Collaborative Advantage ◽  
The Public ◽  
Important Benefit

The project seeks ideas for evaluating joint-use libraries; here, libraries jointly administered by a public library and a school. ‘Collaborative advantage’ occurs when each partner brings something the other does not have. The evidence suggests that schools think the partnership helps them to provide a library at reduced cost while the public libraries consider it a way to extend their community reach. Do these different aims make it difficult to produce formative evaluation methods? The project discovered, however, that the most important benefit for both parties was better integration between the school and the community.  

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.

When the Nation is in crisis: libraries respond

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 465-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bibi Alajmi
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Social Unrest ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Institutions ◽  
Traditional Roles

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the role of libraries as community institutions by reflecting on the experience of the Ferguson Municipal Public Library (FMPL), Missouri, USA, during the time of social unrest in the summer of 2014. The research explores the traditional and non-traditional roles of libraries during times of social unrest while focusing on relevant areas of crisis management preparedness and competencies necessary during crisis. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative approach in investigating the research problem and uses the case study method to collect relevant data. Findings This paper reports on the experience of the FMPL staff during this time. Their experience of what happened, how they dealt with it, and what their expectations were after the crisis are all documented. Originality/value Several scholars have studied how public libraries respond to disasters, yet little is known about whether public libraries proactively engage in community-wide disaster planning, and if so, what is the nature of those partnerships.

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