scholarly journals Introducing society

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-40
Author(s):  
Bo Skøtt

Public libraries have a societal duty to promote the peaceful coexistence between population and are therefore involved in integration work. However, the question is whether the integration perspective is suitable for addressing current issues or if other perspectives are more adequate. To study this, I conducted a literature review of published articles on Scandinavian public libraries’ integration work, six semi-structured interviews with male asylum seekers and an email interview with the chief operations officer at three asylum reception centres in Denmark. Using a lifelong learning perspective, I was able to consider the six asylum seekers’ experiences with integration in new ways. It became evident how integration is an ambiguous concept, and how the integration process does not constitute temporary phases but rather initiates lifelong learning processes, just like the activities native Danes conducts in their efforts to handle their lives in late modernity. The lifelong learning perspective probably cannot replace the integration perspective, but it may help us understand which activities are appropriate for public libraries to engage in. The public libraries’ task is not to assimilate, but to promote new citizens’ opportunities for peaceful coexistence by facilitating people’s participation in society.

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 270-289
Author(s):  
Alan Morris

In 2014, the New South Wales government announced that all of the 465 public housing tenants in Millers Point in inner Sydney, are to be relocated and their homes sold. This article, drawing on 41 semi-structured interviews with tenants who were residents at the time of the announcement, has two main aims. First, to contribute to the debate as to the continuity or otherwise of community in a global city in late modernity by closely examining the sense of community among the public housing tenants in Millers Point at the time of the displacement announcement. The second aim is to examine what I have termed ‘communicide’. I argue that the displacement policy directed at Millers Point public housing tenants can be described as an act of communicide as it destroyed a vibrant community causing tremendous dislocation and stress. After the move, many tenants found themselves deeply isolated.


2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 253-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petros A. Kostagiolas ◽  
Christina Banou ◽  
Evangelia‐Maria Laskari

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is twofold: to provide an overview of the present situation at the Greek central public libraries and to identify strategic development areas in regard to education and training, social and economic development, e‐government, reading policy, cultural cohesion and identity.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted in January and February 2008 through extensive semi‐structured interviews with all the 29 Greek central public libraries.FindingsThe paper finds that a formal strategic plan is becoming necessary for the Greek central public libraries in order to understand themselves, redefine their policies and priorities, and further consider the needs and expectations of their users and of the society as a whole.Practical implicationsThis paper contributes to the discussion on the development of strategic planning aimed at the central public libraries in Greece and may assist in providing evidence for strategic planning in a national and/or in an institutional level.Originality/valueIt is one of the very few studies in Greece providing empirical evidence for the strategic planning and management of the central public libraries.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Skøtt

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate what democratic challenges the digitisation of the public libraries in Denmark has entailed. Using the concepts from a national library professional strategy from 2012, an analysis of 9 librarians’ experiences with digital dissemination in practice is conducted. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a part of a larger research project called “If digitisation is the answer, then what was the question?”. This sub study builds on the semi-structured interviews with library staff members, case-descriptions of two central providers of digital public library materials, as well as literature studies of missions, vision and strategies from different public library policy institutions. To frame the study, a literature review has been conducted. Findings The author detects the presence of several incompatible conditions in digital dissemination. These conditions are predominantly of an organisational nature, potentially containing major consequences for citizens’ free and equal access to information, knowledge and culture. Among other things, the Danish public libraries risk substantiating an already existing and problematic polarisation between technologically capable and incapacitated groups of people. Originality/value The digital transformation of society has only just begun. Therefore, it is important to examine the consequences of the transition to digital media types for central cultural institution such as the public libraries. The present study is an early and minor contribution to the illumination of a process requiring many more and large-scale studies.


Author(s):  
Tella Adeyinka

Information literacy is regarded as the basis for learning in our contemporary environment of rapid and sophisticated technological change. As information and communication technologies develop rapidly, and the information environment becomes increasingly complex, educators are recognizing the needs for learners to engage with the information environment as part of their formal learning processes. The achievement of lifelong learning and making citizens become information literate is the target of many nations as far as millennium development goals and vision 2015 are concerned. This chapter presents a literature review on information literacy and lifelong learning pointing out the relationship between the two and their benefits, and finally, the chapter makes recommendations to improve both programs.


Author(s):  
Tella Adeyinka

Information literacy is regarded as the basis for learning in our contemporary environment of rapid and sophisticated technological change. As information and communication technologies develop rapidly, and the information environment becomes increasingly complex, educators are recognizing the needs for learners to engage with the information environment as part of their formal learning processes. The achievement of lifelong learning and making citizens become information literate is the target of many nations as far as millennium development goals and vision 2015 are concerned. This chapter presents a literature review on information literacy and lifelong learning pointing out the relationship between the two and their benefits, and finally, the chapter makes recommendations to improve both programs.


Bosniaca ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (26) ◽  
pp. 52-71
Author(s):  
Andreja Zubac ◽  
Ana Barbarić

Cilj je rada predstaviti rezultate istraživanja o potrebama nezaposlenih građana Osječko-baranjske županije u svrhu unapređenja spoznaja o poboljšanju službi, usluga, programa i aktivnosti narodnih knjižnica te utjecaja na kvalitetu života nezaposlenih građana. Istraživanje je provedeno kvantitativnom metodom slučajnog uzorka (N = 250). U članku je prikazana slika stanja prije globalne zdravstvene pandemije COVID-19, krize koja je utjecala na cijeli svijet. Prikupljeni podaci statistički su obrađeni u Statističkom paketu za društvene znanosti primjenom opisne i korelacijske analize između dvije skupine varijabli te su izraženi u postotcima. Najvažniji rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da ispitani građani imaju potrebu za učenjem u sastavu cjeloživotnog obrazovanja, ali da su se, s druge strane, u najvećem ukupnom postotku na ponuđene potrebe u knjižničnom prostoru, izjasnili da nemaju potrebe. Najizraženije potrebe ispitanih građana su potrebe za učenjem engleskoga i njemačkoga jezika; računalnim i tehničkim vještinama, potreba za usavršavanjem komunikacijskih vještina; usavršavanjem dodatnih socijalnih vještina kroz timski rad, upoznavanjem pravila poslovnog bontona, stjecanjem organizacijskih vještina, promocijskih vještina, učenjem neverbalne komunikacije ili govora tijela. Rezultat istraživanja pokazao je da, unatoč tomu što je dio ispitanika (41,6 %) član narodne knjižnice, i dalje ima različite potrebe u sastavu cjeloživotnog obrazovanja, a njihova im narodna knjižnica ne pruža mogućnost ispunjavanja. Pokazao je i to da nisu sve narodne knjižnice u Osječko-baranjskoj županiji otvorene za sve korisnike. Nezaposleni, društveno isključeni građani mišljenja su da narodna knjižnica može pomoći u razvoju zajednice, ali ne i nezaposlenima. = The aim of this paper is to present the results of the research on the needs of unemployed citizens in the Osijek-Baranja County with the purpose of improving the knowledge of advancing the services, programs, and activities of public libraries, as well as the quality of life of unemployed citizens. Research was conducted using the random sampling method (N=250). The article presents a picture of the situation before the global COVID-19 health pandemic, the crisis that affected the whole world. The collected data was statistically analyzed in SPSS, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, using correlation and descriptive analysis on two groups and was thereafter expressed in percentages. The most important results of the research showed that the selected citizens have a need for lifelong learning, but that at the same time the largest percentage of them do not have the need to fulfill the named needs in a library space. Most pronounced needs of tested citizens are the needs to learn English and German; computer and technical skills, the need to perfect communication skills; perfecting additional social skills through teamwork, familiarizing oneself with workspace etiquette, gaining organizational skills, promotional skills, learning nonverbal communication or body language. The results show that public libraries do not allow a portion of the subjects (41.6%) to fulfill their needs, despite them having a membership to the public library and having different needs for lifelong learning. Likewise, results show that not all public libraries within the Osijek-Baranja County are open to all users. Socially excluded unemployed citizens believe that the public library can help develop communities and unemployed citizens alike.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Juliana Sassi

This article reflects upon the limits and potential of bioethics in a society in which not only people's values are hierarchised along racial lines, but the public and private interests are also structurally antagonised. The author focused on the experience of migrants and asylum seekers in Ireland during the COVID 19 Pandemic. Developing a literature review on bioethics and race, the author locates this case study within the liberal rationality, which is individualist and ultimately values people according to the market needs. Applying the concept of racial capitalism to make sense of racialisation processes, the author claims the need to build ethics that is also practice, what she calls, ethical praxis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-60
Author(s):  
Rochani Nani Rahayu

The covid-19 outbreak in the world and in Indonesia since last March 2020, has caused the activities of most people to be carried out from home. The library is an institution that is obliged to carry out work from home. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine the activities carried out during the covid-19 pandemic. This research uses the literature review method. The data source used was EBSCOhost which was accessed fro the E-Resources of the National Library of Indonesia on May 6, 2020. The search used the keyword covid-19 and objectives. The data obtained from the search results are then analyzed against each article with the aim of solving and identifying important information contained therein. Furthermore, the synthesis of all the articles obtained is carried out, namely integrating and identifying conclusions that can be drawn from all articles. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that abroad, during the covid-19 pandemic, both public libraries, college libraries, although there are some closed, there are those who postpone activities, but they still provide services to users by utilizing various information technology platforms and social media. In addition to providing information services to users, libraries even provide infrastructure to be used as a place to distribute aid resources to communities affected by covid-19. The experiences of several librarians who are involved in the response to covid-19, such as the participation of a librarian in providing face shield can provide information to the public that librarians are also contributing to the prevention of the covid-19 outbreak.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 354-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Stenstrom ◽  
Natalie Cole ◽  
Rachel Hanson

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss a review of the literature on the value of public libraries and propose a preliminary value framework for the public library based on the results. The review was conducted and the framework was developed as part of a larger ongoing project exploring the value of California’s public libraries. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a literature review of approximately 130 international, national and local resources from 1998 to 2018. Findings were developed through an analysis and synthesis of the works as they relate to public libraries. Findings The themes that emerged from the exploration of studies fell into three intersecting categories: support for personal advancement; support for vulnerable populations; and support for community development. A wide variety of quantitative and qualitative methods have been employed in this area of research. Among the many ways to discuss value, the most appropriate for the user will always depend on the context for which the concept of value is being defined. Practical implications Practitioners may find the various definitions of value useful when sharing information about public libraries with decision makers and other stakeholder audiences and when designing service models and outcomes. Originality/value The authors believe this paper is the first to identify the emergence of a value framework for the public library based on a literature review exploring both the social and financial value of public libraries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 38-50
Author(s):  
Dr. Gurnam Singh ◽  
Dr.Deepak Kumar Shrivastava

The public libraries play very important role in fostering the intellectual development of society at large. They support both formal and non-formal education systems of our society. They are considered as People’s University and serve as a center for self-education and lifelong learning. They are considered to be an intellectual power house which strives to fulfill and meet the educational needs of the public through varied resources and services Presented Research Paper reveals that  Rajasthan State are need urgent attention on the District Public libraries for  lack of staff and insufficient budget. It’s great achievement that in 2006, Library legislation passed in Rajasthan but not seems their major effects till today. I think Rajasthan needs advocacy to run the Public libraries. In Rajasthan, maximum libraries are facing the problem of book losses and no regular basis stock verification done. Hope after reviewing this study Govt. of Rajasthan will observe the pros and cons.


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