Large Public Library Research Articles

Cycle of Perpetual Vulnerability for Women Facing Homelessness near an Urban Library in a Major U.S. Metropolitan Area.

Background: Homelessness among women and the multiple vulnerabilities they endure (sexual exploitation/human trafficking, violence, and mental health issues) is a perpetually unresolved issue in the U.S. and globally. Methods: This study is based on qualitative in-depth interviews accompanied by brief socio-demographic surveys conducted among 32 total participants, consisting of cisgender females (n = 17) and cisgender males (n = 15) experiencing homelessness at a large public library. Results: Of the women, 35% were White, 35% Latina, 18% African American/Black, and 18% LGBT. Half of all participants said in qualitative interviews that they witnessed violence against women, and/or experienced unwanted harassment/sexual exploitation; one in three described suspected human trafficking. Of the women interviewed, half struggled with mental health symptoms, feelings of hopelessness, and nearly all reported isolation; approximately one-third had substance use issues. Many described an inadequate number of emergency and long-term shelters Available for women facing homelessness; many had to wait or saw other women waiting to get into shelters and faced abuse on the streets in the meantime. Conclusion: The emergent themes showed that women face a “cycle of perpetual vulnerability” with three relational pathways: iterated trauma from chronic abuse/violence inflicted on them, a state of paralysis due to inadequate availability of supportive services, shelters, and mental health resources to cover all women living on the streets, leaving women susceptible to being a target phenotype for predators.

Learning from data reuse: successful and failed experiences in a large public research university library

This paper illustrates a large research university library experience in reusing the data for research collected both within and outside of the library to demonstrate data reuse practice. The purpose of the paper is to 1) demonstrate when and how data are reused in a large public research university library, 2) share tips on what to consider when reusing data, and 3) share challenges and lessons learned from data reuse experiences. This paper presents five proposed opportunities for data reuse conducted by three researchers at the institution’s library which resulted in three successful instances of data reuses and two failed data reuses. Learning from successful and failed experiences is critical to understand what works and what does not work in order to identify best practices for data reuse. This paper will be helpful for librarians who intend to reuse data for publication.

What knowledge and attitudes inform public librarians’ interactions with library patrons in crisis?

Using a thematic analysis, this article explores the knowledge and attitudes that inform public librarians’ interactions with people in crisis. Through five focus groups with 22 librarians at a large urban public library system, the study addresses how public librarians support people in crisis, what kinds of barriers and opportunities they experience, and how their perspectives on supporting patrons in crisis have professional impacts. Focusing on both the knowledge and attitudes of public librarians, this research has implications for exploring how public librarians can develop knowledge, attitudes, and skills that may be beneficial for supporting patrons in crisis.

Jordanian Public Libraries in Relation to Achieving SDGs: Shoman Library in Action

ABSTRACT In 2015, the United Nations (UN) called for a better world through 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Public libraries offer a wide range of services that can contribute to creating effective change in societies. Shoman library is one large public library in Jordan that is part of the Abdul Hamid Shoman Foundation. This article investigates how Abdul Hamid Shoman library’s services, projects, and activities are related to achieving the UN SDGs. The benefit of this research paper lies in its novelty in Jordan. The article has practical implications for Shoman library (and other libraries), as it provides an insight on strategic planning framework to cover all relevant SDGs. The results showed that Shoman library has already contributed to achieving a large number of the SDGs causing a wide positive impact on the community. However, little is achieved toward achieving goal 16, and none for goal 2. Recommendations are proposed on how to embrace more goals in the future.

Public Health at the Public Library: Preventive Health Programs Implemented in Large Public Libraries

Amid the opioid epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic, the public sector is consumed with health promotion and disease prevention. Preventive programs serve a significant purpose in ensuring population health and reducing burden on the healthcare system (Cohen et al., 2008; Neumann & Cohen, 2009). People are increasingly turning to educational resources outside of the traditional healthcare sector to ward off diseases or alleviate pre-existing conditions (Eakin et al., 1980; Eng et al., 1998). Public library systems often carry such resources, in print and multimedia form, at no cost. Some libraries are providing health programming to supplement, contextualize, or incentivize the use of such resources (Murray, 2008; National Network of Libraries of Medicine, 2014). This study examines preventive health programming offered in the largest public library systems nationwide.

The productivity of main services of city libraries: Using the example from the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic

The evaluation of productivity of main services of city libraries using the example of 48 large public libraries and 44 small public libraries from the Czech and the Slovak Republic was performed according to the decomposition of the input-oriented Malmquist index (MI). The results of MI achieved are evaluated using a confidence interval and the bootstrap method. The productivity of main services of public libraries was studied for the year 2016 in comparison with the year 2012. On average, small as well as large libraries exhibit a statistically significant decline in productivity. The average value of the MI of small libraries is 1.29. The average value of the MI of large libraries is 1.16. The deterioration of productivity was caused by lower efficiency of the inputs. The small as well as the large libraries on average exhibit a comparable level of productivity in both studied years. This conclusion is the same for the Czech and for the Slovak libraries as well as for all libraries together. The Czech libraries, when compared with the Slovak ones, achieve better results in terms of productivity. The higher productivity of the Czech libraries in comparison with the Slovak ones is caused by the improvement of efficiency of the inputs, not by the technological changes.

The Changing Role of Libraries: How Social Workers Can Help

Public libraries in the United States are visited daily by vast numbers of people experiencing unmet psychosocial needs including poverty, homelessness, immigration concerns, mental health, substance abuse, and health problems. While some libraries have begun to hire or partner with social service personnel, many library staff are facing patron psychosocial crises without adequate training or resources. Various studies examine different facets of this issue; however, none examine how library staff perceive their role, patron psychosocial needs, library responsibility to address psychosocial needs, and policy and program recommendations. This study addresses that gap and presents needs assessment results from a large metropolitan public library system. Recommendations are included for how social workers can help libraries meet patron psychosocial needs.

How much of library digital content is checked out but never used?

PurposeThis paper aims to identify patterns, trends and potential implications related to post-checkout non-usage (material that is checked out by a user, but subsequently never opened and/or downloaded) of library digital content.Design/methodology/approachA large urban Canadian public library’s data (2013-2017) from Rakuten OverDrive was analyzed. Pending items (items that are checked out, but neither opened nor downloaded) were compared with total checkouts to determine post-checkout non-usage rates.FindingsCheckouts and overall rates of post-checkout non-usage of e-books and e-audiobooks have risen significantly and consistently. Juvenile and non-fiction e-books demonstrate higher post-checkout non-usage rates than adult and fiction e-books, respectively. The library spends up to US$10,700 per year on metered access e-books that are never opened by users. This number has grown significantly over the years.Originality/valueE-materials in libraries have been growing rapidly, but their current lending models are still largely a direct application of concepts in traditional library services that have developed based on physical materials, such as checkouts, due dates, renewals, holds and wait times. However, e-materials do not have the limitation of physical materials that prevents other users from accessing a checked-out item, which makes many of the traditional concepts no longer applicable. New concepts and lending models should be developed that allow users to access any library e-materials at any time, and are financially functional and sustainable for both libraries and e-content providers.

Dueling Discourses: The Managerial Change-Agent and the Ghost in the Stacks

ABSTRACT Curious about the changing nature of work in Canada’s large public libraries, we set out to talk to the people who work within them. This paper presents the findings of our discourse analysis of interview transcripts with 14 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs). We focused our attention on their interpretive repertoires (the shared language they used in response to our questions) and found evidence of two competing social identities: managerial change-agent on the one side, and professionally trained librarian on the other. This discovery opened onto new insights into the nature of organizational change including new roles for librarians as well as a discourse that trades the past for the future.

Young Adult Outreach: An Examination of Outreach Attempts at Branch Libraries in a Large Urban Public Library System

Although outreach is a stated or implied goal of nearly all library systems, there is no universal definition of what constitutes outreach and how to evaluate its success. A survey of institutional guidelines and scholarly work reveals a range of ideas and some discussion of the concept, but ultimately raises more questions than answers. However, one study of a single public library system provides a glimmer of insight. Focusing on outreach to organizations serving young adults (13 to 18-year-olds), the study articulates possible directions for further research on this vital issue.

Health information programming in public libraries: a content analysis

ABSTRACTHealth information programs, defined as library programs focusing on health-related topics, are an essential way for public libraries to reach out to their user communities, raising awareness of and interest in healthy lifestyle, promoting access to quality health information, and ultimately enhancing health literacy of the citizenry. This study presents a content analysis of the health information programs provided by a large urban public library system in the past year, seeking to strengthen the professional understanding of how public libraries can contribute to health literacy improvement through effective programming, and help other libraries gain insights on health information program planning and implementation.

Visualizing the Silent Dialogue About Race: Diversity Outreach in an Academic Library

PurposeThis paper aims to describe the implementation and analyze the outcomes of The Race Card Project initiative at large public university's main library. Through this program, candid submissions from the public were used to promote multicultural learning and inclusivity, as well as to build campus relationships with curricular and co-curricular units engaged in diversity work on campus. Design/methodology/approachThe paper places the university's program within the context of academic library outreach through displays and exhibits. An overview of the development and implementation is provided along with the results of a multi-year assessment of the initiative. Originality/valueThis paper describes a unique approach to cultivating conversations with and among students, faculty, and staff, about diversity and inclusion and the library's impact on fostering increased positive campus climate. ConclusionsThe mindful leveraging of the library as safe (intellectual) space provides opportunities for student learning regarding diversity and inclusion, and a platform to build collaborative campus relationships and elevate library visibility. The Race Card Project initiative has been a positive way to engage patrons with social and cultural issues about multiculturalism and inclusivity.

Bullying in the Library Workplace

The primary purposes of the study were to investigate how often bullying occurs in libraries and whether bullying policies exist in libraries. The first survey questionnaire was sent to library personnel in the six New England states through statewide email distribution lists. Altogether 571 library staff members completed the survey. The second survey questionnaire was sent to large public and academic libraries in New England to see if they have anti-bullying policies in the workplace. The results of the study clearly showed there were significant reports of workplace bullying in all kinds of libraries. Nonetheless, not many libraries have policies that deal with this workplace challenge.

Entrepreneurship resources in US public libraries: website analysis

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the entrepreneurship resources patrons can discover and/or access on the web pages of the largest 46 US public libraries to assess the strength of public libraries’ current support to their entrepreneur-patrons, and where, and by what means, public libraries may wish to expand, or further promote, their support.Design/methodology/approachThe author completed a website analysis of the largest 46 US public libraries, as defined by the criteria in the ALA publication The Nation’s Largest Public Libraries. Website analysis was completed via a standardized checklist assessment of each library website.FindingsPublic libraries often have print and electronic resources, meeting spaces and programming that could be of use to entrepreneur-patrons, but these resources are sometimes difficult to discover on library websites. Libraries have strong partnering relationships with other government and nonprofit organizations, but they may wish to expand these partnerships further.Practical implicationsPublic libraries in the US often have multiple support services to offer entrepreneur-patrons. However, if libraries would like to reach entrepreneur-patrons beyond their walls, as well as within them, they may wish to consider further refining the resources both accessible via their website and promoted on it.Originality/valueWhile there are research articles exploring how both academic and public libraries support entrepreneur-patrons, as yet, there has been no in-depth research into how public libraries support their entrepreneur-patrons through not only their in-library offerings but also the materials highlighted and/or available via their website. This research addresses this gap in the literature.

From Secular Temples to Information Warehouses

From Secular Temples to Information Warehouses Nick Thurston Libraries of Light: British Public Library Design in the Long 1960s. Alistair Black. New York: Routledge, 2017. Pp. 242. $160.00 (cloth); $54.95 (eBook). The Meaning of the Library: A Cultural History. Edited by Alice Crawford. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2015. Pp. xxix + 300. $37.50 (cloth); $19.95 (paper). Fantasies of the Library. Edited by Anna-Sophie Springer and Etienne Turpin. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2016. Pp. vii + 148. $24.95 (cloth). The infamous Birmingham Central Library was opened in January 1974 to replace its Victorian predecessor, the Birmingham Reference Library, which had been opened in 1882. This update was first declared “an urgent necessity” by the civic council in 1938.1 When it finally happened, the city swapped a revivalist neoclassical building for a concrete vision of the future with exterior walls stacked outwards like a four-sided upturned staircase. Loved by enthusiasts of British brutalism and loathed by many others, the 1974 library was the result of decades of frustrated planning. It was finally built during a period of great financial difficulty for all of the country’s city councils. In his studious new book Libraries of Light: British Public Library Design in the Long 1960s, Alistair Black points beyond his period of inquiry to the irony surrounding Birmingham’s latest refresh: the £188 million Library of Birmingham. Conceived before the 2008 financial crash and now the largest public library in the United Kingdom, it was opened in September 2013, roughly three months after the 1974 building was closed and scheduled for demolition. By February 2015, the newest library’s opening hours were cut from seventy-three per week to forty [End Page 185] (then increased in 2016 to sixty-six), and around half of the 188 staff members initially employed had been made redundant.2 These three incarnations of Birmingham’s central library service exemplify three crucial phases in the history of library design that, in turn, formed, re-formed, then outgrew commonly held modern understandings of what a library should be and do. Black’s book is one of three recent volumes on the topic of library history (and futures) that merit broad and comparative attention because the crises facing their subject are so multifaceted, so pressing, and so commonly misunderstood. Alice Crawford’s edited collection of guest lectures from a 2009–13 series held at the University of St Andrews, The Meaning of the Library, offers a polyglossic long history of “the library”—that symbolic and practical pillar of civility and learning, which is presumed to be necessary and necessarily good—through twelve chapters of scholarly address. More discursively, the mix of essays, interviews, images, and an open letter in Anna-Sophie Springer and Etienne Turpin’s co-edited collection offers future-oriented foci from a mix of curators, media theorists, librarians, and artists on their titular topic, Fantasies of the Library. To understand the relevance of their shared subject—the ever-changing status of libraries from a principally Western point of view—to this journal’s focus, I have to beg leniency of Modernism/modernity’s editors. The history of the modern library bridges modernism, so I need to stretch both ends of this journal’s periodic frame, backwards to 1845 and forwards to the early 1970s. Bookending this elongated frame are two important political changes in British library history, which echoed in, and were echoes of, international changes in library culture. At one end was the UK Parliament’s 1845 Museums Act that paved the way for the 1849 Select Committee and then the 1850 Public Libraries Act, by which Parliament empowered council boroughs to open their own public libraries that collectively formed a national network. Architect Michael Webb called such libraries “secular temples for the worship of learning,” which neatly describes the confluence of agendas that propelled their development.3 Historians including Thomas Kelly (1966), Fred Lerner (1998), and Matthew Battles (2003) have all noted that in Britain this network was instituted in the climate of Chartist reforms and in the spirit of Utilitarian political visions.4 Yet its development ever since has been entwined with movements around the world...

Post‐checkout (Non‐)usage of Library Digital Content

ABSTRACTThe present study analyzed a large urban Canadian public library's data (2013‐2017) from Rakuten OverDrive to identify patterns, trends, and potential implications related to post‐checkout non‐usage (material that is checked out by a user, but subsequently never opened and/or downloaded) of library digital content. It was found that over 12% of the more than 1.1 million checkouts of digital content via OverDrive in 2017 were never opened, causing a waste of over $10,000 USD on metered access eBooks alone; this figure will likely increase in the coming years based on the trends found in this study. Juvenile and non‐fiction eBooks are most likely to be checked out and go unused. These findings may shed light on ways libraries and digital content vendors might improve the efficiency of digital content lending, and serve to inform collection management and user‐targeted marketing and solutions.

Outstanding Business Reference Sources 2017

Each year, the Business Reference Sources Committee of BRASS selects the outstanding business reference sources published since May of the previous year. This year, the committee reviewed nine entries; of these, two were designated as “Outstanding,” six as “Notable,” and one as a “Notable New Edition.” To qualify for these designations, each title must meet the conventional definition of reference: a work compiled specifically to supply information on a certain subject or group of subjects in a form that will facilitate its ease of use. The works are examined for the following: authority and reputation of the publisher, author, or editor; accuracy; appropriate bibliography; organization; comprehensiveness; value of the content; currency; unique addition; ease of use for the intended purpose; quality and accuracy of index; and quality and usefulness of graphics and illustrations. Each year, more electronic reference titles are being published. Criteria for evaluating electronic reference titles include the following: accuracy of links, search features, stability of content, and graphic design. Selected works must also be suitable for medium and large academic and public libraries.

Map and Geospatial Research and Reference Services at a Large Public Library: An Overview of the Leventhal Map Center

The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center (LMC) is a non-profit organization that provides stewardship of the Boston Public Library's (BPL) cartographic collections. The LMC moved into a new space in 2011 that displays rotating exhibitions and opens the collection for public inquiry, increasing awareness of reference services and research within the collection. In-person research numbers have declined slightly since 2012 as the LMC grows their digital collections. The LMC has made additional efforts to address increasing interest from tech-enabled researchers through the creation of a new digital collections website, by use of personas to inform design and providing workshops aimed at lowering the bar for entry into using GIS, and creating digital spatial indexes to supplement paper map indexes.

Change is the only Constant: Serving the Latinx Community With Help From REFORMA Oregon

Part of the reason “change is the only constant” is cliche is because it holds true in many different contexts. Libraries are not what they were one hundred years ago. One could argue they are not even what they were fifty years ago. Societies evolve, populations fluctuate, and norms shift. As librarians, we are called to meet the needs of our patrons, though who or what falls under the umbrella term of “patrons” often depends on the library’s mission statement. For the last few decades, the Latinx community has been seen as flourishing. Even with the recent decline in the growth rate following the recession discussed by Stepler and Lopez at the Pew Research Center (2016), the Latinx population continues to factor greatly into the changing social outlook of the United States. While not a perfect comparison, Columbia Gorge Community College Library (CGCC Library) has elements reflective of the phenomenon as a whole, though the evidence is more pronounced in the larger U.S. population. Compared to institutions in the Southwestern and Northeastern states, the Pacific Northwest, and rural Oregon in particular, appear to be taking longer to feel the fluctuations in Latinx demographics. This seems evident because public libraries in general have had a lengthier history of working with Latinxs than a very small, rural, Pacific Northwest, community college’s academic library like CGCC. Consequently, librarians like myself have an excellent opportunity to reflect more closely on what other libraries have accomplished so far and how it can be translated to institutions like ours. The REFORMA tagline is “the national association to promote library and information services to Latinxs and the Spanish-speaking,” and it’s five primary goals include activities like “advocacy on behalf of the information needs of the Latino community” and “development of Spanish-language and Latino-oriented library collections” (“About REFORMA,” n.d.). REFORMA OR is one chapter of this larger organization. The people that make up REFORMA OR represent many types, sizes, and populations of Oregon libraries; their workplaces run the gamut from tiny county libraries to large public research university libraries and everything in between. This characteristic of the chapter and organization — the variation in the libraries that REFORMA OR represents — is one of the primary benefits.

Making It Happen in Glasgow: A Vision for Glasgow Libraries

ABSTRACTHome to almost 600,000 people, Glasgow is a vibrant city with a long history of public library provision. Today, the city boasts Scotland’s largest public library service. However, over the past ten years it has become increasing apparent that libraries in Scotland and indeed worldwide must adapt in order to stay relevant to society’s changing needs. Glasgow Libraries’ comprehensive Vision for Glasgow Libraries, developed through detailed research and consultation, seeks to address these challenges to ensure that the city’s vital, life changing library service remains integral to the needs of the people of Glasgow for years to come.