Library Policy Research Articles

NEXT-GENERATION CATALOGUES: HOW ARE THE ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN KENYA FARING?

The library catalogue has changed over the years from a card catalogue to its electronic successor, the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), to what is called the next-generation library catalogue, sometimes referred to as the library 2.0 catalogue or ‘the third-generation catalogue’. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current state of catalogues in academic libraries in Kenya and to evaluate whether these libraries have incorporated features of the next-generation catalogues in their OPACs. The study applied a checklist of features commonly identified as characteristics of the next-generation catalogue to examine whether the OPACs of university libraries in Kenya are comparable to the next-generation library catalogue. The findings of the study showed that libraries in Kenya have made some progress towards transforming their OPACs to the next-generation catalogue but have not reached the ideal. None of the OPACs has all the features evaluated. Progress has been made with features, such as enhanced content, simple keyword search and faceted navigation. However, none of the catalogues has federated searching capabilities. The study also found out that close to half of the libraries which have their OPACs available online are using Koha as their Library Management System (LMS). This article provides valuable information for library policy makers interested in modernising their catalogues or acquiring discovery tools for their institution. The article may also be a useful tool for evaluating OPACs modules of the integrated LMS, especially for libraries that are in the process of selecting a suitable LMS.

Library social partnership development in a cluster space: Belgorod region experience

This research is an applied one and logically continues author’s studies devoted to social partnership development in the library-information field. The institute of social partnership (including the library-information sphere) evolves with the cluster strategies development as an integral part of the Russian community strategy. At the same time an integrated approach and unified methodology to study this problem, as well as description of effective methods and technologies of the library staged development in the social cluster space are needed. Technologies of the social partnership with library participation are a part of the social policy cluster aimed at maximizing to satisfy both material and spiritual needs of the general population. Recent years studying prospects of the municipal library activity are particularly relevant, as forward movement of the library policy in this direction allows positioning the interests of library and information institutions as coinciding with the interests of major members of the local community. Realizing these perspectives is one of the most important conditions of the effective innovative policy formation of the modern municipal library. The objects of study are municipal libraries of Belgorod region using effective profiled strategies of social interaction in their activity. The study aim is analyzing the experience of municipal libraries developing educational technologies for social interaction in the social cluster space of Belgorod region. Objectives are the following: to identify main goals and tasks of the cluster strategy in the library-information sphere of Belgorod region; to propose a typology of main clusters in Belgorod region; to objectify activity main direction for Belgorod libraries according to their types. Participating libraries in the cluster policy indirectly promotes changes in users’ life quality, development of new cultural needs by providing quality public legal-information services, adaptation of rural population to modern life conditions, help in identifying new niches in the labor market, including information ones. Main conclusions: territorial characteristics extrapolated to municipal libraries activities largely determine the general direction of library development. In the modern period preconditions of libraries participation in the regional clustering (modernization of material-technical base, development of regional, municipal, local normative documents, the experience of empirical data theoretical generalization) are largely implemented in Belgorod region. The practical component of the study is the possibility of adapting the libraries experience of Belgorod region into libraries of other territories of the Russian Federation, understanding cooperation of the library social institution, business-structures, nonprofit organizations and regional and municipal authorities.

SCHOOL LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT VS POLICY PROVISION: DIVERGENCE OR CONVERGENCE?

A policy and legal framework for school libraries is a guiding framework for the provision, development and management of school libraries. Similarly, it is a lever that standardises school library development, management and practice. Although the existence of a policy does not guarantee the development of efficient and functional school libraries, its inherent value cannot be overemphasised. It is widely documented that in South Africa, only 7.2 per cent of public schools have functional school libraries, which are crucial to enrich the quality of teaching and learning and support learners and teachers. The aim of this study was, firstly, to analyse the legal and policy provision for school libraries in South Africa; and secondly, to examine the state of school libraries in Limpopo province, South Africa. The study further sought to establish whether there is divergence or convergence between policy provision and the status of school libraries in Limpopo. The study adopted a quantitative research paradigm and triangulated utilising questionnaires and document analysis as instruments to collect data. The study established that there is a regime of policies related to school libraries, most of which are still in draft form. Furthermore, the study confirmed that provision of policy does not necessarily translate into an efficient school library system. The distinct divergence means that there is no correlation between policy provision and practice. The study recommends that the existing school library policies should be streamlined, adopted and implemented to scale up the development of efficient and functional school libraries in Limpopo.

Profil Literasi Informasi Pustakawan Indonesia

Information literacy is one of the competencies of the library profession. Information literacy is needed in the work of librarianship. Reference service, the key determinant of library status in the society, requires competencies in information literacy. The purpose of this study is to find out how librarians in Indonesia meet the requirement of information literacy competencies and what factors affect the mastery of information literacy. This study is a qualitative research with literature survey. Based on the existing literature, the hypothesis was developed that librarians of Indonesia have information literacy skills if their personal development are supported by both internal and external factors. Internal factors comprise motivation (encouragement of work, efforts to achieve success, material and non-material motivation), attitudes towards the profession (job satisfaction, professional satisfaction, and organizational commitment), and other knowledge-skill-attitude (knowledge, computer literacy, digital literacy, and English language skills), educational background, and level of education. While external factors include availability of computers and Internet network, library policy to support the development of information literacy of librarians.

Sustainability is possible: The national institution - university library (NIUL) in Macedonia as a leader of societal development

The challenge for the national libraries in Macedonia is to fulfill the national library policies, as set by The Law for Libraries and The Law for Culture. The National interest in culture is a public interest for all the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia and its most important aspect is the availability of culture to all of the citizens under the same conditions: -Ensuring suitable conditions for preserving the cultural heritage; -Encouraging diversity in culture;-Enabling access to cultural values and their sharing;-Creating conditions for preserving the cultural identities of the different communities;-Ensuring equal and even cultural development in Macedonia;-Affirmation of Macedonia’s culture and cultural diversity abroad.The circumstances and conditions created by the law make a foundation for upgrading the contribution of the National Libraries towards development of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.National Institution - University Library (NIUL) in Bitola is faced with the challenge to create its own library policies comparing and using the existing frameworks or models for library and information policies from across the world, and contribute towards development with emphasis on the social dimension of sustainable development. The focus of this paper is to answer to the question: What is the Library’s role as a National Institution in calling for action and helping the process of positive changes to our world.The paper will explain the connectivity of the National Institution- University Library (NIUL) “Sv. Kliment Ohridski” Bitola, with the five areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership. It describes the possibilities of opening debates and taking action to accomplish the goals and targets of the United Nations’ Document: “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

Progress and Problems in Korean School Library Policies

Progress and Problems in Korean School Library Policies

Cultural sustainability as a strategy for the survival of museums and libraries

Cultural sustainability has become a growing priority within sustainable development agendas, and is now often depicted as a fourth pillar, equal to social, economic, and environmental concerns. Museums and libraries play a unique role within cultural sustainability by preserving their communities’ heritage. However, sustainability policy and research within these sectors still tends to focus on the social, economic, and environmental pillars. This article provides a critique of sustainability policy and research for museums and libraries. It argues that more explicit coverage of cultural sustainability is required to not only improve the contributions of museums and libraries to cultural sustainability, but also to provide an increased understanding and appreciation of the value of these institutions necessary for their continued survival.

Take Five for Customer Service

Businesses leverage excellent customer service to improve profitability. Although not profit-driven, libraries should leverage excellent customer service to achieve their unique missions. Evaluating and improving customer service practices will help a library determine if it is successfully serving its customers. The library should review three areas to improve customer service: the physical space of the library, how library employees work with library policies, and the communication skills of the library staff. By using the Take Five model, the library can make immediate, no-cost changes or plan for future improvements by taking just five minutes, every day, to assess specific areas. Over a few weeks or months, these small changes will result in better customer service.

E-Book Collection Development: Formalizing a Policy for Smaller Libraries

Three librarians from two similar but unaffiliated state colleges—both members of larger university systems—discuss how they confronted similar e-book acquisition concerns. In this session, presenters described how they took two different approaches toward revising their collection development policies, economizing their processes and streamlining their workflows. The presenters discussed patron-driven acquisition e-book programs, as well as the importance of communication and collaboration among library personnel. By formalizing the purchasing decisions of electronic formats, libraries can provide the structure needed to support changing staff roles and shrinking resources, as well as address important related issues such as accessibility and timeliness.

Access and Express: Professional Perspectives on Public Library Makerspaces and Intellectual Freedom

ABSTRACTThis study examines the roles of makerspaces and librarians in public libraries, as defined by nine librarians instituting makerspace services. It explores their understanding of creative spaces and library policy, specifically the foundational principles of intellectual freedom and access. Using constructivist discourse analysis tools, this study analyzes interview data to illuminate a concept of access grounded in expression, incorporating hands-on activities, tools, and social connections. This study has implications for practitioners and policymakers in reconsidering access as a positive liberty enabled by social contexts, and librarians’ enzymatic roles in facilitating those contexts.

Progress and Problems in Korean Public Library Policies

Progress and Problems in Korean Public Library Policies

The Intersection of Freedom of Information, Privacy Legislation and Library Services in Canadian Jurisdictions

AbstractThe intersection of freedom of information, privacy legislation and library services may be interpreted as the relation between two bodies (law and library) and how they influence one another directly and indirectly. This means library services can be shaped enormously by both federal and provincial freedom of information and privacy laws. We notice that there are cases in various Canadian courts involving disagreements concerning the rule of law in the fields of freedom of information and privacy with libraries. The combined effects of legislation and stronger library policies may make it more challenging for users to understand how to use shared library resources and services properly. For many libraries, this means operational policies and professional ethics codes have to be revised to strictly respect the users and employees’ confidentiality rights. The research method used for this paper included a search of relevant Canadian court cases as case studies.

공공도서관 행정체계 일원화에 대한 고찰

ABSTRACT The 21st century is the era of knowledge and information, and a lso the age of education and culture. The importance of a public library, which stands in the center of the stream of the times, cannot be overemphasized. A public library is a reservoir of learning and culture as a base camp for achieving a creative economy and the flourishing of our culture. Many problems are caused with the promotion of unification of a public library administrative system coming to the fore as a large issue of library communities in poor surroundings where the public libraries don ’t observe the library laws and rules bottom of such a reservoir is splintered by drought, and its embankment is not solid. Accordingly, this study is aimed at suggesting the improvement plan by analyzing all arguments a nd problems in relation to the promotion of the administrative system unification of a public library. F or this purpose, first, the study considered the developmental process of the discussion about public librar y unification; secondly, the points at issue and problems in public library unification are reviewed; finally, this study arranged and suggested the improvement plan related to public library unification.키워드: 공공도서관, 도서관행정체계, 도서관정책, 도서관경영, 도서관발전종합계획Public Library, Library Administrative Systems, Library Policy, Library Administration and Management, Comprehensive Library Advancement Plan

Considering FERPA requirements for library patron databases within a consortial environment

abstractThis case study examines patron record privacy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) within a consortial environment. FERPA requirements were examined, as well as college and library policy and procedure. It was determined that information in library patron records is directory information and, under most circumstances, does not need FERPA protections. However, the needs of the confidential student, who requests confidentiality of all information, including directory information, were identified as not having been addressed. Reed Library adjusted policy and procedures to meet the needs of the confidential student and fulfill FERPA requirements.

Stock verification in automated environment: A case study of Sahitya Akademi Library

The present article focuses on the procedure of stock verification in the library. This process not only identifies about the losses of the library but also gives a chance to rectify the wrong placement of books on the racks. It also provides an opportunity to redefine the library policy in terms of proper checking at the entrance of the library, borrowing of books, etc. It will prove to be helpful for any library going for checking their stocks.

Biblioethnology as Scientific and Academic Discipline

The article is devoted to the new part of library science - Biblioеthnology, which studies the trends and patterns of library activities development in its ethno-cultural aspect. The object of the research is the polyethnic library activity. As part of the external and internal library policy it is also studied by the Library Political Science. Scientific methods of research in the field of biblioethnology are based on the integrated use of the scientific approaches in the humanities knowledge. Biblioеthnology studies perspective areas of polyethnic library work: participation in the promoting the idea of linguistic diversity in cyberspace, strengthening the position of the national Russian language in the close cooperation with the government authorities, civil society entities, organizations and institutions in the field of science, culture, education and information, ethnic centers, mass media; creation of bibliographic aids, thematic electronic databases and digital libraries; development of scientific research and methodical work; education and training of librarians. Subjects of biblioethnology research are ethnic readers (representatives of the major ethnic groups, national minorities) and librarians, who should have sense of national identity and international consciousness; implement active mediation between the polyethnic population and the library-information resources; have specialization in the field of intercultural communication; possess the professional skills to work with the polyethnic population and ethnic communities. Currently biblioethnology is not only scientific, but also academic discipline. Library scientists develop and implement training courses, grants. Basics of biblioethnology are being taught in educational centers and libraries; trainings and seminars in the areas and on the topics of polyethnic library activities are conducted.

Contemporary Library Policy: Variety of Approaches and Creative Practices (Results of the Annual Meeting of the Heads of Federal and Central Regional Libraries of Russia)

On October 18-19, 2016 at the Russian State Library there was held the Annual Meeting of the Heads of Federal and Central Regional Libraries of Russia (hereinafter - the Meeting). There was determined quite extensive agenda: state cultural policy in the library and information sphere; new in the legislation in the area of librarianship; development trends in the branch; independent evaluation of the quality of library services; implementation of the “Model Standard of Public Libraries”, new forms of social and cultural activities of libraries; National Electronic Library (NEL) and other priority projects of the Ministry of Culture of the RF. Plenary Session included 29 presentations, Round Tables “Today and Tomorrow of Library Statistics: Issues of Departmental and Corporate Reporting”, “Topical Issues of the Development of NEL and Interaction with Participants”. There were determined the Winners of the All-Russian contest “Librarian of the Year 2016”, Winners of the 3rd All-Russian contest “Library Analytics - 2015”; the results of the 4th All-Russian contest “The Best Professional Book of the Year” were finalized. There were held “The Conference on the Problems of Further Development of the Electronic Union Catalogue of Libraries of Russia for the Regional Libraries” and the meeting of the Board of the Russian Library Association (RLA). Such meetings are of great informational value, contributing to consolidation of library community in the solution of topical professional problems.

Regional Libraries - are the Base of State Library Policy

Regional Libraries - are the Base of State Library Policy

Thematic Analysis of Videos Suggests That YA Space Design Should Be User-Driven, User-Centered, and Flexible Enough to Enable Multiple Uses

A Review of:
 Agosto, D. E., Bell, J. P., Bernier, A. & Kuhlmann, M. (2015). “This is our library, and it’s a pretty cool place”: A user-centered study of public library YA spaces. Public Library Quarterly, 34(1), 23-43. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2015.1000777 
 
 Objective – To add empirical evidence to the study of young adult (YA) spaces and creation of related guidelines by investigating librarians’ and teens’ perceptions of YA spaces and their use in public libraries.
 
 Design – Qualitative thematic analysis of video data content.
 
 Setting – 25 public libraries in the United States of America.
 
 Subjects – A librarian, and a teen of their choosing, at each of the 25 selected libraries.
 
 Methods – The researchers chose 25 public libraries randomly from a list of 257 libraries profiled from 2005-2010 in Library Journal’s annual index of new and renovated libraries. Each of the 25 libraries was sent a video camera, and the selected librarian and teen each recorded a narrated tour of their library’s YA space. The cameras were returned to the researchers, who had the audio of the recordings transcribed, referring back to the video for any narration that needed clarification. Thematic analysis was performed on the transcriptions to identify major- and sub-categories of space and space-use characteristics. Empirical results were reported as a numerical figure representing the number of videos (n=42 total usable videos) in which a particular theme was mentioned at least once.
 
 Main Results – Five main categories of YA space characteristics recommended by teens and librarians emerged from the thematic analysis. YA spaces need to facilitate: physical comfort; both leisure activity and information needs; both academic activity and information needs; a sense of ownership by teens; and improved marketing of the spaces as well as clear displays of library policies regarding the spaces. Sub-categories were also listed in each instance, as were counts and percentages of numbers of videos in which a theme was mentioned at least once.
 
 Conclusion – YA spaces in public libraries need to be user-centered, and the arrangements need to be flexible enough to be used for multiple purposes. Teens need to be involved in and drivers of their design and ongoing use. In addition, teens’ needs for social interaction, and leisure as well as academic support, must be explicitly incorporated into any planning. Librarians and libraries must adjust their focus on resources to better mirror teens’ focus on the activities that happen in YA spaces, both online and in person. In order to serve YA patrons, libraries must also actively promote YA spaces. This initial exploratory empirical investigation can inform future much-needed research on improving YA space planning. Research is also needed to examine the evolution of libraries’ YA investments as teen patrons’ needs change over time.

A LEGISLATED SCHOOL LIBRARY POLICY: CAN FUNCTIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARIES BE ENVISIONED WITHOUT ONE?

Although school libraries are important resource centres that support curriculum delivery and important pedagogical matters, it is disturbing that, in South Africa, only a minority (7.2%) of schools have well-stocked functional school libraries. A legislated school library policy is crucial for a country to roll out effective school library and information services (LIS). This is particularly true in South African schools, which are characterised by enormous disparities in the provision of resources because of the legacy of apartheid. Grounded in the literature review, the fact that the national Department of Basic Education (DBE) does not have a legislated and approved school library policy is a stumbling block to developing and sustaining an active and dynamic school library service for all public schools in South Africa. The purpose of this article is to help relevant stakeholders understand the importance of a legislated school library policy in championing the establishment and development of an active, vibrant and dynamic functional school library service to support the progressive, constructivist and resource based curriculum in the country. The study recommends that the National Guidelines for School Library and Information Services (SA DBE 2012) be amended to a legislated school library policy to resuscitate indeterminate and non-functional libraries in the majority of schools.Â