Library Provision Research Articles

The First Sale Doctrine and Public Library Provision of Print and Electronic Books

Abstract Libraries deliver the majority of US book consumption, and library costs are kept low by the first sale doctrine's guarantee that libraries can lend print books without additional compensation to publishers. However, publishers' decisions to restrict ebook access may threaten libraries. We measure impacts of holdings on circulation; and library holdings choices suggest that library managers value instances of ebook circulation more than print. We use a structural model of patron demand and library holdings to show that more restrictive print book terms would have ten times the negative patron welfare impact of an equivalent restriction on ebooks.

Teacher’s Perspectives on Library Practice in Nigeria Secondary Schools Through the Lens of Science Literacy

This study explores science teacher’s perceptions of school libraries in Nigerian secondary schools. Library provision, existing practice and potential reforms are considered. A mixed mode research approach is used. Quantitative surveys were carried out with 40 science teachers and qualitative data were gathered from semi-structured interviews with the same group. The interviews were transcribed and coded to identify common themes and factors. The study not only confirms material and staff resource constraints but also suggests that progress might be achieved with a greater focus on scientific literacy, the fuller integration of libraries into teaching and learning and the use of social learning approaches. Such reforms appear in policy discussions but implementation has been very limited.

Impact of library management systems on information provision in the Rustenburg municipality

Background: The Library Management System (LMS) is crucial to the operations and performance of the library. Libraries around the world have automated their operations to provide relevant services to users and to move away from operating manually.Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of LMS on the provision of information in libraries of the local municipality of Rustenburg.Method: This was a quantitative study that examined the impact of LMS on information provision in libraries of the Rustenburg local municipality. The survey research design was adopted and data was collected using questionnaires.Results: The findings revealed that Rustenburg libraries depend highly on manual systems, which is a sign that they do not have adequate information and communication technologies. The few libraries that have online systems used them for circulation and are not maximising the full functions of the library.Conclusion: The study concludes that the local municipality of Rustenburg should provide funding to acquire information and communication technologies. Furthermore, it should adopt a library system in all libraries and train staff in all modules.Contribution: The LMS’s are crucial in the operations and performance of the library. Similar studies focused on the type of management systems available for use and how they can be managed. Having said that, most third world countries are still using manual systems, therefore this study takes the discussion further by looking at the impact that the lack of systems in the third world countries have on information provision in libraries.

Provision of library and information services for political development and stability by academic libraries in Nigeria

Libraries are saddled with the responsibilities of providing relevant, up-to-date and timely information to its target clients for an efficient and effective decision making and eliminating any forms of uncertainties. There are different types of libraries established to provide services to a defined user’s community. Library and information services provided in these libraries has always connected people with information and ideas that make individuals potent resources which can be harnessed and skillfully used for national development. This paper discussed provision of library and information services for political development and stability by Academic Libraries in Nigeria. It highlights political development and stability, overview of academic libraries, functions of academic libraries, information services provided in academic libraries for political development and stability in Nigeria, and the challenges of academic libraries for political development and stability in Nigeria. The paper concluded that, there is need for academic libraries and librarian as information services agent to provide regular community information services as a strategy for political development and stability in Nigeria, and recommended that there is need for adequate funding of academic libraries; adequate support of the academic libraries from the parent institutions and training and re-training of librarians on community information services delivery among others.

Disability Inclusion: Accessibility of Library and Information Services to People with Visual Impairment in Public Libraries in Harare: Zimbabwe. The Missing Link:

The major thrust of the research study was mainly driven by the need to determine the accessibility and effectiveness of library and information services to students with visual impairment in Harare. Provision of library and information services to students and other people with visual impairment is a right enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the rights of people with disabilities (UNCRPD,2006). The study was informed by the interpretivism research philosophy which in part entails listening, observations and recording. The qualitative research approach was used by way of interviews, observations, documentary analysis and focus groups. In line with the approach, the study relied on the phenomenological research design. The population included former and current university students with visual impairment in Harare. The sample therefore covered thirty former and current Higher education students in Harare. The study established that the physical accessibility of public libraries to students with visual impairment leaves a lot to be desired and therefore needs concerted effort to address. Secondly the study also found out that the expertise of library staff in assisting students with visual impairment also needs to be revisited with a view to improving service provision to the constituency of students with visual impairment. It was also revealed that in the libraries themselves, there was limited access to library reading and study materials. In some cases, these materials were non-existent. The use of third parties to assist students with visual impairment was also found to be shortchanging students since this depended on several competing interests on the part of the person being assisted and the one assisting. The study also established that while sighted users could use electronic ways to access library services, this did not apply to users with visual impairment. The study recommended that the institution needed a library policy for users with visual impairment. There was need for advocacy to improve accessibility. There was also a need for an accessibility audit or needs analysis. Library resources also needed to be increased in both quality and quantity.

Biblioterapijos paslaugos viešosiose bibliotekose: Lietuvos atvejis

Bibliotherapy, as an interdisciplinary field, is undeniably heavily researched on a global scale, yet there are relatively few studies, especially empirical ones, devoted exclusively to the problems of public libraries, while those that would focus only on the services provided by librarians themselves, excluding cooperation with specialists in the field of health promotion, have been undetected at all. The concept, typology, methodology of bibliotherapy and specialists, who can provide services in this field, especially the scope of librarians’ possibilities, are still being discussed in multidirectional works of bibliotherapy.
 The article presents the results of a quantitative empirical study based on the synthesis of multidisciplinary bibliotherapy research, which allowed to determine the librarians’ own possibilities to provide biblio­therapy services, revealing the state of bibliotherapy services provision in Lithuanian public libraries in 2022. In addition, the article provides a comparative analysis of this study and secondary sources, which showed the evolution and development possibilities of the provision of bibliotherapy services in Lithuanian public libraries.
 It was found that in most libraries, at least one bibliotherapy service is provided by their own staff. Out of them, slightly more than twice (both qualitatively and quantitatively) of services are attributable to passive bibliotherapy, exclusively covering an intrapersonal level of communication, based on recommendations of books to be read, which is traditionally more characteristic of these institutions, rather than those to be associated with its active variety, which includes an individual interaction of a reader with a librarian inspired by the read book, or a group one - with the members of the book club led by them that integrates an interpersonal level of communication as well. However, as shown by the comparative analysis of the results of the quantitative research of the same object of 2022 and 2011, the active bibliotherapy, which promotes the interaction of readers, is also becoming popular in Lithuania as the functions of libraries expand in the direction of socialization. This is largely in line with global trends.
 Summarizing the data of the latest research presented in the article and previous secondary sources, it can be stated that in the early 21st century, library bibliotherapy began to be developed at the formal level, and after the development breakthrough recorded at the turn of the first and second decades it has already established itself as a service provided by Lithuanian public libraries. The librarians’ attitudes towards it are positive, the motivation to expand the range or scope of bibliotherapy services is increasing. Although librarians both independently and institutionally, usually through projects or occasional trainings deepen their knowledge in this field, yet its lack is still mentioned, and in particular, the lack of practical skills necessary for organizing more formal active bibliotherapy activities, which leads to a lack of confidence in their own abilities and induces them to limit themselves to the role of an event organizer with a guest lecturer. As one of the ways to solve this problem, long-term institutionalized training in bibliotherapy is mentioned. It is available to those who want to improve in this field and to expand library bibliotherapy services, which help to implement the traditional functions of book repositories and reading promotion and more advanced, globally relevant functions of community gathering and reader education.

Effects of Political and Socio-economic Dynamics on Library Development and Utilization in Nigeria

This paper presents qualitative analyses of case study discussions on the importance of libraries and the effect of political and social-economic dynamics on libraries in Nigeria with particular reference to public, national and academic libraries. It traces historical antecedents of selected libraries with a view of buttressing the point of libraries’ relevance from the ancient times to the modern information society.The article adopted an exploratory research design. Secondary data were obtained using a desk review of existing literature on state of Nigerian public, national and academic libraries. Theoretical framework based on library social responsibility and the role of government in the provision of library and information needs of the people is employed and discussed. They include planning process and critical discourse and informational justice (as part of social justice). Challenges facing libraries in Nigeria are identified to include adverse policies, paucity of funds and general government apathy to library development. As a panacea to the identified challenges confronting most Nigerian libraries, the paper recommends that librarians should continue to play their advocacy roles for their libraries, by continual soliciting for increased percentage of funds through budgetary allocation of both the federal and state governments.Also, good reading habit should be inculcated among pupils and students in order to increase the number of library patronage which would in turn encourage support for library development by the stakeholders.

Political Leadership and Education for Sustainable Development in Nigeria: An Assessment of Akwa Ibom State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Uyo

Education for sustainable Development (ESD) targets at acquisition of knowledge, skills, values and attitudinal changes in both formal and informal sectors to increased productive population in the state for job creation and economic self-reliance of the people in present generation without compromising the future generations. However, a gap exists as most leaders in the state failed to give top priority to education as potential nexus for development in Nigeria. Corruption among leaders in the education sector was identified as a major drawback to education in developing economies. The main objective of the study was to examine the relationship between political leadership and ESD in Nigeria with reference to Akwa Ibom State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) using Education Index proxied by literacy rate (average adult year of schooling and expected year of schooling), education budget/implementation, quality and access to education. Descriptive research and Survey of study population of about 40,266 comprising of appointed education officials in 2,826 schools affiliated to SUBEB with sample size of 380 determined using Krejcie and Morgan table (1970). Simple random and stratified random sampling techniques were used to administer 12 items questionnaire on the respondents. Simple percentage, Pearson Moment Correlation Co-efficient and tabular form were adopted for data presentation and analysis. The study among others revealed that: Political leadership has significant direct relationship with ESD in Akwa Ibom State. It recommended policy reforms to reduce anomalies in educational management and adequate funding to meet UNESCO education budget baseline of 26%, employment of more qualified teachers, training and re-training of teachers to develop technical skills in entrepreneurship education; provision of libraries, laboratories and other facilities for modern research/innovations.

FOSTERING AN INTEREST IN READING AND THE CREATIVITY OF ORPHANAGE CHILDREN THROUGH STORYTELLING AND THE LIBRARY CORNER

Creativity should be developed as early as possible since the child is born. The world of children and teenager is a world of creativity, where they need space to move, think and be emotionally guided. One way to foster creativity is through reading activities. In comparison to other nations, Indonesians continue to have extremely little interest in reading. According to UNESCO data, Indonesia has the second-lowest rate of literacy in the entire globe. In terms of reading interest, Indonesia comes in at number 60 out of 61 nations. The public's lack of interest in reading should motivate the pertinent parties to facilitate and investigate what the reason of this is as soon as feasible. The provision of children's libraries is one way to promote creativity and reading interest among the younger population, especially children. On August 6, 2023, this community development activity was carried out to give the kids at the Hafidhin Royan Orphanage in South Jakarta City access to a little library called "Pojok Pustaka." By putting reading bookshelves in places where kids may easily access them, the service activity has been successfully carried out. When asked about their reactions, the orphanage residents' comments revealed that they were quite excited and glad to read the many picture books offered by Pojok Pustaka. The selection of books in the Pojok Pustaka will continue to be gradually expanded in an effort to prevent boredom, ensuring that kids who visit the Pojok Pustaka to read always have new books to choose from.

Knowledge and Skills for Life: School Libraries in Disadvantaged Areas of Northern Ireland

This study involved data collection and analysis from four distinct phases of research to establish the features of current provision of post-primary school library services in Northern Ireland; and how these services are being implemented in disadvantaged areas. The research also considers the challenges for school library provision, explores examples of good practice, and sets out recommendations for the future for both provision within schools and at a Northern Ireland policy level.

Online Arabic bookstores and their importance for libraries: a comparative analytical study

The study aims to identify the sites of Arabic bookstores accessible on the Internet. The study used the descriptive analytical approach to study an intended sample of (5) websites of an Arab bookstore that includes a group of publishers according to the checklist and to compare them. The study came out with a set of results, the most important of which are:1. Arab stores vary in the statement of reliability and attribution of the website that they represent, as we find that the Arab store (Nil and Furat.com) is the most reliable Arab store, as it contains detailed information about its actual and virtual presence. 2. Arab stores compete in providing different types and forms of information sources, and we find that the (Neil and Furat.com) store provides more diverse sources of information.3. Stores agree to provide the requirements to facilitate the purchase process, while they do not agree to provide different types of payment methods, as we find that the (Neil and Furat.com) store includes multiple types of payment methods when purchasing.The study reached a set of recommendations, the most important of which are:1. Those in charge of the process of selection and provision in libraries must verify and ensure the reliability of the attribution of the website of the Arab Store if the library collection is developed.2. Diversifying the sources of information in the store or opening a special window to register the required sources to meet them, especially the store (Kitabak Lababak).3. The need to provide more than one method of payment through the website to facilitate the purchase process for the beneficiaries without being content with one method, as in the store.

POLITICAL LEADERSHIP AND EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: AN ASSESSMENT OF AKWA IBOM STATE UNIVERSAL BASIC EDUCATION BOARD (SUBEB), UYO

Education for sustainable Development (ESD) targets at acquisition of knowledge, skills, values and attitudinal changes in both formal and informal sectors to increased productive population in the state for job creation and economic self-reliance of the people in present generation without compromising the future generations. However, a gap exists as most leaders in the state failed to give top priority to education as potential nexus for development in Nigeria. Corruption among leaders in the education sector was identified as a major drawback to education in developing economies. The main objective of the study was to examine the relationship between political leadership and ESD in Nigeria with reference to Akwa Ibom State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) using Education Index proxied by literacy rate (average adult year of schooling and expected year of schooling), education budget/implementation, quality and access to education. Descriptive research and Survey of study population of about 40,266 comprising of appointed education officials in 2,826 schools affiliated to SUBEB with sample size of 380 determined using Krejcie and Morgan table (1970). Simple random and stratified random sampling techniques were used to administer 12 items questionnaire on the respondents. Simple percentage, Pearson Moment Correlation Co-efficient and tabular form were adopted for data presentation and analysis. The study among others revealed that: Political leadership has significant direct relationship with ESD in Akwa Ibom State. It recommended policy reforms to reduce anomalies in educational management and adequate funding to meet UNESCO education budget baseline of 26%, employment of more qualified teachers, training and re-training of teachers to develop technical skills in entrepreneurship education; provision of libraries, laboratories and other facilities for modern research/innovations.

Literacy Corner for Increasing Reading Awareness in Darmayasa Village

Darmayasa village is categorized as an area with difficult accessibility, landslide vulnerability, and other natural disaster vulnerability. The natural circumstance is not supported with proper public facilities to accommodate various basic needs of people including the need for education. Until today, Darmayasa Village is categorized as an underdeveloped village having only one public elementary school. To continue the study to the next level, people must take tens of kilometers. Regarding this, cultural literacy becomes important for the Darmayasa Village residents. Literacy is a movement an effort to cultivate human characters aiming to make both individuals and people have a culture of reading, writing, and good character to create lifelong learning in the community. Literacy activities must apply good management to design interesting activities until they can foster interest in reading and improve reading skills. This community service program focuses on four activities namely socialization, formation of a driving team, workshops, and library provision.

The Use of Social Media in Improving Literacy in Rural Village

Background: Social media, in the form of chatting platforms such as WhatsApp and various other social media widely used by Generation Y today, can help to increase literacy and information dissemination in a rural village. With the involvement and contribution of Generation Y, social media has what it takes to improve literacy among people in rural areas, allowing them to obtain information as fast and as precisely as the urban communities do while also making advancements to the area itself. Objective: This study attempts to investigate the use of social media in increasing literacy in eight villages on Madura Island. Method: This study uses a descriptive analysis method with a qualitative approach. Results: The results show that there are still several problems caused by the use of social media among generation Y in making decisions, taking action, behaving, communicating, and socializing. Another issue is that, generally, Generation Y tends to disseminate information directly without checking its veracity. Conclusion: The lack of digital literacy worries many people because it causes the spread of disinformation that threatens the bond of kinship and disperses national unity. Therefore, there is a need for education on how to use social media healthily, provision of rural village and city-level libraries, and the need for attention from clerics, parents, and the government. Keywords: literacy; rural village; social media

Quality management: A model for optimizing information provision in Romanian special research libraries

A study regarding the relevance of special libraries and the quality of access to information in Romania was conducted. The general objective was to develop a contribution regarding the quality management in libraries using the grounded theory method. The model obtained for optimizing the quality of access to information implies the existence of material resources, but also innovations, the involvement of human resources through creativity and promotion, leading to increased academic visibility, increased satisfaction of long-term active users, attraction of new users both in the physical space and in the digital environment and, finally, increased relevance of the library in question within the tutelary research institute. The value of the study lies in the series of solutions for optimizing the access to scientific information in research libraries in the digital age, and the correlations between the results obtained based on the grounded theory and the three generic models of library quality management, LibQual+, Balanced Scorecard, and ISO 9001, by adapting them to the context of the special research libraries in Romania.

Use of Library for Promoting Students’ Learning

Library practices in schools exert significant influence on students’ learning attitude and behavior. This paper explores the existing situation of library practices in community and institutional schools of Nepal. Despite a number of options to educate students in school from library-use, library provision and its existing practices in community and institutional schools in Nepal are still unsearched. In context students study only during the time of their class, assignment and examination preparation, how the schools make use of library for the promotion of students’ learning is the main concern of the study. Information for the study was collected from fieldnotes and lived experiences of eight participants: one teacher and one student from each of four schools: two institutional and two community. The study found that teachers in community schools occasionally visit the library and rarely encourage their students to benefit from the library. However, some students were found to borrow books from the library. As students in institutional schools have library period once a week, they enjoy reading books or doing something in the library. Overall library practice in Nepal lacks adequate proficiency in management, administration, and provision of study materials; and ultimately has not motivated students’ hearty participation.

Application of social media for reference service delivery in academic libraries in Delta State, Nigeria

This study investigated the application of social media for reference service delivery in academic libraries in Delta State, Nigeria. The objectives is to ascertain the kind of reference services offered, identify the facilities available for the application of social media, identify the social media reference librarians used in academic libraries in Delta State. and to identity the constraints to the application of social media by reference librarians. Four research questions guided the study. The descriptive survey design was used. A sample size of 12 respondents was used. The instrument used was the questionnaire. The data was analyzed using the frequency table and simple percentage. The findings revealed that amongst others that the two major types of reference service which are direct and indirect reference services are in used by the Delta State academic libraries, they already have the facilities such as internet, computers, and webcam that will enable them to apply social media as a tool in the provision of reference services in meeting the needs of library users, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, WhatsApp and YouTube can be used for reference service delivery. Therefore this study recommends that the All the academic libraries that already have facilities such as computers, Internet, and webcam should incorporate social media tools in the reference section and it should be sustained in order to ensure continuity and usability in the provision of reference services and academic libraries should make sure that modalities are put in place for constant power supply, good network provision, and retraining of staff.

Library services provision to visually-impaired users in academic libraries: A gap in the literature

The importance of providing library and information services to the visually-impaired students for educational pursuit in academic libraries cannot be ignored. This is because the students cannot use the normal facilities that their sighted counterparts uses, they require special facilities and services. This paper sought to provide a systematic review of theoretical and empirical literature about services provision for visually-impaired students in academic libraries. Reviewing the related literature focuses mainly on studies about availability of and accessibility to facilities for this category of students, perceptions about providing services for the students, training in visually-impaired services provision, accessibility to the services by the students, constraints to effective visually-impaired services provision in academic libraries as well as appraisal of reviewed literature. An in-depth account of the selected and related literature indicated that, many libraries in the university seldom provide services for the students who are visually-impaired due to limited financial and human resources, insufficient assistive technology, inadequacy of funding and absence of trained personnel among others. This category of students have limited access to many of the major required facilities and services. Furthermore, the article contributes to the growing body of knowledge and builds on existing literature in this area of study.

Tahapan pengembangan koleksi di Perpustakaan Umum Daerah Kabupaten Sumenep pada masa pandemi

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the collection development activities in the Regional Public Library of Sumenep Regency. The pandemic has allowed libraries to improve their collection development activities, which were not previously a priority. This study aims to describe the existing activities of the stages of developing the collection in the Sumenep Regional Public Library during the pandemic. The research method used was descriptive qualitative, with the research subject being a librarian of the Sumenep Regional Public Library. Data collection was obtained through observation, interviews, and a literature review. Study results found that firstly, community analysis was conducted by distributing questionnaires links through Instagram accounts and the official website. Second, the collection development policy needed to be formally and officially formulated. Third, collection selection was carried out with a conformarian understanding, which is a balance between quality and interest in books. At this stage, the selection was carried out based on the data results from the step previously. Fourth, the procurement of library materials was hampered during the pandemic due to budget cuts for procurement allocations and the provision of digital libraries. Fifth, weeding was carried out more efficiently and focused during the pandemic. The final stage was collection evaluation, and it was found that the Sumenep Public Library itself did not carry out routine evaluations of collection development. It found several obstacles, namely budget cuts due to being diverted to Covid-19 funds, lacking human resources in the IT field, and lacking a collection development policy formulation. In conclusion, the Sumenep Public Library still needs more collection development during the pandemic.

The Republican Scientific and Technical Library – 45 years in the service to science and industries. Information resources supporting science and research activities

The information resources of the Republican Scientific and Technical Library are reviewed. The Library actualizes the most important mission of information support of science and technologies, as well as information and library support of state authorities in science and technology, industrial enterprises, scientific research institutions, research and development organizations in the Republic of Belarus independently of their departmental subordination, as well as provision of library, bibliographic and reference and information services to sci-tech professionals. The main vectors are characterized; the structure of the Library’s collection is discussed. The most popular information resources meet the demands of the applied sciences and real economy for information supporting efficiency of research, sci-tech, and innovative activities in compliance with the global trends. The resources are structured in three blocks: those supporting science, research, innovative activities, as well as invention and efficiency drive; marketing information, market research materials, information on business conditions, address, reference and factual information: for process engineering, and development of controlling documents and specifications.