Provincial Public Libraries Research Articles

SUITABILITY OF CONTEMPORARY PUBLIC LIBRARY SPACES TO USER NEEDS AND PURPOSES: A CASE STUDY OF ERZURUM

The library is a societal institution that hosts printed and electronic information sources and facilitates access to these resources when needed. One type of library, public libraries, is an important institution for the education and development of society. Public libraries serve as places where individuals, regardless of age and level, can benefit from library services free of charge, borrow and read books, as well as venues for various social and cultural activities such as conferences, exhibitions, and presentations. In this regard, why public libraries are generally preferred by users has been a subject of curiosity. The changing technology and lifestyle over time have also changed the purposes of library use and users' expectations from the library. The aim of this study is to determine the purposes of use of public libraries today by identifying the purposes of use of libraries. In this context, the "Erzurum Ismail Saib Sencer Provincial Public Library" and "Kazim Karabekir Public Library" in Yakutiye district of Erzurum were selected as the study area. Face-to-face survey was conducted with a total of 110 library users in two libraries, and 100 surveys were evaluated. The survey form was prepared with multiple-choice and Likert scale questions. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed using the SPSS 23 program. Frequency, percentage distribution, and arithmetic mean values were used in the evaluation of the data. In light of the obtained data, the relationship between the areas occupied by library sections within the building and the purposes of use by the public was analyzed. As a result of the evaluation, recommendations were made on which areas of the library should be developed and in which areas the public should be directed more based on the needs of the users.

Using Internet Access for Service Continuity amid the Covid-19 Pandemic in the North West Provincial Public Libraries of South Africa

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the many ICT infrastructural challenges entrenched in community libraries. This study determined how public libraries in the North West Province of South Africa could use internet access to continue the provision of information services to clients amid the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. This was guided by key research objectives, namely to ascertain the status of internet access in North West provincial public libraries; determine the effect of the Covid-19 lockdown on services in North West provincial public libraries; and identify ways to use technology for service continuity in these libraries. The study adopted a quantitative research approach and employed a survey design. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a purposive sample of 15 public libraries in the North West Province. This sample was derived from a population of 123 community libraries falling under the provincial Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation. The findings revealed that there was a lack of funding to develop and support the ICT infrastructure in community libraries. It was further revealed that most of the province’s community libraries did not have access to the internet due to expired contracts with internet service providers (ISPs). Furthermore, the study revealed a lack of business continuity planning in community libraries. The study recommended that the province provide funding to community libraries for the development and maintenance of ICT infrastructure. The development of a central point in the province to manage internet access to community libraries was further recommended. It was further recommended that community libraries develop business continuity plans in consultation with stakeholders.

Ponadgraniczne mosty redaktor Ewy Mielczarek w XX i XXI w.

The professional activity of Ewa Mielczarek as a librarian, political scientist, senior curator, head of the Publishing Department at the Cyprian Norwid’s Provincial and Municipal Public Library in Zielona Góra, is impressive. Since 1999, her professional life has been associated with Zielona Góra, where she moved from Jelenia Góra. She is an editor, proofreader, hunter of gifted authors and their texts, a friend of poets, prose writers, essayists, reviewers, and artists. It is her, whom “Pro Libris” owes its neatness, tastefulness, and editorial beauty. In addition, she engages in journalism, promotes publications edited by the publishing house of the Zielona Góra Library, organizes literary competitions, meetings with authors, cooperates with scholars and supervises the editorial office of “Bibliotekarz Lubuski” (“Lubusz Librarian”), “Pasje Literackie” (“Literary Passions”) and “Zielonogórskie Studia Bibliotekoznawcze” (“Zielona Góra Library Studies”). Methods used: press content analysis, custom study, heuristic analysis and criticism of literature, interview.

As bibliotecas na Instrução Pública no Maranhão Império: livros, leituras e leitores

ABSTRACT This article describes the libraries of Maranhão in the Brazilian Imperial period as spaces of sociability according to their nature, function and projection, analyzing the role of these institutions in public education in the province of Maranhão. It identifies and compares the strategies in use by the Portuguese Reading Office, the Provincial Public Library and the Popular Library of Maranhão for their establishment, operation and access, stimulating the formation of readers and distinct reading practices in different target audiences. Cultural history is used as a theoretical-methodological approach, crossing different sources: reports/official letters from provincial presidents and public education inspectors, education laws and regulations, minute books and the local press.

Analysis of the Influence of Library Information on the Utilization of Regional Environmental and Ecological Resources: From the Perspective of Intelligent Adaptive Learning.

In order to further develop and improve the management theory of public libraries, this paper studies the impact of library information on the utilization of regional environmental resources from the perspective of intelligent adaptive learning. Firstly, based on the data envelopment analysis method, this paper measures the efficiency of Public Libraries in various regions of China. Then, using Tobit model, this paper analyzes the environmental factors affecting the efficiency of public libraries from three aspects: financial allocation, per capita GDP, and per capita years of education. The results show that there is a significant correlation between per capita GDP, per capita years of education, and the efficiency of public libraries. There is a significant negative correlation between per capita GDP and public library efficiency (the coefficient is −5.73x10−6, and the probability of two-sided t-test is 0.0229); There is a significant positive correlation between the number of years of education per capita and the efficiency of Public Libraries (the coefficient is 0.0684, and the probability of two-sided t-test is 0.0169). Conclusion: This study provides a reference for the performance evaluation of provincial public libraries.

Nieznany rękopis Konstancji Biernackiej z Małachowskich pt. „Osjan polski, czyli Zbiór współczesnej Polki dla jej wnuka, Pawła Biernackiego”

The manuscript by Konstancja Biernacka née Małachowska, kept in the Hieronim Łopaciński Provincial Public Library in Lublin, is entitled Osjan polski, czyli Zbiór współczesnej Polki dla jej wnuka, Pawła Biernackiego [ Polish Ossian, or a Contemporary Polish Woman’s Collection for Her Grandson, Paweł Biernacki ]. The author collected mainly poems by various authors, but also documents that testify to the history of the nation and the family. She wanted her grandson to get to know history and learn what patriotism is thanks to them. Paweł received the collection for his thirteenth birthday on 22 March 1831. The article discusses the content of the volume, which is a valuable testimony to the social, political and cultural life of the early 19 th century. It is an extremely interesting extension of the circle of Polish reception of The Songs of Ossian by James Macpherson. The conducted research shows that the bound collection, kept in the library, contains works created after 1831, which proves that work on it continued, in accordance with the wish expressed by the author. On the day when the grandmother gave it to her grandson, it looked different than today. The manuscript will be made available to the modern reader, with a detailed explanation of the content and reference to broad interpretive contexts. [tłum. Marta Szymczak]

Practices and thinking of public libraries in China during COVID-19

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, libraries in China closed their doors in early 2020 and moved all their services online. This change has brought unprecedented challenges for the development of library services, while it has also brought opportunities and motivation for the future transformation of libraries. This article uses official WeChat accounts of the National Library of China and more than 30 provincial public libraries as the main information sources to summarize and classify the services provided during the period of closure. It also collates and analyses news items released by these libraries to guide the improvement of the online services of public libraries in the pandemic environment. Finally, it puts forward the author’s reflections and suggestions on the key development directions of libraries in the post-pandemic era in six areas: reading promotion, smart libraries, new media operation, information literacy cultivation, open access and collaborative development.

Non-formal education function of first sugar factories established in Turkey: Oral History Inqury

This research aims to find the effects on informal public education of Uşak, Alpullu and Eskişehir sugar factories. As qualitative research, oral history method, literature and archive reviews were undertaken. Five in-depth interviews were taken and the archives of the personal photos, memoirs related to the topic were attained from the people who work/ed as the factory managers, employees and retired workers in these factories. Also, the factory and provincial public libraries of these cities were investigated elaborately. This research is to reveal the traces of the sugar factories in the foundation of modern Turkey and their informal educational effect on locals, changes in the socio-cultural life by the development of social structure and the role of sugar factories that were established in the first decade of the rebuplic. As a result it was founded that the sugar factories both changed the perspective of the cities for the music, sports and art on the social life and helped to give prosperity achieved in terms of economy for their workers, families and the locals since the day the factories had been established. Moreover, they helped to develop the sense of urbanity in their cities.

Examining the Extent of Internet Access in Public Libraries in South Africa

The provision of free internet access to users, anchors public libraries as the beacon to be heavily relied on for information access. This article reports on a study undertaken to determine the extent of internet access in South African public libraries. The paper was guided by research questions on the level of internet connectivity in South African public libraries and the challenges experienced in providing internet access to public libraries in South Africa. The study employed a survey design in which a questionnaire was used to collect data from 322 respondents, while interviews were used to collect data from nine participants. The study used the non-probability purposive sampling technique to select heads of provincial public libraries (directors) and further used stratified, probability proportional to size, and systematic techniques to select heads of public libraries. No sampling was done on the nine heads (directors) of provincial public libraries, as the nature of this population did not warrant further dissection due to its small size. The study achieved a response rate of 63% which was adequate to proceed with the analysis. It emerged that 97% of public libraries were connected to the internet, 80% of them were connected to the internet through fixed lines, and that each of the nine provinces had its own internet service provider. The study recommended, among others, that fixed lines for internet access be laid to all public libraries in South Africa, and that a government agency be used as a dedicated internet service provider for public libraries across all nine provinces.

Kıssa-i Mûsâ anlatıları üzerine değerlendirmeler ve müellifi bilinmeyen bir Kıssa-i Mûsâ örneği

Klasik Türk edebiyatının kaynaklarından biri olan Kur'an kıssaları, insanları doğru yola sevk etmek, hidayete ulaştırmak için önemli vasıtalardır. Kur'an'da öz olarak bulunan bu kıssalar, zamanla farklı kaynaklardan da beslenerek genişlemiş, edebiyatımızın temel malzemesi olmuşlardır. Hz. Yusuf, Hz. İbrahim, Hz. Süleyman, Zülkarneyn kıssaları edebiyatımızda çokça işlenmiş, müstakil eserlere de konu olmuş kıssalardır. Bu kıssalardan bir tanesi de Hz. Musa kıssasıdır. Hz. Musa kıssası, hem manzum hem de mensur eserlerin muhtevalarına kaynaklık etmiş, edebiyatımızda bu kıssa etrafında muhtelif eserler oluşturulmuştur. Çalışmamıza konu olan Kıssa-i Mûsâ metni, Amasya Beyazıt İl Halk Kütüphanesi 05 Ba 509/4 numarasıyla kayıtlı bir mecmuada bulunmaktadır. Müellifi belli olmayan metin, Hz. Musa kıssasının bir bölümü olan Hz. Musa'nın Tûr Dağı'nda Allah ile konuşması hadisesini konu almaktadır. Hz. Musa kıssası içerisinde yer alan bu bölüm müstakil eserlere "Münâcât-ı Mûsâ (AS)" başlığıyla konu olmuştur. 22 varaktan oluşan bu metin baştan sona kadar Hz. Musa'nın Allah'a münacatı ve Allah'ın emir ve yasakları konusu etrafında şekillenmiştir. Eski Anadolu Türkçesinin dil hususiyetlerini gösteren metinde karşılıklı konuşma üslubu ve anlaşılır bir dil kullanılmıştır. Halkın anlayabileceği bir dille yazılan metinin dinî-didaktik yönü de ağır basmaktadır. Çalışmada öncelikli olarak Kur'an kıssaları hakkında bilgi verilecek, daha sonra edebiyatımızda Hz. Musa kıssasına yer veren bazı temel eserler ve bu eserlerde yer alan hikâyeler tanıtılacaktır. Akabinde çalışma konusu olan Kıssa-i Mûsâ metni tanıtılarak kıssanın transkripsiyonlu metni verilecektir.

Kâbe-nâme’nin Berlin Kütüphanesi Nüshası ve Bazı İmla Özellikleri

Kâbe-nâme is a mesnevi giving information about the Kâbe, which is holy for Muslims. The author of the work is Abdurrahman Gubâri from Aksehir. He took lessons from well-known professors of the time. He also worked as a professor and joined the Iraqi expedition of Kânuni as a state chronicler in 1534. Gubâri was also a tutor of Orhan Celebi, one of the sons of Sehzâde Bayezid. His works are Suleyman-nâme, Sebistân-i Hayâl, Yusuf u Zuleyhâ, Menâsik-i Hac, Mesâhat-nâme and Kâbe-nâme. Gubâri completed the Kâbe-nâme in Mecca in 1556. There are a total of six copies of the Kâbe-nâme located at the Ankara TDK Library, Istanbul Uskudar Haci Selim Aga Library, Kayseri Rasit Efendi Library, Manisa Provincial Public Library, London British Museum Library and Berlin Staatsbibliothek. All the copies except the ones in the London British Museum Library and Berlin Staatsbibliothek are studied. The Kâbe-nâme is one of the works of the transition period from Ancient Anatolian Turkish to Classical Ottoman Turkish. The work provides information to researchers about the language and orthographic of the transition period. In this paper, the copy of Kâbe-nâme registered in Berlin Staatsbibliothek Ms. or. Oct. 2923 was introduced and some orthographic features of the copy were examined.

Ishārī Interpretations in the Tafsīr of Mulla Jāmī

Abdurrahmân Câmî (ö. 898/1492), XV. yüzyılın çok yönlü âlimlerindendir. O hem tasavvufun önemli nazariyyatçılarından hem de önde gelen edebî şahsiyetlerden biri olmasının yanı sıra bir tefsir müellifidir. Bu makale, Câmî’nin tefsir eserindeki işârî yorumları konu edinmektedir. Bakara 40. âyete kadar kaleme alınan bu tefsirinde dil tahlillerinin yanı sıra tasavvufî bahislerin de önemli bir yer işgal ettiği görülmektedir. Bu çalışmada, Molla Câmî Tefsiri’ndeki işârî yorumların yoğunlaştığı konular ve bu yorumların sunumunda izlenen yöntemin tespit edilmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Çalışma neticesinde ulaşılan sonuçlara göre; Câmî, eserinde yer verdiği dil ile ilgili açıklamalar ve temas ettiği konular bakımından Zemahşerî’nin (ö. 538/1144) Keşşâf’ını esas almakla birlikte birçok dil ve tefsir âliminin görüşlerine yer vermiştir. Tasavvufî konularda ve âyetlere getirdiği işârî yorumlarda ise onun bakış açısını belirleyen iki sûfî; Muhyiddîn İbnü’l-‘Arabî (ö. 638/1240) ve Sadreddîn Konevî’dir (ö. 673/1274). Câmî, eserinin baş tarafında tasavvufî yorumları, diğer açıklamalarla iç içe sunarken, Bakara Sûresi’nin ilk beş âyetiyle birlikte bu tür yorumları âyet tefsirinin sonunda toplamıştır. Âyet metninin arasına yerleştirdiği kısa açıklamalar şeklinde yaptığı bu yorumlarda vahdet-i vücûd düşüncesinin temel kavramlarını görmek mümkündür. Bunun yanı sıra onun, tasavvufun âmelî boyutuna dair açıklamalarına da rastlanılmaktadır.

Media relations wybranych bibliotek toruńskich. Cele, narzędzia i plany rozwoju

<p>Budowanie pozytywnego wizerunku biblioteki w środowisku lokalnym wymaga znajomości i systematycznego wdrażania elementów public relations. Jednym z etapów tego działania są media relations, czyli utrzymywanie dobrych stosunków z przedstawicielami mediów, co może wpływać pozytywnie na odbiór organizacji w otoczeniu społecznym. W artykule przedstawiono analizę działań w ramach media relations trzech największych toruńskich bibliotek: Biblioteki Pedagogicznej im. gen. bryg. prof. Elżbiety Zawackiej, Biblioteki Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika oraz Wojewódzkiej Biblioteki Publicznej – Książnicy Kopernikańskiej. Wykorzystano do tego metodę sondażu diagnostycznego oraz analizę treści stron internetowych badanych bibliotek. Biblioteka uniwersytecka i publiczna są dobrze przygotowane i prężnie działają w zakresie promocji, jednak utożsamiają to pojęcie z public relations i nie rozdzielają tych zagadnień w praktyce, natomiast biblioteka pedagogiczna nie ma sekcji ds. promocji i PR , ale zadanie utrzymywania kontaktu z mediami należy do jednego z pracowników. Żadna z bibliotek nie wykorzystuje w pełni możliwości, jakie daje posiadanie strony internetowej.</p>

Evaluation of the Collection Development Policies of the Public Libraries in Turkey

Collection development policy is the document text which defines the size of the existing collection of a library, maintains or plans development of sources, reveals the power of the collection, displays the relationship between the selection philosophy and general purposes of the institution, and results as a product of freedom of thought. The collection is expected to be suitable for the user in terms of quality and quantity and, in this respect, each public library is expected to have a collection development policy. With this in mind; the structure of collection development services, the condition of the collection development policies at the provincial and district public libraries, and opinions and ideas of directors and personnel in provincial and district public libraries on collection development policies were evaluated within the scope of the survey carried out. In this context, the publication is aimed to evaluate basis for collection development processes in Turkey Selection Regulations as well. Descriptive method and survey technique were used in the research. SPSS 18 program was used to evaluate the data. Percentage values, frequency and Chi-square statistic calculations were used to analysis the data. As a result of the research, the conditions that exist in the public library development policies, the problems have been tried to be defined and a road map for solving these problems has been tried.

An Inspector Calls

Angus McGill Mowat was an inspirational voice for public library work during the Great Depression. In 1937, after he became Inspector of Public Libraries in the Ontario Department of Education, he helped revive spirits and raise service ambitions in smaller rural libraries. Building on the “modern library” concept popularized after the First World War, he re-energized trustees, librarians, and library workers with hundreds of visits to promote local efforts before 1939. His inspections encompassed the advisement of trustees on management and financial processes; the promotion of librarianship and staff training; the improvement of collections and services for adults and children; the reorganization of functional building space; the formation of county systems; and support for new public school curriculum reading reforms. Although warfare interrupted his work, Mowat’s wide-ranging inspection method brought renewed optimism and laid the groundwork for genuine progress in the provincial public library system after 1945.

Information porter: A study on intangible cultural heritage databases of provincial public libraries in china

ABSTRACTInterest in intangible cultural heritage (ICH) from UNESCO and other groups has grown in recent years, precipitating the need for greater attention to digital ICH and ICH databases in this area. This research aims to measures the ICH databases, and to explore the role of public libraries in the protection of ICH. [Methodology] According to accessing the websites of 31 provincial public libraries in China, the study collects and analyses the names, copyright, metadata of the ICH databases. [Finding] The research finds that more than 60% provincial public libraries have ICH database, and there are three kinds of ICH database's name, the copyright of databases belongs to provincial public libraries, the National Cultural Information Resources Sharing Project, and Superstar Co., Ltd. The metadata used by each database is not uniform. [Conclusion] Those databases are still in the record stage, mainly for publicity and display ICH projects, can't reaching the goal of digital inheritance. The lack of national uniform standards also leads to disunity of naming and metadata on databases. Libraries just play the role of information porters without more innovations.

Applying a Mobile Social Medium: WeChat in Provincial Public Libraries in China

ABSTRACTThis study described and analyzed WeChat services at Chinese provincial public libraries. This study first described WeChat services at provincial public libraries in China; then, WeChat services at these public libraries were analyzed in three parts: menu services, message sending, and real-time references. After this, suggestions were provided for possible improvements. Library services could be better and more conveniently accessed using WeChat. More users should be able to more easily access WeChat services on smartphones. This study can assist librarians interested in using the WeChat library service window and/or service quality assessment.

THE PRISON LIBRARY: A VITAL LINK TO EDUCATION, REHABILITATION, AND RECREATION

This article has been adapted from a paper presented by the author in Cienfuegos, Cuba, November 1999 at the invitation ofUNEAC (Union Nacional de Escritores y Aristas Cubano) and the provincial public library in Cienfuegos. In cooperation with other prison programs the prison library plays a critical part in the education and rehabilitation of incarcerated persons. The background, roles, services, and ways in which the modern prison library can meet the needs of both inmates and prison staff are examined in depth. International and national standards exist as tools that cover all aspects of prison library operations. The most vital link in the operation of such libraries is having competent, well-trained, enthusiastic, and patient library staff equipped with the special human skills needed to deal with difficult prison patrons.

«The Ministry of National Education Journal» as a source on the history of Russian librarianship and library science

The article is devoted to the analysis of the «Ministry of Education Journal» as a historical source on the history of libraries and librarianship. The magazine was published in 1834–1917. During the journal activities it published about 45 thousand articles, over 300 of which were devoted to librarianship. This is an average 3.42 publications per year. They are normative acts in the field of librarianship, articles devoted foreign librarianship, history of domestic libraries. A large number of notes were reprinted from local editions and dedicated to the provincial public libraries and libraries of educational institutions.For the first time in the national librarianship the author analyzes the editorial policy of the journal related to library construction. The first stage was based on the concept of official nationality of the Minister of Education S. Uvarov, which was focused on publishing articles on the library system organization and familiarizing readers with the world librarianship development. The editorial policy second stage, began in 1860, was based on N. Ushinsky views about education nationality and upbringing through the book. The special attention was paid to activities of the Imperial Public Library, Rumyantsev Public Museum and Vilen Public Library. For the first time the journal publishes articles devoted to the problem of academic libraries acquisition, cataloging, etc.

A survey of WeChat application in Chinese public libraries

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the current characteristics and status of WeChat application in Chinese public libraries. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 46 sub-provincial and provincial public libraries in China, this study collected data from their WeChat official accounts. Statistical analysis and content analysis were employed for data analysis. Findings The results show that 82.6 percent of the 46 libraries had applied for WeChat accounts and offered services, of which the earliest created time was March 20, 2013. Differences were found among history information regarding their numbers, types and contents. Moreover, as for service mode, 84.2 percent of the libraries present custom menus, and 68.4 percent provide self-inquiry information. In addition, three types of reference services are revealed: real-time services (28.9 percent), services via telephones or e-mails (36.8 percent) and menu services (7.9 percent). Originality/value This study illustrates an overall picture of WeChat application in Chinese public libraries. Extant research has mainly focused on Web 2.0 applications in university libraries, and less attention has been paid to the application of mobile social media in public libraries. This study attempts to fill this research gap.