Public Library Community Research Articles

Uncommon Services: Public Library Services to Incarcerated Populations

Public libraries have long been devoted to reaching out to underserved populations within their communities. Outreach to local correctional facilities is one type of outreach that has not been fully embraced by the public library community. This paper has three aims: 1)to assess the current state of public library outreach to correctional institutions in California; 2) to outline the current state of information service in correctional facilities and demonstrate how public libraries and the communities they serve have a vested interest in serving local detainees; and 3) to highlight three model programs which show how partnerships between public libraries and correctional institutions can have far reaching benefits beyond the walls of the respective institutions. These three subjects taken together should serve as a call to action to broaden the notion of the public library’s service area to include people who are incarcerated in their community.

The Political Economy of Andrew Carnegie's Library Philanthropy, with a Reflection on its Relevance to the Philanthropic Work of Bill Gates

When it was announced in 1997, Bill Gates' library philanthropy programme attracted a tremendous amount of media attention. A central feature of that coverage was a renewed interest in Andrew Carnegie's library building programme. While identifying the historical similarities between Carnegie and Gates is an interesting exercise, failure to ground these comparisons in a critical policy analysis frame that attends to the political economy of largescale private philanthropy seriously limits, if not jeopardizes, the public library community's ability to respond to the broader cultural implications of Gates' library programme. Here, the radical philanthropic approach is used to frame a historical analysis of Andrew Carnegie's philanthropy as a response to the contemporary class warfare of the period, within which he was deeply implicated. Unpacking Carnegie's library philanthropy for its ideological importance in the struggle over the ownership and control of the means of industrial production provides a powerful analytic lens through which to view capital's updated hegemonic project, as reflected in Gates' philanthropy, which is designed to bring software and internet connectivity to America's public libraries.

Unsettling Scores: An Evaluation of Hennen's Annual Public Library Ratings

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the results of a study of the Hennen Annual Public Library Ratings (HAPLR). This study was conducted for the U.S. National Commission on Library and Information Science (NCLIS) as part of a larger survey of library assessment instruments. HAPLR ratings are based upon public library data available from the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The paper examines promotion of the HAPLR rating method and construction of its scores, summarizes literature on library input and output measures, reviews published criticisms, identifies other key shortcomings of the method, and explores selected statistical trends in NCES public library data from 1999 through 2004. The article concludes that imprecision in HAPLR scores renders the method unsuitable for quantitatively assessing comparative and individual library performance. Statistical validity of the method has never been demonstrated. Input/output data that HAPLR uses are inadequate measures of library performance and quality. The scores are susceptible to inaccuracies in the compilation of NCES data. Promoters of the HAPLR methodology should fully disclose the limitations and biases of the method. These limitations also need to be understood and heeded by the public library community, which has injudiciously joined its national library identity with a statistically unsound portrayal of its collective and individual institutional strengths and weaknesses.

Contextual metadata: faceted schemas in virtual library communities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the information needs of one user group, public library fiction readers, in order to reveal a design of an online community at the local level. Examination of user‐generated metadata can reveal new approaches to information architecture.Design/methodology/approach – A literature review into behaviors of virtual communities; surveying public library readers regarding search behavior characteristics – the survey included a sample “tagging” exercise to determine whether public library communities could create meaningful metadata for retrieval purposes.Findings – The use of relevance as an indicator of tag quality is flawed: in a survey, public library readers “tagged” the novel The Da Vinci Code. The resulting collection of tags provided a richer description of the book than did the social book‐related web site www.librarything.com. Tag collections can be broken down into different categories, each reflecting a different “facet” of the novel: character, plot,...

Public libraries, public access computing, FOSS and CI: There are alternatives to private philanthropy

In January 2007, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) announced its second multi–year technology grant program for America’s public libraries. The purpose of Phase II, Keeping communities connected: The next step is to help public libraries sustain the public access computing infrastructure laid down during Phase I. Now, as then, the goal of the program is to bridge the digital divide. But it is a digital divide as defined by Bill Gates and not the public library community. Situating Gates’ philanthropy within a critical policy frame, this paper considers two alternatives to Gates’ problem definition of the digital divide, and how knowledge of these might benefit those communities served by public access computing (PAC) services as found in public libraries. The two specific alternatives considered come from the Free Software Foundation (FSF), and Community Informatics (CI). Significantly, both social movements promote the potential of free and open software as an important part of any solution. Finally, the public library literature is reviewed for patterns in the community’s use of FOSS, and the argument is made for its use in the delivery of PAC services.

Going on ten: community information grows up

PurposeTo provide an example of a successful, long term online community information network for public libraries looking to enhance their community information resources.Design/methodology/approachDescribes the genesis and current development projects of NorthStarNet, an online community information network comprised of 40+ public library community sites in the Chicago suburbs.FindingsNeeds of communities and libraries regarding web hosting and online community information have changed greatly since the launch of NorthStarNet launched in 1995. Original community sites were so individual that content and usability issues were taking prominence. Development of a unique application allows for the creation and maintenance of sites with graphic and technical sophistication by library staff and community members with limited technical expertise. The new application also supports the aggregation of the community information from the 40+ individual sites to make it globally searchable.Originality/valueThis paper describes a service that has successfully positioned libraries as an important resource and technology leader in their communities. Included are descriptions of applications that make the online resource user‐friendly to those that create and maintain, as well as use the site.

Public Libraries in England: A valuable public service or a service in distress?

Compares and contrasts the Department of Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee Reports of 2000 and 2005. Suggests that an increasing focus on public library matters can mean either that public libraries are moving up the political agenda or that they are a cause for concern. Discusses how the two reports show developments but also failings in public library service policy and provision over the five-year period. Both reports cover the regulatory framework governing public libraries but the 2005 report documents changes to reporting systems which, it is feared, will not improve the standard of below standard library services. Concerns about access to library buildings also featured in both reports. The success of the People's Network was praised in both 2000 and 2005 although the practice in some library authorities of charging for access to ICT was condemned strongly in the latter. The two reports emphasized the problem of the decline in the book lending service caused by a fall in the value of the book fund. It is concluded that although the 2005 report contains many criticisms of the provision and management of public library services in England, these should be viewed as an opportunity by the public library community to lobby local and national politicians for funding and action to rectify the problems identified.

Characteristics, uniqueness and overlap of information sources linked from North American public library Web sites

This article reports on the availability, domain distribution, percentage of Web sites versus Web pages, perceived value, and category of 31,400 Web–based resources selected by 50 public libraries in the United States and Canada. Eighty–seven percent of these resources were available, 60 percent were Web pages, and resources selected by 20 percent of the sampled libraries were finding tools such as general or subject specific search engines. Ninety–three percent of the resources were selected by just one of the 50 libraries; only 17 percent of the resources appeared to be primarily of local interest. The public may be unaware of these unique resources. The public library community must develop programs to increase the awareness and sharing of these evaluated resources.

Protecting Access and Materials in Public Library Special Collections

ABSTRACTThis article highlights a project conducted at the Washingtoniana Division, D.C. Public Library to improve collections security for unique materials. As part of planning for these improvements, staff conducted a survey of similar public library settings and their special-collections practices. Seventy-three surveys were sent to U.S. public libraries, and 47 were completed and returned. Results showed a wide variation in practices, but common concerns included balancing open access with special-collections limitations, and with working with public library communities and users. An appendix details the survey results. The authors contend that special collections in public libraries differ from those in private and/or academic libraries because public library collections must address the mandate for open access.

Editorial

Discusses the Who’s in Charge? report by Tim Coates which provoked considerable debate within the public library community on its publication as well as national press interest. The report highlights the poor value for money of public libraries in the light of declining visitor numbers and book issues as well as the inefficiency of management practices. Although many in the public library sector concede that Who’s in Charge? does identify and discuss some serious issues facing public libraries, the solutions offered, focusing primarily on the redistribution of staffing costs, are considered unrealistic and insufficient. Suggests that the impact of social developments is underestimated in the report and that modern lifestyles have had a significant effect on public library use. Questions the view proposed in the report that the public want libraries as they have always been and contends that such a strategy will not attract non-users. Considers the problems facing many public library buildings and suggests their solution requires a more radical approach and a larger injection of funds than the redistribution suggested by Coates would provide. Notes that there has been some good news for public libraries with visitor numbers on the up-turn nationally and issue figures rising in some authorities. Concludes that extra funding is required to address the years of underinvestment suffered by public libraries.

Facilitating community information seeking using the Internet: Findings from three public library–community network systems

AbstractWe report findings from a recent study of how public libraries are using on‐line community networks to facilitate the public's information seeking and use in everyday situations. These networks have been lauded for their potential to strengthen physical communities through increasing information flow about local services and events, and through facilitating civic interaction. However, little is known about how the public uses such digital services and what barriers they encounter. This article presents findings from a 2‐year study that comprised a national survey with public library staff, followed by extensive case studies in three states. At each site, data were collected using on‐line surveys, field observation, in‐depth interviews, and focus groups with Internet users, human service providers, and library staff. The on‐line surveys and the follow‐up interviews with respondents were based on sense‐making theory. In our article we discuss: (1) how the public is using networked community information systems and the Internet for daily problem solving, (2) the types of barriers users encounter, and (3) the benefits for individuals and physical communities from public library–community networking initiatives and the emergence of “information communities.”

Toward context-centered methods for evaluating public library networked community information initiatives

The Internet provides new ways for citizens to access information about the community, which has often been difficult to obtain in the past. To gain a better understanding of how public libraries and their partner organizations are poised to provide such community information (CI) in the next decade we have conducted a major study of the provision of CI and its use. Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) "Help-Seeking in an Electronic World: The Impact of Electronic Access to Community Information on Citizens' Information Behavior and Public Libraries" (www.si.umich.edu/helpseek) is a multi-stage research project consisting of a two-stage national survey of the provision of CI in the digital age and case studies of public library community networking partnerships, which were designed to provide in-depth knowledge of community networking approaches. We identified a wide range of impacts of digital CI services and systems on citizens, organizations, and communities. The examples we discuss are indicative of the ways that CI librarians and those who are building community networks contribute to the social fabric of their communities. In this article we present 1) an introduction to public library involvement in CI provision; 2) examples of digital best practices and community networking activities; 3) a discussion of benefits of networked CI and community networks from the perspective of users; and, 4) implications for evaluation since current tools cannot determine the impact of digital CI initiatives.

The Public Library, Social Exclusion and the Information Society in the United Kingdom

The digital divide is now a commonly recognised feature of information society. This article explores recent developments in the United Kingdom (UK) which attempt to address this issue, and examines national and local information policy, community networking, and public library policy. It assesses the claim, common in the UK public library community, that the wiring up of the public libraries will have a significant impact on disadvantage, poverty and social exclusion. In particular, it analyses the process of public library networking as it has unfolded since 1997, drawing upon the empirical findings of Open to All? The Public Library and Social Exclusion (Muddiman et al. 2000), a research project funded by the UK Library and Information Commission (now Resource). This research suggests that despite a rhetorical commitment to social inclusion, the technological transformation of UK public library services will result in little more than a modernisation of current services, with little change in overall strategy or user focus. Consequently, it is argued that if public libraries are to reach out to the excluded of the information society, they will need to move beyond a passive preoccupation with access and use technological change as a means towards more active engagement with local communities and disadvantaged users so that the public library will indeed be open to all.

Research into public libraries and ethnic minority communities in the UK, from Clough and Quarmby to Roach and Morrison

Reviews the provision of public library services to UK ethnic groups, in the light of the aims, methodology, findings and recommendations of 3 key research projects from 3 decades. Considers the impact of these reports, which were published in very different political and cultural climates. The reports were: Clough and Quarmby (1978) (Library Association); Elliott (1984) (Polytechnic of North London); and Roach and Morrison (1998) (BRIC Report 76 and 113). Examines the reports as research studies and points to similarities in them. Clough and Quarmby was the first to study public libraries and ethnic minorities nationally. Roach and Morrison focused on the relationship between public library services and communities characterized by ethnic diversity. Elliott’s research was based on London but also focused on the relationship between public libraries and ethnic communities. Concludes that library and information professionals need to take on board the recommendations of Roach and Morrison, translating them into policies and strategies to be acted upon. Clough and Quarmby and Elliott had only partial success in influencing the profession. What is needed is high profile action based on sound research into public libraries and cultural diversity, including monitoring and evaluation of existing provision and services.

A Conceptual Framework for the Public Library as a Community Learning Center for Independent Study

Public libraries, in responding to growing interest in adult independent study, are beginning to reexamine their role as community learning centers. Different kinds of learning centers emphasize: priority on provision of materials; collaboration with academic institutions and agencies through an independent study information and referral service; a multimedia center supported by educational counseling and study guidance; and a community task force approach which provides learning-center services in the midst of community problem solving. Differences among learners, learning situations, and learning styles as well as in library resources and community programs will affect the evolution of any particular public library community learning center.