Public Library Sector Research Articles

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.

The legitimacy of public libraries: cross‐pressures and change processes

This paper aims to explore the concept of political legitimacy in relation to change processes in the public library sector. The concept of legitimacy consists of stakeholders’ perceptions (such as those of politicians, users and staff) of the public library, including the value they ascribe to such perceptions. The theoretical approach to exploring this concept is institutional theory, which is concerned with the norms, perceptions and values in the library profession. The theoretical discussion in this paper arises from three different studies illuminating some of the pertinent change processes in relation to the political legitimacy of the public library. The case studies are the project culture in the library world, the consequences of technological changes reflected in the debate regarding filtering information and images of a sexual and racist nature, and the profound changes in users’ information‐seeking behaviour due to the indiviual citizen's free access to all materials in whichever library found. Taken together, these three cases illuminate change processes and highlight the appropriateness of the institutionalised norms in the profession in relation to the concept of legitimacy. The cases also illustrate how the individual library director or library system has to deal with various cross‐pressures when navigating in a multicultural society.

Women's Employment in Industrial Libraries and Information Bureaux in Britain,ca.1918–1960

Historical studies to date on the employment of women in librarianship have focused overwhelmingly on the public library sector. However, after the First World War, a different kind of library career also emerged for women in the technical libraries and scientific information bureaux of individual industrial enterprises and co-operative trade and industry research associations. Women's employment experiences in this field were shaped not by the discourses and practices of traditional librarianship, but by those of the industrial sector. Technical library and information work was the only branch of industry to which women science graduates were routinely appointed, but it also attracted a significant number of male recruits. Drawing on a range of sources including company archives, the records of Aslib and the Women's Employment Federation, and contemporary periodical and other literature, this paper explores the status and roles of women engaged in industrial library and information work between 1918 and 1960. It argues that deeply gendered workplace ideology restricted even as it permitted women's employment, but also illuminates how some women scientists were able to seize on this rare opening as a means both of negotiating responsible careers in the overwhelmingly hostile industrial environment and of making influential contributions to the development of the technical library and information field. This paper is based on research undertaken for the AHRB-funded research project 'The early information society in Britain, 1900–1975' in the School of Information Management, Leeds Metropolitan University. Thanks to Alistair Black and David Muddiman for helpful discussions on earlier drafts of this work.

Information Technology in Public Libraries in Kuwait: A First Study

This study examines the availability and use of information technology in public libraries in Kuwait. Specific areas addressed are (1) hardware/software, (2) patterns of connectivity such as LANs, Internet, etc., (3) training and development activities in support of information technology, and (4) future projections regarding the use of information technology. The study provides policy-makers and information professionals with previously unavailable baseline data concerning the use of computers and access to telecommunications networks in public libraries in Kuwait. A questionnaire sent to all public libraries (N=25) yielded a 92% response. Interviews with libraries' administrators and authorities were also undertaken to gather additional data. The results of the study reveal that many information technology inequalities exist among the libraries. Only eight libraries make use of computers and 15 are without any type of IT-related technology. The study shows that few libraries have connectivity, limited use of applications, and the implementation of an automated library system are slow moving. Factors impeding the development of information technology are planning, funding, human resources, and building structure. Recommendations are made with the intention to encourage the public library sector and information professionals in Kuwait to take a proactive position in overcoming the forces that hinder the development of IT.

Information Technology in Public Libraries in Kuwait: A First Study

This study examines the availability and use of information technology in public libraries in Kuwait. Specific areas addressed are (1) hardware/software, (2) patterns of connectivity such as LANs, Internet, etc., (3) training and development activities in support of information technology, and (4) future projections regarding the use of information technology. The study provides policy-makers and information professionals with previously unavailable baseline data concerning the use of computers and access to telecommunications networks in public libraries in Kuwait. A questionnaire sent to all public libraries ( N=25) yielded a 92% response. Interviews with libraries' administrators and authorities were also undertaken to gather additional data. The results of the study reveal that many information technology inequalities exist among the libraries. Only eight libraries make use of computers and 15 are without any type of IT-related technology. The study shows that few libraries have connectivity, limited use of applications, and the implementation of an automated library system are slow moving. Factors impeding the development of information technology are planning, funding, human resources, and building structure. Recommendations are made with the intention to encourage the public library sector and information professionals in Kuwait to take a proactive position in overcoming the forces that hinder the development of IT.

Historical Perspectives on Problem Patrons from the British Public Library Sector, 1850-1919

Summary Failure to engage an historical perspective can lead to exaggeration of the novelty of the “problem patron” phenomenon in libraries. In fact, from the institutions' earliest years, there were significant levels of fear that British public libraries would be abused by their intended users. This paper examines the experience of the problem patron in British public libraries in the years 1850-1919, and the definitions and solutions suggested by supporters and staff of these libraries. Contemporary sources are used to suggest that some observations about this period may have continued relevance for present discussions of the “problem patron.”

Effecting change: reader development projects in public libraries

Investigates the growing significance of project‐based work in the public library sector, using as an example the field of reader development. Drawing on the Branching Out national reader development initiative (1998‐2001), and on input provided by staff in participating authorities and members of the project management team, it examines the role of the project manager. It looks specifically at the requirement of project managers to co‐ordinate a piece of work from a central position in the organisational structure. The paper acknowledges the difficulties of managing change, and suggests means of overcoming these, using the Branching Out model. It concludes that cultural and structural change will only be achieved in the longer term with the support and commitment of all staff, which will only be achieved through widespread project dissemination.

No More the Hero: Lionel Mccolvin, Women Library Workers, And Impacts of Othering

Lionel McColvin has been hailed as the uncompromising leader of the public library sector. This paper challenges the glory in which much of McColvin's work still basks with a consideration of the significance of his work for women library workers. The impact of two important texts by McColvin in furthering discriminatory practices against women workers is investigated. McColvin sanctioned the practice of unequal pay for women workers and advocated the recruitment of men in preference to women for professional posts, thus perpetuating discriminatory treatment against women in the sector. Thus he contributed to a significant extent to the widespread acceptance of detrimental conditions in terms of pay, conditions of service, career development opportunities, and training faced by women library workers in the 1940S and 1950S. Such discriminatory employment practices were embodied in the lives of women workers, and the lived experience of unequal pay is discussed. I would like to thank Chris Baggs for his comments.

“Measuring the unmeasurable”: reader development and its impact on performance measurement in the public library sector

Until recently, performance measurement in public libraries had largely failed to address the issue of evaluating the quality of service provision. Investigates the potential to measure the impact on staff and users of reader development, currently a key concern to the public library sector. Uses examples as the best value inspection process, a current form of performance measurement, and Branching Out, an ongoing national reader development initiative. Concludes that the qualitative, person‐centred evaluation methodologies developed via projects such as Branching Out could support any local authority preparing its own service evaluation, and could arguably enhance any evaluative documentation, for example the Best Value Performance Plan.

Cooperation and Partnership in the National Library Context: With Special Reference to the British Library

In 1999 the British Library (BL) set up a Co-operation and Partnership Programme, with the remit to align the library's approach more closely with the strategies being developed by related organizations, both nationally and internationally. Early on, after examining and analysing examples of cooperative activities in the field of libraries and information services it was concluded that the importance of interlending as the main driving force of cooperation was declining with the growth of national systems and networking, while interoperability between different automated systems, to maximize the range of cooperative services, emerged as the next logical step for libraries in all sectors. One of the first objectives of the programme was to set up a website, named Concord, designed to help libraries, museums and archives to develop new cooperative projects. Later in 1999 a Call for Proposals was issued for projects seeking financial support from the newly created Co-operation and Partnership Fund, for which a sum of £500,000 had been earmarked. Within the UK, many cooperative initiatives involve the BL, along with the other legal deposit libraries, in the academic and public library sectors, and internationally within and between other national libraries, notably on digitization projects. There are now several bodies that bring together national libraries in different regions of the world, and indeed worldwide.

A survey of secondary school library web pages in England

The aims of the survey discussed in this article were to identify the extent and quality of web publishing by secondary school libraries in England. Only 111 of 1303 secondary school web sites contained library web pages with independent and dynamic content. Detailed examination revealed only 22 of good quality, rated by content and form evaluation criteria. In only a minority of cases had librarians been involved in creating the library pages, with evidence suggesting several were the result of pupil projects. Most consisted of a small number of pages and concentrated on promoting the service. Only 33 of the sample library sites provided hyperlinks to external resources, with only around half of these providing descriptions of their contents. The potential for school librarians to encourage effective use of Internet resources and support students in using a variety of media via school library web pages is discussed, with reference to recommendations from professional literature. Needs are identified for improved recognition of the role of librarians in encouraging the use of Information and Communications Technology in teaching and learning, and increased sharing of experience and research between the educational and public library sectors.

The development of self‐assessment tool‐kits for the library and information sector

The article considers methodological issues which arose in undertaking a two‐year British Library funded research project – Assessment Tools for Quality Management in Public Libraries – jointly managed by the Department of Information Science, Loughborough University and the Department of Information Studies, Sheffield University and discusses the principal findings. The aim of the research was to assess the potential of and then to develop and evaluate self‐assessment techniques for the public library and information sector. The authors argue that by using an action research methodology they were best able to produce a self‐assessment toolkit which matched the needs of public library services. Using evidence drawn from three case study library authorities and the literature, the authors go on to suggest that whilst self‐assessment can have a role to play in the evaluation of library and information services, there is a real need to tailor and adapt tools to reflect specific service cultures and experience.

Information in bits: approaches to digitised content

This article presents some of the work carried out as part of the READINESS project. The research project, undertaken by the EARL Consortium and funded by the Library and Information Commission (formerly BLRIC), investigated the needs and procedures for the development of networked subject services delivered by UK public libraries on a national scale: • content requirements, • technical delivery options, • management structures for collaborative development, • issues of implementation, • future funding of electronic services. The main findings from the research included the need to develop a policy for the creation of networked services and electronic content for the public library network, based on the recommendations of Building the New Library Network; also a framework for monitoring developments as the network is rolled out which would also provide a way of identifying issues and a means of sharing emerging expertise. The report recommended that a support network for the public library sector be built to support digital content creation and that this should draw on existing experience in all sectors and domains. The sustainability of services was identified as an area needing more work. Finally, the report highlighted the importance of collaboration and resource‐sharing as a fundamental element of networked service development and the successful management of change at all levels as pivotal to the success of public library networked services.

Changing libraries: the impact of national policy on UK library services

Libraries and information services are not static entities impervious to outside influences but are dynamic and may be affected by one, or a number of factors. Changes in policy, for example, may impact on library and information science and to illustrate this, three key areas have been selected. These are: the establishment of a computer network in the public library sector, the promotion of a culture of lifelong learning and the development of the hybrid library. These areas, although separate, can also be seen to be interrelated and factors which affect one sector may also impact on others. This paper considers how political, social and economic factors can be major drivers of change and thus impact on the profile of libraries so that they are recognised as a valuable resource by Government and other groups such as businesses, voluntary organisations and educational providers.

Editorial

Editorial

Pursuing the wind of change

This paper reports on a British Library‐funded project, Public Libraries, Ethnic Diversity and Citizenship. The project examiend how public library services have responded to the implications of ethnic diversity in the way that services are constructed, managed and reviewed. The findings, based on feedback from both information professional and community members, raise a number of difficult issues to be addressed by the public library sector in Britain, and the authors highlight these areas in their discussion.

Developing 'appropriate' marketing within the public leisure and library sectors: a comparative study

Marketing as an idea and practice is ubiquitous; it is everywhere. Also it is relatively homogeneous with the marketing practised in the US being the same as that used in the UK; that used for fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) also used in other sectors including services and the Public Sector. The traditional view of how marketing operates within it is, like any social science, based on some predetermined assumptions. This work considers whether the traditional view of how marketing operates is in fact reflected in reality. The focus of the research is a comparison of two very large and ostensibly similar service providers in the public sector (Leisure and Library Services) as they try to come to terms with marketing and its trappings. Whilst evidence of the uptake and application of marketing has been found in both sectors, the level of its application has been found to be greater in the leisure services sector. A number of possible reasons for this are considered, and an agenda for future research in this area is forwarded.

Library management systems: an overview

What can be written about Library Management Systems (LMS) that might make interesting reading? This may seem a rather downbeat opening to an overview of the various makes of systems you can read about in this issue, but it is a fact noted recently by Chris Batt that: these days, in the public library sector at least, attention has become focussed on the exciting medium of the Internet, and in common with other sectors the LMS is rightly seen as one system amongst others. Having said that, within the pages that follows the reader is treated to the recent experiences of some of the current offerings in the marketplace. The trepidation for some of setting out on the procurement path may be allayed by the information in the articles, and one aspect to particularly look out for is the opportunity offered by some of these systems to access the wider world of information and the integration of these systems to remote and distributed databases. In this article it is proposed to set out an overall context against which these systems operate and to point out the main features of change as we draw to the end of the 1990's.

Performance Measures for NSW TAFE Libraries: What Can We Learn from the Literature?

A suggested range of performance measures suitable for NSW Technical and Further Education Libraries was extracted from the key literature on performance measures. Because of the scarcity of literature on performance measures for the vocational education and training library sector a review of user-oriented performance measures is provided, drawn from the academic and public library sectors as well as the vocational education sector. The accountability and strategic planning nexus for the vocational education and training sector is considered in a framework of four approaches to performance measures: user perspective, qualitative and quantitative measures, validity of comparison between libraries, and improvement of individual library services.

It ain’t broke … the fixing’s gone

Contextualizes the issues addressed in the “Fossilize or fly” conference hosted by Kent Arts and Libraries and reports on the message delivered by individual speakers and delegates. Relates the conference concerns, whether theoretical or practical, to the core objectives of change management in the public library sector.