Public Library Services Research Articles

Исследование инновационных издательских услуг китайских библиотек в эпоху больших данных и Интернета

Development of big data and the Internet opens up opportunities for the innovative publishing models for Chinese libraries. This article analyzes feasibility of the library publishing services in the context of big data and the Internet, outlines the development opportunities provided by big data and the Internet environment for the library publishing services, and combines the types of library publishing service models against the background of big data and the Internet and puts forward a strategy for innovative model of the library publishing services in China.

Exercising at the Library: Small and Rural Public Libraries in the Lives of Older Adults

Public libraries are often regarded as having the potential to support healthy aging. Past work has shown that public librarians increasingly endeavor to offer programs and services for those aging in place. However, research about the effects that public library services and spaces have on the lives of older adults and the affordances they bring is limited. This article presents the results of a nationwide study in which 49 public libraries participated—most from rural and small towns across the United States. More than 535 older adults engaged in a 12-week strength-training program in these libraries. Results of the study indicate that health outcomes for participants can be grouped into three interconnected categories: physical health, mental health, and social health. Results also suggest that the program influenced the participants’ perception of the public library as a social space. Implications for research on aging in place and public librarianship are highlighted and discussed.

Development of Public Library Services for Government Employees: A Case Analysis of Tahara City Library

Development of Public Library Services for Government Employees: A Case Analysis of Tahara City Library

The Influence of Participatory Budgeting to Budgetary Slack in Local Government at Majene Regency

<p><em>This study aims to describe the relationship between participatory budgeting or participatory budgeting for budgetary slack. The population in this study were Echelon III and IV officials within the scope of the Regional Government of Majene Regency. Sampling technique is Convenience Sampling. The samples in this study were the Regional Financial and Asset Agency, the Culture and Tourism Agency, the Public Library, Archives and Documentation Service, the Cooperative, Industry and Trade Office, and the Regional Development Planning Agency with a total of 70 officials. This research was conducted with a simple regression analysis method. The results showed that Participatory Budgeting had a positive effect on Budgetary Slack. The coefficient of participatory budgeting is 11.4% with a significance level of 0.004 (<0.05).</em></p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Participative Budgeting, Budgetary Slack</p>

Evaluation of the Structure of Public Library Management and Service in terms of Innovative Organizational Culture in Turkey and Innovative Organizational Culture Strategy and Action Plan Proposal

Bu araştırmanın temel amacı, Türkiye’deki il halk kütüphanelerinin mevcut örgüt kültürü yapısını değerlendirerek, yenilikçi yönetim ve hizmet yapısına sahip olunamamasının nedenlerini belirlemek ve bu durumun yenilikçi örgüt kültürü ile ilişkisini ortaya koymaktır. Ayrıca, çalışma bulgularına dayanarak Türkiye için ulusal nitelikte yenilikçi örgüt kültürü strateji eylem planı önerisi geliştirmek de amaçlanmaktadır. Araştırma, Türkiye’deki il halk kütüphanelerinde görev yapan ve Bilgi ve Belge Yönetimi Bölümü mezunu toplam 323 yönetici ve kütüphaneciyi ve Kütüphaneler ve Yayımlar Genel Müdürlüğü’nde yönetici statüsünde görev yapan yedi yöneticiyi kapsamaktadır. Araştırma örneklemi olasılığa dayalı tabakalı örneklem yöntemine göre basit rastgele biçimde belirlenen 182 katılımcıdan oluşmaktadır. Araştırma betimleme yöntemi ile gerçekleştirilmiş, veriler anket ve yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniği ile elde edilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda, kütüphanecilerin il halk kütüphanelerinin mevcut yönetim ve hizmet geliştirme yaklaşımlarından memnun olmadıkları, mevcut durumda hiyerarşi kültürünün baskın olduğu ve onun yerine adokrasi/yaratıcı kültürün hedeflendiği/uygun görüldüğü ortaya çıkarılmıştır. Çalışmada, ayrıca kültürel bir değişimin gerektiği de anlaşılmış olup, bu değişim sürecine temel oluşturabilecek yenilikçi örgüt kültürü stratejisi ve eylem planı önerisi sunulmuştur.

Public librarians' perception of their professional role and the library's role in supporting the public sphere: a multi-country comparison

PurposeThe overarching aim of this article is to consider to what extent the perceptions of librarians in Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Poland and Sweden reflect a unified view of their professional role and the role of their institutions in supporting the formation of the public sphere and to what extent the variations reflect national contexts.Design/methodology/approachThe multi-country comparison is based on online questionnaires. The central research questions are how do librarians legitimize the use of public resources to uphold a public library service? How do librarians perceive the role of public libraries as public spaces? How do librarians perceive their professional role and the competencies needed for it? Consideration is given to how the digital and social turns are reflected in the responses.FindingsThe results show evidence of a unified professional culture with clear influences from national contexts. A key finding is that librarians see giving access as central for both legitimizing library services and for the library's role as a public sphere institution. Strong support is shown for the social turn in supporting the formation of the public sphere while the digital turn appears to be a future challenge; one of seemingly increased importance due to the pandemic.Research limitations/implicationsThis study shows that libraries across the seven countries have expanded beyond simply providing public access to their book-based collections and now serve as social, learning and creative spaces: both in the physical library and digitally. Qualitative research is needed concerning librarians' notions of public libraries and librarianship, which will provide a more in-depth understanding of the changing professional responsibilities and how public libraries recruit the associated competencies.Originality/valueThe article provides a much needed insight into how librarians perceive the role of public libraries in supporting the formation of the public sphere and democratic processes, as well as their own role.

Are They Facilitating the Information Poor? An Appraisal of Information Services of Public Libraries in Punjab

ABSTRACT Purpose The purpose of the present study was to investigate the information services provided by public libraries to information-poor in the most populous province of Punjab. In addition, the challenges faced by public libraries in providing desired information services to information-poor were reviewed. Methodology The study was quantitative in nature. The survey research method was used. The data was collected through a structured questionnaire. Findings The results indicated that public libraries were struggling to provide the required information services to information poor. Lack of government funding was one of the biggest challenges in providing required services, as reported by public libraries. Further lack of information policy and inadequate information and communication technology infrastructure were identified as key challenges in providing required information services to information poor. Originality The present study addressed the information services of public libraries to information-poor which is unique in its nature.

Systematic Literature Review of the Bibliotherapy Practices in Public Libraries in Supporting Communities’ Mental Health and Wellbeing

ABSTRACT The issues of mental health such as depression and anxiety create impact to the psychological, social and economic of society. Public libraries as a community center play a great role in taking actions toward mental health and well-being through bibliotherapy services. This study aims to describe the public libraries experienced in bibliotherapy and to determine the criteria of bibliotherapy services in public libraries. A systematic literature search of studies was carried out based on the PRISMA framework. The analysis of the literatures revealed a large variety of bibliotherapy framework and models – most of them are developed in country-specific and only applicable in western countries, others could be applied by public libraries across borders. The review makes clear that bibliotherapy services are importance in libraries and requires specific criteria for bibliotherapy development. It also clearly outlines the potential of bibliotherapy services in libraries as a method of improving mental health and well-being. The article raises important issues with regards to how public library should go about developing bibliotherapy services. This study contributes to the field of library and information management as it highlights the public libraries experienced in implementing bibliotherapy. Library practitioners could use the results to develop their strategies to ensure the success of the bibliotherapy as part of library services.

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.

I feel at home: Perspectives of homeless library customers on public library services and social inclusion

Homeless library customers often face barriers to equitable library use. This study examined homeless library customers’ perspectives on general and targeted public library services, and social inclusion. Findings presented in the paper come from a qualitative phenomenological study comprising semi-structured in-depth interviews with seven self-identified regular library users of a public library in Christchurch, New Zealand, who were experiencing homelessness at the time of the study. Findings report on a diverse range of information needs and motivations for visiting a public library. Participants viewed the public library as a safe, warm, and quiet place in which to relax and escape difficulties related to experiencing homelessness. The results reflect changes in the role of public libraries and in the expectations of customers, and discuss a need for targeted library services in the form of specialist gatekeeper roles such as that of a community liaison. This study evaluated the effectiveness of general and targeted library services from users’ points of view, providing insights which could be used to inform the design of relevant information policies and services.

Results of an Informal Needs Assessment Survey

A previous Informatics Education column argued that, while instruction is a competency defined by the Medical Library Association and is a job requirement for many public services librarians, little opportunity exists for learning how to teach in formal training venues, such as library school, relegating librarians to learn how to teach on their own. After examining some of the literature surrounding pedagogy for medical informatics librarians, a link to a brief, informal survey on pedagogical training needs was provided. This column follows up with results from that needs assessment.

Public libraries of Ukraine under nazi occupation in 1941—1944: civil administration area

The purpose of the study is to look into the daily reading leisure of an average urban dweller under Nazi occupation of Ukraine by examining activity of public libraries (which were called "mass libraries" in the Soviet tradition). The substance of the study. The study developed understanding of the "normal" town library network in the area of civil administration under occupation (per town: one public library for adults and (possibly) a library / branch for children) through characterizing operating conditions and working schedule of the facilities and specific features of library service; the library staff lists were ascertained. The commercial element of the activity of public libraries was examined in detail as it was the main means of their subsistence. Conclusions. Summarizing population's life with regard to activity of town libraries during the occupation period, it is worth to note: 1) despite the Nazis' view of the local population only as labor force of the Reich, the occupation authorities allowed library services in public libraries but only in urban areas; 2) it was the local authorities who determined the scale (the number of facilities, the amount of their staff) and the operating conditions (working schedule, cost of library services) of public services; 3) there was a certain idea of the library service "standards": the number of facilities, the staff, working hours, paid services, rules of service. Some of them stem from the Soviet experience, and some were the cost of survival under conditions of occupation; 4) public libraries were in popular demand despite the fact that readers had to pay for services; 5) apparently, reading played the role of a psychological compensatory mechanism under conditions of occupation. Thus, public libraries were an active functional part of the cultural environment during the Nazi occupation of Ukraine.

Learning from Pandemic Mode to Create a Sustainable Digital Future

Public libraries are known as places for information, communication, and gathering, but what happens when a pandemic restricts social contact? In the years 2020 and 2021, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, libraries worldwide revised services and explored new ways to provide information and support to communities—primarily through digital services. This conceptual analytical paper responds to this approach by suggesting the use of a tripartite information access and digital inclusion model that can be used for evaluative processes related to ensuring ongoing physical, intellectual, and social access to public library services during a public crisis shutdown. We provide an overview of some of the new and altered services provided within the case of the Richland Library system in South Carolina, USA, and then discuss these changes using the tripartite model as a means to illustrate how this theoretical model can be employed for practical evaluation and decision-making.

Teaching the History and Organization of Libraries: The Coronavirus Pandemic as an Opportunity to Study Public Library Reopenings

Teaching the History and Organization of Libraries: The Coronavirus Pandemic as an Opportunity to Study Public Library Reopenings

Model Libraries: Historical Outline of the Project

The article presents the history of interaction between the government authorities and the library and information sector in the project of development of municipal libraries. The project resulted in the “model libraries”. The project has been operating since the early 2000s. The purpose of the article is to reveal the implementation and analyse the support at the level of federal and regional government management of the program until 2018 (the start of work within the frames of the National project “Culture”). The author presents periodization of the project, as well as quantitative characteristics and approaches to the understanding the concept of “model library”.Model library is a public library of municipal level that has standard and optimal set of material and information resources. At the same time, there is no approved definition of this phenomenon. It is assumed that the model rural library in its functions, content and equipment meets international and domestic standards and serves as a model for other institutions. The “model” indicators are reflected in the “Model Standard for Public Library Services”.The project on creation of model libraries on the basis of municipal public libraries in rural areas of Russia started in 2002 with the emergence of the all-Russian project “Creation of model public libraries in rural areas”. Since 2012, funding under the federal target program “Culture of Russia (2012—2018)” is carried out in the form of subsidies allocated on a competitive basis. The project became a “catalyst” for modernization processes in rural libraries of Russian regions. The transformation program included the following stages: repair and equipment of the library premises; acquisition of books and electronic publications; conducting training seminars for staff. The rural model library targeted the goals of ensuring equal and free access to information, creation of a comfortable library space, etc.After the approval of the “Model Standard for Public Library Services” (2014), it was decided to test its feasibility by creating so-called “pilot libraries of a new type”. According to this document, model libraries are intellectual centres equipped with high speed Internet, access to modern domestic information resources, which should provide access points to the National Electronic Library.The regional leaders in creation of model libraries are the Republic of Chuvashia, the Belgorod Region, the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Kursk Region and the Republic of Mari El. As of January 1, 2019, there were 3,310 model libraries operating in the country. The creation of model municipal libraries has become one of the departmental projects of the National project “Culture”.

A Preliminary Investigation of Technical Services Librarians’ Contributions to Library Guides in Academic Libraries

ABSTRACT Online library guides are one of the bridges that librarians build to connect users to available resources and services. Since the time when library guides were conceived in the pamphlets and book lists of the early days, a historical brand bearing public and instructional services librarians’ merit and reputation has been watermarked in their presentation. In the internet age, have technical services librarians also played a role in contributing to library guides in academic libraries to assist students’ learning and faculty teaching? If so, do technical services librarians who are working as faculty tend to produce more library guides than ones as professionals? Do librarians working in six functional areas, namely, Acquisition, Cataloging &Metadata, Collection Development, Continuing & Electronic Resources, Preservation, and Technical Services (Solo) have similar contributions to library guides? What types of library guides do they tend to produce more? Any recommendations for future library guide work which technical services librarians will engage in? This research examined 233 colleges and universities and examined 296 academic libraries, attempting to find answers to these questions.

Standar Pelayanan Publik di Masa Pandemi Covid-19: Studi Pelayanan Perpustakaan ITERA

Abstract Purpose: This paper examined changes in public services during the pandemic. Research Methodology: The approach taken in this study was qualitative. Researchers collected information and data through the interview method. Along with conducting interviews, researchers searched for and read various pieces of information about implementing ITERA library services via the website and Standard Operating Procedures for services during the pandemic. Results: The Covid-19 pandemic affects public services, most notably at the ITERA Library. Changes to the ITERA Library Public Service Standards resulted in innovations in the Sumatra Institute of Technology Library's services.

‘Talk to them like they’re people’: A cross-cultural comparison of teen-centred approaches in public library services

The aim of this research is to observe and analyse cross-cultural examples of public libraries with strong teen services, to identify key elements of practice and approach that enable these libraries’ successful and impactful interactions with teenagers. A particular focus is placed on factors that are a matter of mind-set rather than of specific facilities, to offer these as transferable lessons that can be applied widely, including by smaller libraries and those with fewer resources. A comparative case study was conducted at two locations selected as examples of strong teen services in their respective regions: Lava and TioTretton in Sweden and Tompkins County Public Library in the United States. Data were collected via interviews, observation and document analysis. Key factors identified as contributing to successful, teen-centred services include providing a space, no matter how small, that is solely for teens, where they can experience a sense of ownership and belonging; according teens the same respect as any other library visitor; creating a space that is comfortable and actively signals that everyone is welcome; letting teens take the lead, with staff following their interests and serving as facilitators for their projects; creating flexibility in spaces and programming; employing staff who have varied expertise and genuinely enjoy working with young people; mingling and interacting with visitors; and continually re-evaluating and improving practices.

A framework for the integration of indigenous knowledge into libraries in South Africa

This article is part of a larger study which explored the integration of indigenous knowledge into public library services in South Africa in an endeavour to enhance their relevance. Four purposefully selected provincial library services comprised the sample for the study. Semi- structured interviews with heads of provincial library services were conducted to collect data. The data was analysed thematically. The results show that indigenous knowledge has not been integrated into public libraries, despite the expressed need identified by the participants. A framework that identifies stakeholders and their responsibilities, as well as envisaged outcomes for the integration of indigenous knowledge, is proposed. Similar studies are recommended for further research in order to customise the proposed framework, given the fact that the participants in the study from which the article is extracted were heads of library services who did not work directly with communities.

Library Services to Diverse Communities in Europe

Public libraries have developed standards to provide reading and information services to diverse populations. This has helped the public library to fulfil an informal educational and social role, particularly in engaging traditionally excluded groups, such as the Roma minority in Spain. However, well-developed library initiatives in Spain are scarce; in addition, culturally sensitive services do not thrive, and research and reflection on this reality from the library standpoint are rare. The overarching goal of this article is to provide librarians with suggestions for improved services for the Roma community in Spain. It is achieved through the critical analysis of public library services to the Roma community that currently exist in the European Union. Based on this analysis, practical suggestions are offered.