Small Public Libraries Research Articles

Leading a Small Public Library in Michigan

Leading a Small Public Library in Michigan

Teens’ Vision of an Ideal Library Space: Insights from a Small Rural Public Library in the United States

Objective – This study delves into the perspectives of teenagers regarding their desired teen space within a small rural public library in the United States. Methods – To capture the richness of their thoughts, a visual data collection method was employed, wherein 27 8th-grade participants engaged in a drawing activity during an art class at a local middle school. Two additional teens were recruited for individual semi-structured interviews. Results – Through this creative exercise, the study unveiled the various library activities, amenities, books, and visual designs that resonated with the teens, as they envisioned their ideal teen space. Conclusion – The study’s findings hold practical implications for librarians working with this population, offering valuable insights to enhance and optimize teen services at the library. By aligning the library’s offerings with the desires of the young patrons, the potential for a thriving and engaging teen community within the library is enhanced.

Creating an Academic Library Escape Room Pre- and Post-Pandemic

An Escape Room encourages patron participation within the library while having a fun and cost- effective experience. Academic librarians who are initially uncertain of trying to create an escape room will find that the benefits far outweigh the challenges. A useful example is provided in this paper. Not only are escape rooms a great outreach tool, they can easily be manipulated to fit the needs of an environment both pre- and post-pandemic. This article describes the outreach efforts of a small four-year public university library and the lessons learned.

Remote Access: Small Public Libraries in Arkansas

Remote Access: Small Public Libraries in Arkansas

Small town leadership with big impact: Improving internal communication at a small public branch library

Effective communication among library staff is essential for fostering efficient operations, improving staff morale, and offering the best possible patron service. This paper reviews several strategies that were implemented at the Orange Park Public Library in order to improve internal communication. These include (1) identifying stakeholders, (2) developing communication systems, (3) implementing effective meetings, and (4) cross-training staff.

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.

Supporting Social Connectedness of Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Small and Rural Public Libraries

ABSTRACT This article presents a national study of how small and rural public libraries supported social connectedness among older adults in the United States during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Results suggest that small and rural libraries employed five approaches to stay connected with older adults. Results further show that small and rural public libraries see establishing stronger inter-organizational partnerships with other institutions that serve older adults as a top priority. These results suggest a need for bolstering continuing education and professional opportunities focused on embedding public librarians more firmly into the broader field of practice of supporting aging in America.

Retooling the public library as social infrastructure: a Dutch illustration

ABSTRACT Public libraries are more than information providers; they increasingly serve as key social infrastructures. Financial pressures, decreasing membership and digitalisation require libraries to reinvent themselves as primarily spaces of an encounter. This paper focuses on the retooling of small public libraries in the Netherlands as social infrastructure and the formal and informal library practices (‘infrastructuring’) that are required for the library to function as space of encounter. The paper reports on an in-depth, single-case study based on 15 years of volunteering, participant observations, repeated interviews with staff and informal conversations with patrons. By examining the multi-purposed features of a single site, we illustrate how the library, as an exemplary public space, is being retooled by both staff and patrons. While encounters mostly seem to occur within rather than between groups, there are many meaningful acts of kindness between different people. Though the library is undeniably a social infrastructure, the paper also shows how difficult it is to document, let alone practice this social function.

Reimagining public library programming during a pandemic

This article uses survey data to describe, discuss, and examine the ways in which small and rural public libraries adjusted their programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. The restrictions associated with the pandemic forced libraries to close their doors and reimagine how they would deliver programming to their community.

Innovative Lessons from Our Small and Rural Public Libraries

Public libraries that serve community populations under 25,000 and/or rural areas make up more than three quarters of the total libraries in the United States, and yet are rarely featured in professional media. Small and rural libraries were the first to offer services during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and, in many cases, continue to outpace their large, urban counterparts in providing access to their communities. This article explores the innovations, collaborations, and challenges of small and rural libraries from the personal experiences of five library professionals.

Physical and social health at the library: Studying small and rural public libraries as venues for group fitness among older adults

AbstractPublic libraries increasingly offer opportunities to engage in health promotion activities inaccessible elsewhere in the community. Strategies to support physical activity for older adults can be implemented in a variety of different settings, including public libraries. Nonetheless, despite increasing recognition of this role, this trend has received limited scholarly attention. This study reports on a proof of concept study that took place across 12 weeks in 49 small and rural public libraries across the US. During that time, 535 older adults participated in a video‐based exercise program at the library. Participants reported increased levels of physical activity and increased mental health as a result of the availability of this program. These preliminary results demonstrate that public libraries have great potential as partners in efforts to increase healthy lifestyles among Americans, particular older adults, who represent a growing demographic in the U.S. and around the world.

“We Could Do Better”: Librarian Engagement in LGBTQ Collection Development in Small and Rural Public Libraries in the Southern U.S

ABSTRACT Although the LGBTQ community, from all appearances, maintains a strong connection to libraries as safe spaces, it is unclear whether the libraries themselves are providing relevant resources and services to the community. In addition, LIS research on LGBTQ patrons has centered on collection development how-tos and high level, broad suggestions without evaluating the actual state of the libraries’ resources and services to these patrons. In this analysis, I found that what primarily affected what the libraries had on their shelves was an actively engaged librarian dedicated to proper collection development practices. Future research will be needed to better determine motivations and best practices for the larger group.

アメリカ図書館協会の公立図書館基準における量的基準と小規模公立図書館 : 『公立図書館サービス』(1956)を中心に

アメリカ図書館協会の公立図書館基準における量的基準と小規模公立図書館 : 『公立図書館サービス』(1956)を中心に

Making identity of multicultural space and discursive discourse: the case of two small public libraries, Damunhwa and Modoo in Wondok-dong, Danwan-gu, Kyounggi-do, South Korea.

Making identity of multicultural space and discursive discourse: the case of two small public libraries, Damunhwa and Modoo in Wondok-dong, Danwan-gu, Kyounggi-do, South Korea.

Współtworzenie działań animacji czytelnictwa z młodzieżą na przykładzie Literackiego Escape Roomu w Gminnej Bibliotece Publicznej im. Marii Dąbrowskiej w Komorowie

Okres nastoletniości to czas poszukania siebie i kształtowania własnej drogi życiowej, często związany z buntem i negowaniem tego, co pochodzi od osób dorosłych. Powszechnie uważa się, że nastolatki to grupa uczniów, do której najtrudniej trafić z pozaszkolnymi działaniami edukacyjnymi. To właśnie w tym okresie literatura może bardzo pomóc w spojrzeniu na problemy z dystansu, znalezieniu rozwiązań i uformowaniu własnej osobowości. Próbując zachęcić współczesną netgenerację do obcowania z tekstami literackimi oraz spędzania czasu w bibliotece, bibliotekarze coraz częściej rozszerzają ofertę związaną z najnowszymi technologiami czy warsztatami wykorzystującymi multimedia. Dostępność takich rozwiązań jest zależna od możliwości finansowych i lokalowych placówki. Mniejsze biblioteki publiczne potrzebują mniej kosztownych rozwiązań dla zwiększenia frekwencji młodych ludzi w instytucji kultury. W artykule przedstawiono możliwości pracy z młodzieżą w bibliotece publicznej poprzez zaproszenie jej do współtworzenia działań na przykładzie zrealizowanego projektu Literackiego Pokoju Zagadek im. Marii Dąbrowskiej w Gminnej Bibliotece Publicznej w Komorowie. Powodzenie włączenia nastolatków w działania przyniosło wiele korzyści wolontariuszom, okolicznym uczniom oraz samej bibliotece. W trakcie trwania projektu udało się zachęcić uczestników do przyjścia do biblioteki, jak również do zapoznania się, z satysfakcją, z dziełami i życiorysem Marii Dąbrowskiej. Wolontariusze tworzący opisany Pokój Zagadek także po zakończeniu tego projektu przychodzą do biblioteki i planują następne działania.

The Public Library as Resistive Space in the Neoliberal City

With reduced hours, decaying infrastructure, and precariously positioned staff, local public libraries provide much needed services in cities devastated by inequality and slashed safety nets. In this article, I draw on ethnographic research of a small public library in a diverse, mostly working class neighborhood in Queens, New York. I show that in addition to providing an alternative to the capitalist market by distributing resources according to people's needs, the library serves as a moral underground space, where middle–class people bend rules to help struggling city residents. Although the library occasionally replicates hegemonic ideologies about immigrant assimilation, it provides a striking example of cross–class and interclass solidarities and resistance to the neoliberal social order. I conclude by discussing the potential of public libraries as everyday spaces of subversion and emancipation, as well as research sites for urban scholars.

A parametric analysis of the influence of wind speed and direction on the thermal comfort performance of a Passive Downdraught Evaporative Cooling (PDEC) system – field measurements from a Saudi Arabian library

Building energy consumption in the desert climate of Saudi Arabia is dominated by cooling demand. Electricity for this cooling is generated predominantly from finite fossil fuel reserves. To improve resource efficiency and decrease carbon emissions, reducing this demand by using more passive cooling approaches is desirable. One system is the passive downdraught evaporative cooling (PDEC) tower. PDEC captures hot, dry winds at the top of a tower and then cools the air by passing it through or over water. This cooler air then flows out from the base of the tower into the building. In this study, a PDEC system in a small Saudi public library was monitored for two summer months. A key aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between local wind speed and direction and the performance of the PDEC towers. A thermal comfort analysis investigated the acceptability limits of indoor temperature using the adaptive thermal comfort model. A parametric analysis of the wind effects was conducted by grouping wind data in to ranges of wind speed and direction and then correlating them against environmental conditions in the library. The results indicated that the PDEC towers could deliver significant cooling for library users. However, the towers’ effectiveness was influenced by changes in wind speed, and in a counter intuitive way – stronger wind speeds tended to reduce the tower cooling efficiency.

Building and Navigating a Path to Collaborative Digital Platforms for Oregon’s Libraries: There are Many Ways to Get There

Over the last several years, the State Library of Oregon has explored options and supported a variety of projects to promote collaboration among libraries to build and sustain Oregon digital collections. Activities such as hosted meetings, grant funding, and pilot projects have identified both opportunities and roadblocks to collaboration, especially for Oregon’s small public libraries. A clear and distinct path has proven to be somewhat elusive, and the journey itself has demonstrated that a one-size-fits-all solution is unlikely to emerge soon. Multiple pathways to a more robust digital collections platform may not only be inevitable but preferable, given the diversity among the travelers and the complexity of the map. This article will describe the State Library’s efforts to support digital collections in the state and what may be on the horizon for improving access and collaboration.

Where are the Books about Trains? A Case Study Exploring Reorganization of the Children’s Section in a Small Public Library

ABSTRACT The Dewey Decimal Classification or alphabetical order employed by many libraries may create an opaque boundary for patrons seeking resources. A system that promotes browsing may be more appropriate for young children. This case study applies a concept of boundary objects to examine how the re-classification of the picture book section in a small public library served to address the desires and learning needs of young patrons. Through interviews with key staff and documents maintained and shared by the librarian, this study recounts the steps undertaken in the process and analyzes the kinds of learning engendered by the new arrangement.

The productivity of main services of city libraries: Using the example from the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic

The evaluation of productivity of main services of city libraries using the example of 48 large public libraries and 44 small public libraries from the Czech and the Slovak Republic was performed according to the decomposition of the input-oriented Malmquist index (MI). The results of MI achieved are evaluated using a confidence interval and the bootstrap method. The productivity of main services of public libraries was studied for the year 2016 in comparison with the year 2012. On average, small as well as large libraries exhibit a statistically significant decline in productivity. The average value of the MI of small libraries is 1.29. The average value of the MI of large libraries is 1.16. The deterioration of productivity was caused by lower efficiency of the inputs. The small as well as the large libraries on average exhibit a comparable level of productivity in both studied years. This conclusion is the same for the Czech and for the Slovak libraries as well as for all libraries together. The Czech libraries, when compared with the Slovak ones, achieve better results in terms of productivity. The higher productivity of the Czech libraries in comparison with the Slovak ones is caused by the improvement of efficiency of the inputs, not by the technological changes.