Public Libraries

My Master’s Thesis in Library and Information Science from The Royal School of Library and Information Science (RSLIS), Copenhagen, examines the topic: the profile of the “New Public Library”, primarily in Denmark. However, in the text I have made a few comparisons to foreign projects which single themselves out in this context.
The Danish main title “Det Nye Folkebibliotek”, translates into English as “The New Public Library”. My research hypothesis being: the Danish public library has undergone a series of changes, and the changes and developments are ongoing; from being a mere collections of knowledge and materials such as books, to being active, outgoing, far reaching and versatile institutions focusing on the common good of society in a number of ways. Thus my main research question is this: how and by which means do the public libraries act differently now as opposed to earlier? Another relevant question is: which tactics do the public libraries employ in order to keep, and reinforce, their place as necessary cultural institutions in postmodern, postindustrial society today? A time period sometimes called “the Internet Age”?
My empirical research and observations provide evidence that the public library no longer “just” is an institution for the loaning out of books etc. It has become a public domain focusing on lifting up society, educating the population / the users of the library, while at the same time bringing the users together in social contexts as well as cultural ones. In short, the libraries have taken on new functions and tasks, including some of the social functions earlier managed exclusively at local city halls.
In order to study these new tendencies, I have applied two main methods of research: firstly, the case study, for which I have handpicked three public libraries in the metropolitan area of Copenhagen. Libraries which are similar in some ways, yet still have their different traits, although they are located within a limited geographical area. These three focus libraries have served as case studies and examples for my empirical research, active observation, and for my other primary research method: the semi-structured research interview.
My three focus libraries are:
• Biblioteket, Rentemestervej, Copenhagen Northwest
• Ørestad Bibliotek, in the Eastern and newest part of the city
• Blågårdens Bibliotek, in a central part of the city troubled by various social issues
At each library I have conducted interviews with senior staff members, and gathered further information by active observation and photography, trying to catch everyday life with my eyes and camera.
Part of my theory behind this research, has been the writings of Henrik Jochumsen, Casper Hvenegaard Rasmussen and Dorte Skot-Hansen, amongst others.
From the latest book by the three aforementioned Danish scientists, authors and professors at RSLIS, I have found great inspiration and motivation, and what is more, scientific terms which capture some of the most vital tendencies of The New Library. These are: Public Domain, Placemaker and Icon.
In this thesis I have done my best to apply these terms, and others, in order to answer my research questions, and thereby make my contribution to unveil why we need the public libraries now, more than ever, and which components, so speak, constitute the profile of the Danish public library of today. Including its new functions, profiles, vision and mission.

O objetivo da investigação foi compreender as práticas das bibliotecas da RNBP na utilização das plataformas da Web 2.0 e as conceções dos profissionais sobre essas práticas e eventuais impactos. Esta realidade foi analisada numa abordagem metodológica que utilizou a análise qualitativa
e quantitativa numa triangulação de dados e resultados. As bibliotecas
utilizam plataformas da Web 2.0 num espírito de experimentação difícil de
ultrapassar. O uso é motivado pela divulgação de atividades e pela promoção do livro e da leitura, sendo aquelas usadas para conduzir os públicos à utilização dos serviços na biblioteca. Os públicos são raramente
considerados intervenientes ativos. Os conteúdos são pobres e a organização pouco cuidada. Esporadicamente emergem conceções que vêem nestas plataformas oportunidades de desenvolvimento da identidade
sócio-­‐cultural local, sendo o utilizador considerado um interveniente
na geração de informação.
Entre práticas e representações, urge ultrapassar esta visão, enfrentando
de forma inovadora os desafios da sociedade contemporânea.

The aim of the research was to understand the practices of libraries of RNBP in the use of Web 2.0 platforms and conceptions of professionals about these practices and possible impacts. This reality was analyzed in
a methodological approach using qualitative and quantitative analysis in a
triangulation of data and results.
Libraries use Web 2.0 platforms in a spirit of experimentation difficult to
overcome. Usage is motivated by the dissemination activities and the promotion of books and reading, and those are used to drive public to the
service in the library. The public are rarely considered active players. The content is poor and untidy organized. Sporadically emerge conceptions that
see these platforms as opportunities for local socio-­‐ cultural identity development, and the user is considered a player in the generation of
information.
Between practices and representations, urges overcome this vision, and create innovative ways of facing the challenges of contemporary society.

This paper describes the results of a qualitative study involving interviews with twelve public librarians about their experiences interacting with library users experiencing homelessness. The study examines the kinds of health information seeking experiences public librarians have, how public librarians respond to the health information needs of homeless library users, and the challenges public librarians undergo as they work to provide health and other information services to homeless individuals. The interviews show that public librarians have mixed experiences providing health information to homeless library users. Some viewed health information needs as a top-level concern, while others viewed health information as a lower priority need when compared to housing and food. Public librarians described several challenges when providing information services to homeless individuals related to professional roles, crisis management, the stigma of homelessness, privacy/confidentiality, and the library acting as a day shelter. Identifying the experiences and challenges of public librarians as they assist homeless library users is an initial step in creating more effective modes of providing services to this population.

Reports on research undertaken because the Malaysian delegation to an ASEAN‐COCI seminar felt there was a need to understand what is meant by “Quality” from the librarian’s perspective. A survey was undertaken to obtain feedback from librarians. Questionnaires were sent to all (10) university librarians, all (13) state public libraries and six selected special libraries. The response rate was 100 per cent from university libraries, 77 per cent from public libraries and 100 per cent from special libraries. An analysis of the responses provided insights into what quality means to librarians, the policy infrastructure available, the obstacles faced by librarians in the implementation of quality measures and the strategies they employ to ensure quality services. It also provided an insight into their future plans.

Purpose – This paper aims to determine how trust and perceptions shape uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in public access venues (libraries, telecentres, and cybercafés) in 25 developing countries around the world. Design/methodology/approach – As part of a global study conducted by the Technology & Social Change Group at the University of Washington, local research teams conducted surveys,

Put simply, there is no text about public librarianship more rigorous or comprehensive than McCook's survey. Now, the REFORMA Lifetime Achievement Award-winning author has teamed up with noted public library scholar and advocate Bossaller to update and expand her work to incorporate the field's renewed emphasis on outcomes and transformation. This essential tool (Library Journal) remains the definitive handbook on this branch of the profession. It covers every aspect of the public library, from its earliest history through its current incarnation on the cutting edge of the information environment, including
statistics, standards, planning, evaluations, and results;
legal issues, funding, and politics;
organization, administration, and staffing;
all aspects of library technology, from structure and infrastructure to websites and makerspaces;
adult services, youth services, and children's services;
associations, state library agencies, and other professional organizations;
global perspectives on public libraries; and
advocacy, outreach, and human rights.
Exhaustively researched and expansive in its scope, this benchmark text continues to serve both LIS students and working professionals.

La biblioteca pública del siglo XXI se concibe como un centro social de y para la comunidad, centrada en la planificación y desarrollo de programas de intervención socioeducativa vinculados con la alfabetización, la participación y la integración social. Desde las bibliotecas se deben promover acciones que tiendan a reducir las desigualdades sociales, favoreciendo el acceso de todos los ciudadanos a la cultura, la información y la formación, siendo especialmente sensibles con aquellos colectivos más vulnerables. Para ello, es necesario asumir nuevos perfiles laborales y formar y reorientar sus plantillas. La complejidad de lo social hace necesaria la incorporación en las plantillas de especialistas formados en los procesos y las prácticas socioeducativas, así como la intervención con colectivos con necesidades especiales. El educador social se convierte en un agente de cambio para las bibliotecas públicas, contribuyendo a que estas logren acreditarse como un servicio de relevancia en la sociedad actual y pasen de entenderlas como centros culturales a tratarlas como verdaderos centros sociales

Campbell-Meier, J. Naidoo, J and Weddle, J. (2014). S. T. A. P. L. E.: Sustainable Training for Alabama Public Library Employees: Augmenting 21st Century Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes in Library Managers. Works in Progress Poster Session. Association of Library and Information Science Education Annual Conference. Philadelphia, PA. January 21.

STAPLE is an IMLS funded grant project designed as a model training initiative to meet the educational needs of public library managers (library directors with no formal LIS education) in Alabama. The School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) at The University of Alabama and the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) formed a partnership for this project to create a replicable, sustainable, educational program to initially train 2 cohorts of 30 library managers. STAPLE has built-in, continuous activity with virtual and face-to-face sessions and opportunities for participants to share challenges and successes, and gain instant feedback from their peers in public libraries of similar sizes, thereby developing a comprehensive catalog of best-practices. This will enable library managers to immediately address identified challenges in their library plans and to orchestrate strategies that will deliver better results. Bimonthly focused opportunities transform practice through specialized training in areas such as planning cultural outreach programs, developing collections for diverse communities, writing grants, and marketing library programs and services to the community. Each of the sessions address specific training needs identified by library managers at the beginning of the STAPLE initiative. Library managers can share skills and information from these sessions with their staff to enhance current practices within the library; thus transforming practice at all levels within the public library.

Public libraries play a pivotal role in different spheres of a society. In the present global scenario, it becomes apparent to restructure the public libraries by adjusting to Technological change and needs of the present day society. Recently due to constitutional amendments (Amendments73rd and 74th) all local bodies in India got greater opportunity to develop Public libraries in the cities, towns and villages. For this purpose library legislation at state level is required to provide and to ensure free public library services to all without imposing or levying library cess or additional taxes. This article highlights how to mobilize the financial resources from different bodies so as to restructure the Public Libraries.

Keywords: Public libraries, Technological change, ICT, Library Automation, Restructure, Constitutional Amendment, Library finance

Percorsi e luoghi della conoscenza: dialogando con Giovanni Solimine su biblioteche, lettura e società, a cura di Giovanni Di Domenico, Giovanni Paoloni e Alberto Petrucciani.  Milano: Editrice Bibliografica, 2016.  325 p.  ISBN 978-88-7075-908-2.

We all play games. Whether it’s the mainstream digital formats offered by video and handheld consoles; board games such as chess or monopoly; the challenges of the crossword puzzle; or the more abstract games that form our lives, such as beating the traffic light before it turns red, finding the best bargain in a store, trying to ‘win’ the argument for keeping libraries open against those who wish to close them, or climbing the career ladder by fair means or foul.

One reason librarians are confident they have a role to play in fighting misinformation is the level of trust in libraries as institutions. Exactly how they might leverage that trust remains unclear and untested. Building on recent work in correcting health misperceptions on social media, this study tests whether libraries can leverage trust to combat misinformation online. Using a misperception about the influenza vaccine as a test case, an experiment (n = 625) was conducted in fall 2018 using Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Results suggest that the misperception can be reduced, but not by library institutions. An unsuccessful follow-up (n = 600) suggests that the effectiveness of the correction is season dependent and opens the possibility that libraries may yet play a role, but not necessarily because they are trusted. Future library proposals for combating misinformation need to be developed and tested within a broader contemporary misinformation research program.

La Biblioteca Diffusa è costituita da un insieme di punti lettura e piccole biblioteche, coordinato dal Comune di Trieste per favorire la condivisione del patrimonio librario di associazioni, organizzazioni e altre istituzioni, pubbliche e private, presenti sul territorio portando la filosofia della partecipazione attiva direttamente nei luoghi della comunità. Il progetto riguarda i servizi che agiscono nel campo della cultura, del libro e dell'informazione, dell'educazione dei giovani, dell'educazione permanente, dell'assistenza sociale, del disagio. Si pone l'obiettivo di migliorare la qualità della vita, di offrire nuovi spazi di sviluppo e di crescita culturale, sociale e anche economica della città con la messa in rete dei 38 punti lettura che hanno aderito fino ad oggi. La struttura del progetto è aperta e inclusiva e vuole favorire l’innovazione anche grazie all’incontro di attori diversi, la condivisione di risorse e capacità per favorire lo sviluppo autonomo delle persone e dei gruppi. Il modello di riferimento è la “Biblioteca partecipata” che incarna l’attuale tendenza delle istituzioni ad entrare in rapporto più stretto con il territorio.

This invited talk at the Shoman Foundation in Amman during their annual lecture series in September 2018 highlights the role of public libraries in promoting print and digital reading among community members, especially those who are deprived of reading material and information sources. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2a9NV80B8o&feature=youtu.be

Homelessness is a personal hardship and societal plight, both difficult to resolve.  Struggles are motivators, and economies benefit to varying extents from their homeless: programs proliferate, architects and contractors build facilities, charities marshal resources, volunteers, and other support. Do these bureaucratized services sectors offer real assistance to homeless persons, or are these just stakeholders in the “sheltering industrial complex”?  From emergency shelters to nicer “transitional housing” to even more supportive “permanent housing,” the conventional Western approach of “earning your way to housing” reifies notions of the undeserving poor. The professional social worker imposes judgement on eligibility, the manager impels compliance or turns away the needy “until they come around and start making better decisions for themselves.” (Willse, 2015).  Designs support only to a limited extent the person ability to cope with crisis and stress, privacy, or sense of dignity and self-worth.  Facilities “built to purpose” often inadvertently promote the view of the homeless as a marginalized group that must be controlled, managed, and made to adhere to rules. This punitive scheme has resolved neither hardship nor plight. Let us then look for norms vis-à-vis sheltering that reflect where the homeless person chooses to live. They may wake up in some temporary accommodation, but then spend their day in a park, at a clinic or jobs center, or, as is very often the case, in a public library.  Why, in particular, the library?  Through a combination of observational data and quantitative spatial analysis, this paper locates within three actual and model libraries eight key design and use elements rooted in Deleuze and Guattari’s rhizomatic structure of individual agency.  Through rigidly centralized and ordered, but geographically distributed units – book stacks, carrels, study rooms, and meeting spaces – the public library reinforces communal safety and cohesion while affording users personal domain, privacy, and uncoerced access to physical, educational, and social welfare services.

Afin de développer de manière pertinente un fonds de livres tactiles, il nous semblait hautement instructif de bénéficier des expériences engrangées dans les pôles reconnus pour leur expertise dans le domaine de la malvoyance en bibliothèque publique. C’est la raison pour laquelle nous avons sélectionné les sites des bibliothèques municipales de Dijon d’une part, celui de la médiathèque de Chambéry d’autre part. Finalement, afin de mieux appréhender la réalité du livre tactile, nous avons visité l’A.S.B.L. et  maison d’édition “Les Doigts qui rêvent”.

Cultural institutions like public libraries, through its collection, play a significant role in preserving cultural heritage, nation-building, and national identity of a community. The community who utilizes available information in their libraries were said to be more equipped and educated to make informed decision in life, making them socially fit to the “community” with whom they share common history, belief, culture and interest, a community that deserves to be recognized by the rest of the world. This recognition and appreciation can be achieved through preserved, tangible or intangible cultural heritage, which is usually found in cultural institutions like public libraries. The same is true in the Philippines, particularly in Metro Manila where preserving cultural heritage of the community takes place. This study aims to identify public city libraries in Metro Manila that collects the local cultural heritage of their respective cities. It also intends to determine the type of local cultural heritage collection available in each city library, as well as their reasons for collecting. Finally, this study aims to determine the perceived benefits, challenges and strategies of these libraries in collecting local cultural heritage materials.

رغم قلة عدد المكتبات العامة في مصر تبعا لعدد السكان إذ يشير واقع المكتبات في مصر إلى وجود ما يربو من ألفي مكتبة، يبلغ عدد المكتبات العامة منها حوالي 1200 مكتبة وهذا العدد لا يتناسب مطلقا مع عدد السكان الذي يبلغ أكثر من 90 مليون نسمة ، حيث تخدم كل مكتبة عامة أكثر من 65 ألف مواطن ، علما بأن المعايير الدولية توصي بإنشاء مكتبة عامة لكل ستة آلاف مواطن ، وهو ما يعني أن مصر تحتاج إلى حوالي عشرة آلاف مكتبة إضافية لتسد هذه الفجوة.
وبالنسبة لاحصائيات المكتبات في الولايات المتحدة (مكتبة لكل 18.000 نسمة) فمصر بحاجة إلى 3800 مكتبة، أما بالنسبة لإحصائيات المكتبات العامة  في اليابان(مكتبة لكل 40.000 نسمة) فمصر بحاجة الى 1050 مكتبة عامة ،
ويبدو أننا لا نعاني  فقط معاناة شديدة من نقص عدد المكتبات ، بل نعاني أيضا من عدم وجود خطط استراتيجية للمكتبات العامة تكون نبراسا للمديرين و القادة في المكتبات العامة يسيرون على هديها، وتكون كذلك هاديا ومرشدا للعاملين في المكتبات العامة لمعرفة الدور المنوط بهم والأمل المعقود عليهم في إحياء عالم المعرفة  .
يستعرض الباحث أهمية التخطيط الإستراتيجي ومراحله و أهم عناصر التخطيط الإستراتيجي في بعض المكتبات العامة في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية مثل مكتبة نيويورك العامة، ومكتبة شيكاجو ، ومكتبة سياتل وغيرها من المكتبات الأخرى، وهل تتفق فيما بينها في العناصر الهامة الرئيسية أي أن كل ما هنالك هو إختلاف تسميات فقط، أم ان هناك إختلافات جذرية في الخطط الإستراتيجية .
ثم يتسائل الباحث هل هناك خطط استراتيجية للمكتبات العامة في مصر أم لا ؟ ومن خلال السؤال المباشر لبعض العاملين في مكتبة مصر العامة، ومكتبات جمعية مصر للثقافة  وتنمية المجتمع (جمعية الرعاية المتكاملة سابقا) ومن خلال البحث  المباشر في شبكة الإنترنت ، لم يتوصل الباحث من خلال البحث العادي على موقع جوجل إلى خطط استراتيجية للمكتبات العامة في مصر، في حين أنه وجد وبالبحث العادي أيضا أكثر من 4 خطط استراتيجية لمكتبات عامة كبرى في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية ، فكيف تعمل المكتبات العامة في مصر دون وجود خطط استراتيجية يعلمها جميع العاملون و المدراء .

A thematic study of the reception of the Pantheon considered in relation to the: (1) Spread of Religious Tolerance, (2) Birth of Modern Science and Medicine, (3) Rise of Democratic Government, (4) Public Museum, (5) Public Library, (6) Neoclassicism & the Sublime. F. L. Wright, L. Kahn, Asplund, Th. Jefferson, Cret, Schinkel, Boullée, Lequeu, Speer, Gondoin, Legeay, Godefroy, Ramée, McKim, Meade & White.

El modelo de biblioteca integrada, o joint use library, propone el establecimiento de alianzas cooperativas entre bibliotecas de distinto tipo, normalmente públicas y escolares, para desarrollar su labor conjuntamente, pero sin perder su propia identidad. La propuesta se sustenta en una concepción de biblioteca única que nace y se planifica con más de una función, y ofrece a sus usuarios servicios bibliotecarios diferenciados dentro de una misma instalación, buscando la optimización de espacios y recursos.
Esta noción de unidad de información destaca por su enorme flexibilidad y su fácil adaptación a las necesidades y peculiaridades de cada población. Cuenta con un importante bagaje histórico y una notable presencia en lugares como Australia, Canadá, Estados Unidos, Reino Unido o Suecia, donde goza del beneplácito de sus respectivos gobiernos estatales y sus asociaciones profesionales. Este reconocimiento deriva en la elaboración de documentos legislativos, normas, pautas, recomendaciones y otras herramientas de utilidad que propician y promueven su desarrollo.
El presente libro ofrece orientación práctica a los lectores-profesionales que deseen plantear un proyecto de biblioteca integrada o conocer la verdadera dimensión de un modelo de biblioteca tan infrautilizado como desconocido en nuestro país.

This paper aims to study the evaluation of library services for persons with disabilities in the Sleman Regency Library and Archives Office. There are three standard service components issued by IFLA (International Federation of Library and Information) namely physical access, media format, services, and computers. Based on these three components, the Sleman Regency Library and Archives Service has a Braille Corner for users with visual impairments. However, the presence of braille in the library has not been maximally utilized by the user. The findings of this study are that the management of the braille corner service in Sleman Library and Archives Service is not optimal, the library manager needs to conduct socialization activities so that the braille corner can be utilized optimally in accordance with the information needs of the visually impaired people. This research is a qualitative research. Data collection methods are interviews and observation.

The book is proposed as guidelines for planning and designing the public library, trying to fill a gap between the present Italian handbooks. It illustrates the public library’s features and requirements, not only from the architectural point of view but also from technical-functional one, with special regards to the activities, the uses and the needs of the library program: “architecture of the library” is referred not only to the design of the building, but also and above all  to the design of the services.
Starting from a definition of the library as the result of the relationship between functional program and building plan, the book explains both the technical and architectural issues and those ones more strictly connected to the library activities and to the planning the services, sometimes ignores or underrated by the architects, who often have short or no experience about them.
Since the subject is so complex, it would be very useful that all the “actors” (administrators, librarians, architects, advisors) were aware of all the involved elements, and were able to understand each other’s languages. So this work tries to build a bridge between librarians and architect, and it is intended for every one is interested or involved in the planning of a library (administrators, librarians, architects, engineers, technicians, university students).
In the book a new model of public library is presented, intended for the Italian present situation. Of this model, to be adapted case for case, the activities, services, features, users’ and staff’s activities distribution, spaces and functions organization are illustrated. The model, a hybrid between those French, German and Anglo-Saxon ones, should be highly interactive and reference based, in order to offer custom-made services, useful for every field of the life (education, professional training, information, knowledge divulgation, entertainment, job, etc.). The public library is intended as a reference library, user-friendly and user-centred, able to connect (also by means of the information and communication technologies) the local and global scale: “local gateway to knowledge and information” as urged by the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations).