Canadian public library data are the responsibility of the nation's various provinces and territories, unlike the US where there is a national-level data collection effort. Ontario public library ...data are collected and published annually by the province's Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries. The data have been recompiled into a longitudinal file by the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries (FOPL) which has produced two main products from the resulting FOPL Dataset. One is a method for peer comparisons, but the focus in this article is on the second: an annual Report on the condition of these libraries as revealed in each year's new data. This article highlights results from the latest FOPL Report on the condition of Ontario's public libraries. In addition, there is an emphasis on the fact that these Ontario data are particularly strong in measuring new capabilities of libraries resulting from changes in the information environment of public libraries.
How public libraries deliver value online Mare Lundsfryd Nielsen; Marie Cecilie Lensch; Tove Faber Frandsen
Libellarium,
11/2023, Letnik:
14, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Purpose. The development and usage of digital library services have accelerated. Many libraries have expanded their digital services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The physical locations were ...closed or operated with reduced capacity and libraries continued to provide services digitally. The physical locations of many libraries have reopened but the development of digital services persists. Most libraries offer a wide variety of services digitally and many libraries are expanding their digital services. It is, therefore, relevant to explore how librarians perceive the digital public library services offered at their institutions and how the digital services supplement or replace services in the physical library. Approach/methodology/design. This study presents the findings of an interview-based study with five librarians from different public libraries across Denmark. Findings. The findings show that librarians perceive the physical and digital services as means to the same end while carefully considering the content, target audience and platform when offering services to their users. They see the digital services as a critical aspect of the raison d’etre of the library and means to attract new users. Research limitations. It is important to note that this study is based on a small sample. Practical implications. The implications for digital public library services are discussed and recommendations based on this study are considered. Originality/value. While many studies have explored librarians’ perceptions of the value of public libraries, this study focuses on librarians’ perception of the value of digital libraries and how these services supplement or replace the physical library.
En el marco de la experiencia de usuario (UX) analizamos las características, preferencias y percepciones de las personas no usuarias de bibliotecas públicas para apoyar el (re)diseño de sus ...servicios. Los datos empíricos provienen de una encuesta representativa de la población catalana de 15 años o más. Las bibliotecas y sus profesionales cuentan con una imagen positiva, si bien un tercio de las personas no usuarias no visitaría una biblioteca pública (de nuevo). La mayoría son ex-usuarios (el 81% había visitado una biblioteca pública pero hace más de un año). Al terminar el período educativo también acaba la relación con la biblioteca, una tendencia más acusada en el caso de los hombres. Las personas que nunca han sido usuarias (19%) destacan entre la población mayor y en los niveles educativos más bajos. Es necesario que las estrategias de la biblioteca para incrementar el uso sean diferenciadas en respuesta a los perfiles y opiniones sobre la biblioteca de las personas ex y no usuarias.
Despite dire predictions in the late twentieth century that public libraries would not survive the turn of the millennium, their numbers have only increased. Two of three Americans frequent a public ...library at least once a year, and nearly that many are registered borrowers. Although library authorities have argued that the public library functions primarily as a civic institution necessary for maintaining democracy, generations of library patrons tell a different story. In Part of Our Lives, Wayne A. Wiegand delves into the heart of why Americans love their libraries. The book traces the history of the public library, featuring records and testimonies from as early as 1850. Rather than analyzing the words of library founders and managers, Wiegand listens to the voices of everyday patrons who cherished libraries. Drawing on newspaper articles, memoirs, and biographies, Part of Our Lives paints a clear and engaging picture of Americans who value libraries not only as civic institutions, but also as social spaces for promoting and maintaining community. Whether as a public space, a place for accessing information, or a home for reading material that helps patrons make sense of the world around them, the public library has a rich history of meaning for millions of Americans. From colonial times through the recent technological revolution, libraries have continuously adapted to better serve the needs of their communities. Wiegand goes on to demonstrate that, although cultural authorities (including some librarians) have often disparaged reading books considered not "serious" the commonplace reading materials users obtained from public libraries have had a transformative effect for many, including people like Ronald Reagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Oprah Winfrey. A bold challenge to conventional thinking about the American public library, Part of Our
Lives is an insightful look into one of America's most beloved cultural institutions.
Planning and assessment are both crucial elements of a public library that functions efficiently and flexibly. So why are they often treated as separate processes? This concise book combines planning ...and evaluation in a holistic approach, helping public library managers and staff put library resources to work for the community. Based on a series of successful workshops, the authors present a workflow made up of manageable steps for integrating outcome-based planning and evaluation (OBPE) into the routine functions of the public library. Offering step by step guidance that's transparent and easy to follow, this book: -introduces the concept of OBPE and explains how it can be a streamlined, effective method of getting library users' feedback -defines outcomes and shows why public libraries should use them to plan and evaluate services -shares methodologies for assessing community needs and interests, including key informant interviews, surveys, focus groups, and environmental scans -demonstrates how to use community assessment data to create outcome statements that not only guide the creation of new library services, but also provide targets for measuring the effectiveness of those service -offers techniques for designing services that directly serve the community while also achieving the outcomes the library has targeted -provides tips for sharing the results with stakeholders and maximizing successful outcome-based programs to leverage the library's role in the community Featuring plentiful examples of how to proceed through each phase of the OBPE model, this book boils down planning and evaluation into an approachable, easy to understand process for public librarians, library managers, and grant writers.
Kranj City Library is one of the largest Slovenian public libraries, which, like most Slovenian libraries, also deals with the debts of its users. Prohit Claims Management Agency helps us to collect ...the debts. Before collection by an external contractor, we first carry out a series of procedures in the library to collect the debts ourselves. We regularly monitor the debts of library users and inform them about their debts. Users can settle their debts in person at the library or online. We analysed the last three years (from August 2019 to August 2022) in more detail because we were interested in how successful the library is in collecting debts, how many debts are written off for various reasons and how efficient the debt management agency is. In the analysis, we were interested in how many cases regarding unreturned items and unpaid debts were handed over to the agency for collection and how many of these cases were successfully resolved. Based on the data analysis, we found that the library collects most of the debts itself. The agency, however, is very successful at resolving the difficult-to-collect receivables that were handed over to them.
Zusammenfassung
Der Bericht gibt einen Einblick in die Kooperation der Stadtbücherei Trier mit dem „Haus der kleinen Forscher/Netzwerk Trier“, insbesondere dessen „Kleine-Forscher-Raum“. Diese ...Zusammenarbeit basiert auf dem gemeinsamen Ziel der Verfolgung der 17 Nachhaltigkeitsziele der Agenda 2030 und ist fruchtbringend für beide Kooperationspartner. Neben Entstehung und Entwicklung der Zusammenarbeit werden einige Beispiele aus der Praxis genannt, die so oder in ähnlicher Weise von anderen Bibliotheken übernommen werden können.
Zusammenfassung
Die Sächsische Landesfachstelle für Bibliotheken nimmt sich im 106. Jahr ihres Bestehens des Themas Nachhaltigkeit an. 2020 startete sie ein Kooperationsprojekt zur Einführung von ...Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung (BNE) im öffentlichen Bibliothekswesen. Damit sollen Bibliotheken motiviert werden, das Thema in seinen vielfältigen Facetten wahrzunehmen und zu überlegen, wie und wo es sich in den Arbeitsalltag integrieren lässt.
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