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Descriptors:
Information Literacy; College Readiness; High School Students; Urban Schools; Partnerships in Education; Academic Libraries; Public Libraries; High Schools; School Libraries; College School Cooperation; Best Practices; Outreach Programs; Advanced Placement Programs; Program Implementation; Program Development

Abstract:
This article describes a nearly decade-long partnership between three institutions representing school, public, and academic settings in Westchester County, New York. The program, designed to improve the academic performance of local high school students, is unique due to the extensive contact students have with academic librarians during the school year, including two day-long orientations and individual consultation sessions. Using experiences as partners in this collaborative effort, interviews with six teachers and librarians, and the existing literature, this article identifies best practices and key factors for academic libraries that are considering or currently providing instructional and outreach activities to high schools. (Contains 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Colleges; Library Services; Public Libraries; Electronic Learning; Online Courses; Higher Education; School Community Relationship; Interpersonal Relationship; Virtual Universities; Virtual Classrooms

Abstract:
In late December, a set of articles and essays in "The New York Times" focused on the public library as a place, and on the changing meaning of that place with the rise of electronic books and the demise of brick-and-mortar bookstores like Borders. As librarians "struggle with the task of redefining their roles and responsibilities in a digital age," their libraries are "reinventing themselves as vibrant town squares, showcasing the latest best sellers, lending Kindles loaded with e-books, and offering grass-roots technology-training centers." The conversation about place versus the Internet continues, but now it has grown to encompass the fate of the college campus itself. Online learning and MOOCs (massive open online courses) have arrived, the argument goes, so place does not matter. The campus will become a relic, bound for desertion, like the ruins of Ozymandias. Within the next 50 years, half of American colleges will succumb to mounting financial pressures and shut down. The problem is not student debt or a flaccid hiring market. Big changes are coming because "the college classroom is about to go virtual." Just as with libraries, campuses that are dismal, disconnected, and underutilized as places will suffer, while the ones that are vital will have a shot at succeeding. Colleges will need to find ways--preferably creative and inexpensive--to make their places relevant: Link to local communities. Use those communities as places where students can apply their education to fix problems or enhance strengths. Find the unique characteristics of the local geography, and incorporate them into lessons. Provide spaces where students can connect both intellectually and physically with one another, and with their college work. People who predicted the death of the library made the mistake of thinking that libraries were merely useful for information distribution--an understandable error, given that libraries' central role involved passing around books and journals. But pundits now make the same mistake when thinking about the college campus. If college were merely about the "sale of information," the enterprise would have gone the way of Borders a long time ago. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Public Libraries; Library Services; Computer Use; Internet; Use Studies; Demography; Barriers; Motivation; Surveys; Users (Information)

Abstract:
Public libraries play an important part in the development of a community. Today, they are seen as more than store houses of books; they are also responsible for the dissemination of online, and offline information. Public access computers are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people understand the need for internet access. Using a series of surveys conducted in 12 libraries across the state of Michigan, the current study is a step towards understanding why the computing facilities are widely used, and what are the motivations behind their use. In addition, barriers and other factors that hinder usage are also discussed. The findings from this study will help policy makers and library administrators evaluate the current allocation of scarce resources, help them promote greater use of the library's resources, and guide their future course of action. The study is conducted as part of a federally funded public computing center grant. (Contains 6 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Public Libraries; Library Role; Human Capital; Quality of Life; Cultural Centers; Internet; Access to Computers; Immigrants; Urban Areas; Career Readiness; Older Adults; Library Services; Electronic Publishing; Adult Literacy; Games; Library Administration; Technological Advancement; English Language Learners

Abstract:
As more and more New Yorkers turn to digital books, Wikipedia and other online tools for information and entertainment, there is a growing sense that the age of the public library is over. But, in reality, New York City's public libraries are more essential than ever. Far from becoming obsolete, the city's three public library systems--Brooklyn, Queens and New York, which encompasses the branches in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island--have experienced a 40 percent spike in the number of people attending programs and a 59 percent increase in circulation over the past decade. Although they are often thought of as cultural institutions, the reality is that the public libraries are a key component of the city's human capital system. With roots in nearly every community across the five boroughs, New York's public libraries play a critical role in helping adults upgrade their skills and find jobs, assisting immigrants assimilate, fostering reading skills in young people and providing technology access for those who don't have a computer or an Internet connection at home. The libraries also are uniquely positioned to help the city address several economic, demographic and social challenges that will impact New York in the decades ahead. Despite all of this, New York policymakers, social service leaders and economic officials have largely failed to see the public libraries as the critical 21st century resource that they are, and the libraries themselves have only begun to make the investments that will keep them relevant in today's digital age. One way or another, New York needs to better leverage its libraries if it is to be economically competitive and remain a city of opportunity. This report takes an in-depth look at the role that New York's public libraries play in the city's economy and quality of life and examines opportunities for libraries to make even greater contributions in the years ahead. (Contains 38 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Public Libraries; Foreign Countries; Reference Services; Electronic Mail; Computer Mediated Communication; Library Research; User Needs (Information); Questioning Techniques; Content Analysis; Investigations; Classification; Cluster Grouping; Information Seeking; Problem Sets; Qualitative Research

Abstract:
In Japan, only a few public libraries provide e-mail reference services. To help public libraries start e-mail reference services, the authors investigated reference questions received by libraries via e-mail and traditional face-to-face services. The authors found that research questions are more frequently observed among e-mail questions and questions about the local area are slightly more frequently observed. Librarians who are planning to start e-mail reference services should be aware of these tendencies. (Contains 10 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Art Education; Library Services; Public Libraries; Artists; Library Materials; Community Programs; Youth Programs; Art Activities; Adolescents; Library Role; Librarians; Surveys

Abstract:
One of the hottest terms among public librarians today is "content creation," which involves stuff that library patrons make instead of simply use in a library context. Videos, music, fiction, paintings, 3D printed materials, websites--all these are made in public libraries, and will increase in popularity as more libraries shift from purveyors of content to facilitators of creation. Libraries are becoming "incubators" of art, ideas, economic benefits, and community benefits. A library seething with creative energy can shock some traditionalists, who still see the library as a quiet place to read a book. Yet the mission of many public libraries is not only to inform via printed or multimedia materials but also to connect ideas and people, to build communities, and to offer transformative experiences to all by bridging opportunity divides. In light of the "library=transformation" model, art programs are a natural fit. And art programs require teaching artists to lead them. In this article the author looks at the librarians' perspective on hiring teaching artists, running successful art programs, and ways in which librarians and artists can build mutually beneficial partnerships. This article focuses on teen art programs, because few libraries currently have as comprehensive an adult art focus as they do for teens. The phenomenon of adult or all-ages art programming in libraries still appears sporadic or centered in large urban libraries. Teaching artists can use the data and discussion of this research to focus their practice in a public library setting. The author offers recommendations for getting in on the library program action, suggests ways to support the public library's goals and mission, and describes how libraries are supporting teaching artists in particular, and the arts in general. (Contains 10 images and 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Foreign Countries; Public Libraries; Library Services; Library Networks; Comparative Analysis; Cultural Pluralism

Abstract:
Introduction: The percentage of foreign-born residents in Spain has multiplied almost fourfold over the last decade. Immigration has changed our society, both from a demographic and economic perspective, and from a cultural and political prospective. The Spanish public library network, a democratic institution that provides services, initially, of equal access for all users, may become in this context a bonding tool and contribute to the social integration of individuals and groups with plural cultural identities. Method: Assuming international recommendations as a reference point, we have made a comparison of the evolution in the development of multicultural library services in Spanish public libraries during 2007-2010. Results: The study is based on data provided by the respective organisms responsible of coordinating of library services in the Spanish regional administrations. The data analysis followed the guideline framework provided by IFLA's Section for Library Services to Multicultural Populations. Conclusions: The planning of library services with a multicultural approach is still ignored by the majority of the librarian coordinators in the respective regional administrations in Spain. Despite our transformation into a multicultural society and the ever-growing percentage of foreign population during the analysed period, the development of such services shows similar levels of diversity as in 2007. (Contains 8 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Public Libraries; Copyrights; Financial Support; Court Litigation; Electronic Libraries; Law Schools; Search Engines; Universities; Private Financial Support; Archives; Cooperation

Abstract:
The tantalizing vision of universal access to the cultural and scientific heritage of humanity seemed close to fulfillment in 2008, when Google announced the settlement of a class-action lawsuit charging that its Google Book Search project infringed copyright by scanning in-copyright books from major research-library collections. But it was not to be. The very ambitiousness of the settlement was its undoing. In 2011 a federal judge ruled against it, mainly because it went too far beyond the issues in litigation, which concerned only whether scanning books to index their contents and make snippets available was infringement or the limited exception, fair use, since snippets would not supplant--and might enhance--demand for the works. Having failed to reach a more limited settlement, the litigants are expected to go to trial this fall. The failure of the Google Book settlement, however, has not killed the dream of a comprehensive digital library accessible to the public. Indeed, it has inspired an alternative that would avoid the risks of monopoly control. A coalition of nonprofit libraries, archives, and universities has formed to create a Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), which is scheduled to launch its services in April 2013. The San Francisco Public Library recently sponsored a second major planning session for the DPLA, which drew 400 participants. Major foundations, as well as private donors, are providing financial support. The DPLA aims to be a portal through which the public can access vast stores of knowledge online. Free, forever. Initially the DPLA will focus only on making digitized copies of millions of public-domain works available online. These include works published in the United States before 1923, those published between 1923 and 1963 whose copyrights were not renewed, as well as those published before 1989 without proper copyright notices, and virtually all U.S.-government works. If a way can be found to overcome copyright obstacles, many millions of additional works could be made available. It is no secret that copyright law needs a significant overhaul to adapt to today's complex information ecosystem. Unfortunately the near-term prospects for comprehensive reform are dim. However, participants at a conference last spring at Berkeley Law School on "Orphan Works and Mass Digitization: Obstacles and Opportunities" believe that modest but still meaningful reforms are possible. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Library Services; Government Libraries; Public Libraries; Surveys; Foreign Countries; Pretests Posttests; Interviews; Questionnaires

Abstract:
As a public library, a public good, provides many external benefits for the community it belongs to, its public value needs to be carefully assessed. More specifically, the Korean Government demands information on the public value that ensues from the establishment of the Gwangju branch of the National Library. This paper therefore attempts to measure its public value by using the contingent valuation method and reporting the results of the contingent valuation survey. We adopted a strategy to use two split samples for on-site and off-site areas, which refer to one area surrounding the library and another that does not, respectively, and as such, the study focuses on the scale parameter of the contingent valuation model. The estimated value for the scale parameter is statistically significant at the 1% level. The statistical test of the hypothesis that the mean willingness to pay estimate for the on-site area is not different from that for the off-site requires estimating the mean willingness to pay separately for each area. The mean willingness to pay estimates for the on-site and off-site area are KRW 3330.5 (GBP 1.7) and KRW 3572.9 (GBP 1.8) per household per year, respectively. The national value expanded to relevant residents is about KRW 60bn (GBP 30m) annually for five years. The results are expected to be useful for policy makers in determining the economic feasibility of the branch. (Contains 6 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Public Libraries; Semi Structured Interviews; Structured Interviews; Librarians; Media Adaptation; Electronic Publishing

Abstract:
This study explores the application of digitisation in the context of public library local studies services. Since there has been limited previous research on digitisation and local studies collections, this research makes an important contribution in profiling the current situation, and highlighting the extent to which progress is limited in the digitisation of valuable local studies collections. A two-phased approach was adopted, including a website analysis, and semi-structured interviews with 12 local studies librarians and three other key informants. Findings indicate that the local studies services have established a limited online presence, and have used digitisation to some extent to promote and improve accessibility to their collections. All interviewees appreciated the potential of digitisation, but digitisation has not been adopted as a major strategy for preservation, due to lack of funding, and concerns about the longevity of digital records. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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