scholarly journals Community standards in New Zealand public libraries : an exploratory study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Max Thomas Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Demographic Differences ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Public Librarians ◽  
Community Standards

<p>Community standards have been discussed by many authors but none have attempted to investigate their application in public libraries. Public libraries aim to provide information that covers all viewpoints; such information is likely to contain views and opinions that are offensive to many members of the community. The problem of how public librarians define the standards of their communities was central to this research project. In order to investigate this problem a series of interviews were conducted and supported with library policy documents supplied by interviewees. A number of sub topics were also investigated, including how librarians deal with challenging items and whether librarians use any tools or resources to help define community standards. Analysis of interviews and policy documents found that librarians were not able to comprehensively define the standards of their communities. Librarians were divided over whether the demographic differences within their communities had any impact on the standards of their communities</p>

scholarly journals Community standards in New Zealand public libraries : an exploratory study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Max Thomas Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Demographic Differences ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Public Librarians ◽  
Community Standards

<p>Community standards have been discussed by many authors but none have attempted to investigate their application in public libraries. Public libraries aim to provide information that covers all viewpoints; such information is likely to contain views and opinions that are offensive to many members of the community. The problem of how public librarians define the standards of their communities was central to this research project. In order to investigate this problem a series of interviews were conducted and supported with library policy documents supplied by interviewees. A number of sub topics were also investigated, including how librarians deal with challenging items and whether librarians use any tools or resources to help define community standards. Analysis of interviews and policy documents found that librarians were not able to comprehensively define the standards of their communities. Librarians were divided over whether the demographic differences within their communities had any impact on the standards of their communities</p>

scholarly journals Public Libraries and Walkable Neighborhoods

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 1780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noah Lenstra ◽  
Jenny Carlos
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Partnerships ◽  
Local History ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Rigorous Research ◽  
Exploratory Approach ◽  
Public Librarians

Public libraries constitute a ubiquitous social infrastructure found in nearly every community in the United States and Canada. The hypothesis of this study is that public libraries can be understood as important supports of walking in neighborhoods, not only as walkable destinations, but also as providers of programs that increase walking in communities. Recent work by public health scholars has analyzed how libraries contribute to community health. This particular topic has not previously been researched. As such, a qualitative, exploratory approach guides this study. Grounded theory techniques are used in a content analysis of a corpus of 94 online articles documenting this phenomenon. Results show that across North America public librarians endeavor to support walking through programs oriented around stories, books, and local history, as well as through walking groups and community partnerships. While this exploratory study has many limitations, it does set the stage for future, more rigorous research on the contributions public libraries and public librarians make to walking in neighborhoods. The principal conclusion of this study is that additional research is needed to comprehensively understand the intersection between public librarianship and public health.

scholarly journals Strategies Older New Zealanders Use to Participate in Day-To-Day Occupations

2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 509-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Hocking ◽  
Juanita Murphy ◽  
Kirk Reed
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Older People ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Falls Prevention ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
The Impact

Aim: This exploratory study aimed to uncover the strategies that older adults employ to ameliorate the impact of impairments and barriers to participation. Method: Eight participants were interviewed in their own homes, in a town or city in New Zealand. Findings: Inductive analysis of data revealed four main categories of strategies: strategies to keep safe, to recruit and accept help, to meet social and biological needs (nutritional and medical), and to conserve financial, material and bodily resources. Discussion: The study supports some previous findings of strategies used by older people, and demonstrates that enquiring into the strategies that older people devise and adopt into their own lives is a productive line of inquiry. The strategies described differ from those that occupational therapists recommend, and do not incorporate public health messages about the benefits of physical activity or recommendations about falls prevention. Conclusion: The findings suggest that asking older clients about the strategies that they use will uncover valuable information for therapists giving advice or issuing equipment to help older adults to manage in the community.

Learning about translators from library catalog records: implications for readers’ advisory

2015 ◽  
Vol 116 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 264-276
Author(s):  
Keren Dali ◽  
Lana Alsabbagh
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Library Catalog ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bibliographic Records ◽  
Bibliographic Data ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Public Librarians

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to make public librarians aware of the wealth of information about translators that is contained in bibliographic records of their own library catalogs so they could use this information for the benefit of readers’ advisory (RA) work involving translated titles. Design/methodology/approach – The article uses the method of bibliographic data analysis based on 350 selected translated fiction titles (and 2,100 corresponding catalog records) from six large Canadian public libraries. Findings – As the results demonstrate, enhanced bibliographic catalog records deliver a wide spectrum of information about translators, which can be used by public libraries to provide more informed and insightful reading advice and to make more sensible purchasing decisions with regard to translated fiction. Practical implications – The study shows how the most readily available tool – a library catalog with its enhanced bibliographic records – can be utilized by public librarians for improving RA practices. It focuses on the rarely discussed translated fiction, demonstrates a sample methodological approach and makes suggestions for implementing this approach by busy public librarians in real-life situations. Originality/value – No recent studies that have investigated enhanced catalog records have dealt with translated fiction. Moreover, while authors/writers are often in the focus of RA studies, translators are often left behind the scenes, despite their crucial role in bringing international fiction to English-speaking readers.

scholarly journals Kaupapa Māori in New Zealand Public Libraries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Luqman Hayes
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Value Systems ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Indigenous Worldviews ◽  
Kaupapa Māori

<p>It is nearly two decades since Tui MacDonald first studied the experience of Māori in New Zealand libraries. Since then libraries have seen many changes and embraced challenging initiatives in creating public spaces which reflect much of the biculturalism of New Zealand society. Bilingual signage has been erected, awareness and obligations to the Treaty are generally better accepted and understood, and Te Rōpū Whakahau has helped to ensure there is a growing professional Māori presence in our libraries. But is that enough? Should biculturalism not be aiming to integrate Māori values and concepts in the ideals of the organisation? Should biculturalism not reflect an equal representation of both the Pākehā (non-Māori) and the Māori worldview in the way information is organised, customers are greeted and activities are carried out in the library? This research project explores the deeper commitments to biculturalism by examining the extent to which kaupapa Māori, or Māori knowledge frameworks, value systems, and a Māori worldview form part of a wider bicultural strategy within public libraries in Aotearoa. The study highlights the bicultural achievements being made in public libraries as well as exploring the evolutionary and transformative challenges which lie ahead for the sector in striving towards an epistemological and cultural balance. Data for this research was collected using a qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews with a selection of library leaders chosen from a purposive sample of public library services in New Zealand. The findings suggest a degree of inconsistency around the integration and understanding of kaupapa Māori concepts and practice, depending on location and demographic. They indicate that while there are personal, organisational and resource barriers to fully incorporating a kaupapa Māori, including a lack of Māori seniority within the industry, these limitations stem from political and historical roots which relate to colonialism in Aotearoa and the commitment to, and interpretation of, the Treaty of Waitangi. The results also reveal an aspiration for advancing the bicultural agenda and for exploring new paradigms for reshaping European designed public libraries in ways which integrate indigenous worldviews. As a contribution to the library and information sector body of knowledge, the subject has significance not only within New Zealand but globally, particularly in relation to the incorporation of indigenous worldviews in library design, development and delivery. Opportunities for further research include exploring Māori representation in public library management, options for altering library classification systems and collection arrangements to integrate indigenous worldviews and staff experiences of kaupapa Māori.</p>

scholarly journals What do social work students think social work research is?

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-26
Author(s):  
Anita Gibbs
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Work Values ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Social Work Values

In New Zealand, social work students often undertake social work research training as part of their first qualification in social work. The focus of this article is to consider what social work students think social work research is and whether they think social work research should be part of normal, everyday practice or not. Forty-three social work students from Otago University participated in a small research project during 2009 aimed at exploring their constructions of social work research. They emphasised that social work research should be compatible with social work values like empowerment and social justice, and bring about positive change of benefit of service users. 

Immaterial labour, public librarians, and third-generation public libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 117 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 186-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhan A Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Future ◽  
Public Librarians ◽  
Policy Arena ◽  
Blind Spots

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to draw attention to one specific upper-level government policy document in which a discourse of perpetual innovation and customer service is promoted, and the kinds of questions such discursive interventions raise for the future of work in public libraries; and second, to demonstrate the explanatory potential of the concept of immaterial labour for questions relating to emerging labour processes in libraries. The concepts of “prosumer” and Web 2.0 are included as discursive resources of relevance to any discussion of immaterial labour. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents a critical discourse analysis of a public policy visioning document for public libraries in Ontario, Canada, with reflections on related literatures. Findings – The concept of immaterial labour provides an additional analytic tool suitable for questions of relevance to public librarians and library scholars. Within the government text under review which deals specifically with the future of the public library to 2020, the identity of the public librarian is alarmingly absent. Conversely, the library patron as a producer and consumer is privileged. Research limitations/implications – Failure to attend to the broader policy arena within which the public library resides creates dangerous blind spots for public library professionals, educators and researchers. Practical implications – This paper demonstrates the value of a discourse analysis for uncovering the ideological dimensions of policy documents, while simultaneously modelling the method using the kind of policy text commonly produced in governments around the world. Social implications – This paper shows how failure to attend to the broader policy arena within which the public library resides creates dangerous blind spots for the public library community. Originality/value – This paper contextualizes the immaterial and volunteer labour of the public library user as producer/consumer in the context of the future of the frontline professional and waged librarian.

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