scholarly journals Resource Description and Access Adoption and Implementation in Public Libraries in the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman S. Panchyshyn ◽  
Frank P. Lambert ◽  
Sevim McCutcheon
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Reference Model ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The United States ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Bibliographic Records ◽  
Descriptive Standard ◽  
Resource Description

This study surveyed the current state of knowledge about, and application or use of, Resource Description and Access (RDA) among American public library catalogers. In 2017, an online survey request was e-mailed to four thousand libraries for the person or persons most responsible for cataloging to complete the questionnaire. More than three hundred libraries responded. The data expose serious concerns with RDA adoption within the public library sector. While a majority of catalogers know about RDA, their working knowledge about it differs substantially depending on whether they work in rural or urban library settings. Regardless, 22 percent of respondants still had not heard of the RDA standard until completing this survey. While further training and educational opportunities (along with funds) for catalogers nationwide would help minimize this disparity, LIS schools also can play a role by educating more thoroughly the next generations of catalogers in this newer descriptive standard. Coming on the brink of a shift in the theoretical framework of the RDA standard, from the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) model to the IFLA Library Reference Model (LRM), public library catalogers risk falling even farther behind in their knowledge and compitency with the RDA standard.

scholarly journals Where Are We Headed? RDA, BIBFRAME, and the FRBR Library Reference Model

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda K Sprochi
Keyword(s):  
Reference Model ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Cultural Resource ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Bibliographic Records ◽  
Bibliographic Data ◽  
Library Associations ◽  
Ongoing Development ◽  
First Time ◽  
Resource Description

Library cataloging and metadata are undergoing amajor transformation. The International Federationof Library Associations and Institution’s Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records LibraryReference Model, the ongoing development of Resource Description and Access, and the Library ofCongress’ Bibliographic Framework initiative are the three programs currently underway which will,in all probability, profoundly affect how library bibliographic data is recorded, stored, and retrieved.These initiatives will also allow library holdings, for the first time, to be visible on theWeb and discoverablefor users, and, therefore, sharable with other cultural resource communities. What will librarymetadata look like in the next century? What knowledge and skills will be needed to navigate in thisnew world? Where are we headed?

How Do Public Libraries Assist Small Businesses in Rural Communities? An Exploratory Qualitative Study in Tennessee

Libri ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bharat Mehra ◽  
Bradley Wade Bishop ◽  
Robert P. Partee II
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Information Poverty ◽  
Low Degrees

AbstractThe purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how public libraries assist small businesses in rural communities in the state of Tennessee in the United States. Tennessee’s rural residents, especially in its Appalachian counties, face debilitating economic and social challenges such as inadequate financial prospects, information poverty, unemployment and low degrees of information literacy and educational attainment. The article presents findings from interviews and focus groups with 25 public library small business liaison representatives gathering input about their needs, expectations and experiences with rural public libraries. The foci are the existing and proposed ways rural public libraries provide small business assistance and identify components of a

scholarly journals Non-friction reading: Licensing requirements for e-book lending in New Zealand public libraries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Amy Joseph
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Staff Member ◽  
System Integration ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Strong Preference ◽  
National Library

<p>Research problem: Libraries face many challenges as they strive to provide e-books to their members, often caused by less-than-ideal licensing conditions, or publishers who will not yet license their titles to libraries for lending. This research project, developed in conjunction with a National Library of New Zealand initiative investigating collaborative ebook procurement for libraries, surveyed New Zealand public libraries in order to discover what elements of existing and proposed models would best meet the needs of their users. Methodology: a link to an online survey was emailed to public library managers, who were asked to complete the survey or delegate it to an appropriate staff member. Results: Valid responses were received from 34 of the 67 library systems contacted (response rate = 50.8). New Zealand public libraries are anticipating a large increase in spending on the provision of e-books, with the growth in spending on e-books set to outstrip growth in spending on other e-resources. They show a strong preference for perpetual access licenses, and generally tend to favour licenses that allow for control over title selection and predictability over budgets. They are concerned with system integration and would ideally like to see e-books from all their chosen vendors available through one interface that integrates with their catalogues. Libraries would like to see more New Zealand content available, and access to library e-book lending on all devices their users may choose to use.</p>

scholarly journals Public Library in the United States: Sanctuary of Sciences or Social Shelter?

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Y. Neshcheret
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Home Visiting ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Order ◽  
Legal Norms ◽  
Permanent Home ◽  
The Unemployed

Based on local normative acts regulating the rules of conduct in public libraries in the United States, the author analyses the most acute problems associated with non-observance of public order and violation of legal norms by people without definite occupation and permanent home visiting reading rooms. Personnel of the American libraries is concerned with the problem of relationship with the specified category of users representing a quite significant part of the total number of visitors. Of particular concern are the incidents of drug use. Libraries are very vulnerable, as open to everyone, and users can spend there as much time as they would wish. In order to solve the problems associated with stay in library of the unemployed and homeless visitors, libraries actively cooperate with the city’s social institutions and with local police departments. Libraries have always been the guardians of humanistic values; however, today they are vulnerable to the challenges of time; they are trying to find a compromise between their duty to serve all users (regardless of their social status) and the need to maintain public order. There is required serious and responsible work on the rules governing user behaviour for solving this challenging problem. Introduction of rules for readers is dictated primarily by the objective to provide the ability for libraries to fully fulfil their mission. Created to ensure the protection of rights, interests and safety of users and library staff, the rules should be based on the current legislation to avoid ambiguity and, at the same time, to be humane, “flexible” and focused on contemporary realities.

scholarly journals Pathways to Wellbeing: Public Library Service in Rural Communities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margo Elizabeth Gustina ◽  
Eli Guinnee ◽  
Hope Decker ◽  
Rick Bonney
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Field Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mutual Support ◽  
Rural Residents ◽  
Social Wellbeing ◽  
Positive Impacts

To answer the question ”If public libraries are a component of social wellbeing in rural communities, how are they successful?” we conducted, transcribed, coded, and analyzed interviews at eight field research sites in isolated rural communities distributed throughout the United States. If positive impacts on wellbeing are happening—as many assume—and if success is to be measured by those positive impacts—as many wish it could—it follows that a deeper investigation into the mechanisms involved will yield beneficial approaches that can be intentionally designed and implemented. Through this deeper investigation, we established how rural residents defined social wellbeing for themselves and how they describe the library’s role in that context. We found that rural residents forego access to standard amenities for access to deep social connections, natural resources, and community cultures of freedom and mutual support. We found long term multi-step supports, which we call pathways, through which libraries support wellbeing.

scholarly journals What Are the Opinions of New Zealand Public Library Staff on Ebooks?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Megan Adelle Percy
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Median Response ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
The Past ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
Strongly Agree ◽  
Level Of Agreement

<p>RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to discover the opinions of New Zealand public library staff on ebooks. While there are studies on opinions on ebooks, there is less emphasis on public library staff. Ebooks are becoming more and more popular and how libraries implement them will impact on the future of libraries. The aim of this study was to discover what library staff liked and disliked about ebooks and how they feel about ebooks in public libraries. METHODOLOGY: Invitations to participate in a survey about ebooks were posted on two email discussion lists, PUBSIG, for New Zealand public library staff, and NZ-Libs, for New Zealand library staff. Additionally, an invitation was emailed to all staff members of Wellington City Libraries. Data were collected using an online survey consisting mainly of Likert-type statements that respondents indicate their level of agreement to. These statements were adapted from previous studies done on ebooks. Respondents were not required to answer every question. RESULTS: There were 202 responses. 63% (127) of New Zealand public library staff surveyed have read at least one ebook in the past year. 93% (188) Agree or Strongly Agree with the statement that it is important for public libraries to offer ebooks. 57% (105) Agree or Strongly Agree with the statement “I enjoy helping patrons with technical questions about ebooks or ereaders”. Respondents think that the portability of ebooks and the ability to customise ebooks is useful. Most library staff surveyed think the increasing popularity of ebooks is good for libraries. The median response to “My library has a great stock of ebooks” was Neither Agree nor Disagree, with the majority of respondents agreeing that ebook licensing terms restricts the stock of ebooks available at their library. IMPLICATIONS: Library staff think that offering ebooks is important for libraries. However, libraries implementing ebooks need to ensure staff are ready to help patrons with ebooks. Ebook licensing terms are perceived as restricting libraries’ ebook stock, for libraries to be successful at offering ebooks the licensing situation may need to change.</p>

scholarly journals The Long-Run Effect of Public Libraries on Children: Evidence from the Early 1900s

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ezra Karger
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The United States ◽  
Occupational Prestige ◽  
Compulsory Schooling ◽  
Library Construction ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Wage Income

Between 1890 and 1921, Andrew Carnegie funded the construction of 1,618 public libraries in cities and towns across the United States. I link these library construction grants to census data and measure the effect of childhood public library access on adult outcomes. Library construction grants increased children's educational attainment by 0.10 years, did not affect wage income, and increased non-wage income by 4%. These income effects are driven by occupational choice. Access to a public library caused children to shift away from occupations like manual labor, factory-work, and mining into safer and more prestigious occupations like farm-ownership, clerical, and technical jobs. I show that compulsory schooling laws had parallel effects on children, increasing educational attainment, non-wage income and occupational prestige without affecting wage income. Economists often rely solely on wage income to measure the returns to education. But public libraries and compulsory schooling laws in the early 1900s increased educational attainment and had positive effects on children's adult labor market outcomes without affecting wage income.

IT and Collaborative Community Services

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Greene Taylor ◽  
Ursula Gorham ◽  
Paul T. Jaeger ◽  
John Carlo Bertot
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Services ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Collaborative Community

The role that the Internet has played in redefining the activities of public sector organizations is well-documented. What has yet to be fully explored, however, are recent collaborations among community-oriented entities (local government agencies, public libraries, and non-profit organizations) to provide enhanced services through innovative uses of information technology. These collaborative community services are enhanced by information technology, but also framed within the context of the organizations supporting the services. Using data from the 2011-2012 Public Library Funding and Technology Access Survey (PLFTAS), and drawing upon ongoing research into e-government partnerships between libraries, government agencies, and community organizations as well as community-based civic engagement initiatives, this paper will frame this issue within the contexts of local e-government in the United States; the relationship between public libraries, e-government, and the Internet; and innovative partnerships between public libraries, local government, and nonprofit entities. The article discusses both best practices and common challenges among these partnerships as a guide to future projects.

Public Libraries

2018 ◽  
pp. 1040-1070
Author(s):  
Laura Karbach
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The United States ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Library Use ◽  
Master Thesis ◽  
The Impact

The author, as part of a Master Thesis study, analyzes the impact public library services and programs have in the lives of local Mexican mothers with children attending school in the United States and provides suggestions on ways to improve outreach of services and support. Results related to library use, parental involvement, service and programs, challenges including funding, Spanish-speaking staff, pre-conceived ideas, and awareness issues, as well as the largest issue of outreach are all discussed. In addition, outreach solutions are offered and the overall benefits of the study are assessed.

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