The Future of the Library: What Is a Public Library For?

The author suggests that libraries have been transformed a third time. Originally, libraries were the only place that valuable, handwritten, rare books could be found. As mass production kicked in post-Gutenberg, the library became an efficient way for the community to access knowledge. Today, though, in a post-paper world, the library must adopt a new role, a place where the community finds ideas, inspiration and others on a similar journey. The librarian is no longer a guardian of valuable books, but a curator of curiosity, passion and interest.     

What Makes a Library Great?

Abstract

The author discusses seven measurable criteria that he accepts as defining a “great library”: Great libraries provide measurably superior service; have great funding; train and retrain their staffs; integrate their virtual, place and outreach services marketing; serve both the weakest and the strongest among their constituents; provide constituents with education and entertainment; and use virtual tools to offer a full range of timely information and services. These measurable characteristics define a modern library, the library that users want.     

Libraries and Consortia: What Will Libraries Pay For?

This article discusses affordability of member dues in library consortia and what services consortia can provide to increase their value to libraries.     

Nigerian University Libraries: What Future?

The future of Nigerian university libraries is threatened by gross underfunding, inadequate collections and facilities. These worrysome problems which have bedevilled the libraries since the 1980s persist due to the continued low level of book production, scarcity of foreign currency to import books and journals, and the continued proliferation of universities despite the economic recession in the country. The Nigerian federal and state governments, which are the sole financiers of the 38 universities in the country, lack the financial resources to fund them adequately. To prevent the collapse of the universities and their libraries, organizations such as the World Bank, oil companies, and banks, are being brought in to assist the governments. The federal government and its central co-ordinating body for the universities, the National Universities Commission (NUC), are encouraging the universities to seek and achieve sustainability by prudent spending and vigorous diversification of their revenue bases and investments in order to survive. This article examines the issues involved.     

A Library for Libraries: Is the Joint Library Facility becoming an Interlibrary Loan Hub for Libraries?

ABSTRACT

What happens when libraries begin to use ILL to request items that they already own in their home collection? The goal of this multiyear study involving 9565 ILL requests to the Joint Library Facility in Bryan, Texas, is to examine whether or not the shared storage facility was becoming an ILL hub for some libraries. This paper reports the results of the study and how individual requesting and lending interlibrary loan policies and procedures might be altered to address these developing issues.     

What is a “MIVER” and How Does the Library Prepare for It?

ABSTRACT

The Military Installation Voluntary Education Review (MIVER) assesses the quality of selected on-base higher education programs and assists in the improvement of such programs through recommendations to the institutions and the military services. This poster relates the experience of one librarian's participation in such a review of the master's degree program in adult education offered by Kansas State University at Ft. Leavenworth. Topics covered include: the librarian's role in preparing the self-study document; steps taken to gather information; collaboration with responsible administrators/faculty members; pre-visit telephone interview with a site inspector; attending the actual site visit; and recommendations from the site team. Shared highlights and benefits specific to this librarian's experience include: developing a better working relationship with the teaching faculty; implementing a new method of reaching the students; gaining new knowledge of library services needed by this particular group of distance students; exploring opportunities for further activities; and reviewing outcomes and commendations received from the MIVER team.     

Off-Campus Postgraduate Students’ Perceptions About Distance Library Support Services: A Case Study of Allama Iqbal Open University Libraries Network

ABSTRACT

The present study was conducted to assess distance learning students’ perceptions about location and physical set up of libraries, collections, resources, and services rendered at thirty-four regional campuses as well as main campus libraries network of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) all over Pakistan. During the spring semester of 2007, a questionnaire was mailed to 250 randomly selected students enrolled in eleven postgraduate programs throughout the country. The response rate was 61.2%, which was made up of 43.1% females and 56.9% males. A majority of the respondents were dissatisfied with the virtual reference services, online database facilities, interlibrary loan, library membership, and borrowing of library material from the AIOU libraries. They were satisfied with the location and physical setup of the libraries, the collections, and the resources of the libraries. The study revealed that most of the respondents used the libraries during workshops as well as for research purposes. The statistical analysis (t = 0.550, Sig. = 0.970) showed that there was no significant difference between the opinion of females and males. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows version 10.0.     

What Does It Take to Make a Great Library?

No abstract available for this article.     

Who Are We Missing? Conducting a Diversity Audit in a Liberal Arts College Library

In the spring of 2021, Thomas Tredway Library at Augustana College undertook an audit of the library's print book collection to determine if there were gaps in representation of the voices of authors of differing races/ethnicities; genders; or sexual orientations. With the results of this audit, Augustana College librarians now have a better understanding of which voices and perspectives are missing and/or underrepresented in the print collection. This article documents the audit methodology; shares the results; and provides suggestions and a toolkit for other libraries to use in audits of their own.     

Students' Viewpoint: What Constitutes Presence in an Online Classroom?

In this exploratory study, a community of inquiry framework was used to investigate students' perceptions of the efficacy and quality of online information organization and abstracting and indexing classes. It was found that participants valued not only the flexibility of online education, but also the instructor's timely engagement and reflection. Study participants emphasized the necessity of the instructor's frequent engagement through various modes of communication, such as virtual and face-to-face office hours and email. Participants' interest in asynchronous instruction mode was also observed. These findings are in line with previous studies emphasizing the importance of teaching presence in online classrooms. This study contributes to understanding students' perceptions of the quality of online learning and teaching.     

Is Your Academic Library Pinning? Academic Libraries and Pinterest

Academic libraries are flocking to online social networking sites in an effort to meet users where they are. Pinterest is the latest of these rapidly growing online social networking tools. The author of this article reports results from a survey on academic libraries’ presence on Pinterest. The survey found most academic library pinboards are in their infancy. Findings suggest that before establishing a presence on Pinterest, libraries should focus on planning institutional profiles and boards. Example institutions are highlighted, and tips are offered for setting up profiles and pinning, based on information from the survey.     

Nothing to Fear? An Analysis of College Students' Fear Experiences With Video Games

This study presents the results of a survey of 269 undergraduate students conducted to examine fright experiences caused by video games. Over half of the participants reported game-induced fear. Sex, sensation-seeking, and empathy all emerged as important individual differences in terms of enjoyment of frightening content, consumption of frightening content, and frequency of fright experience. Interactivity and presentations of realism also predicted fear. This work identifies titles, stimuli, and features that caused fright experience.     

Microaggressions in Academic Spaces: What About the Library?

Microaggressions are subtle aggressions, often unintentional, which are usually directed at certain groups of people, generally minorities. Due to their insidious frequency, they cause great discomfort. They can even cause permanent problems with adapting and integrating of various kinds. University libraries, as the social spaces that they are, accommodate a wide variety of people and can be places where microaggressions occur in different directions: librarians towards users, users towards librarians and among these groups. This study analyzes the incidence of various types of microaggressions in the academic library environment from the point of view of one group of users: academics and researchers. An online survey was completed by a large number of academics and researchers from a large geographic area. Data was obtained on both observed and felt or experienced microaggressions in the library, either towards themselves or other users, or towards the librarian. The results indicate that researchers are more aggressive than librarians, making the library space a safer place for diversity than the university. Nevertheless, for certain aspects the library shows some data that invites reflection and an opportunity to further reduce occurrences.     

Annoyance or Delight? College Students' Perspectives on Looking for Information

This study examined the ways that students describe how they look for information for a research project. Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence was used to theoretically choose the statements that were sorted by the participants to determine the perceptions of the information-seeking process. Using Q methodology as the research strategy, three unique groups were interpreted from the data analysis and labeled Experienced Critiquers (students who compared information found on free Internet resources to databases), Technology Admirers (students who do not distinguish between free Internet resources and databases), and Extrinsic Motivators (students greatly influenced by additional external factors). Although most college students believe they know how to access scholarly information, the frustrations of the process lead many to settle for less scholarly resources.     

Do Library Fines Work?: Analysis of the Effectiveness of Fines on Patron's Return Behavior at Two Mid-sized Academic Libraries

Data on library fines imposed at Eastern Illinois University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa was extracted and compared to determine whether fines had an impact on the patron's return behavior. The results indicated that fines as well as patron group status (undergraduate, graduate, faculty) have an impact on the patron's return behavior.     

“I’m a Library Hugger!”: Public Libraries as Valued Community Assets

Public library value is often ascertained by outlining the economic, social, and cultural benefits public libraries generate for the greater community. While researchers have focused on the concepts of social capital, civic engagement, and the role of libraries in promoting democracy, fewer studies have explored the public’s perceptions of libraries in an effort to determine library value. Furthermore, library nonusers are rarely included in these studies. In Alberta, Canada, 1,201 Albertans from across the province, including both urban and rural areas, were asked a series of questions about their perceptions of public libraries and library use. Findings reveal characteristics of library users and nonusers, what services and resources are used most often at public libraries, what value the public places on public libraries, and the role that libraries play in supporting communities.