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Article
Publication date: 7 January 2022

Andrew Cox and Liz Brewster

To discover how UK academic libraries sought to support student mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Abstract

Purpose

To discover how UK academic libraries sought to support student mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The data was from a 24-question survey of UK universities distributed in May 2021 which received 56 responses from 47 different Higher Education Institution libraries. Descriptive statistics are combined with thematic analysis of open text comments.

Findings

Libraries were undertaking a wide range of activities, targeted chiefly at students and broadcast via Twitter, other social media and library web sites. The problem being addressed was the stresses of studying in the context of the pivot online and isolation caused by social distancing. Digital well-being seemed also to be an increased concern. COVID-19 had proved the value of digital support but created a number of challenges such as loss of physical space, communication barriers and lack of extra resource. The role had a somewhat informal place in the organisation. Overall library activities were aligned but not strongly integrated into institutional efforts.

Research limitations/implications

This was a study in one specific national context with a relatively limited number of total responses. There could be a non-response bias where respondents were doing more than was typical in the sector.

Originality/value

The paper is one of the first papers to gather sector wide data and move beyond case studies of what individual libraries due to support to mental health and well-being. It also offers a case study of the impacts of COVID-19 on management pointing to its catalysing the digital shift, creating constraints on resources and communication and prompting the emergence of staff well-being as a consideration in management decision making.

Details

Library Management, vol. 43 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

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Article
Publication date: 2 March 2012

Liz Brewster, Barbara Sen and Andrew Cox

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the use of self‐help bibliotherapy developed from a local pilot scheme to become national policy in Wales. Analysis aims to focus on…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the use of self‐help bibliotherapy developed from a local pilot scheme to become national policy in Wales. Analysis aims to focus on the use of evidence‐based practice (EBP) as a justification in the process of policy creation.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methodological approach was used to gather data, incorporating semi‐structured interviews, documents, and descriptive statistics. Actor‐network theory (ANT) was used as a critical lens to frame analysis.

Findings

The study finds that the translation from local pilot to national initiative was achieved using legitimising discourses including EBP. These discourses were used selectively, and in response to the needs of the focal actors in the network. The complex relationship between EBP and self‐help bibliotherapy is explored in connection with healthcare policy, concluding that the use of EBP legitimises a lack of patient‐centred evaluation.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of the research include a lack of engagement with patients using the scheme, and future research should aim to present a more patient‐centred account to complement this policy‐focused work.

Originality/value

Little in‐depth work has been conducted on the strategy behind the introduction of bibliotherapy schemes in the UK or elsewhere, and this paper presents an in‐depth theoretical analysis of the first nationwide bibliotherapy scheme in the world.

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Article
Publication date: 6 May 2014

John van de Pas

The purpose of this paper is to provide a signpost to the librarian that might be helpful in making strategic assessments for the future of the public library, and helping in the…

779

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a signpost to the librarian that might be helpful in making strategic assessments for the future of the public library, and helping in the process of decision-making about the course to be followed. Thereby critical remarks about the Internet-based “virtual library lobby” are summed up as arguments against following that path blindly, and alternatives to a technology-centred approach are put forward by focusing on the cultural uses of the library as a public place.

Design/methodology/approach

In this article a viewpoint is developed, based on an exploration of selected literature on the function of the library as an institution in society, and different viewpoints that are put forward in the debate on the future of libraries in the Internet era are analyzed. Some contend that going virtual is the only feasible course to take. Others emphasize that many functions of the library are unquantifiable because of their cultural nature, and rooted in physical interaction of citizens with a real space of bricks, mortar and books. These functions may never be fully virtualized, but are deemed essential to the community in which the library institution is rooted, and even society at large.

Findings

If librarians choose the technological path of the virtual library, they are rapidly being made obsolete by the multinational commercial information aggregators, where free access to information is no longer provided. If the library takes the cultural path, defining its future as an institution instrumental to “the commons” providing freedom to citizens, the actual use citizens make of library as public places should be taken as central starting point for a feasible future, and technology should be used as a means to that end.

Research limitations/implications

The article is a viewpoint, based on a limited selection of literature.

Practical implications

The viewpoint offers a critical assessment relevant to those librarians responsible for creating a roadmap for the future of their public library.

Social implications

This study underpins the importance of the public library as one of the last true public areas, open to all for the benefit of the community.

Originality/value

This study offers a different point of view, possibly even a warning call, against embracing technological determinism that brings with it enclosure of The Commons, which the Public Library in its true meaning should offer. Internet-based services are often put forward (and welcomed by many) as the solution for the future for free access to information. In the article, the case is made that unfettered free access for information to citizens is at odds with actual developments on the Internet, that according to leading Internet critics is rapidly being turned into a commercial advertising platform or market place.

Details

New Library World, vol. 115 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

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Article
Publication date: 25 February 2021

Maja Dorota Wojciechowska

The purpose of the paper is to present the latest scholarly trends in the field of social capital in libraries, to review research concepts published by LIS professionals and to…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to present the latest scholarly trends in the field of social capital in libraries, to review research concepts published by LIS professionals and to suggest further research possibilities in this area.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a review and critical analysis of literature associated with research on social capital in libraries to highlight its importance for the development of LIS and its impact on the functioning of environments linked with various types of libraries. The goal of literature analysis was to determine the current condition of research on social capital in libraries. The main trends were identified and the need for further qualitative analyses, which are missing at the moment, was confirmed.

Findings

It was determined that, so far, LIS professionals have focussed mainly on the role of municipal libraries in developing social capital, the problem of building trust, especially in immigrant circles and the impact of libraries on promoting a civil society. Academic libraries, rural libraries, organisational capital in libraries and individual social capital of librarians were a much less frequent subject of research. The role of libraries in developing social capital in educational (primary and secondary education) and professional (non-university professionals) circles is practically non-existent in research, and it will require in-depth studies and analyses in the coming years.

Originality/value

This paper constitutes a synthetic review of the latest research concepts concerning social capital in libraries. It identifies the most important research trends and areas that so far have not been explored and suggests research methods to help LIS professionals design future research in this area more effectively.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. 71 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

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Article
Publication date: 1 August 2004

Liz Doherty

This article uses evidence from a piece of action research conducted in the UK hospitality industry to explore the effectiveness of work‐life balance initiatives in helping women…

24745

Abstract

This article uses evidence from a piece of action research conducted in the UK hospitality industry to explore the effectiveness of work‐life balance initiatives in helping women progress to senior management. It explores the main barriers to women's progression and highlights the long hours associated with managerial roles as a major problem. The article shows that the business case which underpins diversity management and a voluntary approach to work‐life balance may only deliver positive benefits to women when the labour market is tight, and, even then, the benefits for women in management are far from demonstrated. A stronger equal opportunities approach is also shown to be problematic as it draws attention to women's “difference” to men and their need for special treatment. Given the contingent nature of the business case, it is argued that a strong floor of rights is still needed to protect the most vulnerable employees, especially in an industry where trade unions have virtually no “voice”. It is further argued that more work needs to be done with male managers in order to humanise the workplace for men and women who wish to lead rounded lives.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 26 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 2012

Judie M. Gannon, Liz Doherty and Angela Roper

This article aims to explore how understanding the challenges faced by companies' attempts to create competitive advantage through their human resources and HRM practices can be…

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Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to explore how understanding the challenges faced by companies' attempts to create competitive advantage through their human resources and HRM practices can be enhanced by insights into the concept of strategic groups within industries. Based within the international hotel industry, this study identifies how strategic groups emerge in the analysis of HRM practices and approaches. It sheds light on the value of strategic groups as a way of readdressing the focus on firm and industry level analyses.

Design/methodology/approach

Senior human resource executives and their teams across eight international hotel companies (IHCs) were interviewed in corporate and regional headquarters, with observations and the collection of company documentation complementing the interviews.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that strategic groups emerge from analysis of the HRM practices and strategies used to develop hotel general managers (HGMs) as strategic human resources in the international hotel industry. The value of understanding industry structures and dynamics and intermediary levels of analysis are apparent where specific industries place occupational constraints on their managerial resources and limit the range of strategies and expansion modes companies can adopt.

Research limitations/implications

This study indicates that further research on strategic groups will enhance the theoretical understanding of strategic human resource management and specifically the forces that act to constrain the achievement of competitive advantage through human resources. A limitation of this study is the dependence on the human resource divisions' perspectives on realising international expansion ambitions in the hotel industry.

Practical implications

This study has implications for companies' engagement with their executives' perceptions of opportunities and threats, and suggests companies will struggle to achieve competitive advantage where such perceptions are consistent with their competitors.

Originality/value

Developments in strategic human resource management have relied on the conceptual and theoretical developments in strategic management, however, an understanding of the impact of strategic groups and their shaping of SHRM has not been previously explored.

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Article
Publication date: 13 July 2010

Judie Gannon, Angela Roper and Liz Doherty

The international hotel industry's growth has been achieved via the simultaneous divestment of real estate portfolios and adoption of low risk or “asset light” market entry modes…

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Abstract

Purpose

The international hotel industry's growth has been achieved via the simultaneous divestment of real estate portfolios and adoption of low risk or “asset light” market entry modes such as management contracting. The management implications of these market entry mode decisions have however been poorly explored in the literature and the purpose of this paper is to address these omissions.

Design/methodology/approach

Research was undertaken with senior human resource executives and their teams across eight international hotel companies (IHCs). Data were collected by means of semi‐structured interviews, observations and the collection of company documentation.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that management contracts as “asset light” options for international market entry not only provide valuable equity and strategic opportunities but also limit IHCs' chances of developing and sustaining human resource competitive advantage. Only where companies leverage their specific market entry expertise and develop mutually supportive relationships with their property‐owning partners can the challenges of managing human resources in these complex and diversely owned arrangements be surmounted.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of this paper is the focus on the human resource specialists' perspectives of the impact of internationalization through asset light market entry modes.

Originality/value

This paper presents important insights into the tensions, practices and implications of management contracts as market entry modes which create complex inter‐organisational relationships subsequently shaping international human resource management strategies, practices and competitive advantage.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 22 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

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Book part
Publication date: 15 October 2013

Cardell K. Jacobson and Darron T. Smith

In this chapter, we use the concepts of emotional labor or emotion work to examine the experiences of transracial families – white families rearing Black adoptees. We focus on the…

Abstract

In this chapter, we use the concepts of emotional labor or emotion work to examine the experiences of transracial families – white families rearing Black adoptees. We focus on the emotion work done by the parents to inculcate and develop positive racial identities for their adoptive children as their adoptees experience racial mistreatment. We also use the concept of white racial framing to examine strategies for effectively coping with racial mistreatment. African Americans have more emotion work than the members of dominant group because of their status as stigmatized minorities in American society. African Americans adopted by white families have even greater emotion work because they tend to have the extra burden of living in predominately white communities where there are fewer people of color to serve as positive role models in the socialization process.

Details

Visions of the 21st Century Family: Transforming Structures and Identities
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-028-4

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Article
Publication date: 1 May 1983

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of…

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Abstract

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 21 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

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Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 10 August 2010

220

Abstract

Details

Library Hi Tech News, vol. 27 no. 6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0741-9058

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