When interviewing prospective students I used to ask why they wanted to be librarians rather than booksellers. Almost invariably there was a look of amazement on their faces and…
Abstract
When interviewing prospective students I used to ask why they wanted to be librarians rather than booksellers. Almost invariably there was a look of amazement on their faces and they confessed to a reluctance to charge money for the services they were to perform.
Abstract
Details
Keywords
Because sets of music are not held by the British Library Document Supply Centre they can only be borrowed from other libraries by direct application to the library which holds a…
Abstract
Because sets of music are not held by the British Library Document Supply Centre they can only be borrowed from other libraries by direct application to the library which holds a particular set. This is by no means as straightforward as locating and handling other material so the United Kingdom Branch of the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (IAML:UK) decided that there was a real need for a guide to help library staff (including those with no specialist musical knowledge) to obtain and supply sets of vocal music to their users as efficiently and effectively as possible. This guide, prepared by a team of specialist music librarians from public and academic libraries, has now been published as Sets of Vocal Music. A Librarian's Guide to Interlending Practice, Malcolm Lewis (Ed.), ISBN 0 9502339 6 X, at £7.50 and is available from the Music Section, British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby, Yorkshire LS23 7BQ. Note that it is not a British Library publication and cheques should be made out to IAML.
THE new chief in our parish, the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in succession to S C Holliday is to be Melvyn Barnes, Chief Librarian of Ipswich in East Anglia for the…
Abstract
THE new chief in our parish, the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in succession to S C Holliday is to be Melvyn Barnes, Chief Librarian of Ipswich in East Anglia for the last couple of years. The Kensington post offers a spacious central library of recent vintage, with particularly good reference services, though an over‐preponderance of student pre‐emption of table space. There is a strong local history interest in the borough, keenly fostered by Chief Assistant Brian Curle. We use central ref a good deal and have always found them very helpful, though some of the branches are a shade parochial. We look to the youthful Mr Barnes to blow a little fresh air into the system, and hope his salary covers the difference between the cost of houses in London and Ipswich.
Clive Bingley, Allan Bunch and Edwin Fleming
AT THE instigation of Peter Labdon, who is County Librarian of Suffolk as well as a member of the executive committee of the National Book League (when his awesome editorial…
Abstract
AT THE instigation of Peter Labdon, who is County Librarian of Suffolk as well as a member of the executive committee of the National Book League (when his awesome editorial responsibilities at NLW allow him the time), the NBL is starting an exciting new development designed to create, it is hoped, a set of regional branches throughout the UK.
There was a time — some might say a blessed time — when our professional curricula were assumed to be resting securely on the bedrock of a European culture. It was further assumed…
Abstract
There was a time — some might say a blessed time — when our professional curricula were assumed to be resting securely on the bedrock of a European culture. It was further assumed that this Eurocentric culture was eternally self‐subsistent, and not contingent upon, or indebted to, any source outside itself. For a considerable time our professional curricula were a pale derivative of this humanistic culture; many readers may remember the Library Association's Registration Examination in English literature. This paper consisted of a hefty gallop from Chaucer to the present day — a gallop that usually left quite a few riderless horses wandering aimlessly round the course. The curriculum was ill‐conceived, and it was badly taught; nonetheless in its own limited way it helped to make students aware of aesthetic values and imparted, however vaguely, a sense of the history of ideas. Book selection was considered to be an important activity and it was fashionable to agonise whether the ideal librarian should be an administrator or a bookman (sic). Then came the impact of technology. Librarians became information managers, the organization of knowledge became information management and we witnessed the re‐emergence and ascendancy of Benthamite man. Indeed, old Jeremy would have been proud of us as we enthusiastically adapted his famous “felicific calculus” to the measurement of user satisfaction. By this time the “user” as a concept had mutated from being a “borrower”, or even a “reader” and the information‐gathering behaviour of human beings had become a special study of its own. If this potentially valuable study is ever to be enlightening and productive it must include all kinds and conditions of people in varying contexts of cultural change and linguistic settings. It is tempting to limit the analysis to a ruler and stopwatch approach to specialized groups in readily definable roles; the approach has a tidy look about it and is more susceptible to the methodologies of the sciences and social sciences. Such an approach encircles reality as a doughnut does its hole; it is an approach that is doubly deceptive because it has the appearance of being scientific.
THE process of setting up the new Polytechnics initiated by the White Paper of May, 1966 entitled “A Plan for Polytechnics and other Colleges” is now approaching completion. Of…
Abstract
THE process of setting up the new Polytechnics initiated by the White Paper of May, 1966 entitled “A Plan for Polytechnics and other Colleges” is now approaching completion. Of the 30 Polytechnics proposed 14 have now been established and practically all the others should be in operation by next September. All of them embrace one or more Colleges of Technology. Colleges of Art, Building and Commerce are also involved and, in two cases, Colleges of Education.
Briony Birdi, Kerry Wilson and Joanne Cocker
The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the literature within the fields of public librarianship, social exclusion and empathy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the literature within the fields of public librarianship, social exclusion and empathy.
Design/methodology/approach
The cross‐disciplinary review involved the consultation of material from disciplines including library and information management, politics, social policy and social sciences, cultural studies, psychology, management and organizational theory. It was structured according to the following themes: exclusion, inclusion and social policy, social inclusion in public services and the cultural sector, the role of public libraries in social inclusion and professional empathy and the public library service. Findings –The concept of social inclusion remains at the core of public library policy and strategy, and is embedded in contemporary social theory. Conflicting views have emerged as to the perceived and actual role of the public library in combating social exclusion, with a need expressed for research to be conducted that bridges the gap between the “philosophical” interpretations of community librarianship and the more practical, “real world” studies, in order to fully understand the concept of community librarianship. A critical link is made between social inclusion and public librarianship to professional empathy.
Research limitations/implications
The paper provides an edited version of the overall literature review, yet it is felt that it would be of theoretical and practical relevance and value to the professional and academic communities.
Originality/value
Empathy is a relatively new concept in librarianship research, and prior to the study of which this review forms a part only limited findings have been available.
Details
Keywords
This article presents an introduction to the Delphi method and review of Delphi studies published in the literature of library and information science (LIS).
Abstract
Purpose
This article presents an introduction to the Delphi method and review of Delphi studies published in the literature of library and information science (LIS).
Design/methodology/approach
A review of Delphi studies published between the years of 1971 and 2019 is performed, using studies retrieved from the Library and Information Science Source database. A total of 122 articles were retrieved and evaluated based on the population studied, means of identifying experts, number of participants for each study round, type of Delphi, and type of findings.
Findings
General librarians (any type), academic librarians, and information science researchers are the most common populations in LIS Delphi studies. On average (middle 50 percent of studies), 14–36 experts are used in the first round of LIS Delphi studies (median n = 23). Employment in a specific role and publications in scholarly journals are the most common means of identifying experts. Variants of the e-Delphi (online survey/email) method are increasingly common, particularly in LIS Delphi studies that focus on general information science, rather than library, topics. Though LIS Delphi studies are relatively few in number, they have a consistent record of being published in some of the most prestigious LIS journals.
Originality/value
This paper provides an introduction to the Delphi method for LIS research and presents an overview of existing literature in LIS that utilizes the research method. No overview of this extent exists in the LIS literature, and, thus, this paper may serve as an important information source about the method for LIS researchers.
Details
Keywords
Robyn Dunlop and Caren Brenda Scheepers
The purpose of this study is investigating the influence of leadership on work engagement. The definition of leadership is primarily couched in culturally masculine terms (and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is investigating the influence of leadership on work engagement. The definition of leadership is primarily couched in culturally masculine terms (and known as an agentic leadership style) that disfavours women, who are often perceived as being communal leaders who are compassionate and humble. The research gap addressed is whether communal and agentic leadership styles of female leaders have positive associations with work engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative study was undertaken by applying purposive non-probability sampling and using an online survey with screening questions to ensure the respondent reported to a senior female manager. The survey consisted of reliable and valid Likert scales: agentic and communal leadership styles were assessed using the Agency-Communion-Inventory (AC-IN) scale with 20 questions and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9) with three sub-scales: vigour, dedication and absorption. The 153 usable responses in this study were used to conduct validity and reliability tests and to apply multiple regression to test associations.
Findings
Both agentic and communal leadership have a positive impact on work engagement when exhibited by a female. Although agentic leadership had an influence on all the elements of work engagement, communal leadership had a far stronger impact.
Originality/value
Female managers with communal leadership styles need to realise that they have more influence on their employees’ emotional, physical and cognitive connections to their work than female managers with agentic leadership styles. Those with agentic leadership styles need to exhibit a communal style as well, so as to enhance the influence they have on their employees’ work engagement.