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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1994

John Burnett and Sheila McClure

The paper discusses information services which are being developed within the National Museums of Scotland (NMS), to support the Museum of Scotland Project. NMS has started to…

203

Abstract

The paper discusses information services which are being developed within the National Museums of Scotland (NMS), to support the Museum of Scotland Project. NMS has started to build a new museum in the centre of Edinburgh, to display its rich collections of Scottish material. It is due to open in 1998. The information needs of project teams are examined. A strategy for responding to the rapidly changing needs of project teams is described. The approach concentrates on developing a variety of information resources, which together meet the needs of users, and making some of them accessible throughout the organization as services on a data communications network. Internal services include collections databases, a collections management system for the Museum of Scotland Project, and the library catalogue online. External services include the development of a Scottish national database of museum objects, and access to the Joint Academic Network. The data communications network is described, and the management of the system is discussed.

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Aslib Proceedings, vol. 46 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0001-253X

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1993

Sheila McClure

In 1991 the library of the National Museums of Scotland undertook asurvey of the information needs of library users among NMS staff. Theaim of the survey was to obtain users�…

65

Abstract

In 1991 the library of the National Museums of Scotland undertook a survey of the information needs of library users among NMS staff. The aim of the survey was to obtain users′ views about what services they required, to assist in the establishment of clear priorities for future library activity. A questionnaire was sent to 176 staff, and the response rate was 72 per cent. The results showed that respondents placed a high value on traditional services, such as books and journal supply and the catalogue, but that there was significant interest in newer services such as access to JANET. There was also a need for better publicity about the library and its range of services. The library has developed an action plan for implementing some improvements to services, which were identified as desirable by the survey.

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Library Review, vol. 42 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

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Book part
Publication date: 29 March 2014

Matthew R. Griffis

This exploratory study, a Ph.D. dissertation completed at the University of Western Ontario in 2013, examines the materially embedded relations of power between library users and…

Abstract

This exploratory study, a Ph.D. dissertation completed at the University of Western Ontario in 2013, examines the materially embedded relations of power between library users and staff in public libraries and how building design regulates spatial behavior according to organizational objectives. It considers three public library buildings as organization spaces (Dale & Burrell, 2008) and determines the extent to which their spatial organizations reproduce the relations of power between the library and its public that originated with the modern public library building type ca. 1900. Adopting a multicase study design, I conducted site visits to three, purposefully selected public library buildings of similar size but various ages. Site visits included: blueprint analysis; organizational document analysis; in-depth, semi-structured interviews with library users and library staff; cognitive mapping exercises; observations; and photography.

Despite newer approaches to designing public library buildings, the use of newer information technologies, and the emergence of newer paradigms of library service delivery (e.g., the user-centered model), findings strongly suggest that the library as an organization still relies on many of the same socio-spatial models of control as it did one century ago when public library design first became standardized. The three public libraries examined show spatial organizations that were designed primarily with the librarian, library materials, and library operations in mind far more than the library user or the user’s many needs. This not only calls into question the public library’s progressiveness over the last century but also hints at its ability to survive in the new century.

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Advances in Library Administration and Organization
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-744-3

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1985

Richard W. Grefrath

It's no surprise that the early 1980s have witnessed a resurgence of interest in etiquette books, since that's that usual reaction after a period of loose morals. The current…

131

Abstract

It's no surprise that the early 1980s have witnessed a resurgence of interest in etiquette books, since that's that usual reaction after a period of loose morals. The current vogue features the New Right, short haircuts, and proper behavior, a predictable backlash after the “Age of Aquarius,” the hedonistic 1960s: the age of love‐ins, be‐ins, and smoke‐ins. Two bestselling etiquette books in particular have parlayed this social milieu into commercial success: Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior (1982), and Eve Drobot's Class Acts (1982). Ms. Drobot, a Canadian journalist, realizes that those of the tribal 1960s have “shucked blue‐jeans in favor of 3‐piece suits: we are junior members of law firms…we have to take clients out to lunch, attend cocktail parties, and travel on business.”

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Collection Building, vol. 6 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0160-4953

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 1989

Abby Day and Mathew Wills

The steps consumers should take when they receive either foodpoisoning from or foreign matter in food are described. To whom shouldthey report the offence and how will they be…

34

Abstract

The steps consumers should take when they receive either food poisoning from or foreign matter in food are described. To whom should they report the offence and how will they be compensated? The roles of environmental health and trading standards officers are outlined.

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British Food Journal, vol. 91 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2005

Margaret Jay and Sheila Webber

Aims to investigate the impact of the internet on reference services in public libraries in England.

3378

Abstract

Purpose

Aims to investigate the impact of the internet on reference services in public libraries in England.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review provides the policy context for UK public library services and highlights developments in digital reference. A questionnaire was administered in 2003 to a sample of the public library authorities in England, investigating the use of the internet for receiving or answering reference enquiries, the use of electronic reference sources, and the nature of public library web sites.

Findings

Thirty responses were received, representing a response rate of 60 per cent. All respondents used e‐mail to answer reference enquiries, but there was low use (and in some cases awareness) of other technologies. The librarians' attitude towards digital reference services, considering aspects such as improved access and increased efficiency, was predominantly positive. Some concerns were raised, such as the administration of public access computers. Patrons could access more electronic reference sources within the library than they could remotely. The majority of public libraries had web sites, most commonly offering access to the library catalogue and community databases. The results of this study are compared with two previous surveys.

Practical implications

The paper concludes by identifying the need for public library managers to assess the changing role of professionals and para‐professionals in delivering reference services, and to provide appropriate training. It also notes that despite the discussion of real‐time reference, asynchronous digital reference is still more common in England.

Originality/value

There has not been a survey of this type for English public library authorities. The sample represents 20 per cent of the target population.

Details

Program, vol. 39 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0033-0337

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Article
Publication date: 25 April 2018

Caroline Hood and Peter Reid

The purpose of this paper is to examine issues associated with user engagement on social media with local history in the North East of Scotland and to focus on a case study of the…

2313

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine issues associated with user engagement on social media with local history in the North East of Scotland and to focus on a case study of the Buckie and District Fishing Heritage Society, a small but very successful and professionally-run community-based local heritage organisation.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach using photo elicitation on social media was deployed in conjunction with analysis of the user interactions and the reach insights provided by Facebook to the page manager. Additionally, a focus group was used.

Findings

The research, although focussed on an individual case study, offers significant lessons which are more widely applicable in the local history and cultural heritage social media domain. Key aspects include user engagement and how digital storytelling can assist in the documentation of local communities ultimately contributing to local history research and the broader cultural memory. The significance of the image and the photo elicitation methodology is also explored.

Social implications

The research demonstrates new opportunities for engaging users and displaying historical content that can be successfully exploited by community heritage organisations. These are themes which will be developed within the paper. The research also demonstrates the value of photo elicitation in both historical and wider information science fields as a means of obtaining in-depth quality engagement and interaction with users and communities.

Originality/value

The research explored the underutilised method of photo elicitation in a local history context with a community possessed of a strong sense of local identity. In addition to exploring the benefits of this method, it presents transferable lessons for how small, community-based history and heritage organisation can engage effectively with their audience.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 74 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

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Article
Publication date: 10 November 2014

Robert Detmering, Anna Marie Johnson, Claudene Sproles, Samantha McClellan and Rosalinda Hernandez Linares

– The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.

Design/methodology/approach

Introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2013.

Findings

Provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.

Originality/value

The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 42 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

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Article
Publication date: 1 August 1988

Library Workstation and PC Report, founded in 1984 as M300 and PC Report, was the brainchild of Allan Pratt, then at the University of Arizona. Pratt, the founding editor of Small

28

Abstract

Library Workstation and PC Report, founded in 1984 as M300 and PC Report, was the brainchild of Allan Pratt, then at the University of Arizona. Pratt, the founding editor of Small Computers in Libraries, had a hunch that OCLC's introduction of the M300 workstation was going to call for much hand‐holding and specialist advice and information for librarians. He was right. M300 and PC Report had a subscribership well before the first issue was mailed to readers. And it remains a growing publication to this day.

Details

Library Workstation and PC Report, vol. 5 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0894-9158

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 1996

Laurel A. Clyde

Many libraries are using the Internet's World Wide Web to provide information/or library clients and others. The article begins with a brief discussion of the situation in one…

320

Abstract

Many libraries are using the Internet's World Wide Web to provide information/or library clients and others. The article begins with a brief discussion of the situation in one country, Iceland, based on a November 1995 questionnaire survey. Among other things, this Icelandic survey looked at library use of the Internet and the ways in which libraries are using the World Wide Web to provide information via a homepage. A larger Nordic study, of which this Icelandic study was part, sets the Icelandic findings in a broader context. To take this further into an international setting content analyses were carried out of the home pages of public libraries and school libraries in 13 different countries. After a short description of the methodology, the results of these analyses are presented Based on this, there is a discussion of the purposes for which a library might create a home page on the World Wide Web and of the information that might be provided through the homepage, depending on the purpose or aim. The final section of the paper deals with issues and problems associated with the creation and maintenance of a library home page.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 14 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

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