Download or read book Part of Our Lives written by Wayne A. Wiegand and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2015 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Challenges conventional thinking and top-down definitions, instead drawing on the library user's perspective to argue that the public library's most important function is providing commonplace reading materials and public space. Challenges a professional ethos about public libraries and their responsibilities to fight censorship and defend intellectual freedom. Demonstrates that the American public library has been (with some notable exceptions) a place that welcomed newcomers, accepted diversity, and constructed community since the end of the 19th century. Shows how stories that cultural authorities have traditionally disparaged- i.e. books that are not "serious"- have often been transformative for public library users.
Download or read book The Public Library written by Alvin Saunders Johnson and published by . This book was released on 1938 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Public Libraries in the 21st Century written by Ann E. Prentice and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2010-11-11 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book helps readers explore how public librarians have reinvented the ways they bring people and information together to meet 21st-century challenges. Public Libraries in the 21st Century provides an up-to-date picture of what the public library is today, what the public librarian needs to know, and how to apply that knowledge. The book offers a thought-provoking exploration of the social, political, economic, cultural, and technological influences that determine the role of the public library in our society. It also looks at ways in which that role continues to change to meet new challenges, while always keeping true to the mission of bringing people and information together. Beginning in the latter half of the 20th century, the library reinvented and repositioned itself to be a force for people and their interaction with information. To illuminate that process, the book outlines the history and purpose of the public library. Issues of leadership, planning, decision making, organizing, and staffing are discussed, as is the impact of technology on how the library is managed and how it serves the community.
Download or read book For the People written by Whitney North Seymour and published by Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday. This book was released on 1979 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses the history of public libraries and their importance to the community and provides advice and suggestions for citizens and legislators fighting for more government backing for library services.
Download or read book The American Public Library and the Problem of Purpose written by Patrick Williams and published by Praeger. This book was released on 1988-11-02 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The problem of purpose in the title is the 130-year debate within the library community over the proper place for the library in society. Chapters discuss roles for public libraries from the founding of the Boston Public Library with its clear educational purpose through attempts at rational planning for library roles in the 1980s. The controversy about the place of popular fiction in American libraries in the late 19th century; the militant outreach efforts during the early decades of the 20th century; the adult education phase during the 1920s to 1940s; and the library as an information nexus for the people during the late 1960s and 1970s are additional topics covered. The style is highly readable and provides important historical insights that should be of interest not only to library educators and students, but to any public librarian concerned with current service roles. Library Journal Since the mid-1800s, when the first American public libraries were established, the proper role of the library as a public institution has been debated within the professional community. A systematic examination of that debate, this study provides an historical survey of the public library's view of itself--its development, social and educational functions, and larger purposes within American society. Williams begins with a discussion of the creation of the Boston Public Library. He assesses public satisfaction with the services that libraries have consistently provided, including books for the recreational reader, materials and assistance to students, and children's programs designed to make books attractive and interesting to younger readers. He looks at the changing aspirations of the community of librarians, which has envisioned the institution variously as an agency for continuing education, a civic center of inspiration and uplift for the people, and a center for the political enlightenment of the masses. The author maintains that the gulf between public and professional perceptions needs to be addressed by present-day librarians, who continue to be faced with conflicting notions of what the library's role should be. He suggests that the professional community must sooner or later integrate a broader vision of the library's purpose with the expectations of the public it is intended to serve. Both entertaining and informative, this book offers new insights and historical perspectives that will be of particular interest to the fields of library science and American social and intellectual history.
Download or read book Main Street Public Library written by Wayne A. Wiegand and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2011-10-02 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States has more public libraries than it has McDonald’s restaurants. By any measure, the American public library is a heavily used and ubiquitous institution. Popular thinking identifies the public library as a neutral agency that protects democratic ideals by guarding against censorship as it makes information available to people from all walks of life. Among librarians this idea is known as the “library faith.” But is the American public library as democratic as it appears to be? In Main Street Public Library, eminent library historian Wayne Wiegand studies four emblematic small-town libraries in the Midwest from the late nineteenth century through the federal Library Service Act of 1956, and shows that these institutions served a much different purpose than is so often perceived. Rather than acting as neutral institutions that are vital to democracy, the libraries of Sauk Centre, Minnesota; Osage, Iowa; Rhinelander, Wisconsin; and Lexington, Michigan, were actually mediating community literary values and providing a public space for the construction of social harmony. These libraries, and the librarians who ran them, were often just as susceptible to the political and social pressures of their time as any other public institution. By analyzing the collections of all four libraries and revealing what was being read and why certain acquisitions were passed over, Wiegand challenges both traditional perceptions and professional rhetoric about the role of libraries in our small-town communities. While the American public library has become essential to its local community, it is for reasons significantly different than those articulated by the “library faith.”
Download or read book Lifelong Learning in Public Libraries written by Donna L. Gilton and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2012-03-15 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lifelong Learning in Public Libraries demonstrates that public librarians can promote learning by combining the elements of Information Literacy Instruction (ILI) with traditional practices of public libraries. This approach contributes to the information enfranchisement of patrons and enhances the fulfillment of the traditional goals and purposes of libraries. Donna L. Gilton provides background on ILI and current developments in public library instruction and also examines educational theories and practices derived from the fields of behaviorism, cognitive psychology, constructivism, and educational humanism. Additional chapters delve into practices developed to deal with diverse groups and translate the theories and practices that have been outlined into a well-coordinated plan. The final chapters survey the role of libraries as cultural institutions. This book introduces the field of ILI to public librarians in the context of their own traditions and shows the unique ways that ILI can be implemented in public library settings. It encourages librarians to rethink practices to incorporate the principles of ILI and will enable public librarians to extend and enrich their instruction on information use. Lifelong Learning in Public Libraries is a valuable resource for librarians, educators, and leaders of public organizations.
Download or read book The Public Library and the People written by University of Michigan. Survey Research Center and published by . This book was released on 1948 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Public Library written by David McMenemy and published by Facet Publishing. This book was released on 2009 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Public libraries have changed beyond anyone's predictions in the past ten years and are at a vital stage in their historical development. This timely book is the first standalone text to examine the role and services of the UK public library in the 21st century context. The book discusses the nature and functions of the modern public library service, from its beginnings as the street-corner university, through its delivery of state-of-the-art services and beyond. At the heart of the book is a passionate argument for the professional and public significance of the public library service. The key chapters are: public libraries: the modern context historical development of public libraries equity of access cultural and leisure roles information, advice and informed citizenship lifelong learning the impact of ICT management, governance and budgeting issues performance measurement and evaluation professional and staffing issues marketing, branding and buildings the public library of tomorrow. Readership: Of interest to all students and researchers of library and information science, as well as professionals in public libraries, this book is an advocacy tool for an essential service consistently under pressure.
Download or read book Poor People and Library Services written by Karen M. Venturella and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-11-16 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1996, nearly 40 million United States citizens were reported to be living in poverty. This enormous number set in conjunction with the rapid growth in demand for more information technology presents librarians with a wrenching dilemma: how to maintain a modern facility while increasing services to the economically disadvantaged. Karen Venturella has gathered a diverse group of librarians and facilitators--including Khafre Abif, head of Children's Services for the Mount Vernon Public Library in New York; Wizard Marks, who directs the Chicago Lake Security Center in its mission to improve the area; Lillian Marrero, who has concentrated on providing services to the Spanish speaking population; Kathleen de la Pena McCook, director of the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Florida; and 15 others--to find strategies for dealing with the current crisis of disparity. These writers address both the theoretical issues of ensuring access to information regardless of ability to pay, and the practical means for meeting the needs of low income populations. Appendices include the ALA's "Policy on Library Services to Poor People," "The Library Bill of Rights," and a listing of poverty-related organizations.
Download or read book The Public Library as people s University written by Jack David Hurwitz and published by . This book was released on 1974 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Function of the Public Library in a Democracy written by John Hopkin Leete and published by . This book was released on 1920 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book This is Your Public Library written by South Bend Public Library (South Bend, Ind.) and published by . This book was released on 1939 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Role of the Public Library in American Life written by Michael H. Harris and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Public Libraries in the United States written by Torrell Danielsen and published by Nova Publishers. This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Book & CD-ROM. Public libraries provide critical learning and information resources for individuals, families, local businesses, and non-profits. They broaden opportunities for people of all ages through access to collections and technology and by providing expert assistance from information professionals. Many public libraries anchor community improvement efforts by providing programming that addresses the health, educational, and workforce development needs of local residents. In communities across the country, local libraries compliment commercial development activity and provide attractive neighbourhood amenities in residential settings. In FY 2010, there were 8,951 public libraries in the 50 states and the District of Columbia with 17,078 public library branches and bookmobiles. This total translates to approximately 3.0 public libraries and 5.8 outlets for every 100,000 people. This book focuses on the character of public library services, funding and resource changes, and current trends in the public library workforce, and also highlights statistics at the national level. Data from all states has been aggregated to provide current national estimates and to examine trends from prior years.
Download or read book Do You Web 2 0 written by Linda Berube and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2011-05-03 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Web 2.0 technology is a hot topic at the moment, and public librarians in particular are beginning to feel the pressure to apply these tools. Indeed, Web 2.0 has the potential to transform library services, but only if the policy and strategy for those services are ready to be transformed. The author not only reviews these tools and provides practical advice and case studies on how they can be applied in the public library setting, but also recommends the policies and business cases that begin to create a new strategy for public libraries. Particularly geared to the public library setting Advice on using in conjunction or integrated with other public library services Examples of best practice
Download or read book The Public Library and Blind People written by Peter Craddock and published by [London] : British Library. This book was released on 1985 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
