**Apologies for cross-posting.**
Immediately prior to its transfer to the LIC, the research grants
function of the British Library Research and Innovation Centre
published a number of research reports. Brief details are included
below; full details of all LIC publications (and RIC publications
1997-1999) are available from the LIC website at:
http://www.lic.gov.uk/publications/
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People, politics and hard decisions: an investigation into the
management of public library closures
by Sylvia Simmons and Richard Proctor
42p
BLR&I report 132
ISBN 0712397574
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Available from: British Thesis Service, British Library Document
Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby LS23 7BQ tel: 01937 546229;
fax: 01937 546286; email: [log in to unmask]
Price in the UK: microfiche £5.00; photocopy £12.00
This is an account of a study into the decision making process involved
in closing public library service points. The research investigates the
experiences of 20 authorities which closed libraries between 1991 and
1997. It examines reasons for closure decisions and identifies and
discusses criteria for closure adopted by these authorities. It
investigates relationships between management, elected members and users
and considers the influence that each party may have in the eventual
decision to close. It explores the communication process throughout the
decision-making process, examining both consultation and information
giving processes. The results of the study are intended to help inform
the decision making of those authorities considering the closure of
public library service points.
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Investing in LIS people: the impact of the Investors in People
initiative on the library and information sector
by Anne Goulding...[et al.]
142p
BLR&I report 141
ISBN 07123974345
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Available from: British Thesis Service, British Library Document Supply
Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby LS23 7BQ tel: 01937 546229; fax: 01937
546286; email: [log in to unmask] Price in the UK:
microfiche £5.00; photocopy £12.00
This report presents the findings of research which aimed to analyse the
reception and penetration of the Investors in People (IIP) Standard in
library and information services (LIS) in the UK, and assess its merit
as a framework for the development and implementation of staff training
policies and plans. The report concludes that both employees and
managers in library & information services see considerable value in the
Investors in People standard but that accreditation can take
considerable time and effort.
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Staff in the new library: skill needs and learning choices: findings
from Training the future, a public library research project
by Bronwen Jones...[et al.]
238p
BLR&I report 152
ISBN 0712397418
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Available from: Marje Westley, Bookings and Sales, Floor 2, Central
Library, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3HQ tel: 0121 303 2868.
Price in the UK: £5.00
The report contains the findings of a one year public library research
project into the impact of new technologies on staff and ways to
re-skill the library workforce. Training the future aims to be
practical research that can be applied to real situations in public
libraries today and in the future. The overriding message from the
research is the importance of creating a 'learning culture' in
libraries. If we are to meet the challenges of rapid technological and
cultural change and take advantage of the opportunities it brings, we
need to achieve a change in the way we do things. Organisations that
are able to learn from their mistakes and experiment with new
approaches are the ones that will survive in this rapidly changing
environment. Staff who are able to adapt to the changes by keeping
their skills up-to-date will be at a distinct advantage. The report
recommends that technology-based learning methods are incorporated
into library learning or training strategies, and treated as integral
to the staff development process. However, the research also shows
that if these learning methods are to be successful, libraries need to
take a considered approach to planning and implementation. The report
recommendations and consultants' guides indicate the way forward.
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Assessment tools for quality management in public libraries
by Margaret Evans, Kathryn Jones and Bob Usherwood
355p
BLR&I report 155
ISBN 0712397442
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Available from: British Thesis Service, British Library Document
Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby LS23 7BQ tel: 01937 546229; fax:
01937 546286; email: [log in to unmask] Price in the
UK: microfiche £5.00; photocopy £12.00
The aim of this project was to develop, implement and test a
self-assessment tool-kit for public library services.
The report is split into three sections. The first section outlines
the development of the research and provides the context for
understanding why self-assessment is becoming an increasingly
important management tool for public libraries. The second section
introduces the self-assessment toolkit that was developed and provides
details the self-assessment process the demonstrator authorities
undertook. It concludes by listing the critical success factors for
implementing self-assessment. The third section shows how the results
of self assessment can be used to inform library planning, and offers
recommendations for the use of self-assessment across the public
library and information sector.
Library Association Publishing intends to publish in August 1999 a
resource pack encapsulating the results of this work. The resource
pack will comprise a supporting text (to be read by senior managers
and trainers before implementation) and a fully deliverable ring-bound
training programme. The supporting text describes and discusses the
development of a quality management model and self-assessment
approaches for the LIS sector using the three models of QM to
facilitate comparisions. It makes recommendations and provides
guidelines which take account of the imperatives of library services
within their own institutional context. The training pack contains all
the necessary elements to use in developing a training programme on
self-assessment in the organisation including OHP's, handouts and full
trainer notes.
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Education and training for information work in the voluntary sector
by Rebecca Linley...{et al.]
115,[21]p
BLR&I report 156
0712397450
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Available from: British Thesis Service, British Library Document
Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby LS23 7BQ tel: 01937 546229; fax:
01937 546286; email: [log in to unmask] Price in the
UK: microfiche £5.00; photocopy £12.00
The report presents the findings of research which aimed to
investigate the role of the information specialist in the voluntary
sector, and to identify models for the delivery of education and
training. The research survey suggested that a wide range of
postholders carry out information work in the sector, and confirmed
the view that the sector was not significantly professionalised. It
also identified a significant information skills deficit in the
sector. The major barriers to the take-up of education and training
were seen as relating to time and money constraints. A demand for
flexible and context specific models of education and training was
identified in both the survey and interviews with practitioners and
with providers. The report concludes with recommendations for key
stakeholders.
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Skills and competencies in the corporate sector
by Andrew Stenson, Rosemary Raddon, Angela Abell
165p
BLR&I report 162
0712397493
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Available from: British Thesis Service, British Library Document Supply
Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby LS23 7BQ tel: 01937 546229; fax: 01937
546286; email: [log in to unmask] Price in the UK:
microfiche £5.00; photocopy £12.00
The aim of this project was to enable library and information
professionals to identify and develop the skills and competencies
relevant to the corporate sector. The research set out to: identify
the current and emerging positions relevant to library and information
managers in the banking, pharmaceutical and information provision
industries (all three, fast moving industries in highly competitive
markets); identify and profile the skills and competencies needed for
first and second jobs in these sectors; determine how far academic
departments were inculcating these skills.
The overall findings suggest that at first job level a mix of
interpersonal skills, particularly communication skills, team skills
and computer literacy are high on the employers' list of requirements.
These remain a core requirement for second posts with the addition of
some management skills and a demonstration of business or sector
awareness.
An understanding of library and information issues appears to
contribute to employability at first job level. At second job level,
information skills together with industry specific knowledge are
expected.
The report recommendations include: further research to increase
awareness of career paths within the corporate sector; the promotion
of links between employers, educators and professionals in other
sectors; the development of a national education and training centre
as a distance learning university for information professionals in the
corporate sector; development of a mentoring network and broader based
accreditation framework.
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Understanding digital libraries: towards a conceptual framework
by David Bawden and Ian Rowlands
44p
BLR&I rpeort 170
0712397523
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Available from: British Thesis Service, British Library Document
Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby LS23 7BQ tel: 01937 546229;
fax: 01937 546286; email: [log in to unmask] Price
in the UK: microfiche £5.00; photocopy £12.00
This report seeks to clarify our understanding of the 'digital
library' construct. The report is in two main sections. The first part
examines twenty commonly-held assumptions about the digital library
which are evident in the professional and academic literature. An
attempt is made to clarify the meaning of 'digital library' and related
concepts such as the 'hybrid library', the 'electronic library', the
'library without walls' and the 'library of the future'. The report
highlights a schism between how the digital library concept is
understood and employed within library and information studies and
within the computer sciences. It suggests that the term 'complex
library' may be a more meaningful way to look at contemporary
developments in library practice.
The second part of the study develops a conceptual framework for
making sense of digital library developments. This locates information
and communication technologies within a work-oriented perspective and
uses a simple model to show how that research into the digital library
embraces social as well as systems and informational perspectives.
This model is further extended by considering the dynamic nature of
digital library projects and how they roll out in stages, marked by
the extent of their organisational impact.
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Citizenship information
by Rita Marcella and Graeme Baxter
161p
BLR&I report 173
0712397558
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Available from: British Thesis Service, British Library Document
Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby LS23 7BQ tel: 01937 546229; fax:
01937 546286; email: [log in to unmask] Price in the
UK: microfiche £5.00; photocopy £12.00
Citizenship information is information produced by or about national
and local government, government departments and public sector
organisations which may be of value to the citizen either as part of
everyday life or in the participation by the citizen in government and
policy formulation. This report describes a research project which
investigated the extent to which members of the UK public have
expressed or unexpressed needs for citizenship information, their
preferred routes to the acquisition of such information, and the
suitability and approachability of the public library, among other
agencies. for the user seeking citizenship information.
The project found clear evidence that the public encounter situations
in which information is required to help solve problems, and that they
feel that access to information and freedom of information are very
important to them in exercising their rights as citizens. The great
majority of respondents saw public libraries as their preferred option
in seeking citizenship information, although there were still areas of
concern in that there was evidence to show that certain groups, such
as disabled people and jobseekers, are less willing to use libraries.
There was also a clear emphasis on public libraries as an appropriate
location for computerised access to citizenship information, although
other public places such as post offices and shopping centres would
also attract a significant proportion of the public. The data
suggested that no single mechanism for enabling access to information
should be seen as the ultimate solution to the information needs of
the citizen. Rather a complementary range of solutions must be offered
to the citizen.
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Simon Matty
Information Officer
Library and Information Commission
19-29 Woburn Place
London WC1H 0LU
tel:0171 273 8733
fax:0171 273 8701
email:[log in to unmask]
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