Libraries and return on investment (ROI): A meta-analysis

Purpose of this paper: The need to communicate the value of libraries is growing, and especially now during the global financial crisis. As a response library valuation research is expanding and there is now a need for a status report. Background: The library valuation field is on its way to generating a critical mass of empirical studies. The focus of this meta-analytical review is on the subgroup that reports a return on investment (ROI) or a cost-benefit ratio. Methods used for the study: Meta-analysis is a quantitative analysis of findings of previous studies, conducted to infer general findings and lessons from prior empirical research. The dataset is 38 library valuation studies reporting a return on investment figure or cost-benefit ratio. Findings: 32 of the 38 studies are of public libraries, a number high enough to indicate a tenable result. The meta-analysis indicate that the patterns in the findings are consistent with expectations regarding the benefit types that are included in the ROI figure, the methods used, and the scope of the study. Value of paper: This study appears to be the first meta-analytical review of library studies reporting a return on investment figure. The tentative conclusion is that for each dollar invested in public libraries they return, on average, approximately four times more. This is a strong message with policy implications

From collections to connections: building a revised platform for library and information science

Introduction. The paper discusses the often-repeated assertion that digitization makes libraries and librarians redundant by giving everyone access to the information they need without having to rely upon librarians as information middlemen. Method. Relevant articles both from research literature and from discussions in the public sphere preoccupied with the relationship between digitization and librarianship are summarised and discussed. Analysis. The essence of librarianship is discussed and we propose the following generic definition: librarians are professionals who, on the basis of organized collections of documents, initiate and stimulate social processes related to knowledge sharing, knowledge creation, learning and cultural experiences. The processes represent the mission, the collections the tool. Based on this definition the relevancy of librarianship in a digital world is discussed. Results. We suggest that, based on the generic understanding of librarianship, librarians will still be needed. The social processes implied in the discussion presupposes places in which those processes may unfold and these places might be called libraries. Conclusion.Librarians and libraries are not redundant, but they will have to change in order to stay relevant. One important change is to focus upon the mission instead of the tool

Utviklingen fra det moderne til det senmoderne folkebibliotek

ANMELDELSE:Folkebiblioteket under forandring: modernitet, feltog diskurs / Henrik Jochumsen og Casper Hvenegaard Rasmussen. København: Danmarks Biblioteksforening og Danmarks Biblioteksskole. 2006. 236 s., fig.

Biblioteket som motor i å skape lokalsamfunn med sammenhengskraft i en flerkulturell storbykontekst

Er bibliotekfeltets nye ideer om bibliotekene som møteplasser i lokalsamfunnet og motorer for integrasjon og bygging av lokalsamfunn med sammenhengskraft i samsvar eller i konflikt med holdninger i omgivelsene? Med utgangspunkt i ett case, en flerkulturell bydel i Oslo, søker artikkelen å avdekke hvordan interessentene i et biblioteks lokalmiljø-politikere, forvaltning, skoler, barnehager, frivillige organisasjoner og den alminnelige borger - ser på bibliotekets rolle som møteplass og lokalsamfunns-utvikler. Forskningsdesignet var sammensatt, med vekt på fokusgruppeintervjuer med nøkkelaktører i lokalmiljøet samt representanter for beboerne, både bibliotekbrukere og ikke-brukere. Funnene viser at alle informantgruppene, inklusive beboere som nå ikke bruker lokalbiblioteket, hadde et sammensatt og variert syn på hvilken rolle biblioteket kan spille lokalsamfunnet, og forskjellene mellom dem var små. De la vekt på rollen som lavintensiv møteplass som fremmer samhørighet, som integrasjonsarena og flerkulturell møteplass og som stedsutvikler (place-maker) som kan bidra til å utvikle lokal identitet - langt på vei i tråd med bibliotekfeltets ideer

How do public libraries function as meeting places?

How are libraries used as meeting places, and by whom? Through survey data, six categories of places are identified: the library as a "square," as a place for meeting diverse people, as a public sphere, as a place for joint activities with friends and colleagues, a metameeting place, and as a place for virtual meetings. Representative samples of the population in three townships in Oslo, each with a markedly different demographic profile, are surveyed. Multivariate regression analyses are performed to analyze why some people use the library for a range of meetings and others do not, as well as to examine variations in the use of the library for different kinds of meetings. Public libraries are shown to be used for a variety of meetings. Community involvement is more important than township and demographic variables in explaining variations in use of the library as a meeting place. Correlations between low income and low education and high use of the library as a meeting place were found, indicating that the library as a meeting place plays a substantial role in equalizing the possibilities of being an active citizen across social and economic differences. The study contributes to understanding the role of the public library in a multicultural context. The public library as a unique and complex meeting place has important implications for future librarianship

Public libraries : a meeting place for immigrant women?

The potential role of the public library in the lives of immigrant women is elicited by in-depth interviews with nine female immigrants to Norway from Iran, Afghanistan, and Kurdistan. The research utilizes social capital theory, the concepts of communities of practice and legitimate peripheral participation, as well as the concepts of high intensive versus low intensive meeting places. The results indicate that the library plays different roles in the different stages in the respondents' experiences as immigrants. It allows for legitimate peripheral participation when the immigrants move from observing at a distance to more active participation. The library functions as a high intensive as well as a low intensive meeting place and seems to contribute to building social capital in a variety of ways

Perceived outcomes of public libraries in Finland, Norway and the Netherlands

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the perceived benefits of public libraries and their structure in the major areas of life between Finland, Norway and the Netherlands. Design/methodology/approach – The data were based on representative samples of Finnish, Norwegian and Dutch adult library users. In Finland a mail survey was used and in Norway and the Netherlands web surveys were used for data collection. The distribution of the proportion of those benefiting from the library in various areas of life at least sometimes was compared across countries. The structure of benefits was compared across countries by factor analysis. Findings – The results showed that the level of the nineteen benefits observed was considerably higher, and the range of benefits remarkably broader in Finland compared to Norway and the Netherlands. It is likely that the greater supply of library services in Finland compared to the other two countries explains the differences in benefits derived from the public library. The study validated the measurement instrument for the perceived overall outcomes of public libraries. Research limitations/implications – Comparing only three countries is too limited for producing valid results on the relations between the supply of library services and their use and the benefits derived from that use. Analyzing these associations in a larger sample of countries would create reliable results also for policy making. Practical implications – The policy implications of these findings are discussed. Originality/value – This is the first across-country comparison observing perceived benefits of public libraries across major areas of life

Public libraries, social capital, and low intensive meeting places

Introduction. This paper presents a research project aiming at eliciting the potential of public libraries in building social capital, and promoting generalized trust in today's multicultural society. Method. Two approaches to research, the societal approach and the institutional approach are identified. The concept of low intensive versus high intensive meeting places is presented. A survey among inhabitants in four different metropolitan communities varying according to demographic characteristics in general, and the percentage of the population with a non-Western background in particular was undertaken. Initial results from a survey on how the public library is taken into use as a meeting place are presented and analysed. Analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the research question. Results. The survey results indicate that the library is a complex meeting place with a range of meetings along a continuum from high intensive to low intensive meetings. Conclusions. The library's potential role as a promoter of social capital by functioning as a low intensive meeting place seems to offer a promising research agenda