Trust in Libraries and Trust in Most People: Social Capital Creation in the Public Library

Studies of the creation of social trust and social capital indicate that informal social contact has a positive effect. Some studies find that uncorrupt public institutions have positive effects on trust and social capital. Additionally, a number of papers show that public libraries have a similar effect. The mechanisms that generate trust, however, remain largely unspecified. Therefore, research describing micro-level processes is needed to uncover the mechanisms creating trust. This article reports a study of change in social trust among first-generation Mexican immigrants who participated in English as a second language ðESLÞ classes, computer classes, and civics classes in six US public libraries. These students displayed little trust outside their family and friends; however, after participating in library programs, they became more trusting of the library, the librarians, their fellow students, and other library users. These effects can be considered a starting point for a spiral of increasing generalized trust among the students

Evolving and devolving institutions. A perspective on Norwegian public policy towards the IT industry 1945-2000

In: Roswitha Skare, Niels Windfeld Lund, Andreas Vårheim (eds.) (2007): "A Document (Re)turn". Frankfurt am Main, Peter Lang,pp. 299-309. Reprinted with permission

Public libraries: places creating social capital?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show why studies of public libraries, regarding their possible contribution in creating social capital, are important for social capital research in general, and are important for library practice in particular. Design/methodology/approach – Building on the latest theoretical developments and empirical findings of social capital research, the role of the public library as a potential creator of social capital is discussed. Findings from both quantitative and qualitative empirical research are discussed, and also the need for further studies is presented. Findings – The paper reports quantitative macro-level results concerning whether public library expenditure can contribute in explaining social trust patterns in the OECD countries. However, to be able to ascertain this, numerous qualitative studies revealing the mechanisms actually generating generalized trust are needed. Preliminary qualitative interviews suggest that this approach can prove fruitful. Research limitations/implications – The implications for further research into public libraries and the building of generalized trust are twofold: one the one hand, more specific research questions on the role libraries can be asked regarding accommodating diversity and increasing trust among diverse groups, e.g. immigrants. On the other hand, the suitability of the public library for investigating these questions makes the results relevant for social capital research in general. Practical implications – The library profession points to the importance of libraries for social capital and maintain that libraries have been overlooked in this matter. Strong sentiments like this should be ideal for implementation of research based library policies, strategies and activities for creating social capital. Originality/value – What is new in this research is that studies of public libraries may contribute in resolving the impasse within contemporary social capital research where neither institutional nor societal perspectives seem to be able to verify how social capital is create

Programs and Strategies for Community Resilience in a Metropolitan Area Public Library: A Case Study

This paper reports a case study on community-oriented public library programs in a metropolitan Texan city. A main purpose of the paper is to report the findings from this explorative case study on the relationship of a public library system with its communities from a community resilience perspective. The study is a part of a research project aiming at creating empirically-based knowledge on the role of public libraries in forming community resilience. The description of specific library programs is a basis for further study of the mechanisms contributing to community resilience. Community resilience enables communities to face major environmental change not only in the form of sudden specific disasters but also in meeting the big, slow-moving change processes shaping communities in the long run. This building of what is called generalized resilience in the community resilience literature is what is needed facing the processes of demographic change concerning aging and migration, paradigmatic change in technology, and unpredictable public policies. Communities are different, and this means that different tools and strategies are needed for building community resilience. This fact calls for multiple case studies on the roles of public libraries in the development of communities

Public Libraries Worked in the Tohoku Mega-disaster

Public libraries play important roles during disaster recovery, even when other government actors fail. Libraries are centers of local information and have local knowledge. Patrons, as well as government agencies and NGOs, benefit from public libraries’ local grounding. Along with their local communities, many public libraries in the Tohoku region of Japan were severely damaged in the earthquake and tsunami of 3.11.2011. The nuclear accident in Fukushima following the tsunami meant that libraries in the evacuated zone were abandoned. Disaster recovery is difficult to handle and few success stories are found. Studies show that where other public services have failed, public libraries have been successful in disaster recovery. The literature on the role of libraries in disaster recovery is scant and only a few cases have been studied, all in the USA. This three-case study shows that libraries worked, that is, library services were offered and were helpful in areas where libraries had been completely demolished in the Japanese prefectures of Iwate and Miyagi

A Note on Resilience Perspectives in Public Library Research: Paths Towards Research Agendas

Resilience is the ability to cope with change. The concept of resilience originating in the natural sciences has been applied in a variety of disciplines, from physics through ecology and social ecology to psychology and cultural studies. In public library research, very little resilience research has been conducted. The derived concepts of community resilience and information resilience have been applied to a very limited extent, and primarily in relation to the role of public libraries in disasters and in information literacy initiatives toward refugees. This short paper provides a condensed overview of concepts of resilience, asserts that public libraries are suitable arenas for resilience research, points to areas of research necessary for resilience theory development within the public library sphere, and engages with resilience concepts such as community resilience, information resilience, and cultural resilience

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

Do libraries matter? Public libraries and the creation of social capital

Purpose – Librarians and the library profession keep repeating that libraries contribute greatly to generating social capital by “building community”. However, little evidence of this has been presented. This paper aims to be a first step towards correcting this situation by asking whether public libraries matter in the creation of generalized trust. Design/methodology/approach – This study used quantitative data in analyzing macro-level data on whether public library expenditure could explain social trust patterns in the OECD countries. Additionally, a few qualitative interviews with public library leaders in the USA and Norway were used to indicate by what mechanisms, or by which processes, libraries generate generalized trust. Findings – The main finding is that public libraries seem the most important factor in creating generalized trust in the OECD area, even more so than efficient/impartial public institutions. However, there is the problem of causal direction. It might be the case that it is high trusting countries that prioritize public libraries. Therefore, times series data are needed as well as qualitative data on the process of trust creation in the library. Interviews with library leaders point towards the fact that they see outreach activities as creating trust and that people trust the library. Replication of these results, however, is crucial. Moreover, the findings appear to indicate that when the library's attention is directed at disadvantaged groups of non-users it is the widespread trust in the public library institution that breeds trust among these groups too. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the understanding/theory of the creation of generalized trust in general and to the role of the public library in this process.This paper was written as part of the research project “PLACE: Public Libraries – Arenas for Citizenship” lead by Professor Ragnar A. Audunson, Oslo University College, and financed by the Research Council of Norway. The authors would like to thank members of the PLACE research group, master students in the class on information and cultural policy (fall semester 2007) within the LIS program at Oslo University College, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments. They would also like to thank Professor Susan Clarke and the Center to Advance Research and Teaching in the Social Sciences (CARTSS) at the University of Colorado at Boulder for having provided an excellent work environment

Digital hjelp på biblioteket

Source at https://abm-media.no/.Bibliotek yter hjelp med digitale gjøremål i hverdag som i krisetider.1 Brukere av folkebibliotekene verden over trenger hjelp med mye annet enn å finne riktig bok, for eksempel hjelp med digitale tjenester eller verktøy