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Novel Outreach: A Report Of Public Library Engagement Within Virginia Communities, Joy Doukas Feb 2024

Novel Outreach: A Report Of Public Library Engagement Within Virginia Communities, Joy Doukas

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This study seeks to showcase how Virginia Public Libraries have harnessed the power of innovative outreach to service populations traditionally resistant to library adoption. It examines concepts such as community partnerships, the library as a Third Place (Thiele & Klagge, 2020), and the increasing function of social services in the public libraries sphere. It highlights the evolution of modern public libraries from mere book repositories to thriving community centers for education and personal growth. Mining current website data, this study explores each of the 94 public library systems in Virginia websites, determining their reach throughout their communities to show what …


Libraries On The Inside: A Study Of Public Library Outreach To Correctional Institutions, Annaliese Melvin Feb 2024

Libraries On The Inside: A Study Of Public Library Outreach To Correctional Institutions, Annaliese Melvin

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In 1911, the American Library Association (ALA) formed its first committee on prison libraries. While this committee opened the door to important conversations on correctional libraries, the ALA did not actively become involved in correctional systems until 1944, when the Objectives and Standards for Libraries in Adult Prisons and Reformatories were approved (Austin, 2019). The real catalyst for creating nationwide libraries for the incarcerated came in 1971, when “Congress passed the Law Enforcement Administration Act, which funded prison law libraries and provided budgets for other reading materials” (Sullivan, 2000, p. 57). This led to what was coined the “golden age …


Teen Services In Public Libraries: A Bibliometric Research Study, Ashlee Lykansion Feb 2024

Teen Services In Public Libraries: A Bibliometric Research Study, Ashlee Lykansion

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Public libraries have an essential mission to offer high-quality services, programming, and materials to individuals across all age groups. While these institutions typically provide many programs and services catering to children and adults, teenage patrons' needs are often overlooked (Bernier et al, 2014). To rectify this, it is essential to establish dedicated spaces within the library tailored to teenagers' interests and preferences. By incorporating engaging programming and curating materials and resources specifically geared toward this demographic, libraries can effectively convey a message of inclusivity and appreciation, making teenagers feel welcome and valued (Joseph, 2010). The purpose of this research study …


May I See Your Library Card? A Study Of Mississippi Public Libraries’ Library Card Policies, Cynthia E. Hudson Feb 2024

May I See Your Library Card? A Study Of Mississippi Public Libraries’ Library Card Policies, Cynthia E. Hudson

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As houses of information, libraries provide multiple services to individuals that enter their doors. These services may be limited at many libraries unless the individual possesses a library card. By successfully applying for a library card, that individual receives access to all available library services. According to the American Library Association (2022), libraries use these cards for two main purposes. First, a library card helps library staff identify the library user. Second, the library uses library cards to maintain records of circulated materials. It is estimated that two-thirds of the United States population possess library cards (ALA, 2022). This study …


Public Library Websites In The Reaching Across Illinois Library System: A Webometric Examination, Amy Vangoethem Feb 2024

Public Library Websites In The Reaching Across Illinois Library System: A Webometric Examination, Amy Vangoethem

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A public library’s website is often the first introduction that a user has to the library. Users come to the website looking for information about the library’s location, hours, how to get a library card, library programs, search the library catalog, or other services. As Poll writes, “Libraries have started to offer a new virtual ‘entrance’ to their services: the library website” (2007, p. 1). As such, a library’s website must provide users with the information they are seeking simply and clearly. People expect websites to be simple to use and to be able to find the information they are …


Social Media Engagement Across Public Libraries In Monroe County: A Webometric Study, Danielle D’Agostino Jun 2023

Social Media Engagement Across Public Libraries In Monroe County: A Webometric Study, Danielle D’Agostino

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Social media has continued to develop and change rapidly since its inception. In order to best meet the information needs of users and gather as much visibility as possible, new platforms have been created and older platforms have been updated to improve usage. Because of these changes, engagement with newer, yet highly popular social media platforms such as TikTok has not been studied as widely as more traditional platforms such as Facebook. Additionally, post formats, character limits, and post content can vary greatly by platform. Comparing multiple social media platforms in this study allowed for a wider view of how …


Public Health At The Public Library: Preventive Health Programs Implemented In Large Public Libraries, Uday Aj Patil Dec 2020

Public Health At The Public Library: Preventive Health Programs Implemented In Large Public Libraries, Uday Aj Patil

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Amid the opioid epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic, the public sector is consumed with health promotion and disease prevention. Preventive programs serve a significant purpose in ensuring population health and reducing burden on the healthcare system (Cohen et al., 2008; Neumann & Cohen, 2009). People are increasingly turning to educational resources outside of the traditional healthcare sector to ward off diseases or alleviate pre-existing conditions (Eakin et al., 1980; Eng et al., 1998). Public library systems often carry such resources, in print and multimedia form, at no cost. Some libraries are providing health programming to supplement, contextualize, or incentivize the use …


Teen Tested: The State Of Ya Services In America's Public Libraries, James Pinkard Sep 2016

Teen Tested: The State Of Ya Services In America's Public Libraries, James Pinkard

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The field of young adult services has been the recipient of much attention in library literature. However, current research on the status of young adult services is lacking, as noted by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA, 2011, Priority Area 1, para. 1). This research focuses on staffing, programming and collection development practices for young adults in selected U.S. public libraries. It will also seek to reveal whether a correlation exists between the presence of a young adult librarian and the state of a library's young adult services, as well as whether a correlation exists between the size of …


Academic And Public Libraries’ Use Of Web 2.0 Applications And Services In Mississippi, Kalah Rogers Mlis Jul 2015

Academic And Public Libraries’ Use Of Web 2.0 Applications And Services In Mississippi, Kalah Rogers Mlis

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Libraries have guidelines and standards that hold them accountable to be effective institutions (Husid, 2010). The American Library Association’s (ALA) “Library Bill of Rights” sets six basic standards for all libraries to follow. Among other things, these standards encourage libraries to resist forms of censorship, grant access to all types of materials, and resist biases (ALA, 2007). However, as libraries have evolved, so have many of these guidelines and standards with respect to technology specifically. For example, the American Association of School Libraries (AASL) Standards for the 21st Century Learner requires that the students in today’s classroom strive to master …


Family Place Libraries: Recognizing Best Practices In Child Development, Lindsey Miller Apr 2014

Family Place Libraries: Recognizing Best Practices In Child Development, Lindsey Miller

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The Family Place Libraries™ Initiative was created to meet a need for library programming that catered to the educational needs of parents and the developmental needs of very young children. Established in 1996, the initiative has worked to create a network of libraries nationwide that actively works toward meeting the needs of modern families. Core components were created as a foundation for all programming and training of other libraries, which began in 1999.