How public libraries deliver value online
the perception of librarians
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15291/libellarium.4157Keywords:
Covid-19, Denmark, digital services, public libraries, value of public librariesAbstract
Purpose. The development and usage of digital library services have accelerated. Many libraries have expanded their digital services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The physical locations were closed or operated with reduced capacity and libraries continued to provide services digitally. The physical locations of many libraries have reopened but the development of digital services persists. Most libraries offer a wide variety of services digitally and many libraries are expanding their digital services. It is, therefore, relevant to explore how librarians perceive the digital public library services offered at their institutions and how the digital services supplement or replace services in the physical library.
Approach/methodology/design. This study presents the findings of an interview-based study with five librarians from different public libraries across Denmark.
Findings. The findings show that librarians perceive the physical and digital services as means to the same end while carefully considering the content, target audience and platform when offering services to their users. They see the digital services as a critical aspect of the raison d’etre of the library and means to attract new users.
Research limitations. It is important to note that this study is based on a small sample.
Practical implications. The implications for digital public library services are discussed and recommendations based on this study are considered.
Originality/value. While many studies have explored librarians’ perceptions of the value of public libraries, this study focuses on librarians’ perception of the value of digital libraries and how these services supplement or replace the physical library.
Downloads
References
Ameen, Kanwal. 2021. „COVID-19 Pandemic and Role of Libraries.” Library Management 42, no. 4-5: 302-304. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-01-2021-0008.
Audunson, Ragnar, Herbjørn Andresen, Cicilie Fagerlid, Erik Henningsen, Hans-Christoph Hobohm, Henrik Jochumsen, and Håkon Larsen. „1 Introduction – Physical Places and Virtual Spaces: Libraries, Archives and Museums in a Digital Age.” In Libraries, Archives and Museums as Democratic Spaces in a Digital Age, edited by Ragnar Audunson, Herbjørn Andresen, Cicilie Fagerlid, Erik Henningsen, Hans-Christoph Hobohm, Henrik Jochumsen, Håkon Larsen, and Tonje Vold, 1-22. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Saur, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110636628-001.
Audunson, Ragnar, Svanhild Aabø, Roger Blomgren, Hans-Christoph Hobohm, Henrik Jochumsen, Mahmood Khosrowjerdi, Rudolf Mumenthaler et al. 2019. „Public Libraries as Public Sphere Institutions: A comparative Study of Perceptions of the Public Library’s Role in Six European Countries.” Journal of Documentation 75, no. 6: 1396-1415. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-02-2019-0015.
Ayeni, Philips O., Blessed O. Agbaje, and Maria Tippler. 2021. “A Systematic Review of Library Services Provision in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic.” Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 16, no. 3: 67-104. https://doi.org/10.18438/eblip29902.
Bahr, Alice Harrison. 2000. „Library Buildings in a Digital Age, Why Bother?.” College and Reserch Libraries News 61, no. 7: 590-592. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.61.7.590.
Boyatzis, Richard. E. 1998. Transforming Qualitative Information: Thematic Analysis and Code Development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Brindley, Lynne. J. 2002. “The Future of Libraries and Humanities Research: New Strategic Directions for the British Library.” Libraries & Culture 37, no. 1: 26-36. https://doi.org/10.1353/lac.2002.0001.
Calhoun, Karen. 2014. Exploring Digital Libraries: Foundations, Practice, Prospects. London, UK: Facet Publishing.
Casselden, Biddy. „Not Like Riding a Bike: How Public Libraries Facilitate Older People’s Digital Inclusion During the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 0, no. 0. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006221101898.
Chow, Anthony, and Qianfei Tian. 2021. “Public Libraries Positively Impact Quality of Life: A Big Data Study.” Public Library Quarterly 40, no. 1: 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 01616846.2019.1632105.
Ćirić, Jelena, and Aleksandar Ćirić. 2021. “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Digital Library Usage: A Public Library Case Study.” Journal of Web Librarianship 15, no. 2: 53-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/19322909.2021.1913465.
Dalmer, Nicole K, Dana Sawchuk, and Mina Ly. 2022. ” ‘I Felt There Was a Big Chunk Taken Out of My Life’: COVID-19 and Older Adults’ Library-Based Magazine Leisure Reading.” Leisure Studies 42, no. 1: 1-15. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2022.2148719.
Evjen, Sunniva, Terje Colbjørnsen, Idunn Bøyum, Kim Tallerås, and Heidi Kristin Olsen. 2021. „Samfunnsoppdrag under Press: Erfaringer Og Vurderinger I Norske Bibliotek under Covid-19.” Nordic Journal of Library and Information Studies 2, no. 1: 17-37. https://doi.org/10.7146/njlis.v2i1.125251.
Fowler, George J. 2016. The Essence of the Library at a Public Research University as Seen Through Key Constituents’ Lived Experiences. [PhD dissertation]. Educational Foundations & Leadership, Old Dominion University, doi: 10.25777/97x2-x521. https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/efl_etds/23.
Frandsen, Tove Faber, and Kristian Møhler Sørensen. 2020. „The Perceived Value of the Academic Library: A Systematic Review.” Information Research 25, no. 4: 25(4). paper874. https://doi.org/10.47989/irpaper874.
Garner, Jane, Philip Hider, Hamid R. Jamali, Jessie Lymn, Yazdan Mansourian, Holly Randell-Moon, and Simon Wakeling. 2021. „‘Steady Ships’ in the Covid-19 Crisis: Australian Public Library Responses to the Pandemic.” Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association 70, no. 2: 102-124. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2021.1901329.
Garner, Jane, Simon Wakeling, Philip Hider, Hamid R Jamali, Mary Anne Kennan, Yazdan Mansourian, and Holly Randell-Moon. 2022. „The Lived Experience of Australian Public Library Staff During the Covid-19 Library Closures.” Library Management 43, no. 6/7: 427-438. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-04-2022-0028.
Gentles, Stephen J, Cathy Charles, Jenny Ploeg, and K Ann McKibbon. 2015. „Sampling in Qualitative Research: Insights from an Overview of the Methods Literature.” The qualitative report 20, no. 11: 1772-1789. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2015.2373.
Goulding, Anne. 2009. „Engaging with Community Engagement: Public Libraries and Citizen Involvement.” New Library World 110, no. 1/2: 37-51. Doi:10.1108/03074800910928577.
Hider, Philip, Jane Garner, Simon Wakeling, and Hamid R Jamali. 2023. „‘Part of My Daily Life’: The Importance of Public Libraries as Physical Spaces.” Public Library Quarterly 42, no. 2: 190-219. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2022.2092347.
Haasio, Ari, and Elisa Kannasto. 2020. “Covid-19 and its Impact on Finnish Public Libraries.” Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries 9: 3-19. https://www.qqml-journal.net/index.php/qqml/article/view/639/576.
Jæger, Mads Meier, and Ea Hoppe Blaabæk. 2020. “Inequality in Learning Opportunities during Covid-19: Evidence from Library Takeout.” Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 68, Article 100524: 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2020.100524.
Garner, Jane, Simon Wakeling, Philip Hider, Yazdan Mansourian, Holly Randell-Moon, and Jessie Lymn. 2021. „The Response of Public Libraries in Australia to the Covid-19 Pandemic.” In Proceedings of the 4th I-LISS International Conference – IIC 2021, edited by Dong-Geun Oh, B. Ramesh Babu, S. K. Asok Kumar, P. Rajendran, A. Bagavathi, and P. J. Y. Joysingh, 21-23. Chennai, Kattankulathur: International Library and Information Science Society, Office Central Library, SRM Institute of Science and Technology. http://www.chefile.cmru.ac.th/faculty/2564/human/SAR2/KPI2.3/2.3-1-22.pdf.
Johnston, Jamie, Ágústa Pálsdóttir, Anna Mierzecka, Ragnar Andreas Audunson, Hans-Christoph Hobohm, Kerstin Rydbeck, Máté Tóth., Rasmussen, Casper. H., Jochumsen, Henrik, and Mahmood Khosrowjerdi, Sunniva Evjen. 2021. “Public Librarians’ Perception of their Professional Role and the Library’s Role in Supporting the Public Sphere: A Multi-Country Comparison.” Journal of Documentation 78, no. 5: 1109-1130. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-09-2021-0178.
Kallio, Hanna, Anna‐Maija Pietilä, Martin Johnson, and Mari Kangasniemi. 2016. “Systematic Methodological Review: Developing a Framework for a Qualitative Semi-Structured Interview Guide.” Journal of Advanced Nursing 72, no. 12: 2954-2965. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13031.
Kehinde, Adetola. „Digital Libraries and the Role of Digital Librarians.” In Research Anthology on Collaboration, Digital Services, and Resource Management for the Sustainability of Libraries, edited by Information Resources Management Association, 17-38. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-8051-6.ch002.
Kohlburn, Joe, Jenny Bossaller, Hyerim Cho, Heather Moulaison-Sandy, and Denice Adkins. 2023. „Public Libraries and Covid-19: Perceptions and Politics in the United States.” The Library Quarterly 93, no. 1: 7-25. https://doi.org/DOI:10.1086/722547.
Kou, Yin, Ping Chen, and Jie-Xing Pan. 2021. “The Service Experiences of Public Libraries during the COVID-19 Emergency in Wuhan: Three Case Studies.” Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association 70, no. 3: 287-300. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2021.1960251.
Leguina, Adrian, Sabina Mihelj, and John Downey. 2021. “Public libraries as reserves of cultural and digital capital: Addressing inequality through digitalization.” Library & Information Science Research 43, no. 3, Article 101103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2021.101103.
Leorke, Dale, Danielle Wyatt, and Scott McQuire. 2018. “ ’More than Just a Library’ ”: Public Libraries in the ‘Smart City’.” City, culture and society 15: 37-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccs.2018.05.002.
Mandel, Lauren. H. 2021. “Library Adoption and Use of GIS as an Information Sharing Tool during the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Journal of Map & Geography Libraries 17, no. 1: 24-38. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/15420353.2022.2047134.
Mathiasson, Mia H., and Henrik Jochumsen. 2020. Between Collections and Connections: Analyzing Public Library Programs in Terms of Format, Content, and Role and Function.” The Library Quarterly 90, no. 3: 364-379. https://doi.org/10.1086/708963.
McMenemy, David, Elaine Robinson, and Ian Ruthven. 2023. “The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Public Libraries in the UK: Findings from a National Study.” Public Library Quarterly 42, no. 1: 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2022.2058860.
Mehta, Dipti, and Xiaocan Wang. 2020. “COVID-19 and Digital Library Services – a Case Study of a University’s Library.” Digital Library Perspectives 36, no. 4: 352-363. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-05-2020-0030.
Mestre, Juliana. 2022. “Derrida and Digital Libraries: Exploring the (Im)Possibility of Virtual Hospitality.” In Proceedings of CoLIS, the 11th International Conference on Conceptions of Library and Information Science, Oslo, Norway, May 29 - June 1, 2022. Information Research 27 (Special issue), paper colis2204. Retrieved from: http://InformationR.net/ir/27-SpIssue/CoLIS2022/colis2204.html, https://doi.org/10.47989/colis2204
Mickiewicz, Paulina. 2015. “Access and Its Limits.” Space and Culture 19, no. 3: 237-250. https://doi.org/10.1177/1206331215596478.
Muggleton, Thomas. H., and Ian Ruthven. 2012. “Homelessness and Access to the Informational Mainstream.” Journal of Documentation. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/00220411211209203.
Nadi-Ravandi, Somayyeh, and Zahra Batooli. 2022. “Libraries Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Drawing a Science Map of Published Articles.” Library Hi Tech 41, no. 1: 42-58. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-04-2022-0209.
Hedvall, Karen Nowé, Malin Ögland, and Jenny Lindberg. 2022. “Digital First: Challenges for Public and Regional Libraries in Sweden.” In Proceedings of CoLIS, the 11th. International Conference on Conceptions of Library and Information Science, Oslo, Norway, May 29 - June 1, 2022. Information Research 27 (Special issue), paper colis2221. Retrieved from http://InformationR.net/ir/27-SpIssue/CoLIS2022/colis2221. html, https://doi.org/10.47989/colis2221.
Ortega-Martínez, Eugenia de los Ángeles, Josmel Pacheco-Mendoza, Héctor Eduardo García Meléndez, Erik Miguel Ortiz-Díaz, and César Saavedra-Alamillas. 2021. „Digital Services Adapted by Libraries in Mexico to Covid-19 Pandemic: A Critical Review.” Digital Library Perspectives 37, no. 1: 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-07-2020-0063.
Ottonicar, Selma Leticia Capinzaiki, Rafaela Carolina da Silva, and Elder Lopes Barboza. 2018. „The Contributions of Information and Media Literacy to Public Hybrid Libraries.” The Library Quarterly 88, no. 3: 225-236. https://doi.org/10.1086/697703.
Palfrey, John. 2015. BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google. New York: Basic Books.
Palumbo, Rocco. 2022. “Thriving in the Post-Covid-19 Era: A New Normality for Libraries’ Service Offering.” Library Management 43, no. 8-9: 536-562. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-05-2022-0051.
Rafiq, Muhammad, Syeda Hina Batool, Amna Farzand Ali, and Midrar Ullah. 2021. “University Libraries Response to COVID-19 Pandemic: A Developing Country Perspective.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 47, no. 1: 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102280.
Reid, Peter H, and Lyndsay Mesjar. 2022. “ ’Bloody Amazing Really’: Voices from Scotland’s Public Libraries in Lockdown.” Journal of Documentation 79, no. 2: 301-319. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-03-2022-0067.
Ruthven, Ian, Elaine Robinson, and David McMenemy. 2022. “The Value of Digital and Physical Library Services in UK Public Libraries and Why They are not Interchangeable.” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, Online first. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006221127027.
Skare, Roswitha. 2021. “Public Libraries in Norway and the Covid-19 Pandemic.” In Proceedings from the Document Academy 8, no. 2, Article 2: 1-7. https://doi.org/10.35492/ docam/8/2/2.
Stachokas, George. 2014. After the Book: Information Services for the 21st Century. Oxford: Elsevier.
Stenstrom, Cheryl, Natalie Cole, and Rachel Hanson. 2019. “A Review Exploring the Facets of the Value of Public Libraries.” Library Management 40, no. 6/7: 354-367. https://doi.org/10.1108/lm-08-2018-0068.
Stevenson, Siobhan. 2022. “Learning from COVID-19: Revisiting Organizational Communications from the Bottom-Up.” Public Library Quarterly 41, no. 4: 365-380. https:// doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2021.1906616.
Sørensen, Kristian. M. 2020. “The Values of Public Libraries: A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies of Stakeholder Perceptions.” Journal of Documentation 76, no. 4: 909-927. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-10-2019-0201.
Sørensen, Kristian. M. 2021. “Where’s the Value? The Worth of Public Libraries: A Systematic Review of Findings, Methods and Research Gaps.” Library & Information Science Research 43, no. 1: 101067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2020.101067.
Tammaro, Anna. M. 2021. “The New Normal: Public Libraries in Italy Post Covid-19.” International Information & Library Review 53, no. 1: 63-68. https://doi.org/10.1080/10572317.2021.1869452.
Wakeling, Simon, Jane Garner, Philip Hider, Hamid Jamali, Jessie Lymn, Yazdan Mansourian, and Holly Randell-Moon. 2022. “ ‘The Challenge Now is for us to Remain Relevant’”: Australian Public Libraries and the COVID-19 Crisis.” IFLA Journal 48, no. 1: 138-154. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352211054115.
Wilkinson, Jaci, and Kyle Breneman. 2020. „Bridging the Digital and the Physical User Experience: Analysis of Academic Library Floor Plans.” Journal of Web Librarianship 14, no. 1/2: 28-51. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352211054115.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Mare Lundsfryd Nielsen, Marie Cecilie Lensch, Tove Faber Frandsen
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
