Editorial

Citation

Ashcroft, L. (2012), "Editorial", New Library World, Vol. 113 No. 5/6. https://doi.org/10.1108/nlw.2012.072113eaa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: New Library World, Volume 113, Issue 5/6

The London Libraries Consortium is using evidence-based stock management software to help 6 million items of stock to work more efficiently across its 15 boroughs. Implementing smartsm as a consortium saved money and resulted in smoother implementation. Work is usually carried out once by the central mainstream and cascaded outwards. One of the benefits already seen includes useful statistics and performance reports. Gossett et al., in their article, focus on the collection of statistics in an academic library. They explore the process of implementing LibAnswers, a reference statistics collection and analysis software at multiple service points. They discuss initial testing, development of categories and terms used to define the question types and the training of staff, and point out that, in this time of rapid change and budget realignments, the data collected will provide evidence to university administrators for the value and instructional role that libraries play.

The theme of the “Internet Librarian International 11 Conference” was “Navigating the new normal”. The aim was to provide a broad cross section of topics linked to the main theme. According to one speaker, the two main issues for institutions to overcome were a lack of knowledge about e-resources combined with initial hesitation over how to use them. Media awareness campaigns help people to realise what resources are available and outreach programmes help to address usability issues. A specific example of outreach is provided in the article from Strong et al. They discuss how “Senior CHAT” (Consumer Health Awareness Training) improved health information literacy and promoted better health outcomes through basic computer instruction among senior citizens in a healthcare impoverished US parish. They discuss their “Toolkit for Trainers” and how they forged new community partnerships and empowered senior citizens to seek and understand information regarding their own health status.

Former publisher and bookseller and current defender of public libraries, Tim Coates, is setting up a website selling and loaning ebooks. “Bilbary” will sell books from publishers worldwide and expects around half a million titles to be available on launch, including both academic and recreational titles. The public can rent or buy directly from the site, and public libraries can also rent ebooks via the site to offer to their users free of charge, compatible on any device. Ebooks is the topic of the article from Moyer and Thiele. They provide an overview of the current research on the use of ebooks and ereaders as they gain popularity in public libraries. They provide a case study of a public library that implemented a Kindle ebook lending program, which ensured that all members of the community can use and access this library’s ebook collections regardless of whether or not they own or are willing to purchase an ebook reading device.

By agreeing a model of shared service, three neighbouring boroughs in London, Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea, are looking at ways to improve services to customers. Shared services does not necessarily mean cuts to services, and this move to provide a unified library service will achieve savings in different areas and will ensure that all 21 libraries in the group stay open. There is an added bonus for users, who can now access services at any of the libraries. The article from Dole and Hill reports on a different way of extending service. They discuss the second phase of a study on the impact on the extension of library privileges gratis to community users by an academic library in North America. They conclude that community users consider the services valuable, and that receiving the services has increased their goodwill towards the university.

A collection of artists’ books from around the world was originally part of a touring exhibition in Scotland entitled “Place, identity, memory”. This now has a permanent home on display in Crichton, a Scottish library, as a result of a donation from Bibliographic Data Services to Iris, a group of professional artists dedicated to developing awareness of artists’ books. It is anticipated that the public will enjoy visiting these unique works. In her article, Maloney describes the implementation and analyses the outcomes of the Diversity Book Display initiative at the University of the Pacific’s Library in terms of outreach through displays and exhibitions and collaboration with student services. This was a successful approach to cultivating partnerships with students, faculty and staff through co-promotions of campus diversity and inclusion efforts and the library’s collections.

Jstor, the journal archive, has made almost 500,000 articles freely available for reading and download. This comes after the well publicised arrest of a 24 year old man, who was accused of downloading more than 4 million articles and reviews from Jstors servers. He faces serious charges, which include wire fraud and computer fraud. Jstor decided not to press charges after recovering all the material, but the US Justice Department continued to investigate. A different aspect on misappropriation of information comes from Zimerman in his article on plagiarism. He describes how plagiarism and the detection of plagiarism are interwoven with the education of international students. He discusses articles that point to a cultural connection to plagiarism in terms of both cultural barriers and linguistics. He points out that libraries can mitigate the damage caused by plagiarism by attending to student needs regarding proper citation methods and by serving as a buffer to those students needing individual assistance.

Linda AshcroftEditor, New Library World