Public libraries in the 21st Century : defining services and debating the future / Anne Goulding

By:

Goulding, Anne

Publication details: Hampshire, England : Ashgate, cop. 2006Description: viii, 387 pISBN:

9780754642862

Summary: This study takes stock of the public library service in the UK at a volatile time in its history. On the one hand, public goodwill towards the public library-service remains strong, reinforced by government commitment since 1997 to improve standards and strengthen its contribution to important aspects of public policy. There is a good deal of optimism within the public library field that the service is raising its game and playing a significant role in achieving political priorities. On the other hand, reports of public libraries as 'a service in distress' (Culture, Media and Sport Committee, 2005, p. 3), 'sleepwalking to disaster' (Leadbeater, 2003, p. 13), 'due for renewal' (Audit Commission, 1997, p. 57) and 'losing their place in people's lives' (Audit Commission, 2002, p. 45) to the extent that they will be out of use by 2020 ( Coates, 2004 ), suggest that, at the beginning of the 21st century, the service is at crisis point. The chapters which follow assess which of these accounts is most valid by analysing the current position of this valued public institution and its role in local and national life. The impact of recent policy initiatives directly targeted at public libraries is evaluated, as are broader developments in the public sector environment within which they operate. Examples of best practice in service delivery are explored as we consider the challenges and opportunities public library managers face in directing their services within an evolving social and policy environment and within shifting national and local priorities. (Font: Introducció)

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Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Copy number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Book	Centre d' Informació i Documentació del CERC	BB23 Gou 06	1	Available		1900142029

List of figures -- List of tables -- Acknowledgements -- I. The environment: 1. Setting the scene -- 2. The local authority context -- 3. National agendas -- 4. Public library users -- 5. Public library staff. II. Service development: 6. The people's network -- 7. Regenerating communities -- 8. Building communities -- 9. Libraries and learning -- 10. Books and reading -- 11. Discourses of public library futures -- Appendix 1. List of research participants -- Appendix 2. Sample interview questions -- Appendix 3. Glossary of common abbreviations -- Bibliography -- Index

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