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The "Victorian Free Library Service Board Act" of 1946 was the culmination of a long campaign to replace the mechanics' institute model of library provision with free libraries funded by state and local government. Given that library reform required legislation by the state government, this paper is mainly concerned with the political campaign that led to the enactment of that legislation. The key players in the free library reform movement are identified as are the sorts of reforms they advocated. The paper also discusses impediments to reform, particularly the response of the Victorian government. (Contains 79 notes.)

Libraries across Australia are becoming increasingly involved in the development and implementation of family literacy programs, placing librarians at the centre of this initiative. "Better Beginnings" is a family literacy program developed by the State Library of Western Australian and delivered throughout the state. The program involves a partnership between public libraries, health professionals and local governments that has developed to support the delivery of early literacy resources and strategies to parents of young babies. Librarians play a major role in the delivery, implementation and sustainability of the program. This paper reports the findings from the longitudinal evaluation of "Better Beginnings" in four communities, across four years, in relation to the perspectives of librarians responsible for the program in their library. Librarians were interviewed about their role in the program and its effectiveness, the training they had received and the collaboration between the professionals involved in the program. The data revealed that over a period of four years librarians had developed an understanding of the purpose and importance of the program, which had led to a sense of ownership and commitment. This was supported by central coordination of the program and collaboration with child-health nurses. Over the four years, they had developed and increased library activities and created "family spaces" linked to "Better Beginnings." They felt the program was effective in promoting literacy in families with young children, but sought more strategies for engaging families that did not traditionally visit libraries or have access to libraries.

Discusses public library districts that provide funding directly to libraries rather than through local government or property taxes. Other types of library organization are described, including municipal and county libraries; a model library district law is suggested; and an example of a public library district in Kalamazoo (Michigan) is described in a sidebar. (LRW)

Discusses the planning process for public libraries developed by the Public Library Association (PLA) and describes two libraries' use of the planning process and the resulting benefits. Topics discussed include lay citizens as planning committee members; Friends of the Library; involvement of local government officials; and resultant increases in local funding. (11 references) (LRW)

Considers appropriate responses that public library leaders should be making in an environment of technological change. Topics discussed include the library mission and its role in dealing productively with change; library leadership in local government; community information; integrating technology into library management and operations; library staff potential; and feedback mechanisms. (LRW)

Discussion of implications of highly decentralized nature of local government for collection of local documents highlights meaning of access, effect of local government environment on access to local government information, library responses, and tools that can assist libraries in increasing citizen and government access to local government information. (30 references) (EJS)

Arguing that local governments exercise control over public library services within their jurisdictions, this report summarizes the range of services and collections provided for Illinois children as identified by a 1977 survey of the state's public libraries. Additional children's services and programs in other U.S. public libraries are briefly noted. (CLB)

Discusses the public library's role as an information provider for local government, and presents the results of a survey of specific information needs of local government planners in Victoria. The extent to which their needs are being met is evaluated, and suggestions for improved information services and future research are made. (CLB)

Discusses the responsibility of local libraries to provide information services to local government and act as a contact point between the government and its community. The distinction between internal and external information sources is examined, and problems of information delivery resulting from a lack of inter-council cooperation are described. (CLB)

An urban public library responds to an invitation from the local Fire and Rescue Services Department to make suggestions for improving communication between the library and the County Emergency Management Program. Recommendations are made for library involvement in long-term prevention, preparedness to respond, response to emergencies, and recovery. (Author/EM)

Describes a survey which examined local government documentation in academic and public libraries of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The results, which provide current data on document management and maintenance practices, are compared with the results of four previous studies. (Author/CLB)

Presentation of a scenario in which a city council imposes fees for public library services without consulting the library director or trustees is followed by three analyses of the situation, and ways in which it should be handled by the library director are suggested. (CLB)

Copyright of RAP: Revista Brasileira de Administração Pública is the property of RAP: Revista Brasileira de Administracao Publica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper discusses the role of the public library in ensuring access to the broadband communication that is so critical in today's knowledge-based society. It examines the culture of information in 2010, and then asks what it means if individuals are online or not. The paper also explores current issues surrounding telecommunications and policy, and finally seeks to understand the role of the library in this highly technological, perpetually connected world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Prince George's County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) has a long-standing partnership with the county's human rights education and enforcement agency, the Office of Human Rights (PGCOHR), formerly the Prince George's County Human Relations Commission (PGCHRC). The two agencies serve over 967,000 Prince Georgians, a majority-Black (64.4%) and Latin or Hispanic (19.5%) population with a sizable immigrant community (22.7%). The civil rights issues of 2020 hit close to home in Prince George's County and the agencies have sustained a multi-year effort to provide residents with opportunities to learn how to engage with social justice topics for personal and collective advancement. This paper outlines the agencies' innovative model for collaborative community programming, which has dramatically expanded the scope and impact of their equity, diversity, inclusion, and antiracism (EDIA) initiatives despite minimal funding resources and the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic. PGCMLS and PGCOHR's approach to joint programming is modeled in their Collaborative Programming Lifecycle, which can be applied to a wide range of content areas, whether special events, series, thematic programs, or special events. The lifecycle also touches individual presenters, partners, funders, attendees, and the daily work of programming staff. The partners have successfully deployed the Collaborative Programming Lifecycle to develop internationally acclaimed EDIA programs in multiple formats that influence local efforts to advance social equity and anti-racism. The joint mission of this partnership is to provide meaningful conversation that strengthens the collective community. While this partnership pre-dates both the pandemic and the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the agencies rapidly transitioned to virtual programming and engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to immediate local impact, the partnership's programs have resulted in a compelling new model for making local programs accessible to larger communities at state, regional, and national levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preserving and providing access to local archives is one of the roles performed by public libraries in New South Wales. This role is not mandated, nor is it a stated priority for public libraries. Local government records are regulated by legislation, but what of the other records documenting the lives of rural and city communities? In many cases the library’s local studies collection becomes the default home of the archives of local community organisations and of individuals whose personal papers are acquired by libraries. In some cases, the library shares the role of maintaining local archives with historical societies, museums and universities. The result is a functioning example of distributed custody, where public libraries and other local institutions take responsibility for local archives. This paper is a case study that draws on two major surveys of local studies collections undertaken by the State Library of NSW, the first in 1984 and the second in 2013–2014. It concludes that public libraries have been critical for over 50 years in ensuring that local archives have been acquired and managed, despite there being no explicit regulatory or policy frameworks for doing so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, we analyse the allocation process for cultural services in Norwegian municipalities. The cultural sector at this administrative level is decomposed into the following eight subcategories: children's and youth activities, libraries, cinemas, museums, arts dissemination, cultural heritage, cultural schools, and other cultural services. By means of budget shares for these eight cultural services and a residual sector consisting of all other municipal services, we estimate a system of demand relations which are interdependently linked to each other by a budget restriction. Our analyses are based on data from 409 out of 429 Norwegian municipalities during the period 2002-2010. In the empirical analyses, we mainly focus on the effects of income variation for the cultural services. We estimate effects of free income, matching grants to each sector, and user fees and other sector-specific income for each sector. We also estimate crowding-out effects for the cultural sectors of demographic variables indicating higher demand for services such as education, childcare, and health services. Our results confirm previous results. There are interesting differences within the group of cultural services, and these are partly related to different levels of national standardisation and regulation among the cultural services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is predicated on the thought that effective governance structures and reliable funding options are sine qua non to providing improved library and information services. It provides laconic profile of library and information services landscape of a local government area, and identifies chronic lack of funding and weak governance structures as two major snags to providing efficient library and information services in the local government area. Declining global funding for library and information services is reviewed, whilst best practices for financing and governing public libraries are examined. The authors conclude by suggesting a municipal library governance structure and dedicated funding model as catalysts for providing sustainable library and information services in the local government area of Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new findings regarding the public response to public spending cuts as part of the UK Government fiscal consolidation programme, specifically to the perceived effects of reduced library opening hours on the public library user in a city in the North of England. An inductive approach was taken to the mixed methods study, using a self-completion, cross-sectional survey distributed to adults visiting one of three libraries in the city during a six-day period. Qualitative and quantitative data analyses indicate a shared level of dissatisfaction with the service reductions across the respondents, and a shared perception of having been adversely affected. Statistical analyses revealed a strong level of agreement that the changes had a significantly negative impact on different aspects of respondents' lives. The research evidences the direct effects of service reductions on library users, as well as the wider social and economic implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in LGBTQ people has increased in recent years in Japan. Although same-sex marriage is not tolerated at the national level, the same-sex partnership system, which began to be introduced in 2015 in Setagaya and Shibuya wards in Tokyo. An increasing number of local governments are enforcing similar system. Materials on LGBTQ issues are available to citizens in public libraries, and the libraries of local government gender equality centers also hold these materials. This study therefore investigates whether LGBTQ-related materials are held in the library of a gender equality center in Tokyo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of his paper is to describe the situation facing public libraries in the UK and specifically in London, in particular the role of interlending and the potential for its development. Design/methodology/approach – The author uses his own research work into the work of London libraries. Findings – The paper finds that in a period of deep cuts there nonetheless exist real opportunities for developing services, and concrete suggestions and proposals are made. Originality/value – This is one of the very few articles to address the issue of interlending in one of the world's largest cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a story that can at last be told – a local issue that became a national one. It is a story of a principle that became a civic right, one man's relentless opposition to the North Sydney library service (known as Stanton Library), political manoeuvres, a local government election and referendum and the efforts, sometimes open, sometimes covert, of a group of committed citizens and librarians to ensure that public libraries remained free. The committee formed to achieve this was set up in 1983, but the story begins long before that in 1935 with the Munn-Pitt report. This paper is based on a presentation given at the 11th Library History Forum held at the State Library of New South Wales on 18 and 19 November, 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public libraries do not fit Peter Senge's model of a learning organisation. They are not stand-alone organisations, but operate within the much larger local government system which can constrain their development as learning organisations. On a day-to-day basis, public libraries engage with their customers and respond to their needs by providing access to resources, programmes and services. But they do this within the bounds of local government systems and processes which set corporate goals, determine policies and procedures and provide budget allocations to support operations, and they are guided by public library standards which set out strategic directions and operational requirements for public libraries throughout the state. However, public libraries can be learning organisations if there is strategic alignment between library and local and state governments in a shared vision. CityLibraries Townsville has been fortunate, as Townsville City fosters learning and recognises and values creativity, innovation and collaboration as essential qualities of a successful organisation. Within CityLibraries Townsville, a learning organisation has developed that perceives change as an opportunity to learn and grow the library. This paper examines the extent to which Townsville City Council and CityLibraries Townsville have utilised the learning organisation framework as outlined by Peter Senge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New South Wales (NSW) government ordered the closure of all municipal libraries in order to limit the impact of the contagion. As a result, 372 public libraries in NSW ceased operation on the 23rd March 2020. While the closure of public libraries will undoubtedly contribute to restricting the spread of the coronavirus, given the pivotal role played by municipal libraries in local communities, as well as the special characteristics of library patrons, it will have other negative consequences. In this paper we consider the impact of the closure of municipal libraries in NSW from two perspectives: (a) its effect on the fiscal circumstances of local authorities and (b) its impact on the spread of the corona contagion as well as its broader effects on local community wellbeing. We conclude that rather than complete closure, partial constraints on library use should have been considered.

The paper explores the concept of rural librarianship emphasizing the relations between rural developments of the country that is directly proportional to the development of rural based Gram Panchayat Libraries for human empowerment to build information rich society. Reviews the literature on rural libraries with reference to Karnataka State and provides glimpse of Gram Panchayat libraries in Hyderabad Karnataka region and thereby shows significance of rural librarians in making the visibility of library system and the initiation on the part of Department of Public Libraries for a functional and active Gram Panchayat Libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing populations, changing demographics, ageing infrastructure, and the growing expectations of residents are all factors contributing to demands on the finances of local government councils. Now is the time for library managers to be able to translate the value of the services they provide to the community into language able to be understood by politicians and others. To successfully compete for funds with other areas of council, library managers need to develop tools and documents demonstrating the economic benefits which libraries deliver to the community. While there is no international consensus on the most appropriate methodology to apply to calculating the value of libraries, this paper applies a model used in Southwestern Ohio, to the nine libraries of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council in Queensland. The result was a return of $5.45 per dollar invested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper presented at the World Library and Information Congress, 69th IFLA General Conference, Berlin, Germany, 1-8 August 2003. Due to the government's decision to give priority to political and economic issues rather than to developing libraries, the availability of public libraries in Indonesia is disappointing compared to neighboring countries. The needs for reading materials and access to information have triggered the growth of community-based libraries, pioneered by individuals, institutions and NGOs throughout the country. Decentralization opens opportunities for local governments to improve local library services. A recently prepared draft law for a National Library System may enhance the role of the National Library in relation to public library development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has recently been a growth in physical convergence in cultural heritage domains. Part 1 examines this 'trend', its drivers and related issues, with particular focus on public libraries and museums. It offers an overview of practice, challenges and opportunities. Through thematic analysis of a comprehensive, literature review of both domains that looked at the wider aspects of collaboration, cooperation, partnerships and integration in the sector as well as physical convergence, it provides insight into background, theory and activities worldwide. It presents discussion on the meaning of convergence, the concept of 'memory institutions', the relationship between public libraries and museums in the context of convergence, shared mission and values, convergence and re-convergence, and professionalism and divergence. It concludes with consideration of practical aspects such as motivations for convergence, including digital technology, changing user expectations and culture, and economic and political challenges that impact on physical convergence in a dynamic local government environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pennsylvania public libraries began receiving increased allotments of state aid in 2000. In the first two years of enhancement aid, total state aid received by Pennsylvania libraries more than doubled. This reversed the trend of little growth in the years preceding 2000. The enhancement aid program also redesigned certain categories of state aid to increase incentives for local government support. Based on the principles from the economics of grants literature, an empirical model was employed to test the effect of state aid on library expenditures in Pennsylvania counties. Grant response was estimated by employing two separate equations in which library expenditures and state aid were simultaneously determined. It was found that expenditure response was significantly higher in the first two years of enhancement aid than it had been previously. Further, state aid stimulated increased local revenue financing in most years and in most counties. However, the degree of stimulation decreased in many counties during the enhancement period, thus providing them with tax relief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores sanctuary practices within public institutions by examining instances where public libraries in Denmark (Copenhagen), Norway (Oslo) and Sweden (Malmö and Stockholm) open up their services for persons who lack residence permits on state territory (so-called irregular migrants). Public libraries are understood to be protected public spheres where the right to information and the freedom of expression are safeguarded. Such spaces, where rights are provided, as Hannah Arendt famously pointed out in her reflections over statelessness, are primarily open to citizens. Hence, when public libraries offer their services to irregularized migrants, this is a demonstration of how public institutions representing the sovereign may engage in contestations of deportation regimes produced by the sovereign. Such 'enactments of sanctuary', or 'acts of citizenship' in the city, open up new meanings of Arendt's notion of 'the right to have rights'. Through an in-depth case study in Malmö, Sweden, this article suggests that a new role is emerging for municipal institutions as providers of 'transnational' rights decoupled from any territorial basis. Rather than being linked to nationhood, the institutional role in democracies may be constitutive of rights in local contexts, in this case the protected right to access library services. An equally progressive development can be found in Norway; however, this is not the case in Denmark which could be understood as a reflection of Denmark's more restrictive approach to immigration in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]