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Despite sometimes being viewed as inferior to other forms of literature, comic books and graphic novels are frequently used within the school curriculum. However, in March 2013, public schools in Chicago were instructed by the district authority to remove the well-respected graphic novelPersepolis(Satrapi, M. 2008. London: Vintage) from libraries and classrooms. Chicago Public Schools indicated that the ban would only be revoked once professional development guidelines for teachers had been produced to support the teaching of the text. This article examines the types of support that teachers may benefit from when teaching graphic novels, andPersepolisin particular, and questions whether the possible lack of such support justifies the removal of the text from schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses importance of critical literacy in libraries. Topics discussed include focuses on issues of power and is intended to develop skills, dispositions and strategies to develop students' learning abilities, several alternative of this approach include text interrogation, juxtaposing text and contextualization and helpful in providing students with skills and strategies to challenge social and political system and also in developing active forms of reading.

BACKGROUND: Formal evaluations of programmes are an important source of learning about the challenges faced in improving quality in healthcare and how they can be addressed. The authors aimed to integrate lessons from evaluations of the Health Foundation's improvement programmes with relevant literature. METHODS: The authors analysed evaluation reports relating to five Health Foundation improvement programmes using a form of 'best fit' synthesis, where a pre-existing framework was used for initial coding and then updated in response to the emerging analysis. A rapid narrative review of relevant literature was also undertaken. RESULTS: The authors identified ten key challenges: convincing people that there is a problem that is relevant to them; convincing them that the solution chosen is the right one; getting data collection and monitoring systems right; excess ambitions and 'projectness'; organisational cultures, capacities and contexts; tribalism and lack of staff engagement; leadership; incentivising participation and 'hard edges'; securing sustainability; and risk of unintended consequences. The authors identified a range of tactics that may be used to respond to these challenges. DISCUSSION: Securing improvement may be hard and slow and faces many challenges. Formal evaluations assist in recognising the nature of these challenges and help in addressing them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the majority of joint use libraries in educational establishments provide at least an adequate level of service for their school, college, or university users, the standard of service they provide for members of the public is more questionable in many cases. This article considers the benefits and problems of joint use libraries from the perspective of their public users, providing examples from the UK and elsewhere to demonstrate how these occur in practice. A number of success factors are identified that need to be considered if a joint use library is to be successful as a community library, perhaps the most important of these being the need to involve the local community in the development of the library from its earliest stage. Gaining the support and active involvement of the local community is crucial; only then can the true benefits of joint use libraries, as locations for intergenerational activity and lifelong learning, be realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper reports on the findings of the HEFCE-funded outcomes project which aimed to investigate strategic planning in UK academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach - The research consisted of a literature and documentation review, followed by interviews with academic library directors and senior institutional managers. There was also a survey of all UK HE libraries. Findings - The key issues which need to be addressed by academic libraries in terms of strategic planning are: the involvement of library staff; communication of library aims and plans externally; level of active involvement in institutional and departmental planning; evaluation and target setting, and involvement in more "difficult" institutional aims such as income generation and widening participation. Research limitation/implications - The response to the various activities of this research project indicate the lack of interest in outcomes assessment within the academic library sector. There is little rigorous evidence in this area to inform library professionals. Practical implications - The lack of interest in outcomes assessment with the sector is worrying; there is a general view of libraries as essential part of higher education and do not need to demonstrate how they contribute to institutional aims. This may leave libraries in a vulnerable position. Originality/value - The paper reports on an issue which should be of great concern to the academic library sector, especially in the light of the proposal to axe professional posts at the University of Wales, Bangor library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the MLA-WM funded developing evaluation and evidence-based skills and approaches to improve service delivery. The aim of the project is to improve the evaluation skills of staff within the museums, libraries and archives sectors and the focus of the project will be on evaluation of service provision. The first stage of the project, carried out by evidence base at the University of Central England, was to carry out an investigation of needs in terms of staff skills, focusing on evaluation, within the sector. The main themes covered were: current evaluation activities and the role of individuals in these activities; difficulties or limitations of current evaluation activities; awareness and implementation of evidence-based practice within the organization; and perceived skills gaps in the sector. Three main uses of evaluation findings were mentioned in interviews: reporting; service development; and staff morale. The most important issue emerging from this research is the need for stronger links between evaluation and service development within the sector.

This article discusses investigating the provision of careers information in schools. The provision of high quality careers information, and support in its use, is vital to help students to develop the skills they need to become self-directed decision-makers with regard to their own careers. The effectiveness of careers provision in schools will depend on how effectively the three components of careers guidance, education and information are combined. Guidance refers to activities offered on a one-to-one or small group basis which enable individuals to apply their career learning and development to the construction and management of their own careers; careers education refers to teaching and learning activities, usually provided in group settings, which facilitate the career learning and development of young people; and careers information refers to activities requiring information skills, usually provided in a careers library, and involving access to a wide range of resources and media which improve the careers knowledge of young people.

This article focuses on how Norwegian libraries support information literacy and reading development in schools. There are many areas of common interest shared by school and public libraries serving young people in Great Britain and Norway. These include concerns about falling literacy levels; the issue of boys and reading; ways in which libraries can contribute to the school curriculum; co-operation between sectors; and how to provide library services in the most economical and effective way. In the past, however, there has been little sharing of information and experiences between the two countries; there are few reports or articles relating to the Norwegian situation available in English for example. According to the Norwegian Library Act of 1947, all municipalities should have a public library and all schools must have a school library. Since the late 1990s, the Norwegian curriculum has become more orientated to students actively researching and finding out information for themselves.

This article provides an overview of the approach to electronic information systems (EIS) evaluation taken by the e-value toolkit and relate this to other work in this area. There have been significant changes in academic libraries in recent years. Alongside an increasing emphasis on EIS, there have been significant moves towards more responsive services and a more user-focused approach. But the question is: whether library evaluation has changed in line with these developments. Traditional library evaluation is easily criticized for its "if it moves, count it" approach and, sadly, counts of users, issues and books, etc., still tend to form the basis of many library evaluations. The e-valued toolkit attempts to take a different approach to that adopted by the majority of existing models and guidelines relating to both EIS and general library evaluation. It is different in three important ways. First, it places greater emphasis on qualitative techniques such as survey, interview and focus group questions. Second, the focus is on people, rather than resources. Finally, it is significant that the e-valued toolkit provides support not simply with the planning and data collection stages of evaluation, but also with the often neglected stages of data analysis and the practical use of findings to improve library services.

Traditionally, school libraries have been evaluated primarily in terms of library management; the impact they have on teaching and learning has rarely been a focus. For this reason, they have often been omitted from whole school self-evaluation. Self-evaluation can help schools to prepare for inspection, but more importantly to identify strengths and weaknesses and help schools to improve their library provision through in-depth evaluation of specific areas. This article describes a project undertaken by the Centre for Information Research (CIRT) at the University of Central England (UCE) to develop a model for the self-evaluation of school libraries which focused on teaching and learning outcomes. The approach advocated links library activities to whole school issues and relates library evaluation to the overall aims of the school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a critical evaluation on the study untapped resource in the library and information profession. There is evidence that, within the library and information profession, research is largely an untapped resource. Its potential to improve services, assist planning and help the development of the profession in other ways largely goes unrecognized. Traditionally, the library and information profession has not been strongly research led in the way in which other professions, such as medicine and education. However, it may be that the extent of practitioner involvement in research and the extent to which research informs practice have been underestimated. The article reports on a survey designed to scope present and planned involvement in research within a variety of library sectors and to identify the priorities for future research as seen by practitioners. It also investigated the main barriers, which prevent practitioners having greater involvement in research. It concludes that there is scope for much more effective communication between all types of library and information researchers and practitioners.

This article presents information regarding the non-use of libraries in Great Britain using the Mass-Observation archive. Mass-Observation was founded in 1939 to record the day-to-day thoughts and activities of the British public. Until the early 1950's, this organization used a team of observers and a panel of volunteer writers to study the lives of ordinary people. Although Mass-Observation was inactive during the 1960's and 1970's, in 1981 the University of Sussex revived the idea of a panel of volunteer writers. Correspondents were recruited through local and national media and since 1981, nearly 3000 have taken part in this exercise. However, it should be noted that the panel is not representative of the general British population in a number of ways, the majority are over 40, three-quarters are women; ethnic minorities are under-represented, the majority of correspondents come from the higher end of the social scale, and there is a bias towards the South of England. The Regular Pastimes directive asked correspondents to write, in general terms, about any regular hobbies, such as gardening, television watching and craft activities.

This paper examines current research activities, and future priorities for research, in the library and information community and describes some of the areas of convergence and divergence between research driven by UK government policy and that driven by practitioners themselves. Information gathered through two fact-finding research projects, the Research Landscape Project and the Library Practitioner Research project provides the basis of the discussion outlined. The many benefits that library and information science (LIS) research, in particular collaboration between researchers and practitioners, provides are highlighted. The paper concludes that in the diverse LIS community there are various reasons for undertaking research and that the needs of practitioners should be balanced against those of other sections of the research community, such as funders and politicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a cross-sectoral comparison of practitioner research in libraries. Even when research conducted in public library authorities does not have a major impact on policy, it can be crucial for service development. The Centre for Information Research at the University of Central England carried out a series of surveys of public, academic, health, school and special libraries in Great Britain in order to obtain up-to-date information about the research issues of particular interest to staff. Questionnaires were sent to librarians in all public library authorities, academic libraries, health libraries and special libraries in Great Britain. In each survey, librarians were asked for details of research the library had been involved in or had carried out during the previous two years, the use made of the findings of this or any other research to improve the library services, research planned for the next twelve months, areas in which further research is needed and reasons why this was felt to be important, factors which might encourage the library service to have greater involvement in research. In conclusion around half the libraries from all sectors responding to these surveys had been involved in some form of research during the previous two years and only slightly fewer had plans for research during the coming year.

Although research projects have recently been carried out to investigate learning and libraries, much of the work has focused on trying to assess the outcomes and impacts of learning experiences. It is clear from a project recently conducted by the Centre for Information Research (CIRT) that the learning process itself is often not fully understood in relation to libraries. There is little agreement about what the role of the public library should be at each stage of the learning process and it is acknowledged that a learner's experience may differ considerably depending on the area they live in, the library they use and the member of staff they encounter on a particular visit. As public libraries move outside their comfort zone and extend their services to learners, there are bound to be difficulties to overcome. The processes of reflection, generalisation and, to some extent, guiding learners and evaluating learning experiences are not well understood or supported in libraries. Many staff lack the training, confidence and time to support learners in these important activities. Extending the role of the library is likely to require support from those with greater experience and expertise in supporting learners at all stages of the learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates joint use libraries in Great Britain. Advantages of joint use libraries; Negative aspects of joint use libraries; Details on the establishment of joint use libraries.

The ability to demonstrate the impact that school libraries have on learning is becoming increasingly important. This article reports on a recent project undertaken in England by the Centre for Information Research (CIRT) on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). The project involved a survey of school library staff, teachers, and headteachers and resulted in the production of draft self-evaluation models for English school libraries that will allow school librarians to demonstrate to teachers, governors, inspectors, and others the contribution that their services can make to teaching, learning, and attainment levels. The research team also investigated current evaluation practices and identified a number of issues that need to be addressed to ensure the successful adoption of the models in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deals with a study which focused on the impact of a family reading project on parents and library staff and the partnerships it fostered between organizations involved in the initiative. Benefits likely to result from the collaboration; Remaining problems; Partnership course benefits.

The mere provision of resources is rarely sufficient to meet the learning needs of library users. Learners also require assistance from staff, first to identify their needs, and then to ensure these are met successfully. An understanding of the possible barriers that may prevent learning taking place and an appreciation of the factors that motivate people to learn can help library staff to meet the learning needs of their users more effectively. As providing support for learners is assuming increasing importance in libraries, librarians will need a broad understanding of learning methods in order to recognise the many and varied ways in which their users approach learning. An appreciation of some of the concepts and techniques of both formal and informal education should, therefore, be delivered as part of librarians' initial training, with additional opportunities to develop skills provided through continuing professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article the discusses the project that explores the potential usage of comics to convey health information for patients and family members.

The introduction for the Spring 2006 issue of the journal "Library Trends" is presented.