Search

Innovation, a fundamental element in the current historical moment, is primordial to all institutions to face up to the challenges and to guarantee their future. Generally, the innovation processes are mainly based on the technological component, although it is possible to innovate with other resources, approaches, and service approaches. Innovation also is becoming one of the hallmarks of Spanish public libraries. These institutions mainly innovate from available technology offering personalized and tailored according to the needs and interests of its user community. Some paradigmatic cases of innovative services in Spanish public libraries are analyzed.

In a time of recession that the cuts in public services are the order of the day, the public library moves in a difficult and complex environment where you have to dip into the ingenuity and imagination to follow offering quality services tailored to the needs of their community. The Municipal Library of San Javier (Murcia) have opted for programs and activities of all kinds (cultural, encourage reading, literary competitions and film festivals, training activities, Internet-based services and web 2.0, etc..) Whose cost is virtually zero. Interlibrary cooperation and other social and cultural environment of our pillars have been to get good services with a cost affordable in modern times

In this paper there are analyzed the principal challenges and opportunities that there represents the phenomenon of the digital divide for the public library. It presents the current problematics of the digital divide and its repercussions, being outlined its quality as element diferenciador and of exclusion in the environment of the society of the information. On the other hand, it is recognized to the public library as a public space of access to the information and the knowledge, and the new role that must play in the current society. Finally, there are examined the areas of performance of the public library to help to overcome the digital divide.

Some Spanish public libraries have sites Web in a new digital work environment. These libraries are already delivered some services in their virtual branches. We are interesting to analyze user education in their sites Web. We are reviewed and tested some digital resources and services for user education in public libraries at World Wide Web. Level developing obtained in this library work is shown in conclusions. Likewise, we contributed some references about public library web sites design focused in user education and library instruction.

The local nature of public libraries and the improvement of their products and services have become stronger with the inclusion of information and communication technologies in their daily activities. Within the improvements noticed the services related to the provision of information fot the community stand out. A web-compliant community-based information service (CBIS), or local information service (LIS), is a tool that well managed could provide –and it has indeed done so in some places– service levels never seen before in public libraries. A virtual CBIS/LIS could carry job vacancies, real estate ands, information alerts, services for citizens and the local administration and much more. This paper examines some instances showing that the public library function as an agent for local development is more than just words.

User instruction has lately become one of the most fashionable topics in the vast field of library and information science. At the same time, the development of experiences and activities related to user instruction is becoming more and more normal practice in information units of all types. Within the specific context of public libraries, user instruction is still to be fully developed and the implementation of instruction programmes and services still leaves a lot to be desired. Nevertheless, an improvement of the situation seems imminent. In this respect, this paper presents and analyses the main user instruction experiences carried out at Spanish public libraries over the last few years, their results and future prospects.

Some of the most important Web services provided by state-run public libraries and regional libraries are studied, described and analysed. First, libraries with a presence on the Internet had to be ascertained, i.e., which libraries had a Web site, and then their most prominent services were analysed. The study was carried out in August 2002. By way of conclusion the importance that our public libraries will have in the context of Internet in the future and their public service possibilities is highlighted.

This paper reviews library situations worldwide and initiatives undertaken to address specific demands in the context of critical, deprived, endemic or transitional socioeconomic situations. The response by the library can be categorised as strictly library-oriented, of a social function and by means of additional services. These library initiatives can serve as a stimulus and a source of possible actions and, in some cases, be emulated and adapted to a particular situation. Here it will be shown how the library may play a variety of roles ranging from employment agency to mediator so that isolated indigenous communities can communicate with the rest of the world and among themselves.

The implementation of a local information service in a municipal public library needs a well thought out plan that takes into consideration the interesed parties. Aspects concerning its organisation, management, technological equipment, promotion and support by local decision-makers should be considered during its configuration. Finally, statistical monitoring and the evaluation of the service offered will provide us with an overall view of the obtained results.

Many people do not use public libraries since they do not expect to find the kind of information that is of interest to them. The municipal public library, the one nearest to everybody, must facilitate access to this type of information in oder to attract new user groups. To this end, the local information service, managed by the library, becomes a fundamental tool. the relevance of this service, the type of information it would handle, intented audience, staff and their duties are discussed.

Book review of: Web-Based Instruction: A Guide for Libraries, de Susan Sharpless Smith.

The paper analyzes the problem of the digital divide and its entailment with the development of the technology of information like answer to the solution of some problems of the countries developing.

The professionals of History need to accede to the greater font number information related to their activities of investigation. If long ago the historian used itself printed sources of intelligence, nowadays the situation is changing. The presence of new sources in electronic and digital support has given rise to the creation of the first historical data bases that provide a better storage, recovery and use of the information.