Social inclusion is high on the Government’s agenda but the role of public libraries in this area has not always been clearly defined. This paper first examines the issue of social exclusion, attempting to define the inclusive society. Drawing on recent work by the Library and Information Commission (2000), it then proposes that research conducted by the University of Central England – A Place for Children and The Value and Impact of Homework Clubs in Public Libraries – demonstrates the capacity of the public library service to combat the exclusion of the child from society, by enabling access to the adult world. The paper concludes that the public library service supports the educational, social and cultural development of all citizens, indeed that it is the essence of inclusion. Public libraries must therefore be integrated into the infrastructure for inclusion, and recommendations towards this end are made.
Effecting change: reader development projects in public libraries Briony TrainJudith Elkin Article information:To cite this document: Briony TrainJudith Elkin, (2001),"Effecting change: reader development projects in public libraries", Library Management, Vol. 22 Iss 8/9 pp. 395 -403 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractInvestigates the growing significance of project-based work in the public library sector, using as an example the field of reader development. Drawing on the Branching Out national reader development initiative (1998)(1999)(2000)(2001), and on input provided by staff in participating authorities and members of the project management team, it examines the role of the project manager. It looks specifically at the requirement of project managers to coordinate a piece of work from a central position in the organisational structure. The paper acknowledges the difficulties of managing change, and suggests means of overcoming these, using the Branching Out model. It concludes that cultural and structural change will only be achieved in the longer term with the support and commitment of all staff, which will only be achieved through widespread project dissemination. Electronic accessThe research register for this journal is available at
Until recently, performance measurement in public libraries had largely failed to address the issue of evaluating the quality of service provision. Investigates the potential to measure the impact on staff and users of reader development, currently a key concern to the public library sector. Uses examples as the best value inspection process, a current form of performance measurement, and Branching Out, an ongoing national reader development initiative. Concludes that the qualitative, person‐centred evaluation methodologies developed via projects such as Branching Out could support any local authority preparing its own service evaluation, and could arguably enhance any evaluative documentation, for example the Best Value Performance Plan.
This paper considers the capacity of the public library service to support adult basic skills education. Research and policy documents pertaining to this subject in the fields of librarianship and education are presented, from which issues are identified that can prevent the public library from being effective in its basic skills provision. The Vital Link project (2001‐2002) is introduced as an example of a recent initiative that attempted to create a sustainable link between adult literacy and public libraries. Findings of a key aspect of the qualitative evaluation of The Vital Link are presented, with a focus on recommended changes to the public library service. The paper concludes that although barriers preventing effective service delivery are complex, the key to removing them may be more straightforward.
A recent research project examined partnerships between booksellers, publishers, library suppliers and librarians that were being used to promote books and reading. The full project report, Partnership in Promotion, contains an extensive literature review, referring to over 70 items – journal articles, books, conference proceedings, manuals and news items – as well as a range of organizations and resources in the field of reading promotion. In this article, the seminal texts of the last ten years (1992‐2001) are reviewed in order to highlight the rise of reader development and the growing partnership working among sectors of the book industry. The purpose of the article is to draw together the principal texts in this largely uncharted area in order to provide practitioners with a concise and reliable guide to developments of the last decade.
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