Social inclusion and social capital of the Shanghai Library as a community place for self-improvement

Abstract

Purpose Using a Shanghainese context, the purpose of this paper is to understand the effects of the public library in its community, as well as its ability to create social capital. Along with this, this paper aims to look at some socially disadvantaged groups within Shanghai and see the positive benefits that the Shanghai Library (SHL) has in society. Design/methodology/approach Using a total of 410 respondents from Shanghai through a questionnaire, this study investigates how different groups of disadvantaged groups (namely, students, elderly and unemployed) living in Shanghai perceived the social values, and contributions functions of the SHL to the local community, and its capacities to create social capital. Findings Findings of this study indicate that respondents expressed an overall highly positive outlook of the SHL’s value to the community, and they found it to have an important role in their daily lives. Originality/value This study will be useful for understanding the roles of the public library in a Chinese context, as well as the views and perceptions of the public library to disadvantaged user groups in China.

Shanghai Library as a human capital developer for a knowledge-driven socio-economic environment

“…This supports the notion that public libraries, including Shanghai Library, play an important role in promoting literacy in their communities (Fraser et al, 2002). By providing a neighbourhood resource and meeting place that is accessible to everyone, Shanghai Library creates and promotes social inclusion and cohesion for the community (Lo et al, 2019).…”

“…As a continuation of Lo et al’s (2019) previous study, the primary purpose of this research was to investigate the role of Shanghai Library in developing human capital for different financially independent user groups. In other words, this study aimed to examine how Shanghai Library’s physical facilities and services actually address various issues related to the self-learning and lifelong learning needs amongst financially independent user groups, thereby contributing to the creation of human capital in the local community.…”

Transformational leadership practice in the world’s leading academic libraries

“…Similar to public libraries, academic libraries in the 21st century operate in new socio-political, socio-economic, socio-cultural, and socio-educational contexts that involve digitization, data curation, increased globalization, international collaboration and partnership, cultural diversity, cultural intelligence, and cross-cultural management (Lo et al, 2017a, 2017b, 2019a, 2019b). A much more complex style of leadership is needed as academic libraries evolve to meet the new needs and demands of their parent institutions (Hicks, 2015).…”

Home Libraries and their Roles in Social Changes among Rural Communities in Indonesia

“…These roles can be conducted if the culture of communities is based on reading and educational interests as formal responsibilities of the library 16,17 . Education will further enhance the roles of libraries concerning their social function as a community space beside its efforts to build community capacity through social inclusion and social capital, which ends in social harmony 19 . A society will always change in all areas of complexity.…”