Editorial

Citation

Ashcroft, L. (2009), "Editorial", New Library World, Vol. 110 No. 1/2. https://doi.org/10.1108/nlw.2009.072110aaa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: New Library World, Volume 110, Issue 1/2

Sony has recently launched a new e-book reader, which is the size of a paper back and can store about 160 books in its memory. Its display technology is e-ink, which is not backlit. Some stores in the UK are reportedly selling out. Yet the Sony reader is in competition with others, such as Amazon’s Kindle, to be the leader of the e-book reader market. In her article, Soules reviews the current state of e-books. Drawing on recent surveys, she points out that the evolution of e-books has been slower than originally anticipated, and she presents the issues. E-books will continue to evolve and librarians must plan for future types of e-books.

The concept of a new central library for Birmingham, UK, has been going on for about ten years. The existing library has many problems, including the leaking ceiling on floor six directly above the rare books collection. Birmingham has a Big City Plan and is making an effort to correct the planning errors particularly of the 1960s. There have been various false starts of developments on the proposed site, it is hoped that this latest version will now go ahead and perhaps be the largest public library in Europe. The article from Harada et al. takes a different aspect on planning for a new library. They focus on the process of visioning a new library building, describing the work of the task force, whose members came from a variety of backgrounds. Their final report recommended best services, best practices and technology prior to moving into the larger and more modern building.

Outcomes framework for museums, libraries and archives

(www.mla.gov.uk/policy/improvement) says that museums, libraries and archives make contributions to success across government agendas and deliver positive outcomes for communities. In this community context, it says that they play a vital role in place-shaping and building strong and cohesive communities, as well as providing valuable public spaces. Goulding’s article explores the concept of community engagement within a public library context. She discusses evidence which indicates that the public library is being positioned as a key community resource and facility. She identifies that while public libraries have been effective in simpler forms of community engagement, they need to capitalise upon the opportunities that community role offers to support the development of community capacity building.

A CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) council meeting focused on communication strategy because it should be at the heart of the profession. Trustee, Ayub Khan said that “CILIP does great work, but a lot of it is invisible”. Under-appreciation of the sector can arise because of lack of public awareness and lack of awareness to some extent within the community (Better communication … , 2008). An angle on communication is taken by den Boef et al., who draw together developments in the library world and the decline of the quality newspaper. They consider how both have been affected by the mix up of unfiltered information and also the difficulties in access to quality information. They suggest that the library might become the perfect institution to enhance the quality of civil journalism.

A report from RIN (Research Information Network) says that researchers are not getting the training they need and that academic libraries are missing the chance to fulfil a role in developing researchers’ skills. While new technology has created electronic access to vast resources, researchers’ skills have not kept pace. Overall training provision is “not generally based on any systematic assessment of needs” (RIN, 2008). Vessozi, in her article, reports the investigation into the information behaviour of a group of doctoral students with the aim of understanding their needs and obtaining suggestions for an improved library service. While this investigation found that the students rely heavily on the internet for their research work, they demonstrate progress in information competence during their doctorate course.

At the JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) annual conference, the JISC/SCONUL Library management systems study was launched, which commented that library management systems are not fully fit for purpose because they do not allow seamless integration with teaching and learning, and even research, behaviour in the Web 2.0 environment. An angle on this issue is developed in the article from Solis and Hampton, who presents a case study to demonstrate how university libraries have begun to incorporate library resources into a university course management system. They point out that the creation of course pages for incorporation into the course management system at the case study university is providing a new way of helping students to understand library resources and services.

Linda Ashcroft