Search

As public libraries are called upon to support increasing numbers of users experiencing homelessness and other outcomes of poverty and disadvantage, they are looking to external service providers with whom to partner to share in the provision of this support. Using a model of Collaborative Governance, the results of a survey of public library staff are used to explore these partnerships, along with service provisions provided to vulnerable library users. The survey found that public libraries are providing access to library services, spaces and resources, along with links to external service providers, and are acting as distribution points for donated items. As local government entities, public libraries are undertaking collaborative governance activities by forming partnerships with community-led non-profit organisations, large-scale non-profit and charitable organisations, and government service providers. The ‘Starting Conditions’ element of the Collaborative Governance Model (Ansell, C., & Gash, A. (2008). Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(4), 543–571) provides a useful means of exploring asymmetries in the power-resource-knowledge relationship between public libraries and their partners, and the pre-existing levels of trust between potential partners as both incentives and constraints on establishing partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Codesigning public library spaces is often limited to consulting with end-users rather than giving them a role as actual co-designers. This article advocates for more genuine codesign of public library spaces and critically examines the prevalent challenges in achieving true codesign in public library developments. The article introduces a two-year Australian Research Council Linkage research project, 'Designing for Communities with Communities'. The project aims to provide public library staff with a set of codesign tools they can adapt for their own particular projects. Using comparative case studies, the project will also identify the challenges of integrating codesign into the development of public library spaces, and key factors in the effectiveness of projects that seek their communities' inputs and engagement. This article introduces the theory of participatory and codesign, and sets out the basic conceptual framework for the project. It also reports on its initial stages, including preliminary interviews with key protagonists and preliminary user surveys about existing spaces. Moreover, the article discusses the design of the case studies' community workshops, where most of the actual codesigning will take place, with an extensive discussion and analysis of the activities that could be included in these workshops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the findings of a survey of more than 100 Australian outer regional and remote public library managers. Public libraries in these areas serve more than 2.5 million Australians, representing an important yet under-researched topic. Using an online questionnaire, with a response rate of more than 40%, we asked public library managers in rural Australia about the services provided by both fixed-site and mobile libraries (where applicable), as well as online and other outreach services. Questions also covered the value, issues and challenges of respondents' library services. Findings suggest that while rural libraries perform some similar functions to their more urban counterparts, and share some challenges, they are especially valued by their communities in the absence of alternative services and social outlets, making the library even more of a key facilitator, potentially, of social inclusion and community interaction. Respondents also noted an increasing demand for IT services and digital literacy support among their users, a need sometimes at odds with the challenge these libraries face maintaining up-to-date technical infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]