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Recent semi-structured interviews with 28 librarians and branch managers on the placement of social workers in public libraries revealed a need for library and information science (LIS) programs to better prepare students for their role as social service information providers and to provide models for working with and supervising social workers in the library. It is clear that libraries are experiencing increasing demands to respond to the social-service information needs that users bring to the library, and the importance of libraries to communities in times of uncertainty and crisis is clear. In response, some libraries are including social workers on staff, but this trend does not completely relieve librarians of the need to serve the public's social-service information needs. LIS students need to understand the professional boundaries of librarianship and social work and to develop the ability to feel confident in their interactions with users who have been traumatized, are in crisis, or are struggling with challenges such as the need for credible health information; home and food insecurity information; legal aid; access to the Internet for individuals and families from low-income situations; accessible adult education programs; and more. Interview participants offered a number of suggestions for how to incorporate social work concepts into LIS education and asked for several specific skills such as training in mental-health first aid, de-escalation techniques, and greater knowledge of social-service resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A smart self-service kiosk (SSSK) in a library ensures that users are able to access library services without the help of librarians regardless of the location. An SSSK is web-based and allows library users to access library services remotely. Library users are able to check the availability of information resources, the location of the information resources, and the number of copies of a particular information resource in a particular library. This study sought to investigate the provision of information services at the National University of Lesotho (NUL) Library with a view to suggest a framework for implementing an SSSK. It could be like a point-of-sale self-service touch-screen kiosk check-out, like those used in supermarkets up and down the country, an information point in a tourist attraction, or a kiosk in an airport that allows people to check in without joining a counter queue. An SSSK would be different for every specific field, depending on the specific planned application. In the field of library and information sciences, an SSSK would be used to search for the availability of books, the location of books and to check a book in and out of the library. For this study a literature review was conducted to demonstrate a need for a framework which involves the provision of information services through an SSSK at the NUL Library. The study identified the need for an SSSK to provide reference and information services at the NUL Library. This includes searching for the availability of information resources or just books like elsewhere, the location of such information resources, as well as the self-checking in and out of information resources in the library. The library users through the web portal of the SSSK would also be able to access the library services remotely. The study proposes a framework to provide information services through a SSSK at the NUL Library. It is hoped that the proposed framework may serve as a benchmark and guideline for the provision of information services through a SSSK at the NUL Library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to give a brief about the services provided by libraries to disable library users using software and hardware technologies. In this era, the development of technologies, information and communication technologies, etc., is widespread and being disseminated and published globally. Usually, it is convenient for a library professional to differentiate between individuals in need of assistance. This paper emphasises specialised equipment, technologies, and services that provide a barrier-free environment to the disabled users in libraries and information centres, leading to many technological innovations and advancements for general and disabled persons. This study will be helpful for persons with disabilities, LIS specialists, and other professional communities to provide information about the situation and the variety of assistive technologies available in libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed the following objectives: analysing the needs of the library users; identifying the degree of user satisfaction related to the services offered by the library; identifying the factors that can increase the use of the library; analyzing the way the library is perceived. To achieve these goals, several key questions have been identified: How often do the students use libraries? What are the factors that influence the choice of the library as a space for study and information? What are the tools used to find the information? What are the values and role of the library in society? The method for the data collection was the questionnaire distributed to 50 student users and comprising 26 questions structured as follows: the user profile, the use of the library services, the values promoted by the infodocumentary structures, suggestions and comments (for the library and / or for the questionnaire). The results show that the library is used extensively by students for study and information/documentation. They appreciate the peace of mind, the atmosphere, the study and information conditions, and the assistance offered by the library personnel. Lesser known and used are the specialized information services of the library: the access to the databases, the bibliographies on request, the interlibrary loan. Overall, the library is perceived as an important institution for the cultural and educational development of the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In any organisation or institute, service plays a very important role in their management and functions. Service is the main factor for the development of an organisation. The Library and Information Centre is a non-profit organisation. Its main objective is to provide the required information to the users, according to the user's satisfaction and based on priority. User satisfaction is a very important aspect of a library; providing the best services is the primary need for the fulfilment of the objectives of a library. This paper is based on a study of the library and information services provided by different college libraries in the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. A researcher has tried to understand how many college libraries have a rich collection, good infrastructure, best facilities, and the type of library and information services provided to their users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a low-cost mobile application for a library network is presented. These apps are needed to support the uses made by library users, to improve user loyalty, and to facilitate the recurrent access to multiple websites. The Valencian Public Reading Network is used as a case study to illustrate the approach. The starting point is an analytical process regarding the characteristics of the entity and the requirements of the mobile application. For the development of the application, different platforms for the construction of apps are compared. Then, the final product is evaluated in relation to efficiency and usability. The results indicate that the use of an app, which integrates information from a single point, improves performance in terms of search time and error rate. The main contribution of this work highlights apps as complementary services to websites for library networks in terms of centralisation of information and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: electronic publishing; history of publishing; poetry; libraries; SGML; database publishing; CD-ROM EN electronic publishing history of publishing poetry libraries SGML database publishing CD-ROM 37 47 11 06/22/20 20200101 NES 200101 Origins In the spring of 1990, Susan Severtson, President of Chadwyck-Healey, organized an away-day conference at a hotel in Chantilly, Virginia for our senior US managers, while my family, who were with me for a two-week vacation in Washington, DC, made a trip to New York. We were to turn all of English poetry into one huge, fully searchable database, and we all agreed that the I English Poetry Full-Text Database i should be a database of poems, not a digital reprint of books of poetry. Since the 1970s, database publishers like the Mead Corporation had been creating large legal databases by the manual keying of the texts of law books for the legal profession. But there were frustrations: books that libraries could not find, books listed in I NCBEL i that did not exist, and books that were unavailable because they were away for binding or conservation. [Extracted from the article]

Libraries provide a stage for learning, creating and sharing experience; and both library services and the information professionals in charge of them are changing with the times, just as our educational systems are, offering us new ways to acquire knowledge. The library at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey, has evolved into Biblio TEC: a physical building that is at once an information reference service and a series of spaces designed to facilitate learning and interaction in study-related activities of different kinds. With a surface area of some 17,000 sq. m., the building is divided into six levels of hexible spaces that can be adapted to the needs of individuals, teams and large groups of library users and that maximise the possibilities of private or group study and of learning in general. On this new stage, the librarian's role has also changed and librarians are no longer the keepers of services who decide what is to be used and how; instead, they have become information curators whose mission in this day and age is to facilitate the process by which patrons learn to acquire and use increasing amounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual search interfaces have been shown by researchers to assist users with information search and retrieval. Recently, several major library vendors have added visual search interfaces or functions to their products. For public service librarians, perhaps the most critical area of interest is the extent to which visual search interfaces and text-based search interfaces support research. This study presents the results of eight full-scale usability tests of both the EBSCOhost Basic Search and Visual Search in the context of a large liberal arts university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries are bridges between information and the library user in the context of information retrieval. Library users want to access information resources according to their topic. Therefore, it is important to create subject entries in bibliographic records. If subject added entries and their redirects are done correctly, it will make it easier for users to access the information they are looking for. In this article the collaborative studies and projects made in Turkey are being discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Medgidia City Library was established in 1949 with a collection of publications consisting of donations from other libraries, mostly brochures. Currently, the institution is the most important public library in the city, with a rich cultural tradition, with over 75,000 encyclopedic book volumes and collections of periodicals, organized according to library standards. The library is also a center for information, professional and intellectual training of community members. The author makes a brief historical and social journey of the library in its 50 years of existence, presenting the most important activities and events carried out or organized by it from its establishment until 2019. Throughout 2019, the library has hosted numerous symposia, book launches and courses, offering readers in Medgidia and implicitly library users, the opportunity to meet prestigious writers. Over the years, the threshold of the library has been crossed by great writers: Mihail Sadoveanu, Tudor Arghezi, Corneliu Leu, Francisc Munteanu, Cristian Teodorescu, as well as by personalities from Medgidia, which confirms that in Constanța County, it was and will remain one of the best equipped and appreciated local libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need to update library catalogs through focusing on the creation of new user services, sometimes layered on top of the current library system and catalog data, and sometimes in terms of a new model for the library's service to the user. The effort to update catalogs is reflected in the term "Web 2.0," which is a shared and open service for library and web users. The 2.0 philosophy emphasizes the social aspects of information such as reviews, recommendations and tagging. The library catalog is an organized index into the library's collection of physical terms.

Libraries have been playing important roles in disaster preparedness and recovery according to related literature. With the increasing popularity of social media, one specific value libraries can offer during disasters centers on serving as hubs for delivering credible information via social media. The 2015 catastrophic flooding in South Carolina provided a means of investigating the way libraries could utilize social media to maintain connections with their patrons during a disaster. Based on the findings from a situation-specific pilot survey study, recommendations are made that could help libraries proactively create risk communication strategies using social media for effective information services. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article articulates the numerous barriers that limit library use by trans* persons and explains practical ways these barriers can be eliminated so that trans* patrons can get the information and insights they want and need. The article also includes worksheets that library professionals can use to address trans* patrons' information issues and provide inclusive information services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past two decades, the use of digital libraries (DLs) has grown significantly. Accordingly, questions about the utility, usability and cost of DLs have started to arise, and greater attention is being paid to the quality evaluation of this type of information system. Since DLs are destined to serve user communities, one of the main aspects to be considered in DL evaluation is the user’s opinion. The literature on this topic has produced a set of varied criteria to judge DLs from the user’s perspective, measuring instruments to elicit users’ opinions, and approaches to analyse the elicited data to conclude an evaluation. This paper provides a literature review of the quality evaluation of DLs based on users’ perceptions. Its main contribution is to bring together previously disparate streams of work to help shed light on this thriving area. In addition, the various studies are discussed, and some challenges to be faced in the future are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reviews the benefits and challenges associated with ethnographic research in libraries and information settings, and provides both historical and recent examples of its application. Ethnographic research, designed to facilitate understanding the whole of different communities and groups, has long been a means of observing and documenting behaviors, customs, and cultures within social sciences such as anthropology and sociology. Information systems, information organizations and libraries happen to be environments where this type of observational and participatory research can go a long way in problem solving. Understanding users, the way they work, and the various challenges they face when trying to locate, retrieve and use information are all ways to improve service to the public, and each may be investigated through the use of ethnographic methods. This type of qualitative approach does not exclude the integration of quantitative analysis and is, in fact, strengthened by its addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the role of library and information science professor in providing consumer health information in the U.S. It states that information professionals offers people with rigorous empirical research as well as patient information based on research using tools to which people are accustomed. The library users can create their own sense of authority about the health-related collection and inform the collection development decisions through reviewing the records periodically. They are also incharge of explaining the positive and negative side of social networks to maintain a sense of balance when recommending health-related resources.

The article reports on the need of librarians to focus library services to senior population in the U.S. It is said that librarians must emotionally and professionally understand how to help their elderly patrons. It is also stated that the influx of senior citizens into the library system alone must justify the creation of more librarian jobs aimed at information retrieval for seniors. The primary reason for high library use among seniors is retirement with its often endless stretches of free time.

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the emerging concept of local contextualization in digital repositories. Design/methodology/approach — The paper describes the concepts and issues related to local contextualization of digital repositories. Findings — The paper finds that initial efforts in developing digital repositories focused mainly on digitizing library collections. Emerging trends indicate that expectations of patrons have changed and are increasingly tied to the collection and maintenance of materials that are not directly owned by the library. As repositories continue to evolve, libraries will need to be more proactive in contextualizing their digital repositories to the local environment. Unlike the current "one size fits all" model of digital repositories, contextualization emphasized thoughtful planning and implementation of services that are relevant to the local environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the constraints faced by the library of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in providing efficient services and user education in Kumasi, Ghana. It examines the library's education program and the importance of information technology (IT) to minimize the burden of librarians in carrying such platforms. It recommends the importance for the library to devise alternative user education method to effectively serve its users and provide services.

Some library users come in the door knowing exactly where to go, with clearly defined and communicated needs. However, many more enter the library on an exploratory mission and often stop at the first service desk that catches their eye. In many libraries, this point of first contact is a security or general information desk, not a full-service reference desk. This opens the question, are users being served effectively and their expectations being met? During the first several weeks of the fall 2003 semester, staff at the service desk closest to the front door of a large academic library recorded the specific questions asked by library patrons and their responses. This data was subjected to qualitative analysis techniques and revealed some trends in what current students are seeking when they initially come into the library. The results are useful for managers to consider in establishing appropriate staffing models (such as who should work at this desk), developing relevant training, and planning service desk and collection spatial configurations. This article presents the results from this study and explores possible factors that managers should take into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - There is an active effort by major libraries in Taiwan to offer integrated searching as part of their information services. The purpose of this paper is to report a low-cost and high-flexibility system, <?LIPS-DOI>, which can carry out integrated searching with respect to resource management. Design/methodology/approach - The paper first reviews the related techniques and then designs an integrated search system based on the concept of resources management. The reported system, <?LIPS-DOI>, is composed of three modules: enumeration module, description module, and resolution module. The various digital contents are first imported into <?LIPS-DOI> and thereafter the system is put into operation. Findings - A low-cost and high-flexibility system for integrated searching can be implemented and put into operation. In addition to digital objects, physical objects could also be managed and searched in the proposed <?LIPS-DOI> system. This system will redirect users to the original system in which these physical objects reside. Research limitations/implications - Due to the nature of management, registered users have to manage their own objects using the features provided by <?LIPS-DOI>. Originality/value - Such a system will empower library end users to find materials of mixed formats residing in disparate locations from a single interface. It was also designed with an eye toward integration with its DOI counterpart in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to provide a business plan for libraries to offer profitable passport services to patrons. Design/methodology/approach - Gives an overview of demographic, financial, and management profiles of California libraries that offer passport services. Presents a plan for introducing passport service in two California libraries. Findings - Current political and demographic environments for the two libraries make the introduction of passport services a potentially lucrative opportunity. Research limitations/implications - Little to no correlation was found between patron demographics of libraries currently offering passport services and the amount of revenue the services produce. Practical implications - Passport services may provide libraries a simple but effective way to supplement their budgets. Originality/value - Suggests an innovative way for libraries to increase relevance to patrons through services as well as create a stable funding source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper sets out to provide an overview of the current state of library services to the poor, and to suggest how it can be improved. Design/methodology/approach - Uses examples to illustrate the gulf between how public libraries often and the services to poor patrons, and the obstacles faced and services required for poor patrons to use the library. Findings - While many libraries think they are adequately serving their poorer constituents, often this is not the case. While one removes barriers to the traditional services one provides, determining the services they want or need is often neglected. Originality/value - Uses examples of how libraries can better serve poor patrons, and offers sound advice on establishing reasonable limits in developing such services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the LibQUAL+™'s instrument, fundamental assumption and research approach and proposes a functional/technical model of academic library effectiveness. The expanded view of library effectiveness complements LibQUAL+™, which emphasizes it to be dependent upon users' experience of service delivery, as LibQUAL+™ recognizes. The broader model shows that effectiveness depends upon an academic library's operations, the constituency groups it serves, the types of value provided to them, the models for funding libraries, academic libraries' obligations and library users' need for professional information assistance. Supplementing LibQUAL+™ provides a basis for demonstrating both immediate and cumulative academic library effectiveness.

Marshall Keys' entertaining presentation serves as an inspiring and thought-provoking stroll down today's technological trends and how they will impact libraries down the road. His examination of chaotic transitions within users, information technology and information seeking provides tremendous insights into the changes libraries will need to undertake in order to successfully serve the next generation of library users. Only by transforming ourselves to handle the needs of emerging users will we be successful in the future. These emerging users value community over privacy; want to be able to personalize the technology they use; and carry more technology in their pockets than libraries provided users just a few years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first part of the Hungarian library strategy cycle for the period 2003-2007 has finished. This report aims to give an overview of what has been accomplished so far. The development projects, the allocated financial resources and the changes in regulations reflect the following focus areas in the given period of time: extending access to documents and information, enhancing services to disadvantaged users, improving the library supply of geographically disadvantaged areas, and introducing quality management in the library field. These developments are in accordance with current EU development trends, the ultimate goal being the provision of the best possible services to users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the International Evidence-Based Librarianship conference held in Brisbane between October 16-19, 2005. Nearly 200 participants attended the conference, from many countries around the world. The Great Britain, Canada, U.S., Australia and New Zealand were all represented, with a very stimulating mix of practitioners and researchers/academics. The focus was on developments in evidence: linking research with practice. A range of workshops and presentations throughout the event elicited much greater interaction and questioning than generally occurs in U.S. conferences. At the conference a \vide range of research projects in library and information science were reported and discussed. During the conference the emphasis was led on the point that libraries have a very active interest in understanding what their users needs are, what services they should be delivering and how they should be developing their services to better meet these needs. Workshops included case studies of generalised library activities and services to develop research questions which were not limited to the health sectors.

Purpose - To identify which library service Design/methodology/approach - Surveying experts in Pakistani libraries, a questionnaire was administered to determine both the types of library services that could generate and the viability of charging for library services. Findings - Out of 32 identified information services, 12 were identified as excellent candidates for the fee-based model. Another 16 were identified as having a better than 50 percent chance of success. Originality/value - Identifies a minimum of 28 library services that may generate funds for Pakistani libraries if they are changed to a fee-based model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article states that with today's rapidly advancing technology and ever-increasing demand for information, many libraries are experiencing the need for more space. Whether the relocation of collections is temporary to house materials during a library renovation or building project, or a permanent solution to accommodate long-term growth, key questions must be addressed when planning library services for off-site collections. The selection process for materials to be moved of off-site is far from an exact science. However, the use of circulation data is generally regarded at least as an initial element in determining what materials should be stored. Turnaround time is an important part of document delivery service; however, with the variables off-site storage presents, it is not always possible to meet twenty-four-hour deadlines. Communication is important to reinforce and control patron expectations. Patrons need to know the difference between regular interlibrary loan and storage retrieval. If patrons will be charged for interlibrary loans and not for retrieved storage items, make sure information about the service and the cost to the patron is prominently displayed in writing.

A university library implemented a three-pronged marketing action plan to increase library visibility on campus. The plan included a publicity campaign, a formalized liaison program, and a user satisfaction survey. The year-long effort did return library instruction statistics to earlier levels but did not increase reference usage. Several factors are identified as potential causes for its limited success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Lucy Scribner Library at Skidmore College, we have produced 11 different postcards to promote services and collections. We have discovered the advantages as well as the limitations of using postcards as marketing/instructional/informational tools. There have also been some practical lessons to be learned along the way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - To show that many of the old ways in which people think about libraries are not based on fact, but rather on fiction. Many ideas that library managers hold to be truths are, in fact, baseless assumptions about library operations. Design/methodology/approach - Uses six examples of how library management often applies old approaches to the detriment of the library's future. After describing these examples, the truth about them is revealed as each one is examined and their fallacies are laid out. Findings - There are many assumptions that play in managing a library. Some of these are not based on fact and, as such, need to be discarded. Originality/value - Challenges managers to seek out the facts rather than base library policy on assumed truths. Even paradigms that may have once been true are not necessarily valid in today's library environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses seven measurable criteria that he accepts as defining a "great library": Great libraries provide measurably superior service; have great funding; train and retrain their staffs; integrate their virtual, place and outreach services marketing; serve both the weakest and the strongest among their constituents; provide constituents with education and entertainment; and use virtual tools to offer a full range of timely information and services. These measurable characteristics define a modern library, the library that users want. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the endless volume of information available today, searchers are forced to satisfice when searching. The first satisfactory alternative is chosen over the best. Digital library search services, however, do not support satisficing users. There is no single, simple, comprehensive search service available to end-users to meet their need to gather information on alternatives from all information repositories accessible through a digital library. Federated search services bridge the gap between satisficing searchers and today's digital libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information about significant library and information science (LIS) research activities within Canada, including announcements of research grants. Research being done at each of the faculties and schools of library and information studies across Canada is being highlighted in turn, to enable readers to gain a better understanding of the research profile at each location. In this issue, information is presented on Graduate School of Library and Information Studies (GSLIS) at McGill University. Currently, two major research projects are underway at GSLIS. The first, with Andrew Large as principal investigator and Jamshid Beheshti as coinvestigator, is titled "Children as Designers of Web Portal Architecture." The second current research project at GSLIS is titled "Integrative Classification Visualization Devices for Undergraduates." Upcoming conferences are "Users of Information Retrieval Systems: ISIC 2004 (Information Seeking in Context)" to be held at University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, September 1-3, 2004; Artful Integration: Interweaving Media, Materials, and Practices, to be held at University of Toronto in Toronto on July 27-31, 2004.

In the past few years, the MIT Libraries has been focused on how to turn declining reference statistics, new modes of technology, users' increasing needs and expectations, and constrained staff resources into a robust and valued reference service. A two-year experiment based on chat technology raised questions about future reference service. This article describes how library staff worked together to envision a future of reference at MIT that would incorporate the values of reference, needs of the users, and infrastructure of the Libraries. The final product was the Reference Vision, which now guides all of our new reference services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides a personal case study of the provision of a library's services where the librarian is based in an academic school rather than in the library itself. This provides an opportunity to develop insights into the needs of postgraduate students and to draw conclusions about the ways in which libraries can most effectively support these users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chat reference also known as digital or virtual reference, is well established across academic libraries. Hundreds of articles have been written on the various aspects of providing and evaluating this type of service. Most software used for chat reference makes it very easy to track how the system is used. The very nature of chat reference makes it possible to evaluate the quality of reference service in ways never before possible. Several basic assumptions have been made when designing a chat interface. In 2000 Kelvin Smith Library began to consider the possibility of offering a real-time chat reference service. The service was rolled out in the fall of 2001. Due to limited library staff, the service was offered from Monday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. There have been no published data to date, but a scan of Web pages from libraries offering chat service indicates that most libraries place the chat button on the home page or have a special ask-a-librarian link on the home page that takes the patron to a page with a chat request button. By expanding the number of pages on which the chat request button is placed, the use of the service is increased.

Computer technology has become an integral part of library services. One of the most exciting and rapidly growing techniques is desktop conferencing. Real-time conference tools can be used as a cost-effective way to expand reference services via the Internet and to benefit patrons who are not able to come to the library. Desktop conferencing technology is currently the most convenient and efficient tool used to create a remote reference desk environment. This technology has been improving and the potential for these Internet conference applications are encouraging. A current guide to desktop real-time conference tools both for PC and Mac OS is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on a study which examined a user-based relevance criteria in information services and systems in libraries. Background on the concept of relevance; Methodology; Results of the study.

The article offers information about the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) which has been gathering statistics from ARL member libraries since 1961. The ARL statistics emphasize collection size, library expenditures and staffing by which a subset of the data is used to calculate the ARL index, a numerical score that actually defines the criteria for ARL membership. However, ARL has launched some additional data-gathering efforts such as "New Measures Initiative" wherein these efforts cannot rely entirely on automated statistics but use surveys to gather additional data from users.

The digital world causes libraries to reconfigure their services and information architecture, in accordance with its specific goals: accessibility, simplicity, gratuitousness, multiculturality, multimediality. As tools for promoting the services provided by the libraries, as media for popularizing educational, cultural or recreational activities and as mechanisms for interaction with the public, the social networks have many advantages: attracting new users, exponential growing the public interest in the events organized or hosted by the libraries, disseminating the multimedia information content and informations of utilitarian nature, increasing the frequency of the interactions with the users and so on. The social networks have given rise to a new type of library management (e-management), oriented towards an intersubjective axis (e-services, e-documents, e-public), as well as towards an objective axis (the chosen online communication channels). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]