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Purpose: Drawing on the survey of Spanish-speaking immigrant and migrant readers in Canada and the US, this study pursues three goals: (1) examine the image of the library held by these readers and trace the change of this image after the international migration; (2) use the study findings to revise and update the currently existing typologies of the image of the library; and (3) understand ethical and effective research practices in the studies of immigrant/migrant communities whereby researchers are external to communities in question. Design/methodology/approach: The data about immigrant/migrant readers were collected through a self-administered survey questionnaire that was available both in print and electronically, both in Spanish and English. The data analysis was guided by hermeneutic phenomenology, as explicated in the article. Theoretical examination of the image of the library relied on the earlier typology developed by V. Stelmakh. Findings: The study elucidates perceptions of libraries and librarians in both North America and countries of origin held by Spanish-speaking immigrant/migrant readers, and highlights changes that occur in the image of the library as readers move across geographic borders. Building on the empirical data, the article develops a new typology of the image of the library. It also offers insight into ethical and effective ways of engaging with immigrant communities that should be upheld by researchers from outside the communities in question. Originality/value: It is the first known study that systematically traces the changes in the image of the library which occur alongside geographic and sociocultural migrations. It is also the first known study that focuses specifically on readers rather than library users in general. The new typology consists of four different elements – the cultural image; the functional image; the humanistic image; and the ideological image of the library – and is accompanied by detailed definitions of each. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public library value is often ascertained by outlining the economic, social, and cultural benefits public libraries generate for the greater community. While researchers have focused on the concepts of social capital, civic engagement, and the role of libraries in promoting democracy, fewer studies have explored the public’s perceptions of libraries in an effort to determine library value. Furthermore, library nonusers are rarely included in these studies. In Alberta, Canada, 1,201 Albertans from across the province, including both urban and rural areas, were asked a series of questions about their perceptions of public libraries and library use. Findings reveal characteristics of library users and nonusers, what services and resources are used most often at public libraries, what value the public places on public libraries, and the role that libraries play in supporting communities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Library date due slips can potentially contain personal information (e.g., names) that compromises patron privacy. A survey was conducted of fifty-five Canadian English-language public library systems to determine what information is being printed on date due slips. While it was discovered that personal information was sometimes included, it was most often in the form of the borrower’s library card number, an almost anonymous identifier. The most commonly included information related to library services, such as the name of the library, the titles of items borrowed, and the due date. Respondents cited patron privacy as the main reason for not including personal patron information. It appears that Canadian public libraries are aware of the importance of maintaining confidentiality in regard to library user records, at least in terms of the content of date due slips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the value of French School Regulation theory for questions of relevance to researchers and practitioners working in the field of information policy in general and public librarianship in particular. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is divided into two parts. Part one outlines Regulation theory's twin analytic tools of Fordism and post-Fordism and its value for questions about the evolution of the public library. Part two provides an example of the approach's explanatory potential when applied to a series of public library planning documents produced by the Government of Ontario, Canada from the 1950s. Findings – An interpretation of the evolution of the identity of the library user from patron to customer to information producer-consumer is proposed at the intersection of the neoliberal state's austerity in social spending, the ubiquity of the new information and communication technologies, and fundamental changes in libraries as sites of waged-work. Research limitations/implications – The research facilitates the development of a political economy of the contemporary public library of potential value to the international public library community. Also, conceiving of the public library as first and foremost a site of productive work forces one to re-engage with the meaning of shifting relations between the library user and the institution on working conditions. Originality/value – The applicability of a relatively under-utilized theoretical framework is modelled that enables one to ask new questions of relevance to the field of library and information science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public libraries can, and should, challenge and aid their users in being more informed about the world and their place in it. This process is supported by collections that not only introduce new knowledge and ideas but also reflect back to the user their life in a realistic and affirming way. This paper will outline some of the arguments for developing a core collection of work for, and about, Aboriginal women in Canada that explores and celebrates the diversity and complexity of Aboriginal women's lives. In addition, this paper will suggest some criteria and selection sources critical to ensuring that this collection reflects the well established strength of the scholarship and creativity in this area, while highlighting the emerging trends in research, publishing, film and music. . In an attempt to keep the paper focused and succinct, international material (except from the United States) that would be of significance and interest to Canadian Aboriginal women has been excluded. For this paper, Aboriginal women in Canada includes any woman who self identifies or has been identified as First Nation, Inuit Metis, Native or Indian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public libraries that practice effective dialogic communication are more likely to build trust with their communities. Applying principles of dialogic communication as a theoretical framework, this study examines how public libraries in Canada and the USA use Twitter to build long-term positive relationships with their publics. Content analysis of 28,788 Twitter messages sent to and from thirteen library @names revealed that libraries tend to employ the 'dialogic cluster' principles more often than the 'technical and design cluster' ones. However, 'technical and design cluster' messages were more likely to be retweeted. The number of followers was found to be positively related to the frequency of trust messages that the Twitter users send to a library @name. The authors discuss communication practices to actively engage publics in dialogic communication on Twitter. • Principles of dialogic communication are used to explore library use of Twitter to build relationships. • Dialogic communication is important in building library-public relationships. • Trust is a key dimension of library-public relationships. • Twitter is an effective tool to facilitate dialogic communication. • Effective dialogic communication results in a growing number of engaged followers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]