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Joint use libraries in New Zealand are generally found in the form of School and Community Libraries, primarily in rural areas, but there is little information available about their effectiveness or success. Research was undertaken by surveying all identified joint use libraries in New Zealand and then following this with detailed Case Studies of three selected libraries. As these joint use libraries continue to be established in rural and urban areas of New Zealand, this research aimed to establish the Critical Success Factors for School and Community (Joint Use) Libraries in New Zealand. A comparison of these factors with those found in overseas literature on Joint Use Libraries has yielded guidelines to enable present and future manifestations of these libraries in New Zealand to be effective and successful. (Contains 2 figures.)

The decision by public libraries in New Zealand to implement Facebook has been uneven. Using Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations theory, a survey of nine public libraries investigated the process of its adoption or non-adoption. The motivating factors for the adoption of Facebook were identified. The surveyed libraries all met the four prior conditions for its adoption. In the innovation-decision process libraries fulfilled the knowledge stage to differing degrees. In the persuasion stage the attributes of relative advantage, compatibility and complexity were the most important factors to explain adoption. Other factors favouring adoption, such as the importance of change agents, were also discovered.

Joint-use libraries have identified staff integration as a problem. Using focus groups, this project investigated the culture, professional ethics, and attitudes of staff in a public-tertiary joint-use library in Auckland, New Zealand. Findings show some difference in organizational cultures, but more variation at the lower level of roles and tasks.

The aim of this research was to investigate current issues faced by public library staff in rural South Australia and to examine some of the reasons why people choose to work in rural libraries. The study took a mixed methods approach, combining interviews and questionnaires to gain a fuller understanding of the issues and experiences of rural librarians. The findings show that rural library staff in South Australia are a dedicated group of individuals who are motivated by personal interactions with their communities. Constraints imposed by distance, travelling times and geographic isolation concerned many staff--especially the difficulty of finding professional development opportunities, with travel to Adelaide for workshops the most commonly stated barrier.

This study explores how one public library assesses the outcomes of a makerspace and examines whether the approaches taken can be justified as appropriate. An increasing number of public libraries throughout the world are establishing makerspaces, and to date there is little literature on how outcomes of these services are assessed. This study explores the methods that are being used, making comparisons to best practice revealed in the literature. The project is a case-study of the Central City Library makerspace (Auckland Libraries, New Zealand). The study collected evidence from documents, archival records, and interviewees. The findings revealed that while efforts are being made to assess the outcomes of makerspaces, methods and techniques are primarily informal. Current formal reporting relies upon quantitative measurement, such as visitor or participant numbers, which fails to capture the effects of the service on users. The implication is that staff may develop more structured and formalized approaches to assessing the outcomes of makerspaces. Further research could include the design of a prototypical outcomes assessment model that is then tested on a public library makerspace to determine the practicality of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After books and other items are deselected from the library, there remains the problem of what to do with them. Traditional means of disposal such as taking books to the tip can mean a public relations disaster is lying in wait. As alternatives, libraries have given away books to organizations that will value them, or they can sell discarded items to generate revenue. Book sales have changed significantly with the widespread adoption of the Web because this creates a much larger potential market than could be reached with sales in the library. There are many companies that take and onsell discarded library books; some are for profit and some are social businesses. Another option is to sell books to recycling companies because paper recycling is becoming much more widespread. The last, newest, and most innovative option is ‘upcycling’, which means using an old discarded library book to make something new, such as a desk, shoes, or even a chandelier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Marketing in libraries has been widely discussed in literature, but is often limited to either prescriptive writing on the application of marketing theory to libraries, or descriptions of marketing at individual libraries with little theoretical basis. The purpose of this paper is to investigate marketing to teens as practiced by public libraries, and to discover whether the application of marketing mix concepts to practice is a conscious decision by libraries. Design/methodology/approach – Staff were interviewed at two large New Zealand public libraries to discover whether they considered marketing targeting theory and marketing mix concepts when marketing to teens. Findings – It was found that while both libraries did some formal teen marketing, the majority of marketing was conducted more informally by individual branch libraries. Libraries struggled in particular with defining their teen users, and the marketing mix was dealt with in an ad hoc manner. Overall, library marketing was more tactical than strategic. Originality/value – Library managers can review their development of marketing strategies for teens in the light of the findings described in this paper. A closer application of marketing concepts can help with the development of marketing plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decision by public libraries in New Zealand to implement Facebook has been uneven. Using Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations theory, a survey of nine public libraries investigated the process of its adoption or non-adoption. The motivating factors for the adoption of Facebook were identified. The surveyed libraries all met the four prior conditions for its adoption. In the innovation-decision process libraries fulfilled the knowledge stage to differing degrees. In the persuasion stage the attributes of relative advantage, compatibility and complexity were the most important factors to explain adoption. Other factors favouring adoption, such as the importance of change agents, were also discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – To explore and evaluate the evidence about the effectiveness of "mystery shopping" as a technique for service evaluation in the public library system of one country. Design/methodology/approach – A critical summary and review of the literature in this field. Interviews with public librarians in New Zealand who have used mystery shopping. Findings – Demonstrates that there were three major reasons for using this method of customer service evaluation in the libraries under consideration: improving process, improving staff behaviours, and benchmarking with similar organisations. In practice, objectives were mixed, with some data being used for process improvement, and other elements of the mystery shopping used to assess library staff performance. Staff reactions were initially negative, but changed after they saw that the assessment was positive. Research limitations/implications – This examination of a particular form of service evaluation shows that it offers a narrow, very specific description of customer service that can be used in conjunction with broader forms of assessment such as customer satisfaction surveys. Offers insights into the value of this particular form of research methodology at the same time as showing the need for it to be used in conjunction with broader research techniques. Practical implications – The paper can be used for thoughtful and practical guidance on the use of a specialised but powerful tool for library and information service evaluation. Originality/value – This paper acts as a useful source of information for practitioners with a commitment to using research techniques for real-life service enhancement, while also establishing that there is a sound academic basis for this research method, if implemented appropriately. The suggestions for how mystery shopping can be used to best advantage by the profession in future are of particular worth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]