Helen Greenwood

Authors’ Awareness and Attitudes Toward Open Access Repositories

This article investigates the awareness of scholarly authors toward open access repositories and the factors that motivate their use of these repositories. The article reports on the findings obtained from a mixed methods approach which involved a questionnaire returned by over 3000 respondents, supplemented by four focus groups held across Europe in the summer 2009. The research found that although there was a good understanding and appreciation of the ethos of open access in general, there were clear differences between scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds in their understanding of open access repositories and their motivations for depositing articles within them. This research forms the first part of a longitudinal study that will track the changing behaviors and attitudes of authors toward open access repositories.

“Cleaners don't need computers”: bridging the digital divide in the workplace

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of research into the extent and impact of restricted access by specific groups of staff to ICT‐based communications in UK further and higher education institutions.Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods. A questionnaire survey was distributed to all HEFCE‐funded institutions in the UK. Six institutions acted as case study sites for in‐depth qualitative investigation using documentary analysis and semi‐structured interviews.Findings – Lack of hardware and network infrastructure posed less of a barrier than lack of ICT skills, lack of motivation either to use computers or to gain ICT skills, and line manager resistance to staff using computers or accessing ICT training in work time. Job function was the factor most associated with lack of access, with cleaning, catering and estates staff least likely to have access. However, there were also many examples of good practice to extend staf...

Scholarly communication trends — voices from the vortex: a summary of specialist opinion

The views of specialists (academics, librarians, publishers and information scientists) on trends in scholarly communications were canvassed by means of structured questions. A greater commonality of views was found than might have been expected.

Embracing change: evidence‐based management in action

Purpose – In recent years public libraries have increasingly been required to collect data for the assessment of their performance and to inform service developments. The purpose of this paper is to describe an initiative to promote an evidence‐based approach to library management in a UK county library service.Design/methodology/approach – The paper gives a definition of evidence‐based librarianship and describes how a three‐year study put evidence‐based management (EBM) principles into practice, and the implications for the staff and service as a whole.Findings – An evidence‐based approach to library management yields considerable benefits in terms of service delivery and staff attitudes to data handling. When staff understand the purpose and benefits of collecting data and have the skills to handle evidence, they are more inclined to take ownership of these processes.Research limitations/implications – This research is limited to one public library authority in the UK. A key priority for future work is...

The status of health librarianship and libraries in the Republic of Ireland (SHELLI): a mixed methods review to inform future strategy and sustainability

BACKGROUND This paper summarises the main points of a review of the Status of Health Librarianship & Libraries in Ireland (SHELLI). The review was commissioned to gain a broad understanding of what was happening in practice in Ireland; acquire knowledge about international best practice, and to inform strategic plans to develop and sustain health libraries and librarianship in Ireland. METHODS A Mixed Methods approach was used: a literature review; an online survey distributed to health librarians; Semi structured interviews with key stakeholders; a focus group drawing participants from the survey. All evidence was triangulated. RESULTS New roles for health librarians needed development and the changing educational needs of health librarians warranted attention. Increased collaboration across institutional boundaries needed more consideration, especially in relation to access to e-resources. Marketing of library services was crucial. Irish health library standards, needed to be updated and enforced and a proper evidence base established. The literature provided a number of examples of potentially useful initiatives. CONCLUSIONS A strategic plan of action was drawn up in three areas: (i) to identify champions and promote visibility of health service libraries, (ii) to establish a body of evidence and (iii) to support service development and staff mentoring.

Successful Primary School Libraries in Challenging Circumstances

This article describes a research project, funded by Booktrust, into factors which contribute to successful primary school libraries. The research involved six case studies of primary school libraries which had proved successful in challenging circumstances. Such challenges might include lack of space, poor resourcing or deprived school catchment areas. Evidence was collected through visits, during which semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff across the schools - principally those with a close involvement or interest in the library, together with a survey of the pupils of each school being visited. The schools included a variety of library models and types of school - both urban and rural schools of varying sizes. Each school in the study faces a range of challenges in terms of providing a good library service to children. The study found a range of factors important for a successful library. These included: ensuring the commitment of both senior staff and library staff; involving children in the development and day-to-day running of the library; integrating the library into the school and encouraging collaboration between library staff and teachers; maximising the opening hours of the library; making innovative use of space; ensuring the availability of resources to provide a wide range of good quality stock, and using evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of the library.

Designing tools to fill the void: a case study in developing evaluation for reading promotion projects

The Library and Information Statistics Unit at Loughborough University (LISU) was recently commissioned to develop an evaluation toolkit for a project aimed at supporting the development of new creative partnerships between libraries, museums and the arts using books and reading as a launch pad to develop new audiences and new venues for reading inspired creativity. Entitled “Books Connect”, the project comprised 13 individual cross‐domain events or initiatives that took place in the nine local authority areas in the East Midlands region of the UK in early 2002. These individual activities were very varied; involving different art forms, venues and partnerships, and featuring workshops, displays and performances and thus presented an interesting challenge in terms of creating a uniformly applicable set of performance indicators and data gathering instruments that could be used “in the field” by individual project managers. The specially created evaluation “toolkit” comprised a set of audience questionnaires and interview schedules as well as templates to gather reviews from co‐ordinators, and accounts of artists’ and partners’ experience of events and initiatives. The data gathered were assembled and analysed by LISU specialists.