Joacim Hansson

Hermeneutics as a bridge between the modern and the postmodern in library and information science

Hermeneutics as a bridge between the modern and the postmodern i Library and Informatioon science

How implementation of bibliometric practice affects the role of academic libraries

This article discusses potential consequences of implementing bibliometrics as an institutionalized practice in academic libraries. Results are reported from a survey among libraries in Sweden with organized bibliometric activities. Incorporating bibliometric activities is one way of redefining and widening the role of the library. Implementation of bibliometric practice is motivated by ambitions to provide more complete scholarly communication-related services, as well as to increase the visibility and status of libraries. Underlying reasons are professional competencies such as metadata and bibliographic database management; and bibliometrics being strong within library and information science. Incorporating bibliometrics in academic libraries is also seen as a way of widening the professional profile of librarianship. The new role should, however, also be considered from the viewpoint of potential changes in how academic libraries are perceived when incorporating a monitoring function through bibliometric analyses of research performance in addition to traditional service-oriented functions.

Just Collaboration or Really Something Else? On Joint Use Libraries and Normative Institutional Change with Two Examples from Sweden

This article is an attempt to discuss the establishment of joint use libraries as something more than just administrative collaboration. It focuses on joint use solutions between public libraries and university college libraries. Normative institutionalism is used as a theoretical framework for the discussion, which draws from studies on and experiences of the establishment of two joint use libraries in Sweden: Sambiblioteket in Härnösand and Almedalsbiblioteket in Visby. Conclusions are drawn that show that the establishment of joint use libraries is a very complex process of change. Norms and values of the collaborating units are challenged, and the institutional identities of participating libraries as well as the professional identities of the librarians are subject to change. This is due to a shift in normative institutional identity, which makes it possible to claim that joint use libraries may actually be regarded as a new form of library with a unique identity. In claiming this, a need for further library and information science research on joint use libraries is called for.

Documentality and legitimacy in future libraries : an analytical framework for initiated speculation

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to contribute to a discussion about the future of librarianship.Design/methodology/approach – An analytical framework is used to discuss the future of libra ...

The materiality of knowledge organization : epistemology, metaphors and society

This article discusses the relation between epistemology, social organization and knowledge organization. Three examples are used to show how this relation has proven to be historically stable: 1) ...

Public libraries and the national minorities of Sweden – results of a national survey

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to report the findings of a Swedish national survey study finalised in late 2010. The purpose of the project was to create a picture of Swedish library services directed to the five minority groups defined as “national minorities” in the country: Romani, Sami, Jews, Tornedalians and Swedish Finns. The study focuses on media, cultural activities, and co‐operation.Design/methodology/approach – In the study, a survey questionnaire was used as the primary method. The questionnaire was sent to all 289 county libraries of Sweden. A total of 181 were returned and used in the study. The theoretical stance is emancipatory in that it takes the position that libraries may play a vital role not only for the social integration of the concerned minority groups, but also for spreading interest in, and understanding of, the unique identities of these groups in the majority society.Findings – The findings of the study show that Swedish public libraries have very limited services towar...

Cult of the "I" : Organizational symbolism and curricula in three Scandinavian iSchools with comparisons to three American

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to analyse three Scandinavian iSchools in Denmark, Norway and Sweden with regard to their intentions of becoming iSchools and curriculum content in relation to th ...

On the Pre-History of Library Ethics: Documents and Legitimacy

This chapter pursues an argument that librarianship has a long tradition of consistent ethical statements regarding the profession that, in more or less formal ways, have been prescriptive in character. The main focus is the relation between these statements and the kinds of documents in which they are formulated. It is argued that at various times in the history of librarianship certain types of documents have rendered ethical aspects of the library profession legitimacy and thus have taken on a prescriptive role. Empirically, three such documents are analysed; an ethical code from the early 20th century, a 17th century handbook in librarianship and a Papal Bulla from the late 15th century. As the main focus of the article lies on the long period before the emergence of formal ethical codes, emphasis lies on the two latter documents. Alhough different in character and scope these documents construct a continuous ethical foundation for librarianship in at least three aspects: (1) definitions of professional identity, (2) statements of core values, and (3) reiterations of multiple obligations. Seen in relation to historical periods and types of libraries—Bibliotheca Apostolica in Rome, a baroque library in Paris, and American public libraries—these documents create legitimacy for the profession through their respective contemporary relevance. This, in turn, raises the question of which kinds of documents are to formulate legitimate ethical guidlines for librarianship in a future where relative authority and legitimacy of different types of documents are becoming increasingly dificult to discern.

Institutional Change in the Ugandan Library Sector: the establishment of the National Library of Uganda

This article is part of a larger research project focussing on institutional change in the Ugandan library sector from the 1960s up until today, with special focus on the development of the National Library of Uganda. The article is based primarily on official publications such as di ferent legislation passed by the Ugandan Parliament on library issues and on documentation reporting on various initiatives and projects aiming at building a functioning library and information infrastructure in Uganda during the last four decades. Findings show that initiatives have been regularly neglected at the political levels, both nationally and locally. The founding of the National Library of Uganda has a fected the Ugandan library system in a major way and the country is now better equipped to face some of the challenges created by the requirements of the global information society and by high levels of illiteracy, especially in the rural areas. The article pinpoints some of these challenges and suggests further action on both professional and political levels.

Professional value and ethical self-regulation in the development of modern librarianship: The documentality of library ethics

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to make a contribution to the theoretical understanding of documents and documentary agency in society through examples from a defined institutional and professional setting; and second, to create an understanding for the role of ethical codes in the process of defining and developing modern librarianship. Design/methodology/approach This study analyses the role of documentation carrying content of professional ethics in the formulation of modern librarianship. This is done through a series of example documents of various kinds, such as founding charters, peer handbooks and ethical codes systematically analysed through the use of document theory and theory on institutional change. Findings The findings of this study suggest that documents pronouncing ethical self-regulation within librarianship play a primarily legitimising role in situations where new types of libraries emerge or when libraries adapt to social change. The study proposes legitimacy as a key aspect of documentality, thus supplementing the established understanding of the concept. Originality/value This study is the first to analyse the role of ethical codes in libraries using document theory. It brings new knowledge to the role of ethical self-regulation in librarianship over time and in different institutional contexts. In suggesting a developed definition of documentality, it contributes to the theoretical understanding of the role of documents and documentation in institutions and in society at large.