Kathleen Smeaton

Social technologies in public libraries: exploring best practice

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to report on a research project that explored social media best practice in the public library sector. Design/methodology/approach: The primary research approach for the project was case study. Two organisations participated in case studies that involved interviews, document analysis, and social media observation. Findings: The two case study organisations use social media effectively to facilitate participatory networks, however, there have been challenges surrounding its implementation in both organisations. Challenges include negotiating requirements of governing bodies and broader organisational environments, and managing staff reluctance around the implementations. As social media use continues to grow and libraries continue to take up new platforms, social media must be considered to be another service point of the virtual branch, and indeed, for the library service as a whole. This acceptance of social media as being core business is critical to the successful implementation of social media based activities. Practical implications: The article provides an empirically grounded discussion of best practice and the conditions that support it. The findings are relevant for information organisations across all sectors and could inform the development of policy and practice in other organisations. This paper contributes to the broader dialogue around best practice in participatory service delivery and social media use in library and information organisations. Originality/value: Research around social media has focused on the usage of tools rather than the conditions that allow staff to use social media to reach users effectively. This research fills the gap by exploring the organisational culture that allows staff to use social media in order to develop a participatory library service.

Information audit at an Indonesian public university

This research presents the results of an Information audit (IA) at the Planning department of an Indonesian public University. An information audit (IA) was undertaken to determine (1) the existing information resources available to the Planning department staff; (2) how information flows both internally and externally; (3) potential information problems in the Planning department. Case study methodology was used in this study with document analysis, questionnaires, and interviews as data collection tools. The participants were five staff of Planning department. Data was analysed manually to create a list of information resources and map information flows. Thematic analysis was then used to analyse interview data to find general information management themes in the Planning department. The research found that people, timeliness and technology were information problems faced by planning staff. Based on the data from this study a recommendation is that the University improves infrastructure, and conducts an IA across the entire University with the aim of creating an organisational information policy. This will allow the University to create better information management practices and assist the University achieve its strategic goals.