The purpose of this creative project was to research, build, and replicate portions of the history of the town of Bradford, Ohio in order to create a permanent community monument. Glazed tiles were mounted together to form an artpiece four feet by sixteen feet, preserved for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.Upon completion of research on the community, drawings of area business establishmentswere diligently developed for the clay bas relief tiles, which were sculptured by the artist and his Art I-IV students. Individual clay tiles, composed of terra-cotta stoneware, were bisque fired, underglazed, and refired. To mount the tiles, concrete was applied to sections of plywood (which had been covered with chicken wire). The stoneware tiles were then organized, arranged, and embedded in concrete to create a mosaic mural.The process of the mural forged an unmistakable bond between teacher, students, school, and community. The completed mosaic mural was framed and permanently mounted on location at the Bradford Public Library, 138 E. Main Street, Bradford, Ohio, involving the remodelling of the facility to accommodate the sculpture's size. / Department of Art

Social exclusion is a problem in today’s society that we feel public libraries can help resolve since they are based on the idea of equality and openness. The purpose of this essay is to examine how public librarians think and reason about the concept “integration” as well as what role public libraries can play in immigrants’ integration process. With Jose Alberto Diaz’ theory on the integration process, and Marianne Andersson and Dorte Skot-Hansen’s model for analysis of the local library profile as theoretical framework, we analyzed the responses from two qualitative interviews in small groups of 2-3 librarians from two different public libraries. The result of this study shows that some public librarians cannot give an accurate definition of the word integration; instead they define integration as mutual respect for cultural differences. Only two librarians included in their definition that integration means to become participants in society. Despite this lack of a comprehensive understanding of the concept the librarians have a positive attitude towards the public libraries’ ability to support the integration process through book collection and program activities. The librarians think that public libraries mostly support the integration by: 1) increasing the understanding between different cultures and thereby decreasing prejudice and fear in the society (personal integration), 2) help immigrants develop a social network with the majority culture (social integration), and 3) help immigrants with language development(communicative integration). This is done mostly by focusing on the public libraries’ role of knowledge and education as well as their social role.

The New York Public Library's Central Building, constructed just over a century ago, is in the midst of a major renovation. The Library's trustees have asked the architects at Foster + Partners to imagine the space currently occupied by the research collections' closed book stacks as a new, publicly accessible, circulating library. The administration's public relations strategy glosses over the meaning of this architectural reinterpretation, selling the renovation plan with only carefully selected historical facts and opinions that show support for the project. However, this narrative is deceiving; it oversimplifies the issues at stake. Both the broader New York Public Library system and Central Library in particular have an incredibly complex history. The influences that shaped the decision to build the 42nd Street building, its design and construction, and subsequent adaptations over the past century demonstrate an important relationship between the objectives of the institution and the Central Library's architectural form. Therefore, beneath the rhetoric of the renovation, beyond the positive inclusion of a main circulating branch in the central building, lies the decision to remove a large portion of the circulating collection from the center of the stronghold built to house it. This decision undermines the unique structure of the New York Public Library as one of the world's premier research institutions, removing the heart of the building.

This thesis investigates the early field of library knowledge in Sweden between 1912 and 1939 (circa) through the lens ofFoucault’s archaelogy using a number of official documents (reports, bills, and statutes) as well as a number of articlesand speeches published in the journal Biblioteksbladet (founded 1916). It seeks to answer the question of how it becamepossible to form a field of knowledge, which external relations structured and enabled the field to exist, and which internalrelations of power and authority made it possible for librarians, state officials, ministers of education, and other experts toagree and disagree on the proper management of public libraries during the period.

<p>The purpose of this study is to investigate responses to New Africa Book&rsquo / s Siyagruva Series among six enthusiastic teenage readers (ages 10 -16), at Eersterivier Public Library in Cape Town. The series aims to provide a series of popular books accessible to second language English readers. The question that underlies the research project is whether they fill a gap in the South African teenage reading market. There are several motives behind this study besides the fact that South African learners read very little:</p> <p><br /> &bull / The need to investigate reading preferences and choices among South African teenagers<br /> &bull / To find out factors which affect reading choices of South African teenagers<br /> &bull / The need to encourage reading culture in South Africa.</p> <p><br /> The qualitative case study of reading response tries to answer the research question through face to face interviews with selected readers. The nature of the small-scale case study means that it can make no generalised statements about all South African teenagers. It explores the views of only six teenagers.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1997. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 420-429).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 420-429).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-89).

O presente estudo aborda o discurso científico sobre Biblioteca Pública no Brasil, entre os anos de 2001 e 2010, através de uma análise de como o conjunto de enunciados da prática discursiva sobre Biblioteca Pública na comunicação científica revela suas positividades. Desenvolve tal análise a partir do referencial dado por Foucault, privilegiando a fase arqueológica de seu pensamento. Elege como objetivos específicos do estudo a identidade do espaço discursivo da Biblioteca Pública na comunicação científica, a indicação do seu sistema de formação, a caracterização das rupturas e do descontínuo em sua representação e a apresentação dos fenômenos de ordem e encadeamento em seu espaço. Relaciona cada um dos objetivos a indicadores bibliométricos para a mensuração das características presentes no corpus da pesquisa, a saber, as 745 referências bibliográficas dos artigos publicados em periódicos de Biblioteconomia e Ciência da Informação ao longo da última década. Recupera os artigos de periódicos a partir de uma busca na Base de Dados Referencial de Artigos de Periódicos em Ciência da Informação (BRAPCI); organiza as referências bibliográficas dos artigos em uma planilha eletrônica Excel; identifica os temas das referências através de consulta às bases Emerald, WorldCat e catálogos institucionais dos documentos referenciados como literatura cinzenta; analisa os indicadores bibliométricos segundo os objetivos. Usa indicadores de atividade (número de periódicos, de artigos científicos, de referências da temática) para a identificação do espaço discursivo da Biblioteca Pública na comunicação científica. Assinala mediante os indicadores de primeira geração (coautorias, colaborações institucionais, acoplamentos bibliográficos) o sistema de formação do discurso. Caracteriza a ruptura e o descontínuo na representação do discurso através da comparação entre a temática dos artigos e as das suas referências. Apresenta os fenômenos de ordem e encadeamento no espaço do discurso por meio dos indicadores de consumo (índice de Price, índice de isolamento, distribuição de referências por idioma e tipo de documento). Constrói informações adicionais a partir do cruzamento de alguns desses indicadores mencionados entre si. Constata como resultados que 25 periódicos entre 2001 e 2010 publicaram artigos relacionados à Biblioteconomia e Ciência da Informação; há 407 edições disponíveis com 3593 artigos publicados no período; a temática está presente em 1,1% dos artigos publicados nos periódicos de Biblioteconomia e Ciência da Informação da década; existem 38 artigos correspondentes à porcentagem da temática; os artigos foram escritos através de autorias individuais (52,6%) e coautorias (47,4%); todos os periódicos estudados são veículos extrapares; a filiação institucional dos autores-fonte e a responsabilidade editorial são predominantemente acadêmicas (85% e 76%, respectivamente); o acoplamento bibliográfico envolveu 3,6% do total de referências bibliográficas utilizadas; a composição do discurso sobre Biblioteca Pública pertence em 51% aos domínios extrínsecos à Biblioteconomia; as referências bibliográficas apresentam leve tendência à literatura posterior há cinco anos (índice de Price em 42%); há o predomínio de referências publicadas no país (índice de isolamento em 63,5%); prevalece o Português como idioma das referências (66,4%); os livros e os artigos constituem 62,8% das referências bibliográficas. Os resultados indicam que a função autoral pelos profissionais que formulam a praxis é mínima; há um forte movimento de interiorização de positividades exteriores ao domínio da Biblioteconomia na composição do discurso; abre-se um espaço para a formulação discursiva de outros grupos de poder, que não os tradicionalmente oriundos daquele domínio. Tais constatações abrem perspectivas para estudos futuros aptos a aprofundar a discussão. / The present study broach the scientific discourse on public libraries in Brazil, between 2001 and 2010, through an analysis of the set of statements by which the discursive practice about Public Library in scientific communication reveal their positivities. Develops an analysis from the reference given by Foucault, focusing on the archaeological phase of his thought. Elects like specific objectives of study the identity of the discursive space of the Public Library in scientific communication, the indication of their formation system, the characterization of ruptures and the discontinuous in their representation and presentation of the phenomena of order and sequence in your space. Lists each goal with bibliometric indicators to measure the characteristics present in the corpus of research, namely the 745 references of articles published in journals in the fields of Library and Information Science in the last decade. The recuperation of these references followed four steps: recovering journal articles from a search of the Base de Dados Referencial de Artigos de Periódicos em Ciência da Informação (BRAPCI); organization the references of articles in an Excel spreadsheet; identification of issues through consultation of the references to bases Emerald, WorldCat and institutional catalogs the documents referred to as gray literature; analysis of bibliometric indicators. The analysis of bibliometric indicators needed to meet each objective proposed in this study were: to identify the discursive space of the Public Library in scientific communication, the use of indicators of activity (number of journals, scientific articles published, references the theme). The formation system of speech was marked by the first generation indicators (co-authors, institutional collaborations, bibliographic couplings). The ruptures and the discontinuous representation of the speech were characterized by comparing the theme of the articles and the theme of their references. The presentation order of phenomena in space and sequence of the speech was performed by means of consumption indicators (Price index, isolation index, distribution of references by language and document type). Additional information was constructed from the intersection of some of the indicators mentioned together. The research results found that 25 journals between 2001 and 2010 published articles related to Library and Information Science; 3593 articles are published in 407 editions; the theme is present in 1.1% of articles published in journals of library and Information Science of the decade; there are 38 articles corresponding to the percentage of the theme; the articles were written by individual authors (52.6%) and coauthors (47.4%); all the journals studied are extrapairs vehicles; the institutional affiliation of authors and source are predominantly academic editorial responsibility (85% and 76%, respectively); the bibliographic coupling involved 3.6% of all references used; the composition of the discourse on the Public Library at 51% belongs to the extrinsic domains Library; the references show a slight tendency towards literature five years later (Price index in 42%); there is a predominance of references published in the country (index of isolation in 63.5%); prevails the Portuguese as the language of the references (66 4%); books and articles constitute 62.8% of the references. The results indicate that the autoral function by the professionals who contribute with praxis is minimal, there is a strong movement of internalization of positivities outside the field of Librarianship in the composition of the discourse and opens a discursive space for the development of other power groups, which not traditionally come from that domain. These findings open perspectives for future studies able to deepen the discussion.

This study investigates the history of the phenomenon illiteracy and the response of the public library in selected countries for about one hundred and fifty years with particular focus on the Republic of south Africa. The influence that this manifestation has on the individual Black urban adult, the society in which the illiterate adult lives and the economy of the country are sharply focused. The principal argument is that public libraries have historically adapted their services to meet new social challenges, and in South Africa illiteracy among Black urban adults constitutes such a challenge. As an extension of its traditional educational function, the public library is beginning to meet this challenge in the role of literacy support. The reasons for the high illiteracy rate among the Black adult urban population are discussed in their historical context. As far as the methodology is concerned, extensive literature studies were undertaken on international as well as local data bases. Correspondence was entered into with overseas research institutes, academics and consultants. Interviews were conducted to ascertain the most recent developments relating to the literacy problem in a well-defined geographical region. Conclusions are made to the effect that there is a historical imperative for the South African public library system to fully discharge its responsibility to Black South Africans. In order to achieve this the public library in South Africa should re-examine, re-interpret and extend its educational function to include the challenge of the role of literacy support. It is further reconunended that the Provincial Library services in south Africa should coordinate disparate efforts and activities in this regard. The marketing of the public library has become more important in the prevailing economic climate. If the public library wishes to remain an indispensable social institution in the lives of the citizens of South Africa and specifically if it takes the role of literacy support seriously, it will of necessity have to market its services. Other organizational implications for public libraries of this new challenge of literacy support are spelled out clearly and areas requiring further research are indicated. / Information Studies / D. Litt. et Phil.