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.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Aug., 2009. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

This essay explores and analyzes how public librarians in Kronoberg, Sweden understands their work and their profession. With these understandings the author wants to approach an empirical description of the professional practices and self-images of public librarians. The method has been based on seven interviews, where the librarians have discussed their professional practice, their knowledge and their education, and reflecting on how they are perceived by a wider public. Empirically, this gives us a self-image of librarians who is perceived to be cultural and intellectual professionals who works with social promotion and stands up for democratic values. Culture-oriented librarians use this self-image as an ideal type in their professional practice and focus on reading and culture intermediation, while information and technology-oriented librarians use this self-image as a prototype, and sees the library profession as a practice that also contains many kinds of social aspects, and here choose to focus on service and information intermediation. To give a theoretical understanding of the empirical material the author has used a theoretical framework based on theories about eight librarian-identities from the scientists Anders Ørom, Trine Schreiber and Olof Sundin. The author has identified four of these identities in the material. Theoretically, this gives us four different kinds of identities: The intermediary of culture, the social worker, the intermediary of information and the information organizer. Together, the four identities represents the multifaceted contents in public librarians professional practices. The occupational content that formed the identities since the beginning of the 1990s has in relation to the study’s empirical findings been modified and made more nuanced by the author. This essay therefore presents four librarian-identities that serves to constitute a conceptual apparatus for public librarians to engage in their identity creation. They can also use them to describe what makes public librarians to what they are.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / The research project is based on the belief that Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender(LGBT) people have specific information needs and interests that public libraries should cater for. The philosophical literature of public libraries states that they have to cater for all sectors of their diverse communities without discrimination. The aim of the research study was to gauge if Cape Town’s library and information services (LIS) include gay and lesbian materials in their collection development policies and procedures. It also aimed at finding out if City of Cape Town Library and Information Services (COCTLIS) provide for the information needs of their gay and lesbian users in their provision of information services. The research problem and the review of literature led to the following research questions:• Do the gay and lesbian library user community constitute a special user group with particular information and reading needs?• If it is accepted that public libraries have a responsibility for the special information and reading needs of gay and lesbian library users, how do they cater for these needs?• How do South African public libraries, specifically the City of Cape Town Library and Information Services (COCTLIS), provide for these needs with their collections and their information services?• Are the public library staffs aware of the UNESCO principles in terms of LIS services for gay and lesbian library users?The first two research questions were answered by means of a review of the theoretical and professional literature. The last two questions were answered by analysis of COCTLIS collection development procedures and policy and a questionnaire survey of library staff.A survey was conducted among librarians in charge of collection development in the COCTLIS libraries early in 2009, collecting data by means of a structured questionnaire. The sample comprised 69 libraries of the total 100, with an even spread across the six city library districts and including a mix of “types” of library (regional and community).The findings of the research study echo the agreement found in the literature that the provision of library services to LGBT people is inadequate. City of Cape Town collection development policy does not have any explicit mention of the LGBT user group. The major finding of the survey is an evident gap between stated beliefs and actual practices. The majority of respondents agree that public library collections should cater for LGBT people but in fact they buy very few books or magazines oriented to gays and lesbians. And only 55% indicate that they do consciously consider the needs of gays and lesbians in their book selection. The information services to gays and lesbians appear to be rather thin. Fo example, less than 10% include gay and lesbian oriented information in their community information files and only 37% display gay and lesbian oriented information on their community notice boards. The study provides some evidence that practices might differ according to size and position of library.The research study hopes to make a difference in the provision of gays and lesbians in the City of Cape Libraries. It also hopes to remind librarians of the mandate they have to develop their collections to reflect diversity.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / The research project is based on the belief that Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) people have specific information needs and interests that public libraries should cater for. The philosophical literature of public libraries states that they have to cater for all sectors of their diverse communities without discrimination. The aim of the research study was to gauge if Cape Town’s library and information services (LIS) include gay and lesbian materials in their collection development policies and procedures. It also aimed at finding out if City of Cape Town Library and Information Services (COCTLIS) provide for the information needs of their gay and lesbian users in their provision of information services. The research problem and the review of literature led to the following research questions: • Do the gay and lesbian library user community constitute a special user group with particular information and reading needs? • If it is accepted that public libraries have a responsibility for the special information and reading needs of gay and lesbian library users, how do they cater for these needs? • How do South African public libraries, specifically the City of Cape Town Library and Information Services (COCTLIS), provide for these needs with their collections and their information services? • Are the public library staffs aware of the UNESCO principles in terms of LIS services for gay and lesbian library users? The first two research questions were answered by means of a review of the theoretical and professional literature. The last two questions were answered by analysis of COCTLIS collection development procedures and policy and a questionnaire survey of library staff. A survey was conducted among librarians in charge of collection development in the COCTLIS libraries early in 2009, collecting data by means of a structured questionnaire. The sample comprised 69 libraries of the total 100, with an even spread across the six city library districts and including a mix of “types” of library (regional and community). The findings of the research study echo the agreement found in the literature that the provision of library services to LGBT people is inadequate. City of Cape Town collection development policy does not have any explicit mention of the LGBT user group. The major finding of the survey is an evident gap between stated beliefs and actual practices. The majority of respondents agree that public library collections should cater for LGBT people but in fact they buy very few books or magazines oriented to gays and lesbians. And only 55% indicate that they do consciously consider the needs of gays and lesbians in their book selection. The information services to gays and lesbians appear to be rather thin. For example, less than 10% include gay and lesbian oriented information in their community information files and only 37% display gay and lesbian oriented information on their community notice boards. The study provides some evidence that practices might differ according to size and position of library. The research study hopes to make a difference in the provision of gays and lesbians in the City of Cape Libraries. It also hopes to remind librarians of the mandate they have to develop their collections to reflect diversity.

Abstract available in pdf file.

The purpose of this master thesis is to use marketing theory on the library’s activities. The marketing theory used is the 4Ps; product, price, promotion and place, as it's presented by Philip Kotler. Because the library can be seen as a service oriented organization Christian Gronroos theory of marketing in the service industry also has been used. A case study of the public library in Broby was made to illustrate how the public libraries’ activities can appear in the light of marketing theory. The library went through a dynamic development during the case study, due to the fact that the library moved to a new location. The staff and their manager are aware of that they work in a certain context. Their target groups have special needs and the groups get their information from certain places which the library take advantage of. They also use the institutional channels in the public sector such as the public schools to get their message out. According to marketing theory the context is essential to be able to adapt the products you promote and how you do it. Price has long not been an issue for the libraries’ services but price can also be non-monetary. Its important to know what this price consist of to be able to lower it. It might also depend on the context. The staff believes in the importance of the services that the library provide to the community and promote it to their users. But the employees feel that there is a misconceptions of the  library as a collection of books, which they want to change. Because the library offer intangible goods, services, it is hard to change, because the most tangible the library offers are the books. To be able to grasp the service the user therefore focus on these. To get away from this the library can materialize the library’s services in other ways which takes the focus away from the books.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Aug., 2009. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MTech (Public Management))--Peninsula Technikon, 2004 / The World Health Organisation (WHO) presented evidence illustrating that tobacco smoking kills three million people yearly. These statistics are increasing, and unless current trends are reversed by the decade 2020-2030, tobacco will kill 10 million people a year, with 70% of deaths occurring in developing countries (WHO, 1998:1). The WHO then issued a mandate to 191 countries, which included South Africa, requesting them to write, advocate, pass and enforce laws on tobacco control taking into account work and public places, as people tend to spend much time there (WHO,20031-2). According to the literature review, since the promulgation of the Tobacco Act. 1999 (12 of 1999) public officials have been leaving the office much more regularly to congregate with other smokers for a smoke break. This is because legislation stipulates that they may not smoke in the office. It has also been found that the public service delivery process is slow, not only as a result of the phenomenon of smokerism, but also due to staff shortages. Hence, the main purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the Tobacco Act. 1999 (Act No.12 of 1999) on the performance of librarians employed by the City of Cape Town's Library and Information Services: Tygerberg Administration, by focusing on answering two assumptions stating that service delivery is slow and inefficient because of smoke breaks; and that the performance of staff is poor as a result of regular smoke breaks. The research population for this study consisted of 23 out of the 26 librarians-in charge employed in the City of Cape Town's Library and Information Services: Tygerberg Administration, who is the entire target population. The respondents were interviewed using a self-administered questionnaire. The data collected was analysed using software called StatPac for Windows. The results derived indicated that the librarians-in-charge (82.6%) are satisfied with the service delivery offered by their employees. This is regardless of the regular smoke breaks employees take and the grievances of non-smoking employees with regard to the regular smoke breaks taken. However, the Iibrarians-in-charge (91.3%) added that there was room for improvement in terms of dealing with the staff shortages and not the regular smoke breaks. Therefore, based on the findings, the assumptions that relate to this study are discovered to be invalid and untrue. Thus, the Tobacco Act. 1999 (12 of 1999) does not impact on the performance of librarians employed by the City of Cape Town's Library Services, Tygerberg Administration. The following recommendations were formulated: Management should consider taking on volunteers to address the staff shortage situation. Management should motivate employees with any kind of special rewards, remuneration and credentials for work well done. The Director of Social Development and Community Services of the City of Cape Town, Tygerberg Administration, should review the salary structure of librarians and consider increasing it. Both the librarians-in-charge and employees should be educated about the Tobacco Act, 1999 (12 of 1999). This education should also consist of the importance smoking restrictions have in terms of promoting a healthy environment, smoking cessation and job satisfaction. The librarians-in-charge should understand the negative ramifications the lack of rewards, credentials and salary have on job satisfaction. Team-building exercises should be done on a regular basis to strengthen the relationship between employees.

In the discipline of librarianship there is very little existing research from which conclusions regarding attitudes toward computers and related technology can be drawn. Furthermore, there is no significant data available which indicates that attitudes differ between various groups or types of librarians. It is reasonable to assume that librarians' attitudes toward computers vary. This study examines a group of academic librarians and a group of public librarians and tests for significant differences in their respective attitudes toward computers, desktop publishing systems and expert systems.