The aim of this thesis is to examine the construction of Nordic and organizational identities performed by the libraries of two Nordic cultural institutions: the Nordic Culture Point in Helsinki, Finland, and the Nordic House in Reykjavik, Iceland. To do this, three main methods were used: (a) Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis was employed to interpret the institutions’ self-representations, (b) the topics of debates and talks organized by the institutions were analysed and (c) interviews were performed with librarians currently working at these libraries. The results show that the institutions are (re)presented as two separate units rather than two parts of the same organization. The Nordic Culture Point is more explicitly connected to the Nordic Council of Ministers while the Nordic House presents itself as an iconic building in a marketing manner. The institutions are affected by politically defined themes and values, which permeate their events. The most common themes for talks and debates were literature, environmental issues or sustainable development, and politics. Even though there is a clear influence from political strategy documents, many topics with little or no connection to these documents were found. In addition, the literature selection processes at these libraries do not seem to be largely affected by politically defined priorities, based on the librarians’ views. According to the librarians who were interviewed, the aim of the Nordic libraries is to offer literature in the Nordic languages that would otherwise be difficult to access, gather this literature in one location, and promote interest in the Nordic region. While they agree that the main point of reference for the Nordic libraries is public libraries, the librarians differ on the role digital technology should play in the library. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

博物館中的圖書館支援母機構蒐藏、研究、展示、教育等各項工作，促進博物館功能的實踐，提升博物館服務的品質，間接塑造了博物館學術且專業的形象。因此，博物館中常設有圖書館，近年來，博物館之圖書館更成為數個專業圖書館協會中討論的類別。本研究以實地訪問法，配合電話訪問及郵寄問卷，調查國內22個博物館之圖書館，目的在瞭解它們的經營現況，並對未來博物館之圖書館的經營提出建議。 本研究發現，調查中的博物館之圖書館多附設於母機構一級單位下，且隸屬不同部門；約有半數無專職人員，為兼辦業務；專業協會歸屬性不甚高；在圖書館業務運作上，其特點為：館藏專門性高、資料類別與採訪途徑多元化、藏書量在萬冊之譜、西文資料的分類法歧異性大、半數圖書館採用自動化系統、館藏資訊網路化尚在起步階段、開架陳列、不排拒來自館外的使用者，及以傳統被動的閱覽與諮詢服務為主等。在圖書館支援母機構蒐藏、研究、展示、教育等功能上，整體而言，主動積極的支援活動不多，但對博物館內部的研究風氣與對外呈現的服務品質上，有正面的貢獻與價值，值得投注更多心力。 根據調查結果，提出以下八點建議，作為博物館之圖書館經營上的參考：(1)儘快擬訂館藏發展政策；(2)提升圖書館的組織地位；(3)最少有一位專職的圖書館員及一位圖書館助理；(4)加入相關的專業組織；(5)加速圖書館自動化及網路化；(6)擴大圖書館服務對象；(7)加強圖書館行銷；(8)進行圖書館使用評估。此外，亦對圖書館員、圖書館學會、博物館學會、及專門圖書館學教育提出相關建議，希冀在各方配合與協助下，博物館之圖書館得以健全地發展，發揮其應有的功能。

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / On title page: Master of Philosophy (Information and Knowledge Management). Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

The aim of this study is to investigate how employees at the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) and librarians at SGU and Uppsala university library (UUB) experience challenges and changes in the information provision for geologists at SGU after an organizational change of the library function at the survey. After the closure of the library at SGU in 2015 the survey buys some of their needed library service from UUB, while most of the SGU library collections are left at the survey. To investigate the experiences I conducted interviews with current and former geologists and former librarians at SGU and a librarian at UUB. I also investigated some key documents to provide a framework to the interviewee’s experiences, to compare this with the goals of the coordination between SGU and UUB, and to try and shed light on the role of the library within the survey. The study was based on a constructivist point of view where the interviewee’s experiences of the changes is in focus, giving a deeper understanding of their information needs and how they have been affected by the changes of the library function. I have looked at the changes in information provision for the employees at SGU as a result of changes in SGU’s library activities, that is, changes in the organization of SGU. The results were therefore analyzed using a combination of organizational theories on public administration and business concept approaches, which is motivated by how public administration has changed in recent decades. The results show that geologists at SGU rely heavily on old publications, grey literature and publications about Swedish conditions. This is opposed to what UUB offers in terms of ”hot science” and international literature to meet the needs of the researchers and students at Uppsala university. Also, since UUB only took over a small part of the collections from the SGU library as part of the agreement, the SGU employees have a significant need for help obtaining literature that is left at the former SGU library. As a result of the changes in information provision, the interviewed geologists at SGU feel that the closure of the library at SGU has had a negative impact on their work performance. Because of this they also feel that there is a contradiction between the regulation of the survey, which states that the main focus for SGU is to collect, manage and disseminate information, and the decision to close the library. The conclusions are that although the libraries at SGU and UUB both offer literature in the field of geology there are big differences in the kind of geological literature that the users need and what the different libraries can or could offer. In a larger perspective, this study can contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of special libraries and what can happen to the information provision when a library closes. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

The purpose of this study is to present a clearer picture of the divided roles of museum libraries, to see how they balance working with two separate target groups, the public and the museum staff, and to analyze how this affects the work of the librarians. The research on museum libraries has been sparse during the past 20 years, and this essay aims to fill a gap in the research field. Our primary method of data-collection is qualitative, semi structured, interviews with staff at three museum libraries at Upplandsmuseet, Nordiska Museet and Konstbiblioteket. Additional data was collected by analyzing regulatory documents for each library. The collected data is analyzed using concepts from organizational theory, mainly organizational identity as formulated by Alvesson. The results are presented thematically in accordance with the main points brought forward by the interviewees.   Our interviews show that the primary function of the museum library is to support the museum. The libraries also aim to serve the public but are only able to do this to a limited degree. The role of the libraries is not formulated in any regulatory documents but according to the interviewees, this is not a current issue. Regarding organizational identity, the study shows that the libraries are all connected to the overarching identity of the museum. However, while the library at Upplandsmuseet is strongly connected to the museum's identity, the libraries at Nordiska museets and Konstbiblioteketare somewhat detached from the respective organizations. This could result in a weaker identity for the library. Finally, the librarians from all three libraries express a wish to reach an even broader target group outside the museum. Due to a lack of resources however, both in terms of budget and staff, this is deemed impossible at the present. This is a two years master's thesis in Library and information science.

This study evaluates local citation analysis in comparison to interlibrary loan records and usage statistics as indicators for collection evaluation and development purposes in a special library setting as evidenced through a case study at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Main Library in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. More specifically, it examines how data gathered from these three tools compare as predictors for future trends in use of journals and as tools for developing parameters and guidelines for anticipatory collection development decisions in a scientific research library. Ultimately, citation analysis is the most successful in predicting the following year’s usage.

Thesis (MPhil (Information Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) is South Africa’s statutory research agency dedicated to the social sciences. Information Services (IS) plays a significant role in advancing social science research through the provision of its proactive desk research and its library service. HSRC IS is looking at implementing a library solution that will better serve its users. The existing library system no longer meets the needs of the HSRC Library staff or the research staff. The functionality and efficiency of an ILS is critical to the smooth operation of IS in fulfilling its mandate within the HSRC, i.e. to provide access to information, in an efficient, useful, and timely manner, the focus being on ease of accessibility to a whole range of library and other online resources. The ILS must be able to handle many formats, accommodate searching on the Internet, provide a variety of functions including manipulating electronic data, working with graphics and expediting resource sharing. IS identified the following three ILS solutions, together with their add-on components 1) Innovative Interfaces’ Millennium solution, 2) SIRSI’s Unicorn solution and 3) Ex Libris’s ALEPH solution. The user and system requirements for ILS at the HSRC are sketched. The unique requirements, as well as the requirements the HSRC shares with other research organisations, are pointed out. The three ILS are evaluated against the criteria established. All three the ILS suppliers specialise exclusively in library automation software and have many years of experience in the provision and support of ILS, Innovative Interfaces Inc and Ex Libris for 25 years each and SIRSI for 15 years. Innovative Interfaces Inc has the largest customer base in South Africa. Ex Libris has one academic consortium as a client (CALICO) and some smaller utilisers, while SIRSI is just breaking into the South African market. All three systems comply fully with all the Cataloguing, Serials and Acquisitions modules requirements, that is, the more traditional library functionalities. When it comes to the more ‘non-traditional’ functionalities, such as full-text searching and discussion forum functionality, these systems still fall short. It is either not supported at all, or additional modules or add-ons are required. The various systems requirements are aligned to the current information technology environment at the HSRC. The conclusion is that the actual differences between the systems are few and far between, but that there are some specific requirements and add-on possibilities which makes Millennium the most attractive choice.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Library (UNECA Library) has a collection of more than 90,000 electronic information resources and half a million-print collection. These resources are available freely to staff members of the UNECA, United Nations agencies, diplomats, researchers, students and others. The study investigated the utilisation of electronic information resources and the challenges faced by the different users of the Library. A quantitative research approach with a survey research method was applied. The population for the study was 600 users,, out of which 500 were internal users (UNECA and United Nations agencies staff members) and 100 were external users (researchers, students, or non-staff members). From the population, 20% from each category, that is, 120 users were taken as a sample. A webbased questionnaire built on SurveyMonkey was distributed through email to collect data from randomly selected users. The total response rate was 74%. The data were analysed using built in survey monkey analysis software and reported with simple frequency and percentages. The results shows that 92% of the respondents were aware of the availability of the electronic information resources in the UNECA Library. TInstitutional Repository (IR) and e-journals were frequently accessed and utilised. Highly accessed and utilised databases were the Economist, African Journal Online, JSTOR, Ebscohost, ScienceDirect, and Financial Times. 94% of the respondents reported that the electronic information resources were useful, with 84% agreeing that the resources were easy to use. High numbers of the respondents positively agreed that the quality of their output was improved by using the electronic information resources provided by the library. The respondents also indicated that using the electronic information resources have improved their research output, and overall, the resources have increased their performances. The challenges were information overload, access restriction with IP address, lack of training and remembering login credentials. 68% of the users reported that the library services met their expectations. The study recommends the development of strategies for enhancing accessibility and discoverability of the resources, providing information literacy trainings for all users, and finding alternative measures for IP restriction access. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

The scarcity of financial resources often poses challenges for organisations in both the private and the public sector, which require productive (tangible) resources, in order to thrive. Organisations are developing innovative and cost-effective methods to secure productive resources that are needed to drive performance. Special libraries in the public sector face the same pressures that resulted in some of them being overwhelmed by poor resources. The purpose of the study is to determine the levels of resources available to the libraries in the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) and the extent to which tangible resources can predict information service provision in GPG libraries. The theory of the firm and the resource-based view (RBV) theory were used as theoretical framework to support the study. The study addresses the identified gap of resource adequacy in special libraries by measuring adequacy from the perspective of those responsible for exploiting the resources, instead of the library services (the output) and library users. This approach differs from those in similar studies, which measured adequacy from the perspective of consumers. The study adopted a positivist philosophical assumption, using a quantitative research approach, with questionnaires and interviews as the data collection tools. The population of the study involves all the library officials of the libraries in Gauteng Provincial Government departments, including management. Due to the nature and size of the target population, there was no need for sampling. A total of 30 respondents for both quantitative and qualitative data, participated in the study. In order to achieve acceptable levels of validity of collected and analysed data, the face validity method was used, whereas the representative reliability method was used to ensure reliability and consistency of the measuring instruments. Mean and standard deviation, multiple regression and Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient analyses on quantitative data was conducted by using the data analysis tool Statistical Software for Social Sciences (SPSS). Atlas Ti was used to analyse the qualitative data collected. No major limitations were identified. The study found the level of physical, financial, ICT-based resources and staff development and training in the GPG libraries to be low, similarly the level of information services provided was found to be low. The resources were found to have predictive value on one another, but not on information services. Furthermore, the study did find a positive and strong relationship between resources and services at GPG libraries. The study recommended a resourcing model that is based on the collaborative consumption/sharing economy concept and principles. / Information Science / D. Phil (Information Science)