With an increasing focus on information and learning in today's society,governments are paying more attention to the role that libraries play in the development of an information society. This thesis began with a question regarding the role of national governments and how policies they shape can affect the services that public libraries provide. Traditionally, public libraries have been grassroots, local organizations serving the needs of specific communities. How can this service be maintained and grown using policies developed at higher levels of government? The focus of this paper was on three public libraries in the United Kingdom, Finland and Canada. First, each of the cities under question was described. Second, the development of national information policies was described. Next, the public libraries in three cities (Manchester, Helsinki and Vancouver) were examined with a view toward understanding how national policies have filtered down to the local level. Finally, an analysis of major findings was carried out. The Helsinki City Library stands out as the institution having advanced library services beyond traditional expectations. In addition to electronic services, Helsinki has dedicated itself to bringing information out into the community. In contrast, Manchester has almost no electronic services available through its web site and has focused on bringing users into the library. Finally, the Vancouver library has the same electronic services available to users in Helsinki, with the same commitment to providing traditional information services to users in libraries located throughout the city. The differences in library service approach mirror the innovations in national information policies, which are as different in local delivery as are the libraries themselves. / A Thesis submitted to the School of Information Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Fall Semester, 2004. / June 15, 2004. / Electronic, Helsinki, Vancouver, Manchester / Includes bibliographical references. / Marcella Genz, Professor Directing Thesis; Kathleen Burnett, Committee Member; Maria Chavez-Hernandez, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_181651 |
| Contributors | Karppinen, David (authoraut), Genz, Marcella (professor directing thesis), Burnett, Kathleen (committee member), Chavez-Hernandez, Maria (committee member), School of Library and Information Studies (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
Page generated in 0.0021 seconds