Social capital is the processes between people which establish relationships and social trust facilitating mutual cooperation and collaboration. It is the social fabric or glue that holds a community together. Since the mid 1990s, the concept of social capital has emerged as a key strategic driver underpinning many areas of government and public policy. This trend parallels concerns expressed by politicians, policy makers, academics and social theorists that levels of civic engagement are diminishing and communities are breaking down due to social disconnection, loss of trust and low levels of resilience. Emphasising the capacity of communities to build social capital, therefore, is envisaged as the way towards a social policy climate that prioritises community building and values of social cohesion and social inclusion. / Recent studies suggest that public libraries, in particular, with their commitment to social, equity and inclusiveness, have a crucial role in building communities and connecting people. By providing communities with a free and safe public place, libraries are in a unique position to facilitate the building of trust and relationships within their communities, thereby increasing social capital. However, the reality is that the broader social and community role of the public library is often neglected within general social capital debates, as well as within the library sector. / Against this background, this thesis sets out to articulate and demonstrate the role of public libraries in developing social capital. The contribution of public libraries to building social capital is illustrated through the undertaking and reporting of a social capital audit study of one public library. Through its demonstration of a social capital audit in practice, this thesis offers frameworks and guidelines to other libraries interested in conducting similar research. It therefore opens the way for others to build upon, and refine, the social capital audit tool as a means to measure and evaluate social capital performance in public libraries. / Thesis (MArts(InformationStudies))--University of South Australia, 2004.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/267522 |
| Creators | Hillenbrand, Candy. |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | copyright under review |
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