Introduction: Our paper describes three examples of how public libraries in at-risk-neighbourhoods have worked with social innovations in order to develop and strengthen their services for minority groups. The libraries were chosen because they are frontrunners in the field of cultural diversity and social inclusion in Denmark. Method: The…

Introduction. The purpose of this research is to investigate the significance of public libraries as educational institutions. The meaning of lifelong learning in public libraries from the perspective of women's autonomous activities is re-examined. Method. The literature of the grassroots library movement and that of the empowerment of women is…

Herbert Putnam was Librarian of the Boston Public Library between February 1895 and April 1899, the first experienced librarian to hold that post since Charles Coffin Jewett (1855-68). This paper reviews the circumstances surrounding his appointment and discusses his accomplishments, including expansion of the library system, services for…

This paper on public libraries in Thailand begins with a section that provides background on public libraries in the past, lists the functions of the public library, and describes three size classifications of public libraries. The second section outlines the tasks of the current public library in three areas: informal education; nonformal…

Presents two speeches from a library service preconference program. An author discusses her historical fiction for young adults and a Public Service Coordinator at Pekin (Illinois) Public Library focuses on interagency cooperation and her library's first intergenerational program. (AEF)

Recent work in both the history of education and the influence of popular culture suggests that libraries can be studied as sites where the public is taught--through a variety of mechanisms--important lessons about communication, knowledge and society. Researchers have addressed the interpretive question of whether literacy is tied to progress and…

This paper suggests that by 2004, the traditional public libraries will have ceased to exist and new, attractive future libraries will have taken their place. The Libraries 2040 project of the Netherlands is initiating seven different libraries of the future. The Brabant library is the "ultimate library of the future" for the Dutch…

The number of elderly people in Denmark continues to grow, which means there is an increasing need for special library services to those elderly who are not able to come to the library because of physical or mental limitations. This paper uses the practices of Sollerod Public Libraries (Sollerod, Denmark) to frame the discussion of the following:…

This paper describes the development of the Penang Public Library (Malaysia) Children's Library. The first section discusses the role of the community. The second section provides background, including library objectives drawn from the key missions in the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto. The third section addresses creative strategies for…

This paper reports on a major United Kingdom (UK) government initiative to use the public library service as a key component in the government's agenda for social change, examines future implications for public libraries and library workers if present trends and development continue, and makes predictions about the wider implications of…

Australia has played a very active role in promoting and developing school librarianship on an international basis. Most aid projects in school library development have been in the Asia/Pacific region, but programs have been implemented in other areas as well. The largest school library development project that has been carried out by Australians…

The "Mapping the Human Genome" project demonstrated that librarians can help whomever they serve in accessing information resources in the areas of biological and health information, whether it is the scientists who are developing the information or a member of the public who is using the information. Public libraries can guide library…

Bibliotek.dk is a development project, resulting in a World Wide Web site, that gives the Danish citizen access via the Internet to search and order material in the collections of Danish public and research libraries. The citizen decides himself or herself which library he or she wants to collect the material from. Bibliotek.dk is developed in…

Discusses the future of libraries' extended access and services. Highlights include disposing myths and projections for the future, problems and promises of new technologies, increasing public and academic library funding, and planning for extended libraries. (AEF)

This paper discusses the legal basis for the National Library Board's national role for library development in Singapore. It examines the new National Library Board (NLB) Act 1995 and the direct and expanded responsibility it has given the NLB for the national and public library functions in Singapore. The paper also examines the various…