In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, digital literacy has become a fundamental skill for active participation in society. Maine's public libraries recognize this reality and have taken steps to provide digital literacy education to their communities. However, these efforts are hindered by a lack of resources necessary to meet the…

A system-wide training program in a large, urban public library system is sought relating to library administration's expectations of branch manager roles in the field while developing library leaders. This study employed a qualitative phenomenological methodology to investigate branch manager perspectives on the needs of front-facing managers and…

This qualitative research explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on makerspaces in the United States which were subject to public health guidelines and challenged with limited/no access to facilities. This multi-case study examined two public library makerspaces, and addressed these research questions: (1) How did the pandemic affect…

Employability is key to libraries as they continue to diversify their services to include career services to meet the job seeking needs of community members. In fulfilling this crucial role, public libraries face challenges in providing career services for their community members. This dissertation probed and sought ways to continuously improve…

Public libraries, important spaces for accessing assistance and resources, are increasingly focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) and hands-on learning (Lee & Phillips, 2019). While they are promising spaces for STEAM learning that supports marginalized communities and multi-generational engagement, this…

Informal learning constantly happens all around us. Informal learning approaches often stand in stark contrast to school practices and standards, receive little attention in the formal study of education, and present a great deal of untapped opportunity to support learners. Mendoso Community Library (MCL) is a particularly interesting illustration…

The role of public libraries is changing in response to a multitude of influences and trends. The exponential growth of technology as the primary method of information access, funding challenges, changing demographics, and other mitigating factors have forced public libraries to become more than book repositories. Community library leaders and…

For members of the dominant culture, libraries produce largely positive affective responses (Farkas). However, researchers and practitioners in the field of library science have identified a need to make library resources more accessible to patrons from marginalized communities who are excluded from library spaces by institutional policies and…

The importance of early literacy to later academic achievement has been well documented, as has the positive impact of high-quality early literacy environments. One stumbling block to achieving improvements in literacy skills for school-aged children appears to be inequities in access to high-quality early literacy environments. Public libraries,…

As digital access and education have become increasingly widespread, rural Appalachia, a historically marginalized region of the eastern United States, remains heavily impacted by the digital divide, with lower levels of digital access and use than average rates throughout the US. The digital divide is well-established from a rural-urban…

Providing programs for diverse populations and strengthening communities in need has been a longtime focus of public libraries (Garmer, 2014). Early literacy services are one way that libraries support their communities, with a particular focus on children's programs (Grimes et al., 2013). Library storytime programs promote early literacy skills…

Literature in the field investigates and debates the importance of the MLIS degree in librarianship. This information is of limited use in Maine where over 30% of public library directors have only a high school diploma. The research questions guiding this Constructivist Grounded Theory study are: How do high school educated library directors in…

A deeper understanding of reading as more than a set of word-attack and decoding skills may help to guide public librarians seeking to fully implement the ethical professional standard of equitable access to information for everyone, including marginalized patrons such as adults experiencing homelessness. As public libraries respond to questions…

This executive position paper (EPP) examines the gap in Delaware's public library services to senior citizens engaged in lifelong learning. Re-envisioning the public library as a center that provides support of lifelong learning for the whole individual and improving the quality of life for Kent County's seniors is one approach that may keep…

Rural public libraries hold economic, cultural, and social capital assets in trust for the benefit of their communities. Filling a gap in the study of those assets, 2012 through 2015 rural library statistics from the Institute of Museum and Library Services were combined with public data from the United States Departments of Agriculture and Health…