Browsing by Subject "public libraries"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Analysis of public library users’ digital preservation practices
    (2011-05) Copeland, Andrea J.
    This research investigated preservation practices of personal digital information by public library users. This qualitative study used semistructured interviews and two visual representation techniques, information source horizons and matrices, for data collection. The constant comparison method and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. A model emerged which describes the effects of social, cognitive, and affective influences on personal preservation decisions as well as the effects of fading cognitive associations and technological advances, combined with information escalation over time. Because the preservation of personal digital information involves personal, social, and technological interactions, the integration of these factors is necessary for a viable solution to the digital preservation problem.
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    E-Book versus Print A Per-Title Cost and Use Comparison of a Public Library’s Popular Titles
    (2012-06) Gray, David J; Copeland, Andrea J.
    Electronic books, or e-books, are a major topic of discussion for public libraries across the country. Two-thirds of public libraries report they now provide access to e-books. However, limited research exists on e-books in public libraries. This study examines e-book usage and cost in a public library by comparing the most popular electronic format to print format by title to discover if e-book and print copies of the same title circulate at similar rates. The title for title, print book and e-book comparison showed that on average the highest circulating e-books circulated at the same rate as the first print copy. A cost comparison found comparable average prices of popular book titles in both print and electronic format as well as the cost per circulation of print and e-books.
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    Helping People to Manage and Share Their Digital Information: A Role for Public Libraries
    (2011) Copeland, Andrea J.; Barreau, Deborah
    As a cultural institution, the public library is charged with providing resources and services that fit the needs of a particular community and, if space and budgets allow, of serving as a resource and repository of the community's past. To fulfill its mission to the public, the library must attract that public by offering materials and providing opportunities for them to pursue their unique and varied interests and discover new things. By engaging individuals in the identification and preservation of their own personal, digital objects, it may be possible to increase awareness in, and commitment to, community repositories that reflect a community's diversity and that will serve all. A user education program that focuses on the importance of identifying and preserving the information and artifacts that are important, that addresses the technical aspects of preservation, and that creates awareness of the benefits and challenges associated with sharing personal information can result in a community repository that ultimately has more value for both the individual and the community. "All lives need stories near at hand, and our experiences of narratives in contextually rich worlds are transformative." —David Carr, The Promise of Cultural Institutions, p. 57
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    Reading Places: Literacy, Democracy, and the Public by Christine Pawley
    (2012-06) Copeland, Andrea J.
    Review of the book: Reading Places: Literacy, Democracy, and the Public by Christine Pawley
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    The Use of Personal Value Estimations to Select Images for Preservation in Public Library Digital Community Collections
    (2014-05) Copeland, Andrea J.
    A considerable amount of information, particularly in image form, is shared on the web through social networking sites. If any of this content is worthy of preservation, who decides what is to be preserved and based on what criteria. This paper explores the potential for public libraries to assume this role of community digital repositories through the creation of digital collections. Thirty public library users and thirty librarians were solicited from the Indianapolis metropolitan area to evaluate five images selected from Flickr in terms of their value to public library digital collections and their worthiness of long-term preservation. Using a seven-point Likert scale, participants assigned a value to each image in terms of its importance to self, family and society. Participants were then asked to explain the reasoning behind their valuations. Public library users and librarians had similar value estimations of the images in the study. This is perhaps the most significant finding of the study, given the importance of collaboration and forming partnerships for building and sustaining community collections and archives.