Full Description
Overcoming Information Poverty: Investigating the Role of Public Libraries in The Twenty-First Century considers the role of public libraries in alleviating information poverty and targeting social exclusion, using a three-level information poverty framework. The book proposes a model for understanding the concept of information poverty, develops indicators for its measurement, and provides recommendations for service improvement based on analysis of public library services at macro (strategic), meso (community) and micro (individual) levels. The topic is of theoretical and practical importance when considering the changing role of public libraries today. The book is the first time a macro, meso, and micro model of information poverty indicators has been developed and applied to illustrate the impact of public libraries at strategic, community, and personal levels.
Contents
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Reviewing the Literature
Chapter Three: Setting the Context
Chapter Four: Developing Information Poverty Indicators
Chapter Five: Methodology
Chapter Six: Macro Level Findings - Strategic perspectives and approaches to addressing information poverty
Chapter Seven: Meso Level Findings - Community perspectives and approaches to addressing information poverty in socially deprived areas
Chapter Eight: Micro Level Findings - Reflecting on library user and non-user perspectives of public libraries
Chapter Nine: Synthesis, discussion, recommendations and conclusions
