Full Description
Public Libraries in the 21st Century presents a comprehensive analysis of the impact of recent policy initiatives directly targeted at public libraries along with broader developments in the public sector environment within which they operate. Key features include: ¢ An exploration of the context within which public libraries are operating and analysis of their role in local and national life; ¢ Examples of best practice in service delivery; ¢ Evaluation of the challenges and opportunities confronting public library managers; ¢ Wide ranging coverage, including information from published and unpublished sources, supplemented by interviews with key stakeholders in the public library sector. The book provides a unique and thorough guide to the contemporary discourses surrounding issues of identity, social purpose, value and strategy facing the public library service.
Contents
Part I The Environment; Chapter 1 Setting the Scene; Chapter 2 The Local Authority Context; Chapter 3 National Agendas; Chapter 4 Public Library Users; Chapter 5 Public Library Staff; Part II Service Development; Chapter 6 The People's Network; Chapter 7 Regenerating Communities; Chapter 8 Building Communities; Chapter 9 Libraries and Learning; Chapter 10 Books and Reading; Chapter 11 Discourses of Public Library Futures;
