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Overcoming Information Poverty

Investigating the Role of Public Libraries in The Twenty-First Century

  • 1st Edition - July 6, 2016
  • Latest edition
  • Author: Anthony Mckeown
  • Language: English

Overcoming Information Poverty: Investigating the Role of Public Libraries in The Twenty-First Century considers the role of public libraries in alleviating information poverty a… Read more

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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.

Key features

  • Stimulates thinking and debate on information poverty and how it may be addressed by public libraries, education departments, and governments
  • Uses case studies to investigate how information poverty can be tackled at the macro, meso, and micro level
  • Focuses on how strategic policies to reduce information poverty filter through to community-based interventions within branch libraries
  • Discusses mixed methods, using quantitative and qualitative data, surveys, interviews, and focus groups with library users and non-users, to conduct a three-level investigation of information poverty

Readership

Undergraduate and postgraduate Library and Information Management students, academics, educational specialist and library and information professionals.

Table of 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

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: July 6, 2016
  • Language: English

About the author

AM

Anthony Mckeown

Anthony McKeown has had a career within the public library service in Northern Ireland, UK, since 1998 He has a BA Honours in English and Modern History (1995) from Queen’s University Belfast, an MA in Anglo-Irish Literature (1997) from the University of Ulster, and an MSc in Library and Information Management (2011) from the University of Ulster (passed with Distinction). He has recently taken a career break to complete a PhD on information poverty and public libraries at the University of Ulster.
Affiliations and expertise
University of Ulster, Belfast, Northern Ireland

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