The third of the seven articles that I recently co-authored for the Journal of Librarianship and Information Science (JoLIS) has now been published as an OnlineFirst paper. The article is entitled ‘UK public library roles and value: a focus group analysis‘. Part-time PhD student, and award-winning practitioner-researcher, Leo Appleton is the first author of this article.

Leo Appleton (photo credit LIRG)

Together with his co-authors (myself, Alistair Duff and Robert Raeside), in the article Leo presents an analysis of results from a longitudinal study on the role of the public library in the twenty-first century. The main findings discussed in the work relate to the strong sense of the epistemic role of public libraries, which are conceived as safe, welcoming spaces that belong to local communities in which public library users learn new skills, further their education, develop their careers, and make new contacts. In the article we also examine how public library use facilitates participation in society, and provides resources to allow individuals and communities to fulfil their societal obligations.

If you are interested in learning more about this work, Leo will be addressing some of the article’s themes in a presentation to be delivered at Research, Impact, Value and LIS (RIVAL) in Edinburgh on Wednesday 11th July 2018. This event is offered free of charge, with registrations available through EventBrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rival-research-impact-value-and-lis-lis-rival-registration-45585730146.

For further information about Leo and his research, please see his profile on the Edinburgh Napier University web site.