The September 2018 issue of the Journal of Librarianship and Information Science (50(3)) has just been published. This is a special issue that brings together ten expanded versions of conference papers that were presented at Information: interactions and impact (i3) 2017 in June last year (2017).

Amongst this collection are two articles by Edinburgh Napier University colleagues:

UK public library roles and value: a focus group analysis by Leo Appleton, Hazel Hall, Alistair S Duff and Robert Raeside presents an analysis of results from a longitudinal study on the role of the public library in the twenty-first century. The main findings reveal that amongst active public library users there is a strong sense of the epistemic role of public libraries, conceived as safe, welcoming spaces that belong to local communities. Here public library users learn new skills, further their education, develop their careers, and make new contacts. Public library use also facilitates participation in society, and provides resources to allow individuals and communities to fulfil their societal obligations. The full text pdf of Appleton et al is available on pages 275-283 of the special issue (with subscription access). The manuscript can also be downloaded (free of charge) from the Edinburgh Napier repository.

Job search information behaviours: an ego-net study of networking amongst young job-seekers by John Mowbray, Hazel Hall, Robert Raeside and Peter J Robertson draws upon findings from an ERSC-funded study that deployed social network analysis to reveal that network contacts play a role in job-seeking that extends beyond the simple diffusion of information about employment opportunities. The outcomes of the work demonstrate the utility of studying job search from an information perspective, and generate recommendations for implementation at national policy levels. The full text pdf of Mowbray et al is available on pages 239-253 of the special issue (with subscription access). The manuscript can also be downloaded (free of charge) from the Edinburgh Napier repository.

All the articles in the special issue (as listed in the screen shot of the journal’s contents page below) can be accessed from the contents list for volume 50 issue 3 on the journal web site.