We are trying to define interview questions for analyzing public library social responsibility. Can anyone help with research results or instrument?
Social responsibility of librarians include (1) Cordial relationship with library users through interactions (2) Extension services (taking library services to where they are) (3) Giving library orientations (4) Having library exhibitions and displays (5) Library story hours to children (6) Discussions on trending issues; and many other ways of relationships. Dr. Unegbu
Based on best practice in the field of CSR, the determinants of library social responsibility are: 1) Library Governance 2) Human rights issues 3) Relations and library work conditions 4) Environment 5) Fairness of library practices 6) Library users related questions 7) Community and local development
Those determinants based on ISO 26000 guidelines for social responsibility
determinant of social responsibility of librarians is relative in nature. it depends upon the society to which the library belongs and the user community.
I think determinants of library social responsibility are:
1. Compatibility of Library Collection whether in print or electronic, 2. Availability of Proper Services as per users specifications and require, 3. Orientation programmes to public, 4. Availability of Support System to Specially Able People, 5. Flexibility of Library Rules to ascertain Documents be Available to Economically/Technically Backward People etc.
These are my opinion/view.
In my (I should admit, in my somewhat heretic) view, the fundamental cultural, social, and political responsibility of the library has to do with the existence of documentation and particularly, of literature, as a part of our historical, cultural, social, and political reality. I have elaborated this thematic extensively in my fresh book "About and on behalf of scriptum est" ("scriptum est" meaning here what literature has produced), and my view there crystallises in the various aspects of what I call the obligation of scriptum est. This leads also to what we could call the bibliographic responsibility in the sense of producing knowledge about what there is and the very existence of some literary states of affairs would be the foundation of such responsibility. This, of course, requires further argumentation some of which I have also elaborated in my book.
I understand that as such, these views are not very fashionable in terms of the present lines of thought about the library and librarianship. On the other hand, their unfashionability reflects what I have criticised through my notion of "userism".
Without going to such rather fundamental questions, in any case, I assume that one should consider somehow seriously the connection between the library, on one hand, and literature or more widely, perhaps, documentation - also as parts of our historical, cultural, social, and political reality. This has to do with collections or otherwise accessible materials, for instance, but is also an aspect often ignored in talk about collections (cf. classification of collection evaluation methods, either user or collection centered, yet ignoring literature or documentation as a possibly notworthy reference).
I believe the following aspects fit into library social responsibility:
1) community development and involvement
2) social inclusion
3) information ethics and accessibility of digital resources
4) cost-effectiveness in running the library services
5) extension activities (branch libraries, mobile libraries, public reading in community and adult care centres, etc.)
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