International Journal of Information Studies & Libraries

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Editorial Note:Libraries and Social Capital Revisited


Affiliations
1 Department of Library and Information Science University of Malaya, Malaysia
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


What kind of a society do you want to live in? To me it’s a simple question with a simple answer – one which is high in social capital. According to Woolcock (2001), a society which is ‘housed, healthy, hired and happy’ has good social capital. In other words a society which has good economic, cultural, and social achievements. Fourteen years back, when Anne Goulding (2004) discussed about libraries and social capital in her Editorial for the Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, she gave impetus to a myriad of research into social capital development in libraries, specifically public libraries. At that time, Goulding relied on the concept of social capital which revolved around citizen participation at community level with an emphasis on public space as a key community resource where people meet and interact. Public libraries gained recognition as advocate for social capital development since it serves different range of communities, have varied collections in language and formats and offer space and facilities that enhance social interactions and trust.
User
Subscription Login to verify subscription
Notifications
Font Size

  • Aabo, S., & Audunson, R. (2012). Use of library space and the library as place. Library & Information Science Research, 34(2), 138-149.

  • Goulding, A. (2004) Editorial: Libraries and social capital. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 36, 3–6.

  • Johnson, C. A. (2010). Do public libraries contribute to social capital?: A preliminary investigation into the relationship. Library & Information Science Research, 32(2), 147-155.

  • Johnson, C. A., & Griffis, M. (2009) A place where everybody knows your name? Investigating the relationship between public libraries and social capital. Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, 33(3/4), 159–191.

  • Johnson, C. A., & Griffis, M. R. (2014). The effect of public library use on the social capital of rural communities. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 46(3), 179-190.

  • Johnson, C. A. (2012). How do public libraries create social capital? An analysis of interactions between library staff and patrons. Library & Information Science Research, 34(1), 52–62.

  • Johnson, C. A. (2015). Social Capital and Library and Information Science Research: Definitional Chaos or Coherent Research Enterprise?. Information Research: An International Electronic Journal, 20(4), p4.

  • Vårheim, A. (2017). Public libraries, community resilience, and social capital. Information Research, 22(1). Retrieved form https://munin.uit.no/handle/10037/12470 Vårheim, A. (2009). Public libraries: places creating social capital?. Library Hi Tech, 27(3), 372-381.

  • Varheim, A (2011). Gracious space: Library programming strategies towards immigrants as tools in the creation of social capital. Library & Information Science Research 33(1), 12–18.

  • Varheim, A., Steinmo, S., & Ide, E. (2008). Do libraries matter? Public libraries and the creation of social capital. Journal of Documentation 64(6), 877–892.

  • Vårheim, A. (2014). Trust and the role of the public library in the integration of refugees: The case of a Northern Norwegian city. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 46(1), 62-69.

  • Woolcock, M. (2001). The place of social capital in understanding social and economic outcomes. ISUMA: The Canadian Journal of Policy Research, 2(1), 11–17.


Abstract Views: 317

PDF Views: 9




  • Editorial Note:Libraries and Social Capital Revisited

Abstract Views: 317  |  PDF Views: 9

Authors

Kiran Kaur
Department of Library and Information Science University of Malaya, Malaysia

Abstract


What kind of a society do you want to live in? To me it’s a simple question with a simple answer – one which is high in social capital. According to Woolcock (2001), a society which is ‘housed, healthy, hired and happy’ has good social capital. In other words a society which has good economic, cultural, and social achievements. Fourteen years back, when Anne Goulding (2004) discussed about libraries and social capital in her Editorial for the Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, she gave impetus to a myriad of research into social capital development in libraries, specifically public libraries. At that time, Goulding relied on the concept of social capital which revolved around citizen participation at community level with an emphasis on public space as a key community resource where people meet and interact. Public libraries gained recognition as advocate for social capital development since it serves different range of communities, have varied collections in language and formats and offer space and facilities that enhance social interactions and trust.

References