Library Anxiety: Stories, Theories and Possible Solutions

Shelmerdine, Anna J.

doi:10.1080/24750158.2018.1534281

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Radford and Radford argue that representations of libraries and librarians in film and popular culture participate in a “discourse of fear”. That is, the way libraries are depicted in popular culture reinforces negative stereotypes regarding the physical library that further alienate library users (Shelmerdine, 2018; Nieves-Whitmore, 2021). Tancheva argues that the image of “the library”, and by extension “the librarian”, is not only part of public discourse of fear but is also part of the discourse of the library as a profession.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Libraries in contemporary science fiction novels: uncertain futures or embedded in the fabric of society?

Duxfield¹,

Liew

2022

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PurposeThis study aims to examine the imagining of libraries and the depiction of library services in contemporary science fiction novels. Analyses of libraries in contemporary science fiction may reveal expectations of libraries and the roles they play in future societies. These may, in turn, be used by the library profession to innovate and to discover opportunities to design and improve library services that meet the expectations of library users now and in the future.Design/methodology/approachThis research applied a content analysis approach to examine references to libraries in a purposeful sample of science fiction novels published between 2009 and 2019. The sample consists of 29 novels selected from the 2010–2020 winners of the Hugo Award for Best Novel, The Nebula Award for Best Novel, the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, The Philip K Dick Award and the Arthur C Clarke Award.FindingsThis research finds that libraries are a common feature within contemporary science fiction novels, primarily as part of the background setting of the narratives. Libraries are particularly common in peri-apocalyptic novels, often as “reinvented” libraries. This research identifies considerable differences in the way libraries and information access and use are depicted and documented in science fiction worlds of plenty, compared to those of scarcity. Other key themes discussed include freedom of access to information, and the supposedly common negative stereotyping of libraries.Originality/valueExisting literature indicates anxiety about the future of libraries which the findings of this research do not support. The insights gained suggested instead, the emergence of an image of libraries as being embedded in the fabric of societies. This indicates the expectation of the place and role of libraries in contemporary societies. Libraries and their services must be adeptly placed and woven into the many facets of the societies they serve.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Libraries in contemporary science fiction novels: uncertain futures or embedded in the fabric of society?

Duxfield¹,

Liew

2022

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“…Library anxiety was examined by McPherson (2015), who found both personal and institutional factors as causes among undergraduate students. Shelmerdine (2018) explored the work of Carl Rogers on invitational theory as a lens through which to consider library anxiety and concluded that librarianship has close parallels with the helping professions. A study by Fraser and Bartlett (2018) examined racial differences in library anxiety in a Canadian context.…”

Section: Building Institutional Literacymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They asserted that a personal librarian program can reorient students by providing bearings and modeling behaviour in the physical and virtual spaces of the library, because the librarians have a relationship with the students. The importance of relationships with librarians in addressing library anxiety was also highlighted by Shelmerdine (2018). This might simply be a relationship of sending and reading emails, but even that can be the starting point for a new student trying to find their way.…”

Section: Program Implementationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Institutional Literacy and Libraries: Addressing Library Anxiety with a Personal Librarian Program

Doerksen¹

2021

Partnership

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This article considers institutional literacy as a lens through which to consider causes of library anxiety and the development of library programs. Institutional literacy is the ability to read and engage with the ways of being and doing that are -- often invisibly -- embedded into institutions of all kinds. This article posits that the ability of library users to confidently engage with library services is in part predicated on the level of institutional literacy these users have, both in the institution of the library itself and any larger host institution – such as a university. A setting such as a university requires a range of literacies, and those developing programs and services in such settings should not assume new and potential library users already have developed these literacies. While librarians are accustomed to considering information literacy as their contribution to this matrix, unfamiliar institutional literacy practices can present obstacles to new library users becoming information literate. A comparison of research on the effects of a lack of institutional literacy and research into library anxiety demonstrates parallels that suggest that low levels of institutional literacy are a contributing factor to library anxiety, creating one of the aforementioned obstacles. Acting as institutional literacy mediators is one way library workers can respond to this challenge. The article concludes with a description of how the theoretical lens thus developed was used to inform the development of a personal librarian program at the University of Regina, in part by positioning librarians as institutional literacy mediators.

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“…Undergraduates, always the newest users of the library, often exhibit the symptoms of library anxiety (McPherson, 2015;Shelmerdine, 2018); hence, a chatbot focused on their early entry into university offers an opportunity to condition how new students perceive research and library services. A closer look at the features of chatbots will highlight how they can be used to achieve this goal.…”

Section: Role Of the Lib-botmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is done through reflection on the ongoing process of chatbot development at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) Library, incorporated with reflection on relevant literature and thus takes a narrative rather than empirical approach. We argue that chatbots can provide new library users, generally undergraduate students, with a sense of ease in using the library resources, while minimising the effects of library anxiety related to research, library databases and librarian services (McPherson, 2015;Shelmerdine, 2018). Most users are already familiar with chatbots in other contexts in their everyday life, using them for example to find items on their phone with Apple's Siri, search their computer with Window's Cortana, or navigate the internet with Ok Google or Amazon's Alexa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing the Academic Library Experience with Chatbots: An Exploration of Research and Implications for Practice

Mckie¹,

Narayan²

2019

Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association

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This paper explores the potential of using chatbots to improve the academic research experience for university students with a literature based discussion reflecting on a prototype being developed at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). The paper proposes that information professionals need to adapt emerging technologies such as chatbots to innovate, improve and support library services. Designing a positive experience for the user is essential to ensure that such technological solutions are sustainable. In this exploratory paper, we argue that it is important that librarians engage with the conversational design of the library chatbot in collaboration with the technology developers in order to make it useful, friendly, trustworthy, and customisable for university students.

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Library Anxiety: Stories, Theories and Possible Solutions

Cited by 9 publications

References 18 publications

Libraries in contemporary science fiction novels: uncertain futures or embedded in the fabric of society?

Libraries in contemporary science fiction novels: uncertain futures or embedded in the fabric of society?

Institutional Literacy and Libraries: Addressing Library Anxiety with a Personal Librarian Program

Enhancing the Academic Library Experience with Chatbots: An Exploration of Research and Implications for Practice

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