It’s normal to try and be positive in advocacy! Decision-makers will often hear people complaining about not getting what they want, or asking them to come up with solutions. It is understandable, then, that they are keen to find stakeholders who, instead of offering problems, bring answers. However, it is always useful to be able […]
Read moreWhile libraries are not in the business of selling products to consumers, they nonetheless have a duty to ensure that the services and support they are offering respond to need. This is essential; it is by meeting these needs that libraries have an impact, and so justify their existence and ongoing support. Users of course […]
Read moreInnovation is about finding new ways to use existing resources. It is vital for economies, allowing us to produce or do more, or better. It is essential for sustainability, helping us to be more efficient and effective in delivering progress without harming the earth. It is also key in libraries, if we are to increase […]
Read moreIt’s often said that libraries are instinctively collaborative institutions. This takes place concretely through activities such as document supply or inter-library loan. But we also see it through IFLA’s different committees, focused on working together to help each other, and the field as a whole. This all takes time and effort of course. While this […]
Read moreThis week and next, the Internet Governance Forum is taking place, fittingly enough, online. This is an opportunity to return to data about connectivity in order to provide more background on the role of libraries in helping people get the most of the internet. The Forum itself has a strong focus on the internet as […]
Read moreLast week’s Library Stat of the Week looked at the connection between numbers of school libraries and levels of enjoyment of reading, combining data from IFLA’s Library Map of the World and the OECD’s PISA study. As highlighted, simply counting the number of students per school library has limits as an indicator of the strength […]
Read moreIn last week’s Library Stat of the Week, we explored in more depth the relationship between numbers of students and researchers as a share of the population, and numbers of academic and research librarians available to support them. This helped to highlight the variation that exists between countries, and in particular which ones manage to […]
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