Beyond the library of the future: More alternative futures for the public library

✍ Scribed by Sanidas, Amy E.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 26 KB
• Volume: 49
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0002-8231
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4571(199802)49:2<187::aid-asi12>3.0.co;2-0

✦ Synopsis

cerning aspects such as the degree of participation, together gests of the case studies, is a strong sense of dedication to service, even in the most unpropitious circumstances. That is with its tolerance for unexpected or peripheral events, are essential for its successful design.

not to suggest that we should expect people to muddle through but, rather, to underline the reason why Clayton's research is The second pair of case studies (Chapter 3) deals with the provision and use of resources, and it is here that Clayton asks so valuable: We are resource-rich in many areas of expertise, experience, and determination, but it is a resource which needs an especially interesting question about innovation: Are there conditions in which it can succeed despite apparent resource careful, considerate, and facilitative management. deficiencies? In one of the cases, the resources are present but locked into existing ''empires''; in the other, the resources are barely adequate to complete the project. The conclusion is that Peter G. Underwood careful design of the implementation strategy can partially over-School of Librarianship come the effects of resource shortages.

University of Cape Town Chapter 4 explores the attributes of the innovative organiza-Private Bag tion, paying particular attention to the ''mechanistic/organic''

Rondebosch 7700 axis and the concept of a ''learning organization.'' The evidence Republic of South Africa from the main case studies is used in this analysis and supple-E-mail: pgu