Interaction between museum libraries and their users : a case study of the application of technology in library services, and of the social role of museum libraries in 3 New Zealand museum libraries

Abstract

This research is a case study of the services provided by 3 museum libraries in New Zealand to find out the interaction between these libraries and their users. The study first looks at the virtual services being provided with the use of new technology in these libraries, based on the types of services outlined by Buckland (1997) and Tenopir and Ennis (2001). Then the social roles of the museum librarians are investigated by matching the types of services they provide with those proposed by Glassberg (1996). Glassberg tries to redefine the roles of those people handling public history to include providing a dialogic space for multiple voices and conducting field research. Two sets of questions, one on virtual services and the other on librarians' roles, were drawn up and interviews with these librarians conducted. Results show that all libraries provide such virtual services as electronic reference enquiry and mediated reference help in on-line information searching. Other virtual services provided by one or two of the museum libraries are CD-ROM databases, end-user online databases, subject gateways to web resources and virtual user instruction. Regarding their social roles, all museum librarians agree to the first redefined role as set out by Glassberg while having reservations about the second.