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The Public Library Service Provision to the Polish Community Living in Sheffield

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The Public Library Service Provision to the Polish Community Living in Sheffield The Public Library Service Provision to the Polish Community Living in Sheffield A study submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Librarianship at THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD by Anna Listwon September 2007 ABSTRACT This dissertation intends to examine the public library service provision to the Polish community in Sheffield. Its main aim is to establish the library needs of the newly arrived Polish people and examine their opinion of the service provision. It also considers the needs and views of the established elderly Polish community on the library services and the opinions of library personnel with regard to their services and awareness of the newly arrived Polish people. The topics covered in the interviews and questionnaire were based on the subjects found in the literature relative to the subject, which has so far made sparse references to the Polish communities living in Great Britain. This study is qualitative and therefore the following methods were implemented: in-depth interviews with librarians and elderly Poles, and questionnaires with open-ended questions distributed to the young Poles in order to develop thorough understanding of the issues in question. The data gathered indicated that the Polish collection and Polish materials are of great significance to the Polish community. The Poles would like to be involved in the selection process and have more Polish books in their collection. The librarians had little knowledge of the scope of the demand for Polish books but were open to gaining more knowledge of the newly arrived Polish people. As a result of this research it is concluded that materials in the Polish language and having books in Polish by Polish authors are essential for the Polish community. It is deemed important that all library personnel receive thorough training with regard to this community to develop a better understanding of their needs and expectations. Finally, the libraries should also co-operate closely with the local council to make their services more efficient and effective by responding quicker to newly-arrived ethnic minorities. ii 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 1.1 Aim .................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Objectives........................................................................................ 1 1.3 Context ............................................................................................ 2 2. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................... 5 2.1 Literature Review............................................................................. 6 2.2 Questionnaires ................................................................................ 6 2.2.1 Design ...................................................................................... 6 2.2.2 Piloting...................................................................................... 7 2.2.3 Distribution ............................................................................... 7 2.2.4 Questionnaire analysis approach ............................................. 8 2.3 Interviews ........................................................................................ 9 2.3.1 Selection of the interviewees.................................................... 9 2.3.2 Interview methods .................................................................... 9 2.3.3 Interview design...................................................................... 10 2.3.4 Interview analysis approach ................................................... 11 2.4 Limitations of the Study ................................................................. 12 3. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS............................................................. 13 3.1 Safety and Well-being.................................................................... 13 3.2 Obtaining Consent and Informed Consent..................................... 13 3.3 Coercion ........................................................................................ 14 3.4 Public Context ............................................................................... 14 3.5 Principles of Anonymity, Confidentiality and Data Protection ........ 15 4. LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................ 16 4.1 Justification of Study...................................................................... 16 4.2 Determining Areas of Study........................................................... 21 4.2.1 Library’s and librarian’s role in serving multicultural society ... 21 4.2.2 Collection management and its promotion ............................. 23 4.2.3 Partnerships with organisations and other services................ 25 4.2.4 Library users’ perspective....................................................... 26 4.2.5 The library service provision to Polish communities ............... 27 iii 5. RESULTS............................................................................................. 30 5.1 Questionnaire Results ................................................................... 30 5.1.1 General information about respondents ................................. 30 5.1.2 Polish users’ library needs...................................................... 31 5.1.3 Polish users’ perspective on the library services .................... 38 5.2 Results of the Interviews with the Elderly Polish Users ................. 43 5.2.1 Library needs.......................................................................... 43 5.2.2 Interviewees’ opinion on the library services .......................... 46 5.3 Comparison Between the Two Groups of Respondents................ 50 5.4 Results of the Interviews with the Librarians.................................. 52 5.4.1 Library and librarian’s role in a multicultural society ............... 52 5.4.2 Collection management.......................................................... 57 5.4.3 Promotion ............................................................................... 60 5.4.4 Partnership with Polish organisations..................................... 61 5.4.5 Other services ........................................................................ 63 5.4.6 Librarians’ personal opinion on the service ............................ 67 6. FURTHER DISCUSSION ..................................................................... 69 6.1 Collection Management................................................................. 69 6.2 Responding to Ethnic Diversity...................................................... 71 6.3 Organisational Culture................................................................... 73 7. CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................... 75 8. RECOMMENDATIONS for FUTURE RESEARCH .............................. 79 9. REFERENCES ..................................................................................... 80 10. APPENDICES ...................................................................................... 87 10.1 Appendix 1: Library Personnel Interview Questions ......................... 87 10.2 Appendix 2: Questionnaire (English Version) ................................... 89 10.3 Appendix 3: Polish Version of the Questionnaire ............................. 93 10.4 Appendix 4: Questionnaire Results .................................................. 97 10.5 Appendix 5: Sample of an Interview Transcript .............................. 107 iv 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Aim This dissertation aims to investigate the public library service provision for the Polish communities living in Sheffield. This aim will be considered from two points of view: that of the Polish communities and that of the public library personnel. 1.2 Objectives 1) To establish the needs of the Polish community from the library service. 2) To examine the Polish community’s perspective on how the service meets their needs. These two objectives will be considered from two points of view: - That of the already established communities of Poles that arrived in the UK after 1945 (after World War II) - That of the newly arrived Poles that came here after May 2004, i.e. when Poland joined the European Union. 3) To establish any similarities and differences between these two groups with regard to the first and second objective. 4) To examine the library personnel’s point of view on the service provision regarding these two groups within the Polish community and to compare the needs of the Polish community with the librarians’ understanding of what should be offered. 1 The service provision will be considered in terms of: the library’s and librarian’s role in serving a multicultural society; building partnerships with Polish organisations; the Polish collection management and its promotion; and discussing the introduction of other services in libraries that may be of help to the Polish communities. Finally, the library personnel’s opinion on the service provision will also be considered. 1.3 Context The Polish community in Great Britain has been established throughout the period of more than 60 years now. The first major wave of Polish immigrants arrived in Great Britain during the Second World War. The main reason for their arrival was to establish the Polish armed forces that were to fight for the allies in WWII. However, many of them stayed after
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