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The research was undertaken to explore the role of the UK public library as a public sphere, and the ways in which this role relates to the epistemic, community, and political functions of public libraries. A longitudinal, multi-location focus group approach was developed and deployed in three phases. Data were collected from 53 active public library users in a total of 24 focus groups conducted in eight different public library services in England and Scotland in 2015-2016 (Phase 1), 2016-17 (Phase 2), and 2017-18 (Phase 3). Data collected were transcribed and coded using NVivo 10- for thematic analysis. The public library's role as public sphere aligns closely with its epistemic functions, adding a dimension to information services provision beyond access to 'traditional' print and online sources. New information and knowledge emerge through the person-to-person interactions in public library space. Through such exchanges, the community function of public libraries is made evident, notably as a platform for citizens to participate actively in society, including its democratic processes.Unlike much extant prior work on public library value dominated with accounts of societal and/or economic impact, which is frequently based on the analysis of quantitative data, here than the fundamental epistemic value of public library services is demonstrated. This research also adds an important perspective to the domain of Information Society Studies where, to date, the place of the public library as public sphere has been treated as peripheral.

Introduction. Prior research in Information Science often uses constructs from Social Exchange Theory to explain online information sharing. Exchange theories have a strong focus on reciprocity, yet in some communities, such as elected democratic representatives at hyperlocal level, it is observed that information is shared online for little visible return. This raises questions as to the extent to which existing models of online information sharing based on the tenets of exchange are applicable across a full range of contexts. In the case of hyperlocal representatives, this also prompts consideration of their motivations for online information sharing, and their response to apparent non-participation or 'lurking' in this process on the part of citizens. In this paper an information sharing practice-based approach is deployed to explore the means by which hyperlocal representatives in Scotland handle their information sharing role and address their relationship with their online 'lurker' audiences. Method. Hour long interviews were conducted in November and December 2016 with 19 representatives who serve on Scottish community councils. Analysis. Qualitative analysis of the interview data generated the results of the study. Results. Information sharing is regarded as an important duty of community councillors. It is largely practised as transmission or broadcast (rather than exchange) using a variety of channels, both online and face-to-face. Such efforts are, however, limited. This is due to restricted resources, a lack of familiarity with the information users (and non-users) that community councillors serve, and poor knowledge of tools for analysing online audiences. Attitudes towards online communities that largely comprise lurker audiences vary from frustration to resignation. Conclusions. While some of the findings articulate with extant knowledge and extend it further, others contradict the results of prior research, for example on online platforms as deliberative spaces. The practice-based approach as ...

The theme of knowledge sharing is discussed extensively in the knowledge management literature. Such work tends to focus on the barriers that impede knowledge sharing activity. Of these "culture" is commonly cited as a major obstacle. This article examines what is meant by the term "culture". In the context of efforts to promote good practice in knowledge management, it is argued that straightforward reference to culture as barrier to knowledge sharing is inadequate. Rather, firms should be looking at power issues and, in particular, organisational politics to explain success and failure in attempts to motivate knowledge sharing. The domain of sociotechnical studies is considered as a means of unpicking cultural issues at work in specific environments through the deployment of actor-network theory to identify shifting organisational power relationships.

*Introduction: This paper addresses the information practices of hyperlocal democratic representatives, and their acquisition and application of information literacy skills. *Method: 1034 Scottish community councillors completed an online questionnaire on the information-related activities they undertake as part of their voluntary roles, and the development of supporting competencies. The questions related to: information needs for community council work; preparation and onward dissemination of information gathered; factors that influence community councillors' abilities to conduct their information-related duties. *Analysis: Data were summarised for quantitative analysis using Microsoft Excel. Free text responses were analysed in respect of the themes from the quantitative analysis and literature. *Results: Everyday life and workplace roles are perceived as the primary shapers of information literacy as a predominantly joint competence. *Conclusion: The focus of information literacy development has traditionally been the contribution of formal education, yet this study reveals that prior employment, community and family roles are perceived as more important to the acquisition of relevant skills amongst this group. This widens the debate as to the extent to which information literacy is specific to particular contexts. This adds to arguments that information literacy may be viewed as a collective accomplishment dependant on a socially constructed set of practices.

The purpose of the research was to investigate the practices of elected, yet unpaid, community councillors in Scotland as they exploit information channels for democratic engagement with citizens. Its focus is both novel and significant in that it considers the information literacy of a group that has not been studied before: volunteer representatives active in hyperlocal government. The primary means of data collection was semi-structured interviews of one hour in length with 19 community councillors. Research design and data analysis were informed by the SCONUL 7 pillar model of information literacy, and by Activity Theory. The main finding of the analysis is that community councillors engage with a range of information sources and tools in their work, the most important of which derives from local authorities. Three recommendations emerge from the analysis. These relate to (i) information literacy training; (ii) valuing information skills; and (iii) the role of the public library service in supporting community council work.

Activity Theory (AT) is presented as a framework for explaining Information Literacy (IL) as a technologically mediated social practice. This is achieved in the context of a study conducted in 2016 on the information gathering and sharing activities of Scottish community-level elected representatives. This work demonstrates the value of AT as (i) a tool for IL research that seeks to present information practices in their social contexts, and (ii) as a means of highlighting underlying issues within the social environment under review through the identification of contradictions within the activity system.

Between October and December 2016 a team from the Centre for Social Informatics at Edinburgh Napier University investigated the information practices of community councillors in a research project funded by the Information Literacy Group of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. This report is intended to be read by community councillors and those interested in their success, including the Improvement Service, community council liaison officers and public library staff who support the work of community councils.

Digital youth work is an emerging field of research and practice which seeks to investigate and support youth-centred digital literacy initiatives. Whilst digital youth work projects have become prominent in Europe in recent years, it has also become increasingly difficult to examine, capture, and understand their social impact. Currently, there is limited understanding of and research on how to measure the social impact of collaborative digital literacy youth projects. This article presents empirical research which explores the ways digital youth workers perceive and evaluate the social impact of their work. Twenty semi-structured interviews were carried out in Scotland, United Kingdom, in 2017. All data were coded in NVivo 10 and analysed using thematic data analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Two problems were identified in this study: (1) limited critical engagement with the social impact evaluation process of digital youth work projects and its outcomes, and (2) lack of consistent definition of the evaluation process to measure the social impact/value of digital youth work. Results of the study are examined within a wider scholarly discourse on the evaluation of youth digital participation, digital literacy, and social impact. It is argued that to progressively work towards a deeper understanding of the social value (positive and negative) of digital youth engagement and their digital literacy needs, further research and youth worker evaluation training are required. Recommendations towards these future changes in practice are also addressed.

Many regard the population census as the backbone of national statistics. It is also regarded as a national institution; a data source held in high regard by the academic, policymaker, historian and genealogist alike. However, technological advances, pressure on resources and the availability of alternative information about the demography of the population have led to a recent review of the census.The results of this review have led the UK to develop a population census that in future will be conducted online and augmented by data derived from other government sources, for example, health and social care records, without the need for explicit consent of the population. It is, therefore, an opportune time to build uponprevious studies relating to privacy and the census and examine the impact that these confirmed changes to the population census in the UK will have on public perceptions of the confidential nature of the census, with a particular focus on information security, privacy and ethics.This paper will discuss the results of a study examining public attitudes to an online census, information sharing between government agencies without explicit consent, and attitudes to private companies processing census data. The census office havemade changes to the census have with limited input from the public and lead us to question where ultimate power lies? Is it with those making the changes, or those providing information, to the census?

This paper provides an assessment of the value of national population censuses as information sources with specific reference toUK census data and its use in policy-making. Mixed methods were adopted to collect quantitative and qualitative data from twosources: (1) a content analysis of policy documents, and (2) interviews with policy-makers in Scotland. The findings highlight thatalthough the general value of the census is recognised, policy-makers are not necessarily closely engaged with the census as a toolfor directing the development and implementation of policy. This is evident, for example in a lack of awareness of proposed changesto the census, and infrequent deployment of available data. The opportunity to change perceptions among policy-makers, and toexpand the application of census data in public policy, is identified. With a novel focus on the deployment of censuses as sources ofevidence for policy-making that includes the views of policy-makers from both within and beyond government, this workcontributes to an established body of global research on international censuses.

In 2014, CILIP and the Archives Records Association (UK & Ireland) (ARA) commissioned Edinburgh Napier University to undertake major research to map the workforce across the Library, Archives, Records, Information and Knowledge Management Services and related professions in the United Kingdom. Mapping the workforceLibrary, Archive, Records, Information and Knowledge professionals are developing new roles in business, industry, government, and the third sector. There are an estimated 270,000 people in the UK working in these sectors but there is no accurate picture of the workforce overall and little information on demographics. This research has helped CILIP and ARA to better understand the sector so that we can monitor trends in the workforce, advocate on behalf of the sector, develop relevant and robust policies, and to develop better and targeted services.