Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

 

Date of this Version

Winter 3-15-2020

Abstract

The concept of imaging politics and professional culture are two approaches that influence and control each other in managing library performance. This research is conducted by initially looking at imaging politics that operates on aspects of academic qualifications, library accessibility, and institutional governance among three libraries. These institutional images are analyzed through three patterns of imaging politics, i.e. mirror of reality, map of reality, and simulacrum of reality, albeit this last pattern is not found. The second analysis is based on professional culture that functions as a ballacing system. Professional culture in library management shows itself as a referential standard for the performance and practices at the libraries. Both analyses are based on information sources in the form of interviews of informants, which are supported by library documents in digital formats and direct observation during interviews and a number of other visits at the study sites. Then, the third analysis focuses on relations between imaging politics and professional culture at the libraries through theoretical frameworks and other related concepts. In the process of analysis there is implicitly found different ideological orientations at the three libraries. Unfortunately, this research is not designed for this purpose, so it is interesting if there is another further research that works for the phenomena within the framework of imaging politics and professional culture at libraries.

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