Librarians’ Experiences and Expectations of the Narrative and Transmedia Shelf: Results from Two Focus Groups

Dinotola, Sara and Testa, Roberto Librarians’ Experiences and Expectations of the Narrative and Transmedia Shelf: Results from Two Focus Groups. JLIS.it, 2026, vol. 17, n. 3, pp. 150-165. [Journal article (Paginated)]

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English abstract

This paper presents the results of two focus groups involving librarians on the topic of library collection communication. Specifically, it discusses the “narrative and transmedia shelf”, a pre-prototype model designed to enhance both physical and digital resources, analyzing its effectiveness and sustainability within professional practice. The study aims, on the one hand, to value the experimental activity conducted by libraries that tested the model and, on the other, to explore the potential and critical issues hypothesized by participants interested in the project. The main thematic nodes emerged include the impact on the organization and usage of collections, the role of digital integration, and the expected benefits. Furthermore, the analysis highlights constraints related to professional skills and technological infrastructure. In conclusion, the paper discusses participative and collaborative approaches for integrating the model into library services.

Italian abstract

Il contributo presenta i risultati di due focus group che hanno coinvolto bibliotecari e bibliotecarie rispetto al tema della comunicazione delle collezioni delle biblioteche. Nel dettaglio, viene discusso il modello dello scaffale narrativo e transmediale, un pre-prototipo per la valorizzazione delle risorse fisiche e digitali, del quale si analizzano l’efficacia e la sostenibilità nella prassi professionale. Lo studio quindi mira, da un lato, a valutare l’attività sperimentale condotta dalle biblioteche che hanno testato il modello e, dall’altro, a esplorare potenzialità e criticità ipotizzate dai partecipanti interessati al progetto. I principali nuclei tematici emersi riguardano l’impatto sull’organizzazione e sulla fruizione delle collezioni, il ruolo del digitale e i benefici attesi, oltre alle criticità legate alle competenze professionali e alle infrastrutture tecnologiche. In conclusione, vengono discussi possibili approcci partecipativi e collaborativi per l’integrazione del modello nei servizi bibliotecari.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: Focus group; Collection communication; Libraries; Transmedia and narrative shelf; Transmediality; Bibliographic mediation; Comunicazione delle collezioni; Biblioteche; Scaffale narrativo e transmediale; Transmedialità; Mediazione bibliografica
Date deposited: 16 Sep 2026 10:16
Last modified: 20 Sep 2026 22:24
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/49026

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