Increasing Use of Public Libraries - Essay Example

?Increasing use of Public Libraries Introduction The right of people to have access to key information is considered among the key obligations of a state. Public libraries serve this need even if their performance is not standardized. Traditionally, public libraries were considered as important source of information incorporating material from a wide range of sources. One of the key advantage of public libraries compared to other similar sites of private organizations has been the lack of fee in accessing information. However, the quality and, more important, the variety of the subjects covered were always points of criticism regarding the public libraries worldwide. Because of this reason, the role of private libraries in providing information to the public has been limited under the increased power of private institutions and organizations that could provide to the public advanced facilities in terms of research. Through the years, the leaders of public libraries managed to improve the facilities and the resources available to the public, a fact that led to the decrease of distance between the public libraries and the libraries of private institutions. The recent financial crisis favored the increase in use of public libraries, a trend that has been reported in a series of surveys conducted across USA. The current performance of public libraries is presented in this paper; reference is made to the empirical studies developed in the particular field. It is proved that the increase in the use of public libraries is continuous and the prospects for future growth are significant. 2. Public Libraries use – trends and challenges In order to evaluate the level of use of public libraries it would be necessary to refer to relevant data, as published by governmental and non-governmental organizations. Emphasis will be given on the trends of use of public libraries in USA; however, figures related to the use of public libraries in other countries, for example, Canada and UK, are also presented in this study aiming to verify the findings regarding the use of public libraries across USA. One of the most common sources for evaluating the level of use of public libraries is the Public Library Data Service survey, which is developed annually; the above survey shows the annual changes in the use of public libraries in USA. Also, through the findings of the specific survey the factors that support the use of public libraries are revealed. The most recent survey of such kind, in terms of the availability of its findings is the one developed in 2009 – where data from 852 libraries are presented. The survey is based on ‘data provided by public libraries in USA and Canada’ (Varvel 2010). The findings of such surveys (referring to the years from 2003 up to 2009) are presented and analyzed in the study of Varvel (2010) where emphasis is given on the following issues: a) the number of visits of libraries that serve a small population, i.e. under 5,000 people, has been increased at 2.7 times, while the libraries serving from 5,000 to 49,999 people has achieved an increase in the number of their visitors at a level of 1.75 times; libraries serving large populations had the lowest performance – in terms of the increase of the number of their visitors (Varvel 2010). This means that for the period 2003 up to 2009, the libraries serving small populations had the highest rate of performance – regarding the increase of the number of their visitors; b) libraries serving less than 5,000 people also managed to reach the highest level of in-library use of material; again, the libraries serving high population presented the lowest percentage of in-library use of material (Varvel 2010); c) in 2009, the percentage of public libraries using a website has been reduced reaching the 92.43% - compared to the 98.17% of 2008; it is expected that the decrease of the number of libraries using website will affect their performance since most people prefer to access the libraries online and retrieve the information required. On the other hand, the actual impact of the limitation of online services in public libraries on the performance of these libraries would be evaluated by referring to additional evidence, as included in reports and studies published in the particular field. In any case, the key finding of the Public Library Data Service surveys of the years 2003-2009, the results of which are provided as an average in the study of Varvel (2010), is that the number of visitors of public libraries has been increased in 2009 – compared to the previous years; this finding indicates a trend for increase of the value of public libraries in USA and Canada. A similar trend is revealed in a report published by the American Library Association (ALA) in 2009; in the above report the findings of a survey developed by KRC Research for the above organization in 2009 are analytically presented. At the same time, reference is made to data related to the use of public libraries in USA from 1999 up to 2009. In the survey that KRC Research made for ALA in 2009 it was revealed that: a) in 2009 25.5 millions Americans used public libraries; the above figure reveals an important increase in the number of Americans using the public libraries compared to the past – for example, reference is made to 2006 when the percentage of Americans who used public libraries was estimated to 20.3 million, b) the on-line visits of public libraries has been doubled in 2009 compared to 2006 and c) in 2009 the in-person library visits were increased at a percentage of 12.7% compared to 2006 (ALA 2009). In other words, in the report of ALA of 2009, the increase of the number of visitors (either in-person and online) of public libraries was further verified. Moreover, in the study of Henderson (2009) is it noted that ‘between 1997 and 2007 per capita visits in public libraries across USA were increased by 19 percent’ (Henderson 2009); the above figure is based on Public Library Survey data as included in relevant reports from 1997 up to 2007 (Henderson 2009). The figure presented above shows a clear trend for increase in the use of public libraries in USA, a trend which could be identified also in previous studies: for example, the study of D’Elia (2002) where emphasis is given on the complementary role of public libraries – along with Internet – in the development of research (D’Elia 2002 in Henderson 2009). The importance of public libraries for academic and recreational purposes, is also highlighted in the study of Moore (2003) where reference is made to the historical development of public libraries, as related to Britain, and their regulation, as changed through the decades. The above study is important in order to understand the value of public libraries for daily human activities – as this value was initially recognized by legislators in Britain and, then, in the USA; it would be also important in order to locate the potential barriers in the increase of use of public libraries – as these barriers would possibly appear in USA. In accordance with the above researcher, the development of modern libraries in UK has been based on the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act, even if the regulation of public libraries has its roots in 1850 – referring to the Public Libraries Act of 1850 (Moore 2003). In the above study it is noted that book loans in public libraries of Britain have been decreased in 2000/2001 – totally estimated to 342,914 – compared to 1990/1991, when book loans reached the 475,527 (Moore 2003). In accordance with Moore, the above reduction in book loans in public libraries of Britain is related to the lack of appropriate technology and of staff required in order for the various needs of public libraries to be adequately supported. In the same context, it is noted that the potential challenges for the public libraries in the future would be increased, unless effective policies are introduced regarding the management and the support of these sites. In USA no such problems have been identified – referring to the country’s public libraries. It is perhaps for this reason, that all surveys developed in this field verified the increase in the use of public libraries in USA. Under these terms, it is made clear that the performance of public libraries worldwide may be differentiated, mainly because of the different perceptions on public libraries’ value and role, which can affect the level of support provided to the particular sites. The challenges that public libraries have to face and their current performance are reflected in the study of Walker (2010); in the above study, the findings of a series of interviews with ‘11 Colorado library leaders’ (Walker 2010) are presented. Through the above interviews, the following issues are revealed: a) the performance of public libraries in the particular area can be characterized as quite satisfactory – reference is made to the fact that circulation in public libraries has been increased by 12% between 1997 and 2007 (Henderson 2009 in Walker 2010) b) the prospects for growth face certain delays because of the efforts of libraries’ leaders to cut costs and retrieve options which are more affordable – compared to the current practices and resources, c) the recession has helped to the increase of public library visits, a fact known to librarians, by their experience, but also verified in practice: in a survey conducted by the Library Research Service, the library staff participated in the survey verified that in 2009 the library visits were increased by 63% - compared to the previous year (Walker 2010). The effects of the recession on the library use are analytically presented in the study of Lance, Hofschire and Daisey (2011). The findings of the above study are important in order to understand the potential effects of the financial crisis on the library use but also to identify the prospects for the library use in the future – taking into consideration the fact that recession will take a long time to be eliminated, as indicated in the financial downturns globally up today, even if the recession is thought as terminated in 2009. The findings of the study of Lance, Hofschire and Daisey (2011) are presented in the graph 1 below. It is clear that the recession benefited the public libraries use. Graph 1 – Differences in library use between the pre-recession period (2006-2007) and the recession period (2007-2009) (source: Lance, Hofschire and Daisey, 2011, 14) The positive impact of the recession on the public library use is highlighted in a report published by the Government of Nova Scotia in 2008; in the above report the increase of library use since the appearance of recession is justified by referring to the increase of the price of books (especially the textbooks), which urges people to visit the public libraries where the access to sources of various types (including the Internet) is free Government of Nova Scotia 2008). In the particular report reference is made to the increase of circulation in public libraries of Canada at a percentage of 4.5% (from September 2007 up to September 2008). Reference is also made to the increase in the use of public libraries in many regions across US, such as Illinois (28%) and Michigan (33%) (Government of Nova Scotia 2008). In accordance with the above figures, the increase in the use of public libraries should be considered as related to the financial crisis – which forced people to reduce costs in their daily activities, including research. However, the continuous growth in the performance of public libraries up today – as reflected in Graph 1 above, proves that the increase in the use of public libraries is not exclusively depended on the financial crisis; the latter should be considered as a cause for people to visit the public libraries. The improvement of these libraries’ facilities – including features in online research – has been the main factor that supported the high growth of public libraries; as this growth is reflected in the findings of the empirical studies presented above. The trend for increasing use of public libraries in USA is highlighted in a report of the Rapid City Public Libraries; this report is based on the findings of ‘an 11-year study on public library use conducted by the Institute of Museum and Library Studies (IMLS)’ (Pappas 2010). In accordance with this study, the visits of libraries present a trend for continuous increase – reference is made to libraries of both rural and urban areas (Pappas 2010). Regarding the Rapid City public library, the increase in its use has been related to the free access to the Internet and the provision of advanced communication features, such as chat and text messaging (Pappas 2010). Bossman (2009) gives a similar explanation for the increasing use of public libraries; in accordance with the above researcher, the increase in the use of public libraries is closely related to the improvement of the library services and the update of technology involved – including the free Internet access (Bossman 2009). 3. Conclusion In accordance with the issues discussed above, the continuous increase in the use of public libraries has been a common phenomenon in USA; in other countries also, especially Canada, similar trends have been reported. The improvement of library services and the provision of advanced facilities, such as free Internet access and availability of communicating online or through text messaging, have contributed to the above phenomenon. The recession has been also a factor supporting the increase in the use of public libraries – as reflected in the studies presented above. The efforts of leaders of public libraries towards the continuous improvement of the facilities of these sites – as highlighted in the interviews of 11 public library leaders, Walker (2010) – can lead to the assumption that the prospects for further growth of public libraries in the future are significant. References ALA | Fact Sheet 6: Public Library Use. (n.d.). ALA | Home - American Library Association. Retrieved March 26, 2011, from http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=libraryfactsheet&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=112163 ALA | State funding for many public libraries on decline. (n.d.). ALA | Home - American Library Association. Retrieved March 26, 2011, from http://www.ala.org/ala/news/pressreleases2009/february2009/orscosla.cfm ALA | The condition of u.s. libraries: public library trends, 2002-2009. 2009, ALA | Home - American Library Association. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from http://www.ala.org/ala/research/librarystats/public/Condition_of_Libraries_1999.20.pdf Bossman, D., 2009, IMLS Announces New Research Brief: Service Trends in U.S. Public Libraries, 1997-2007. South Dakota Academic Library. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from http://listserv.state.sd.us/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0912&L=sdacalib&O=D&P=991 Government of Nova Scotia, 2008, Use of Public Libraries In Hard Economic Times. Government of Nova Scotia. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from https://www.library.ns.ca/content/use-public-libraries-hard-economic-times Greater London Authority, 2010, Use of public libraries, Visits to museums and galleries, and Engagement in the arts. Greater London Authority. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from http://data.london.gov.uk/datastore/package/use-public-libraries-visits-museums-and-galleries-and-engagement-arts Henderson, E., 2009, Service Trends in U.S. Public Libraries, 1997-2007. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IML). Retrieved April 14, 2011, from http://www.imls.gov/pdf/Brief2010_01.pdf Lance, K., Hofschire, L., Daisey, J., 2011, The Impact of the Recession on Public Library Use in Colorado. Library Research Service (LRS). Retrieved April 14, 2011, from http://www.lrs.org/documents/closer_look/Recession_2011_Closer_Look_Report.pdf Law, J. (n.d.). Academic Libraries and the Struggle to Remain Relevant: Why Research is Conducted Elsewhere. Serial Solutions - Pro Quest. Retrieved March 26, 2011, from www.serialssolutions.com/assets/publications/Sydney-Online-2009-John-Law.pdf Moore, N., 2003, Public Library Trends. Acumen. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from http://www.acumenuk.co.uk/papers/public_library_trends.php Pappas, J., 2010, Changes in Library Services Lead to Increased Use. Rapid City Public Libraries. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from http://www.rapidcitylibrary.org/lib_info/newsreleases/pdf/2010PressReleases/Library%20Services_Dec2010.pdf Virgil E. Varvel, 2010, Characteristics and Trends in the Public Library Data Service Report. Public Libraries. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from http://www.publiclibrariesonline.org/magazines/featured-articles/characteristics-and-trends-public-library-data-service-report Walker, A., 2010, Trends, Tips & Techniques: Interviews with Colorado Library Leaders. Colorado Libraries. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from http://www.coloradolibraries.org/2010/02/19/trends-tips-techniques-interviews-with-colorado-library-leaders/ Read More