Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Public Libraries Vs. the Internet: Do We Have a Chance?

“The Impact of the Internet on Public Library Use” article outlined the results of a study done by George D’Elia, Corrine Jorgensen, Joseph Woelfel and Eleanor Jo Rodger. The study wanted to investigate the relationship between the Internet and the library in terms of information seeking individuals. They saw that many services which the library offered were also offered by the Internet, and they wanted to see which ones consumers chose, why and how well this decision fit their information needs. This was done by surveying 3,097 English and Spanish-speaking adults (above the age of 18) through a Random Digit Dialing telephone survey on their use of the library and the internet, their information needs and the service they expected (and to what extent received) from both the library and the internet.

After analyzing the data, the group came to the conclusion that at this point the use of the library and the use of the internet are seen by a majority of the public as “complementary.” However, the study also concluded that “…the Internet was overwhelmingly preferred over the library for the majority of uses, many of which fall under the library’s traditional mission of information provision.” When discussing services provided by the library and the Internet, “…the users of both the Internet and the library rated the Internet superior to the library for 10 out of 16 service characteristics.” D’Elia, Jorgensen, Woelfel and Rodger basically recommend that the library begin actively reevaluating their mission statement and role in society, something they don't see happening at this point in time.

In reading the results of this study, were you worried about the future of libraries? Or do you feel it’s impossible to make the issue so black and white? Will library patrons who use the internet really chose between the two and never look back?

To look at this issue historically, is the idea of libraries competing with another service, business or institution only a new phenomenon? Or were there other periods in library history where this occurred?

2 comments:

Nancy & Alex said...

I don't think we have to worry about libraries becoming 'Net centers or obsolete. The study shows that users differentiate between information provided at the library and on the internet. It seems from the study that the main deterrent from using the library is convenience and lack of time. For this reason the internet is more widely used; however, this does not mean that people would want only the internet, it is just easier to use most of the time.

Lia said...

Kristin has succintly stated many of my thoughts with libraries and the internet. When you think about it, how many people come in to a library just to use the computers, particularly the internet? Quite a few, and those people are often the ones who cannot afford a computer or internet access in their own home and need the library to provide that access and equipment. Many libraries have used the internet to their advantage -- many of the library branches in the Chicago Public Library system when I worked there had aquired new computers (sometimes more than what the branches had previously), which meant that the increased use of the computers often meant more people walking in the door and therefore increased the number of users in the library. And increased numbers always look good for a library. Some branches even saw circulation rates increase due to the computers, so the internet can be a good thing for libraries.
One more thought on that: by providing computers and the internet to the public, libraries are acting as equalizers in society for people who normally without the library would not have access to these things do have access. And I think that's a great thing, not something to be feared.