Canadians, Public Libraries and the Information Highway: Final Report

Roles of Public Libraries

The survey probed general attitudes in relation to the different roles of public libraries. While public libraries serve many roles in each community, the survey focused on three particular areas: broad roles of public libraries, the perceived importance of various activities, and the appropriateness of new roles in the area of the information highway. In relation to some of these newer roles, the survey also probed what information Canadians are using the Internet to find.

3.1 Roles of Public Libraries

Generally speaking, there is considerable agreement over the range of roles examined in this study. Moreover, few respondents see any of the roles as not being appropriate activities for public libraries.

As shown in Exhibit 3.1, the overwhelming majority of respondents agree that public libraries should be involved in areas with broad public policy objectives such as promoting literacy and recreational reading, providing information to citizens, and helping Canadians to learn. Closely related, the notion of equitable access is also a strong belief held by the majority of respondents. Respondents were least likely to believe that public libraries should serve as cultural centres, although it was still supported by a majority of respondents.

High levels of agreement on different roles cut across all subgroups. It is, however, interesting to note that "users" are more likely to agree with the different roles than "non- users" except in the area relating to public libraries serving as cultural centres where there are no differences in attitudes.

3.2 Perceived Importance of Activities

Respondents were asked to rate the different activities that they may have done in the past three months in terms of their perceived importance for public libraries to continue supporting the range of activities.

While few activities are seen as not being important, there are considerable differences in which activities are seen as important and which ones are seen as only somewhat important (Exhibit 3.2a and 3.2b). For the most part, activities that are more frequently done tended to be rated as relatively more important than activities done less often.

• Borrowing books, using reference materials, and research are at the top of the list of activities that public libraries should continue to support.
• A majority of respondents believe that being able to consult library staff, borrow other material such as videos and CDs, and browsing are also important.
• Respondents tended to be more divided over the importance of events for children, access to Internet or on-line data bases, and photocopiers. Similar numbers rated each as somewhat important as those who rated them as important.
• Library programs and facilities such as meeting rooms are seen by far more respondents as being somewhat important over important.

3.3 Emerging Roles

(a) Public Access Sites

Despite the fact that Canadians in increasing numbers have access to the information highway and the Internet, there are many others who currently do not have the same access. While some individuals choose not to have access given a lack of interest, there are others for whom cost and lack of familiarity are limiting factors. In that regard, public access sites represent an increasingly important location for many Canadians to access to the information highway.

In order to explore attitudes towards different models of public access sites, the survey asked respondents to rate the appropriateness of a range of institutions and places where they could be located.

The findings from the survey suggest that respondents do not see one unique type of institution or place where public access sites should be located, nor do they see all possible locations in the same light. Certain locations are seen as highly appropriate by most respondents, and others as being far less appropriate.

Exhibit 3.3 displays the ratings given to each of the possible locations examined. At the top of the list are public libraries and schools. Both are seen by the overwhelming majority of respondents as being an appropriate location for public access sites. Moreover, few see either as not being an appropriate location. At the same time, a majority believe community centres and senior centres as an appropriate location, although another one in ten believe that this is not the case. Respondents were divided over locating public access sites in city or town halls with a slight lean towards being seen as an appropriate location. By contrast, post offices and food banks are the most likely to be seen as not being an appropriate location.

Generally speaking, there are important differences in perceived appropriateness of public libraries across subgroups.

• The highest level of support for public libraries serving as public access sites is among younger and middle-aged respondents (88 per cent), students (93 per cent), university educated respondents (88 per cent), upper income groups (87 per cent) and library "users" themselves (82 per cent).
• By corollary, lower levels of support are observed amongst older respondents (52 per cent) , lower income groups (66 per cent), "non-users" (73 per cent), respondents without any post-secondary education (71 per cent), and those living in the smallest communities (70 per cent).

For the most part, these differences in attitudes are correlated to usage of the information highway. In other words, support for public libraries as an access site is highest among younger Canadians and higher socioeconomic status groups who are also more likely to use the information highway than others.

It is also important to recognize that public libraries are rated at or near the top as an appropriate location across all subgroups. Put another way, this means that groups such as older Canadians are more likely to rate public libraries as being appropriate than any other location even though they rate them as less appropriate than their younger counterparts.

(b) Specific Roles

While some public libraries have been active in the information highway for some time, it represents an emerging role for many other public libraries across the country. In that context, the survey probed the appropriateness of different roles of public libraries in this area.

Consistent with attitudes towards public access sites, most of the emerging roles in relation to the information highway are seen as highly appropriate activities for public libraries. The one notable exception relates to public libraries providing access to e-mail. While this role is seen as being at least somewhat appropriate by a majority of respondents, nearly three in ten believed that it was an inappropriate activity.

These findings are summarized in Exhibit 3.4.

• Seven in ten respondents (69 per cent) believe that providing on-site access to the Internet is an appropriate role for public libraries. Only nine per cent believe that it is not appropriate.
• A similar share indicated that it was appropriate that public libraries provide training on how to use the Internet (66 per cent) and guidance on finding Web sites (65 per cent). About one in ten said that either is not appropriate.
• Consistent with the trend towards more information being available electronically, 69 per cent of respondents believe that putting catalogues/reference material on-line is an appropriate role for public libraries. Only nine per cent believe that it is not appropriate.
• A majority of respondents (60 per cent) indicated that it is appropriate that public libraries provide locally produced Canadian content on their Web sites. Fifteen per cent believe that it is not appropriate.
• Respondents were most divided in terms of the appropriateness of public libraries providing access to e-mail. A minority of respondents (43 per cent) believe that it is an appropriate role, although another 24 per cent said it was somewhat appropriate. By contrast, respondents were nearly twice as likely to believe providing e-mail is an inappropriate role than any of the other roles examined (29 per cent).

As expected, these newer roles are most likely to be seen as appropriate by those respondents who tend to use the information highway more often (i.e., younger and upper income and educational groups).

(c) The Internet

As part of the broader information highway study, the survey also examined the different types of information Canadians are using the Internet to find. While it is not directly related to the mandate of public libraries, these findings can help public libraries to better understand the broader environment in which they are providing services to Canadians (e.g., are there areas where Canadians are relying on the Internet to find information rather than finding the information in books).

As is shown in Table 3.1, the findings suggest that there are a significant number of Canadians with access to the Internet at home who are now relying on it as a primary source to find information on various topics.

• While respondents were most likely to say they rely on the Internet as a primary source to find computer-related information, many are also using it to find information on hobbies, government programs and services, newspapers and magazines, schools and tourism/travel.
• Close to one in five also said that they use the Internet as a primary source for conducting literature/library searches.
• Only a small number say that they rely on public library Web sites as a primary source of information.

The study also explored what information respondents with access to the Internet at home had obtained from the Internet in the past week. As shown in Exhibits 3.5a and 3.5b, respondents were most likely to have obtained on-line newspapers and magazines, and information relating to computers, sports, hobbies, tourism and weather.

• Still, many others reported that they had found information relating to government programs and services, employment opportunities, schools/universities, and health- related.
• One in four respondents with Internet access at home said that they had obtained information from a literature/library search on-line.
• 16 per cent said that they had obtained information from a public library on the Internet.