TY - JOUR
T1 - “Part of My Daily Life”
T2 - The importance of public libraries as physical spaces
AU - Hider, Philip
AU - Garner, Jane
AU - Wakeling, Simon
AU - Jamali Mahmuei, Hamid R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2023/3/1
Y1 - 2023/3/1
N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to gauge how much, and why, people value visiting public libraries by asking them about the impact of the library closures. A questionnaire survey was administered to users of four library networks in New South Wales, Australia. About 19% of 1,295 respondents missed their library “a great deal,” another 28% “quite a lot.” Most commonly respondents missed browsing the shelves, taking children for visits, studying, reading, and socializing there. They also missed the quiet, relaxing, and friendly environment, and the resources provided. For many, the closures impacted their lives in a critical way.
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to gauge how much, and why, people value visiting public libraries by asking them about the impact of the library closures. A questionnaire survey was administered to users of four library networks in New South Wales, Australia. About 19% of 1,295 respondents missed their library “a great deal,” another 28% “quite a lot.” Most commonly respondents missed browsing the shelves, taking children for visits, studying, reading, and socializing there. They also missed the quiet, relaxing, and friendly environment, and the resources provided. For many, the closures impacted their lives in a critical way.
KW - Public libraries
KW - library closures
KW - COVID-19 pandemic
KW - library visits
KW - value
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132791571&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85132791571&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/01616846.2022.2092347
DO - 10.1080/01616846.2022.2092347
M3 - Article
SN - 1541-1540
VL - 42
SP - 190
EP - 219
JO - Public Library Quarterly
JF - Public Library Quarterly
IS - 2
ER -