Title
The use of public computing facilities by library patrons: demography, motivations, and barriers
Abstract
Public libraries play an important part in the development of a community. Today, they are seen as more than store houses of books; they are also responsible for the dissemination of online, and offline information. Public access computers are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people understand the need for internet access. Using a series of surveys conducted in 12 libraries across the state of Michigan, the current study is a step towards understanding why the computing facilities are widely used, and what are the motivations behind their use. In addition, barriers and other factors that hinder usage are also discussed. The findings from this study will help policy makers and library administrators evaluate the current allocation of scarce resources, help them promote greater use of the library's resources, and guide their future course of action. The study is conducted as part of a federally funded public computing center grant.
Year
DOI
Venue
2013
10.1016/j.giq.2012.07.009
Government Information Quarterly
Keywords
Field
DocType
Public computing,Libraries,Motivation of users,Barriers,BTOP
Public access,Economics,Scarcity,Course of action,Public relations,Library services,Internet access,The Internet
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
30
1
0740-624X
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
2
0.36
8
Authors
6
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Kurt DeMaagd1154.30
Han Ei Chew2163.62
guanxiong huang320.36
M. Laeeq Khan4483.75
akshaya sreenivasan531.06
Robert Larose664349.19