Svanhild Aabø

The Role and Value of Public Libraries in the Age of Digital Technologies.

Discusses public libraries’ role and value in the age of digital technologies. Reassessments of their role due to technological development and widespread public use of the Internet are analysed. Central challenges of the digital society, including an increased digital divide and a weakening of local community identity, have resulted in lower social participation and involvement in community issues. Previous research has demonstrated that public libraries have a wide social impact on both individuals and local communities. This article focuses on the special characteristics of public libraries to assess their potentially enhanced role and value, as a public room and social and physical meeting place in the digitised age. The article identifies a need to strengthen the public libraries’ democratic role in the information society by furthering social inclusiveness and citizenship.

Libraries and return on investment (ROI): a meta‐analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show that the need to communicate the value of libraries is growing, and especially now during the global financial crisis. As a response library valuation research is expanding and there is now a need for a status report.Design/methodology/approach – The library valuation field is developing towards generating a critical mass of empirical studies. The focus of the meta‐analytical review is on the subgroup that reports a return on investment (ROI) or a cost‐benefit ratio. Meta‐analysis is a quantitative analysis of findings of previous studies, conducted to infer general findings and lessons from prior empirical research. The dataset is 38 library valuation studies reporting a return on investment figure or cost‐benefit ratio.Findings – Of the 38 studies, 32 are of public libraries, a number high enough to indicate a tenable result. The meta‐analysis indicates that the patterns in the findings are consistent with expectations regarding the benefit types that are i...

Are public libraries worth their price? : A contingent valuation study of norwegian public libraries

Purpose – The paper reports from a valuation study of the Norwegian public libraries, aiming to provide a better understanding of their total value, both use and non‐use value, as viewed by the population. An objective was to explore whether or not the citizens found that their benefits outweighed the costs to provide them.Design/methodology/approach – The study applies the contingent valuation method, developed in economics to valuate non‐market goods. Contingent valuation is based on representative questionnaire surveys and has been used to valuate several cultural goods, including a few library valuation studies.Findings – The empirical data based on a representative population sample demonstrates that the value of the Norwegian public libraries decidedly outweigh their costs. Elicitation of the populations awareness of property rights to their local library showed that an overwhelming majority of the population (94 per cent) perceive they have such rights. The valuation result indicates that the bene...

Valuing the benefits of public libraries

Abstract Constraints on public budgets oblige libraries to document their value. This paper presents a contingent valuation study eliciting how a random sample of Norwegian citizens values public libraries, applying two recently developed elicitation approaches. Possible and actual protest bids are differentiated and a split sample used, eliciting both willingness to pay (WTP) and to accept (WTA). An overwhelming majority perceives they have property rights to a local library, justifying the application of WTA. Estimates of WTA among non-protesters are higher than estimates of WTP but only by a factor of about 4. Several measures of average valuation are derived, all being higher than average costs.

Rational choice and valuation of public libraries can economic models for evaluating non-market goods be applied to public libraries?

While sophisticated economic models are well-established for determining the value of non-market goods, there has been some question as to whether there may be problems connected with using these methods for determining the value of public libraries. The background to these economic models is reviewed, noting that the two major preconditions that must be fulfilled are that the method must be compatible with the presupposition of rationality, and it must be able to capture non-use values of public libraries and values not related to the immediate pursuit of individual self interest in ways which are compatible with the presupposition of rationality. The validity of these preconditions for public libraries is discussed, noting that the questions fall into three main problem areas: whether it is possible to define rational behaviour as a wider concept, including behaviour not motivated by the pursuit of self interest, whether this wider definition fits with the assumptions of ‘behavioural’ economic models, or whether the models need to be revised for a wider definition, and whether or not the methods currently available are valid for the purpose in hand. A brief presentation of the theory of rational choice is presented, followed by an examination of the concepts underlying the assumptions of individuals as economic agents seeking to maximize their utility. It is concluded that three conditions must be fulfilled for non-market methods to be useful with regard to public library valuation: they must be able to measure non-use values as well as use values, they must be capable of integrating valuation motives which extend beyond the pursuit of individual self interest, and they must not violate the assumption of rationality. Among the methods for valuing non-market goods, the contingent valuation method seems to fulfil these conditions and should, therefore, be tested in a public library context.

Perceived outcomes of public libraries in Finland, Norway and the Netherlands

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the perceived benefits of public libraries and their structure in the major areas of life between Finland, Norway and the Netherlands. Design/methodology/approach – The data were based on representative samples of Finnish, Norwegian and Dutch adult library users. In Finland a mail survey was used and in Norway and the Netherlands web surveys were used for data collection. The distribution of the proportion of those benefiting from the library in various areas of life at least sometimes was compared across countries. The structure of benefits was compared across countries by factor analysis. Findings – The results showed that the level of the nineteen benefits observed was considerably higher, and the range of benefits remarkably broader in Finland compared to Norway and the Netherlands. It is likely that the greater supply of library services in Finland compared to the other two countries explains the differences in benefits derived from the public library...

The information practices of business PhD students

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to investigate how PhD students discover, choose and use information and literature for their research. Design/methodology/approach – Eight PhD students at the Norwegian Business School (BI) were interviewed. The interviews were based on a phenomenological approach. Findings – The use of both library databases and Google Scholar is frequent and contextual. The informants ranked the library databases as more useful than Google Scholar. Methods for keeping up to date varied and were contextual. Although formal information seeking in library databases was seen as more academic than the tracking of references, this latter method was more widespread. Students felt they mastered the tools associated with formal information seeking, which constituted a continuous activity in their research practices. Wilson’s (1983) theory on cognitive authority may give a better understanding of the findings. Practical implications – Acquiring knowledge about the information practices of ...

Patterns of perceived public library outcomes in five countries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the perceived benefits of public libraries between five culturally different countries: Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, South Korea and the USA. Design/methodology/approach – The data were based on representative samples of Finnish, Norwegian, Dutch, Korean and American adult library users. In Finland a mail survey was used and in other countries web surveys were used for data collection. The distribution of the proportion of those benefiting from the library in various areas of life at least sometimes was compared across countries. The pattern of benefits was compared across countries by forming four outcome indexes from the 19 benefit areas. The differences in the outcomes between the countries were explained by demographics and library use variables. Findings – The intensity of perceived benefits differ considerably, with the Finns and Americans reporting a higher level of benefits than the South Koreans, who in turn derive more profit than the Norweg...

Libraries as an infrastructure for a sustainable public sphere in a digital age

This session will focus upon challenges to upholding a sustainable public sphere in a digital age and the potential of libraries to contribute to an infrastructure that might help us cope with these challenges. The workshop can be seen as a continuation of last year’s workshop themed Partnership with society: A social and cultural approach to iSchool research