Social Exclusion and the Public Library

This article contains a study of socioeconomic status and the use of public libraries throughout England. Although the article is very thorough, the author concludes the problems are due to a few basic fundamental principles. First the education level of patrons is one of the largest determinants of their library usage. Uneducated individuals seem to experience a mental barrier when deciding on whether or not to use the library. The author points out that this is a problem even in economically diverse areas because these libraries are usually tailored to those who have high school or college education. This means that those who do not have this education level feel as if they are not suited to use the library as compared to others. The author also argues that the delivery of information services has become very static. With all the new technology available it would be relatively easy and affordable to create different and interesting ways to deliver information so that all individuals can access it regardless of their education. The author also found "patron bias" in many of the libraries within the staff. Through observations the author found staff members to be much more willing to provide help to those who seemed to somewhat understand basic technology like the internet, compared to someone who would need substantial help. The staff members seemed less enthusiastic to offer their services to these patrons.

http://eprints.rclis.org/5468/1/vol3wp1.pdf