“It’s a Lively Place”: The Impact of Public Library Clubs for Adults on How Attendees of These Clubs Perceive and Use Public Libraries

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research study investigated how clubs hosted in public libraries can affect the ways in which attendees of these clubs perceive and use libraries. Interviews were conducted with 15 library club attendees. Participants tended to be using library services more often – and in different ways – due to their attendance of library clubs. Interviewees believed that the library had become more relaxed over time, and that the purpose of public libraries went beyond a focus on books. These findings suggest that library clubs might lead to attendees expanding their ideas of the role libraries can play in their lives.