Neighborhood-based in-library use performance measures for public libraries: A nationwide study of majority–minority and majority white/low income markets using personal digital data collectors

Abstract

The practice of aggregating public library use data to a system-wide level (central library and branches) can mask the library needs of more specific groups of users. This article introduces a study that addressed this need, by identifying libraries serving majority White/low income and majority–minority markets, and surveying those populations to identify types and levels of use. The study is critical for current library research and practices for these reasons: (1) the increasing diversity in race/ethnicity and languages spoken in U.S. communities; (2) low circulation rates exacerbated by increased Internet use; (3) mere existence of a library is critical to optimize use by populations without the library and reading experience; and (4) the recent release of the U.S. Public Library Geographic Database ( http://www.geolib.org/PLGDB.cfm) with neighborhood level census and library use data for all U.S. library jurisdictions. The methodologies developed offer potential for the collection of critical data for the public librarian of today.