Who Uses Public Access Venues?

Abstract

Who are the customers of public access venues, where do they come from, and what are their needs? In order to better understand the situation – success or failure – of public access venues, and how to move forward with policies, funding, and further research, it is crucial to better understand who uses public libraries, telecenters, and cybercafés. While there have been studies in different countries about users of individual telecenters or libraries (Becker et al., 2010; Gurol & Sevindik, 2007; Tiwari, 2008), it is difficult to fully answer these questions, even in a study of the magnitude of this one, which represents roughly 250,000 venues in 25 countries around the world. Nonetheless, we can use the data collected in this study to paint broad brushstrokes that give a better overall picture of the types of users of public libraries, telecenters,, and cybercafés. In this chapter, we discuss the main findings in relation to the users of public access venues, particularly in relation to gender, age, education, and income, as well as location (urban or non-urban)1 of the different types of venues. By understanding who is using public access venues, the providers of the access, be it a public library, a telecenter, or a cybercafé, can more accurately direct resources to better serve their current audience, as well as identify ways to reach out to other marginalized sectors of the population that are being left out, in order to maximize the benefits of public access.