Rural information needs and the role of the public library.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the conditions affecting rural and small libraries in the United States and to describe their roles in providing information services. For many Americans, the community library continues to be viewed as a place for books and used primarily by women. This article also reviews the major findings of two research investigations conducted by the author under the sponsorship of the U. S. Department of Education.

INTRODUCTION

Whether it's the Grand Old Party, Windows (not the type one washes), or the Information Highway, metaphors have more than symbolic roles. In a time of intense societal reflection and use of the "r" words--i.e., reinvention, reorganization, etc.-looking for the proper metaphor to represent the rural public library has achieved a larger than life importance. This is particularly so in an information age where the institutional library is being swept away by the likes of Internet (Lewyn & Carey, 1994), online systems (Andrews, 1995), and a host of services that will be telephone-, cable-, or CD-ROM based (Markoff, 1995).

One suggestion that this author had as a new metaphor for the public library was "the information place." This idea was referred to some of my colleagues who judged it with polite neglect. My creative juices were excited, however, by comments in a new book entitled Leadership and the Customer Revolution (Heil et al., 1995). In one passage, the authors talked about the role of information in an organization and stated, "information--and feedback in particular--is the true breakfast of champions" (p. 82). In many ways, one could argue convincingly that the public library in the United States fits this depiction. Have we not, for example, historically defined the public library as the "university of the people?"

Unfortunately, the typical public library is deficient in at least one component of achieving the "breakfast of champions" mantra--organizing feedback (from constituents). It has never been an institution where the solicited or unsolicited views of users has been important to its future. Oh, certainly, trustees, letters to the editor of the local newspaper, suggestion boxes, and surveys, have been utilized to transmit what the community thinks of its local library, but organized, systematic, and timely feedback has not been an important institutional goal. In a competitive society, no institution will survive unless it is able to actively evaluate its goals/objectives in the light of how well it provides needed services. It is surprising how long the community library has endured without those responsible paying much specific attention to their clients.

BACKGROUND

It was because of a concern for the lack of constituent feedback (on a national level) that the studies to be discussed in this article were undertaken. Both investigations were supported by grants received through the Public Library Program of the U. S. Department of Education under Title IIB of the Higher Education Act.

The need for these national investigations also resulted from the context that no studies of public library use have been conducted exclusively among nonmetropolitan audiences. Further, in modesty, no recent studies of public library use in the United States have taken on the dimensions of the research to be described in this article.

For example, D'Elia (1993) surveyed a little over 3,000 people, Estabrook's (1991) survey was limited to approximately 1,200 respondents, and Westin and Finger's (1991) survey was part of a general marketing survey compiled by Harris/Equifax with the data provided to the American Library Association rather than specifically being targeted as a study of library use.

In addition to the general opportunity of focusing on nonmetropolitan audiences, these investigations enabled the author to compare what may be described as the "library user" and "nonuser." While these concepts are obviously relative, the historical tendency of researchers, for a variety of reasons, has been to focus on library use. This is not surprising in that these data are the easiest to collect. Parenthetically, it should be noted that there is no greater challenge for all of public librarianship than to broaden the base of its constituencies. This can only be accomplished by a thorough review of the characteristics of those individuals who currently use the library and an equal understanding of the needs of those folks who are not as yet "card carrying members of the library." Whether this rapprochement may be accomplished before the demise of the public library (as we know it) is a moot issue.

METHODOLOGY

The first study undertaken by the author at the Center for the Study of Rural Librarianship resulted in the document, Assessing the Information Needs of Rural Americans (Vavrek, 1990) . This comprised a national survey conducted among 300 public libraries in 1989 in nonmetropolitan communities of no larger than 25,000 people. In addition to using the concept of "nonmetropolitan" for statistical comparisons, the U. S. Bureau of the Census, definition of "rural," being a place of under 2,500 people, was also utilized. Approximately n = 3,500 usable surveys were collected from adult respondents (at least seventeen years old) who answered a broad range of questions from "why they were visiting the library" to a "specific identification of their information needs and reliance on the library to answer those needs." A complete copy of the survey instrument may be examined as Appendix A of this article.

The second investigation yielded the publication entitled, Assessing the Role of the Rural Public Library (Vavrek, 1993). In retrospect, the author admits that the titles of these two research documents probably should have been reversed. In any event, in the spring and early summer of 1991, n = 5,676 adults at least seventeen years old were phoned within the continental United States. Individuals were asked, for example, "the frequency that they used the services of their local public library," "reasons for nonuse," "information needs," etc. A copy of the survey instrument is attached to this article as Appendix B. Library Science students within the Department of Library Science, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, conducted the telephone interviews. This approach worked exceedingly well, and the cost was a fraction of what would have been charged by commercial research companies. Parenthetically, this methodology of using students was utilized largely because of the encouragement of Daryl Heasley, director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, who was a member of the research team.

Despite the growing number of answering machines, disconnected phones, and the general disinclination of individuals to respond to telephone inquiries, surveying efforts yielded a usable response rate of n = 2,485 (44 percent) . Contributing to these highly satisfactory results--which exceeded the national average of 38 percent--was not only the excellent efforts displayed by the phone surveyors but also the positive effect of mailing introductory letters prior to the phone calls. While comparisons were not made to track a correlation between completed phone conversations and the availability of notification letters, clearly the letters helped. Timing was everything, however.

TRENDS

In an effort to provide a broader context to assist in the interpretation of the data generated in this article, the author will discuss the following trends of which the American public library is a part. These circumstances inexorably affect all public libraries in one degree or another.

Individualism

The public library, which developed as an agency of mass communication, must now cater to constituents who increasingly view themselves distinctly as individuals. In fact, one analyst refers to "individualism" as being the master trend of our time (Russell, 1993). Further, in relation to the ethnic backgrounds of these individuals, it is estimated that, in the near future, some states will be comprised mostly of minority populations. "Almost 25 percent of foreign-born Americans came to the United States between 1985 and 1990. Since 1960, the number of foreign-born residents has more than tripled from 1.5 million to 5.6 million" ("America's Colorful Heritage," 1993, p. 1). Small towns are also being affected by a "wave" of ethnic migration, but the circumstances are less pronounced. This diversity of constituencies is not only a problem in relation to the public library attempting to deliver services no longer to "mass audiences" but is compounded by the fact that the multiplication of specialty magazines, regionally oriented books, and special interest publications provide impossible challenges for public libraries to keep pace with information needs.

The Exodus to Rural Areas

In addition to client diversity, people are continuing to move away from metropolitan centers, where the public library movement began, in favor of the suburbs and unincorporated places that my friend Peirce Lewis refers to as "galactic cities." These latter are spread throughout the countryside, forming pockets of places where people live without a sense of corporate or personal community. While urban America now lives in the suburbs, the concepts of demography cannot always fully accommodate definitions of change. For example, as a part of suburban sprawl, "edge cities" are now a part of the new American frontier (Garreau, 1991) . Likewise, in rural communities which become more and more difficult to discern from other places, Americans are moving further and further from the "downtown areas."

While public library systems have moved along with their clients via branch libraries as population centers have changed, and others have provided access in the form of dial-in telephone assistance, services to the homebound, etc., the concept of "going" to the library has been radically altered. Unfortunately, as communities of all sizes are perceived by their publics to be physically unsafe, citizens will continue to attempt to make their home as fortress-like as possible. Faith Popcorn (1991) and others who talk about people "cocooning," attempt to encourage those responsible for all institutions to consider how traditional services will have to change to reach people where they live.

Convenience

While the business world understands the concepts of "convenience" and "saving time" for customers (thirty minute oil change, food delivered at home, ATMs, VCRs, pay-per-view television, etc.), the typical public library is only on the verge of using these principles in fashioning information services. It is this author's view that, as far as the public is concerned, the library is more a place than a service.

Public's Perception of the Library

The typical user continues to perceive the public library as a place of books. Consistently, public opinion research has reaffirmed the fact that bestsellers are more popular among library users than asking reference questions (Estabrook, 1991; Wittig, 1991; Vavrek, 1990a).

Therefore, it is perhaps not surprising, that, despite the continuum of resources available, the public library is not, as yet, at the top of the pecking order when the typical person is looking for information. The situation may be changing, however. When respondents were asked over the phone "If you wanted more information on the subject of protecting the environment...," about 22 percent indicated that they would "use the library." This response was only second to "ask a professional" (Vavrek, 1993). Unfortunately, when choices are reflected in the business world, the use of libraries as an information source finished thirteenth out of seventeenth in one recent investigation (Morrison Institute for Public Policy, 1990).

Resources of the Library

Despite the efforts of staff and the mix of resources available through the public library, only approximately half of the American public has either the time or the perceived need to use the library's services (Estabrook, 1991; Vavrek, 1993). While this latter comment may simply be another variation of whether the jar is half filled or half empty, the author is firmly convinced that one of the enduring problems is the public's continuing uncertainty of exactly what is available in the typical library. This situation can only be improved through daily public relations efforts. A justified concern, however, certainly has to be how much longer it will take to redress this long-playing problem. That is, a common refrain in "library land" has been that people simply do not know what is available in the library. A more important question relates to whose responsibility is it to fix this shortcoming?

Information Competition

Eventually librarians will be able to create an awareness among their clients about the services and resources available even in the smallest public institution. While this is happening, however, personal computers, data phones, cable television, electronic books, bulletin boards, and "900" phone numbers--estimated now to be available through 300 newspapers (Piirto, 1993)--will make it increasingly difficult for the institutional library to compete. It is understood that not every American will be able to participate in this electronic Nirvana. In fact, "the mainstream online service user is forty years old, has a median household income of $54,440, and is a college graduate. Of those who surf the Internet, the average age is thirty-four; men (75 percent) far outnumber women (25 percent)" ("Factoids," 1995). But, as the information highway becomes more democratized, whether it is through the role of government or private enterprise, the public library as an institution is in jeopardy.

Library Funding

On matters of library funding, Holt (1992) has reminded us that, despite the efforts to be as diversified and responsive to human needs as possible, the dimensions of library economics and financial support are being eroded by the declining number of Americans who hold well-paying jobs, particularly professional, financial, and information-related ones. Further, to what extent will these individuals continue to want to support the public library? At the same time, public libraries cannot survive by only appealing to those who are least likely to be able to pay to support the library. While visions of the homeless person using the Internet to locate information is both compassionate and within the social role of the public library, can the library afford to provide this access?

Problems of Keeping Current

Directly related to the variety of complex problems waiting to be "fixed" is the tendency of public librarians to want to do everything. Attending programs of continuing education may be helpful to the intellect but they drive service-minded librarians to even greater heights of frustration by encouraging them to do more and more. While there is a great deal of discussion in the library community about marketing, it is badly understood in practice. Otherwise there would not be an accelerated effort to offer yet more and more diversified services particularly in the absence of client feedback--as noted earlier in this article. Marketers remind us that all institutions must carefully choose their major objectives in light of the fact that they operate within finite budgets. While the above recitation of library issues is not complete, it is meant to suggest some of the forces pressing against the modern public library as it attempts to reinvent itself Whether the library community can accommodate the challenges is a matter waiting for attention.

MAJOR RESEARCH FINDINGS

At this point, the author would like to highlight some of the major issues that surfaced as a consequence of the surveys associated with producing Assessing the Information Needs of Rural Americans (Vavrek, 1990a) and Assessing the Role of the Rural Public Library (Vavrek, 1993).

THE FEMALE FACTOR

While it has now become a popular topic repeated by this author in a variety of different contexts, survey results strongly "verified" the fact that women are the predominant users of the rural and small libraries of America (Vavrek, 1990a; 1993). This was true in seven out of ten cases. Parenthetically, in a similar study of library use conducted among Pennsylvanians in 1990, the number of female users was a rather remarkable 80 percent (Vavrek, 1990b). While the subject of the female-dominated use of the public library is not a totally settled issue for some individuals--two of the author's favorite researchers attribute it to surveying bias (Willits & Willits, 1989)--supporting evidence of this "female phenomenon" may be observed from a history of public library user studies (Knight & Nourse, 1969; Doremus Porter Novelli, 1987; North Dakota Library Association..., 1990) . The propensity for women to be clients of the rural and small public library is not surprising; however, the disparity with male users is. A recent survey of bookmobile use in rural America shows the same pattern (Vavrek, 1992).

When the author began publicly reporting how singularly important women are in supporting the library, some colleagues expressed reservations about the survey results. These individuals were less distracted about surveying bias than wondering about the extent to which women in small and rural towns were on errands for the rest of the family unit. Since this criticism had the potential to undercut what this author determined to be a major research finding, another survey was conducted to clarify the original findings. A total of n = 1,950 questionnaires was collected from n = 157 libraries (Vavrek, 1990a). In only 28 percent of the cases, however, did the female respondents indicate that they were acquiring things for others. Their primary use of the library was to borrow books for themselves.

Notwithstanding defining national norms of library users, those responsible for library services at the local level must clearly be able to profile their clients on a regular basis and not merely by casual observation .

Parenthetically, this is not only a problem in the library community. In a recent survey of mall use, business people expressed the concern that they did not really know when their customers preferred to shop ("At Shopping Centers, Emphasis on Shopping," 1995). While profiling library clients presents a special challenge in the rural and small library because of limited staffing, it is a critical factor to being able to offer timely and needed information services. Likewise, if the female user predominates at the local community library level, one must not only attempt to recognize this circumstance but use the "female factor" as a source of lobbying efforts. At the same time, it would be an egregious error to depict women in small town America in a totally "romantic" and inaccurate fashion (e.g., as being similar to the television Waltons). With the growing number of single mothers and the overall percentage of women in the work force, it is not surprising that they feel the greatest amount of stress and have less time for relaxation when compared with working fathers and the unmarried (Godbey & Graefe, 1993). Unless those responsible for the management of public libraries focus on the present and future role of women as library users, they may discover this user base will erode in the future.

Future library success (and the ability to survive) must be viewed as more than a matter of courting women, however. Specific effort must be aimed directly at expanding the base of support through an augmentation in the number and diversity of active library clients. As suggested earlier in this document, the sociological composition of the United States is accelerating. This is also characteristic of rural America.

FREQUENCY OF LIBRARY USE

Trying to determine how frequently Americans use their public libraries appears to be no easy matter. For example, while Westin and Finger (1991) and Estabrook (1991) both employ the categories of "one to four times," "five to eleven times," and "twelve times or more during the past year" as their categories of library use, a variety of guideposts have been utilized by other researchers--including this author.

It is more than an academic matter that surveyors tabulate things in different arrays and those at the sideline cheer about disparate things. Westin and Finger (1991) have led those in leadership roles within the library community to boast about the fact that 66 percent of the American public uses their public library on an annual basis. While this apparently is an accurate statistic, it is based on the fact that 42 percent of those surveyed utilized their public library "twelve times or more" (with no further clarification) and 24 percent indicated a use of "five to eleven times during the past year." In the author's view, this really does not suggest the groundswell of populist support that some would wish. For example, by comparison, 69 percent of video watchers rent two or more movies a month ("Video Consumers would Rather Rent Movies...," 1993), 72 percent of the telephone households in the United States subscribe to cable television and have VCRs ("Electronic Media Users Use More," 1993), and "every day 77 percent of Americans aged twelve or older listens to the radio" (Piirto, 1994, p. 42). The author's intent is not to denigrate the survey results of other researchers but rather to suggest that the situation described earlier is symptomatic of the type of "competitive evidence" around which public librarianship is structured in the United States. Perhaps our difficulty, for example, in articulating the value of libraries to the public is that we do not really have a clue about the basic elements of comparison.

In Assessing the Role of the Rural Public Library (Vavrek, 1993), the optimist reading about the frequency of library use might postulate the fact that about 45 percent of the respondents are active users because of their "daily" (2 percent) "weekly" (17 percent), and "monthly" (26 percent) habits. Other responses consisted of "annual" (24 percent), "fewer than annual" (16 percent), and "can't remember" (15 percent) usage patterns. This researcher's personal bias, as stated earlier, is that the monthly use of any institution does not place it in the popular and, therefore, important category. Wilkinson, for example, has talked about the importance of rural institutions, in particular, meeting community needs on a daily basis.

As a matter of comparison, the reader may be interested to know that in Assessing the Information Needs of Rural Americans (Vavrek, 1990a), 68 percent of those surveyed in the library indicated that they were weekly customers and 11 percent said that they used their public library on a daily basis.

OBSTACLES TO USE

As a means of determining some of the conditions that potentially prevent individuals from using their libraries on a more active basis, a set of questions was asked of the telephone respondents in Assessing the Role of the Rural Public Library (Vavrek, 1993). Options such as "lack of transportation," "hours are inconvenient," "library is too far away," etc., were among the alternative choices that those surveyed were offered. Fifty-five percent of the respondents indicated that the "lack of time" was either a definite "yes" or "somewhat a problem," and 38 percent of those surveyed indicated that "I have no need [to use the library]."

While perhaps it is not surprising that individuals perceive a lack of time to be a major obstacle to library use, since Americans view their situations as consisting of less time outside of work to pursue leisure activities (Godbey & Graefe, 1993), it is distressing that so many people responding indicated that they had no need to use the library. Estabrook (1991) also found that "a lack of time" and "no need" to be the top reasons for a lack of more aggressive library use.

Library science students who conducted the telephone interviews were upset with respondents who told them that they did not have any need for the library. After all, it is more than just a little deflating to be assured of the importance and significance of libraries in society through class discussions, examination of the professional literature, and so on, and then to be baptized into the real world of cynicism. Aside from the practical lesson, all of public librarianship needs to hear the same message: "I have no need." The reason for this, of course, is not to achieve some cruel thrill but rather to ensure the fact that those responsible are aware of the reasons for citizens, nonuse and to determine a course correction.

It is the author's impression that "no need" may really be a circumstance of those surveyed not being familiar enough with library services to be able to determine what is available to satisfy individual situations. Supporting the author's assumption are the results of the following questions, which were asked of the telephone respondents: "Other than books, magazines, and newspapers, are you familiar with other materials or services that your public library has?" To this, 53 percent of those responding indicated "no." Although a respectable percentage of the respondents were aware of other things available at the library, a majority were not. Not surprisingly, through a cross tabulation of the data, library users are shown to respond more positively to this question than nonusers. That is, users are inclined to be more familiar with library services--i.e., other than newspapers, etc.--than nonusers (anyone who used the library less frequently than "monthly" was considered a nonuser).

"No need" may also be interpreted from the results of another question asked of those polled by phone. "When was the last time you saw or heard any type of advertising about your public library or its services?" Only 36 percent of the respondents (who represent "daily," "weekly," and "monthly" users) reported hearing or seeing any communication (advertising) from the public library within the last year. A cross tabulation of these data, not surprisingly, shows that users more frequently than nonusers reported an awareness of library public relations efforts.

Specialists remind us, of course, that channels of communication are used selectively. That is, we tend to hear and read those things which are consistent with our own beliefs and vice versa. The implication, therefore, is that those who are primed to use the library and its services are tuned in and interested in what is going on. The reverse is true as well.

The earlier commentary would seem to suggest that an active public relations campaign, if not a marketing effort, is very much needed in rural and small public libraries around the United States. At the same time, it should be understood that, not only because of a limitation of staffing but because of the variety of resources available at the smallest library, the process of advertising is not as simple as it would otherwise seem. Library customers, no more so than those utilizing the services of other institutions, are not concerned about the abstraction of the public library--for example, as a societal institution--but rather are confronted with the practical reality of finding answers to practical questions/problems or to satisfy other immediate informational needs. The focus of library advertising (the term "marketing" is preferred) is to ensure the fact that it is constant and that as many avenues of the marketing mix are used as possible--local radio announcements, press releases, cable television promotions, printed brochures, posters, handouts at the grocery store, presentations at service organizations and at other civic groups, etc. Challenging the speedy adoption of marketing efforts is both the insufficient availability of staff members (or volunteers) and an absence of how-to-do-it techniques.

INFORMATION NEEDS

As with most things in life, attempting to identify the information needs of Americans living in nonmetropolitan areas of the United States proved a considerable challenge. Along the way, professional self-doubt "reared its ugly head" with concerns such as, do individuals really think about the information they need in any systematic fashion? The research reported in this document does not answer that question. It is the author's impression, however that, while the typical American would have difficulty functioning without access to the answers to things--"When does the post office open?" "What time does the mall close?" "What's on TV tonight?"--one is really not conditioned to think of "information" either in a conceptual fashion or as a product. Added to this uncertainty was also the matter of being able to determine the degree to which the public library could provide services.

By comparing Appendixes A and B of this document, the reader will note that, in both surveys, library users and telephone respondents were asked to identify their daily information needs and the extent to which the library provided information on those topics. Because of the different format in the two surveys, the investigation conducted in the library (Appendix A) used a scale which was determined to be too involved to use in the telephone survey. Phone respondents were asked to answer with "yes," "no," or "somewhat" to the question of whether or not they used the library for gathering information on certain topics.

The two surveys resulted in different things being identified by those participating as top choices, but the margins of difference were slight. For example, Appendix A illustrates that those surveyed in the library were interested in "bestsellers" as their number one choice followed by "national news" and "local news." Phone respondents (Appendix B) indicated greatest enthusiasm for "national news," "local news," and "decisions of local governments," respectively. "Bestsellers" as a choice for phone respondents was low in the pecking order of importance. This difference between the two surveys may be partially explained by the fact that it was determined that library users read seven books a month, and the phone respondents (representing a more generic audience, the nonuser) read only three books a month.

Survey participants identified other categories as important daily information needs, however, in addition to those things mentioned earlier. They include "social services," "programs of education," "health/medical services," etc. On these informational matters of a more timely framework (as opposed to bestsellers and reference books), the library was not utilized as frequently as it should be in providing services. To cite two illustrative examples from the phone survey, first (the reader will be able to make additional comparisons by consulting the Appendixes), 48 percent of the respondents indicated that information on "health/medical services" was important to them, but in only 25 percent of the instances did the library ever provide information to them on those related topics; second, 31 percent of those surveyed identified "local social services" as a daily information need. However, in only 12 percent of the circumstances was the library utilized. The same disparities may also be visualized by referring to Appendix A, which highlights the survey of library users.

In respect to the above discussion, librarians in rural and small public libraries must attempt to recognize the differences between the informational needs of their customers and the extent to which these same individuals rely on the library to satisfy those needs. The examples of information needs discussed earlier require library staff to acquire or access data that are out of the book trade in ease of collecting. It means contacting and going to community agencies, local government, health services, etc., to acquire current information and to organize these things in formats that the public will find practical to utilize. It is hoped that the growth of electronic community networks, free nets, etc., will provide a facility that enables differences between information needs and information services to be mitigated. Actions, regardless to the extent to which they are dynamic, will again fall short of target markets if there is not a commensurate effort at advertising.

WISH LIST

Phone respondents were asked, "If the public library could provide the following services [computerized information, books-on-tape, literacy services, day care services, activities for senior citizens,job training], would you be interested?" To this, 54 percent of the respondents answered either "yes" or "somewhat" to the category of "computerized information." The next highest positive response rate (39 percent) was for "job training." Additional answers may be found in Appendix B.

While the above question and subsequent responses were offered with the sense of attempting to gauge emerging services, individuals could luxuriate in their choices as a "wish list." Since there was no penalty for choosing all of the above options, one might have anticipated that respondents would have said "yes" to everything. That clearly was not the case, however. Should it be surprising that slightly over half of those surveyed by telephone indicated that they would use computerized services at their library if these were available? Probably not--aren't we all rolling down the information highway?

Depending on the resources that one uses, the family "truckster" (online services used at home) accounts for anywhere from 20 percent to 30 percent of the vehicles on the I-bahn. Present concerns, of course, not only relate to the manner in which NREN, the National Research and Education Network (the Internet), will progress, but the manner in which the typical American (who presently is without a computer and technical experience) will be able to participate in the glories of "gophering." Providing services to the have-nots of America has always been an enthusiastic mission for librarians. It is not surprising, then, that the information society has provided a new vigor for an old pursuit. The problem is, however, that the typical rural library does not necessarily have the equipment appropriate for info-surfing, and the cumulative effect of what we presently consider to be the information highway is a totally new experience. One, for example, should not necessarily assume that future information access will be made through the institutional library rather than directly by consumers. It will only be through the immediate action of the library community that its integral role will be ensured.

ACCOMMODATING THE FUTURE

It is hoped that the world of assessing rural information needs was helped by the studies reported in this article. Needed now is an encouragement to individuals at the local level to begin their analysis of constituent service requirements. In the absence of a national library movement, one is reminded that "all politics are local." Hindering the local assessment of data is an immense problem--the typical librarian in a rural or small community may lack the technical knowledge of how to collect the information that is particularly important. While visions of other things (all electronic) distract library leaders, much of the necessary infrastructure for the future success of rural and small public libraries is not, as yet, in place. "How to develop goals and objectives," "techniques of evaluation," and "needs assessment" are among the priorities waiting for concentrated attention. If only the library community could commit itself to specific things once in a while, instead of attempting to do everything. Priority attention must be given by state library agencies, library districts, consortia, etc., to those matters which are basic to the effective functioning of the library. Taming the Internet will wait in favor of more immediate targets.

While it will come as no surprise to the reader, public library leadership and services around the United States vary considerably. In those rural and small towns that are not fortunate enough to be part of some larger library system, or in states where there is inadequate growth potential, it must be clear to those who are responsible for public library services that they are on their own. And if ever the spirit of "we can do it" needs to surface, it is now. Stripped of their "glamour," small communities are faced with a regiment of problems--waste disposal, health services, and coping with a world economy--to name a few. It will only be through the action of community leaders that the community itself, and its community information center (the library) will survive.

As a continuation of the discussion above, library staff in rural and small libraries must understand their responsibilities in promoting community development. In many places throughout the United States, the local library is seen as a heroic but stereotypical institution--a place for books, children, and women. While promoting literacy among all constituent groups is an admirable goal, there will be no future library unless all segments of the body politic contribute to the cultural and economic development of the community. The American public library must not only be perceived as an active element of promoting community growth, it must function as such.

In many places, rural and small libraries have benefitted enormously from the application of technology. Just a few years ago, for example, discussing the implementation of automated services in a small library was almost a financial impossibility. Now, one has a choice of vendors. Likewise, insightful library network administrators throughout the United States have enabled the smallest institution to be brought into the electronic big leagues. At the same time, while it is an inescapable construct of competition with other community agencies--as well as good sense-it must be clear that the library cannot win the technology game. Its fiscal pockets are not deep enough. Perhaps it sounds foolish to offer admonishment and congratulations at the same time. But at the community level, there should be particular care taken that the local library is not transformed into an electronic shell game. The community library must continue to be a meeting place for people, a source for relevant programming, as well as a clearinghouse for providing timely access to information. Although it may strike the reader as a naive comment, the application of technology should not distract those responsible for the management of the public library from more important issues.

While it is difficult to escape the significance of financial support as a major hedge against library development, the correlative issues of education and training are equally extenuating. For the nonmetropolitan areas used in this document (that is, populations up to 25,000), only 21 percent of the librarians in those places have completed their first professional library degree. In populations of fewer than 2,500 people, only 4 percent of the librarians have academic training (Chute, 1993, p. 30). It is the author's view that unless the schools of library and information science begin to assert a stronger leadership role in providing for the educational and training needs of librarians and those seeking to become librarians--particularly in geographically remote areas--large libraries and library systems will begin training and educating their own staff members. There are already examples of this occurring. Further, the most significant impediment to the application of new technology is the inability of practitioners to stay current and utilize what already is available. While this latter problem is endemic to an information society, acknowledging it is not the same as being able to develop strategies to overcome it. Librarians and support staff in small and rural libraries are particularly vulnerable owing to the lack of training mentors and ready access to technicians. A case in point that came to this author's attention was an organization that was attempting to deliver a teleconferenced program to a variety of downlink sites but failed because the local librarians were unaware of how to go about adjusting the receivers to a new frequency. Equally poignant examples exist when library staffers attend Internet workshops, for example, but have neither the equipment nor time to practice their new skills.

CONCLUSION

As a way of ending, the author would offer the following quotation:

By no means are paper or books or libraries going to disappear completely.

But their traditional presence and significance in our culture,

and the degree to which they've informed our concepts of self,

identity, and consciousness, seem poised to fade as seemingly

cheaper, less polluting, more flexible, and more attention-grabbing

digital media come to the fore. (Verity, 1994, p. 12)

The concept of library has been radically changed in a short time. Clearly, the Internet is an example of the new librarianship. Despite the accomplishments and challenges of technology, however, the rural librarian has a more immediate concern--survival of the community. It is critical that this basic concept be understood and action taken.

APPENDIX A

ASSESSING THE INFORMATION NEEDS OF RURAL AMERICANS

Q.1 On a day-to-day basis, how important is it to you to have
on the following topics?
                                           Frequency
                                 1     2     3     4     5     6(*)

Hobby/crafts                    680   533   870   619    581    248
Local business/investment       943   716   749   433    344    346
Action of govt officials        612   570   812   583    617    337
How to do it/reference          381   422   761   837    821    309
Legal matters                   992   706   796   421    293    323
Local history genealogy         645   602   777   590    652    265
Local news                      349   351   628   775  1,172    256
National news                   304   293   662   778  1,236    258
Health/medical services         335   407   787   858    865    279
Current decisions of local      475   466   771   709    824    286
  government
Matters of self-improvement     334   368   893   863    803    270
Getting or changing jobs      1,197   502   678   441    366    347
Local community events          374   429   880   841    732    275
Programs of education           348   322   729   819  1,020    293
Local social services           735   566   897   595    447    291
Best sellers                    391   361   603   602  1,377    197
Local ordinances/laws           583   577   889   653    507    322
Videocassettes                  890   469   696   549    581    346
Computers                     1,075   495   635   475    458    391
Others                          162    26    43    61    275  2,964
(*)1 = least important

Q.2 What do you think should be the most important goal of this library?
                                      Frequency     %
a. Sponsor programs                        53       1.6
b. To provide information               2,069      61.6
c. Services for children                  321       9.6
d. To provide a quiet place                78       2.3
e. Leisure materials (books, mag.)        816      24.3
f. Leisure materials (tapes, etc.)         24       0.7
   No response                            170

Q.3 How often do you come to this library?
                        Frequency     %
a. Daily                   375       10.9
b. Weekly                2,357       68.4
c. Monthly                 569       16.5
d. Rarely                  118        3.4
e. First time today         27        0.8
   No response              85

Q.4 What was the major reason for coming to the library today?
                                     Frequency     %
a. Children's services/materials        321        9.4
b. Magazines                            122        3.6
c. Newspapers                           136        4.0
d. Return materials                     322        9.4
e. Information/reference                518       15.1
f. Leisure materials--print--books    1,278       37.3
g. Leisure materials--nonprint           87        2.5
h. School assignment                    172        5.0
I .Photocopying                          47        1.4
i  Browsing                              22        0.6
k. Tutoring/instructional services       22        0.6
l. Heating/air conditioning
m. Place to relax                        44        1.3
n. Place to hold meeting                 47        1.4
o. Other                                287        8.4
No response or miscode                  106

Q.5 Did this library provide what you needed today?
                        Frequency     %
a. Yes                   3,166       91.4
b. No                       43        1.2
c. To some degree          254        7.3
   Blank or miscode         68

Q.6 Was your reason for coming to the library today typical of
why you usually come to the library?
                             Frequency     %
a. Yes                         2,656      77.0
b. No                            290       8.4
c. To some degree                501      14.5
   No response or miscode         83

Q.7 If you answered "no" or "to some degree," what was different
about your reason for coming to this library today?
                                     Frequency     %
a. Lack of time for typical usage         24       2.7
b. Change in materials selected          412      47.1
C. Meeting                                22       2.5
d. Study                                  30       3.4
e. Other                                 287      32.8
   Missing or miscode                  2,756
Most people were routed around this item.

Q.8 Would you be willing to pay a fee for the library services
that you received today?
                             Frequency     %
a. Yes                        1,497       43.7
b. No                           815       23.8
C. To some degree             1,114       32.5
   No response or miscode       105

Q.9 If you had to pay a fee for the services that you received
today, how much would you be willing to pay?
                             Frequency     %
a. Less than $1.00            1,527       48.9
b. $1.00-$1.99                  978       31.3
c. $2.00-$2.99                  315       10.1
d. $3.00-$3.99                   81        2.6
e. More than $4.00              233        7.1
   No response or miscode       406

[TABULAR DATA Q.10 OMITTED]

Q.11 Do you feel you have information needs which cannot be met
at this library?
                             Frequency     %
a. Yes                          524       15.5
b. No                         2,400       71.1
C. To some degree               446       13.2
   No response or miscode       161

Q.12 If you answered "yes" or "to some degree," list up to three
of these unmet information needs.
                                                 Frequency
                                        1st     2nd    3rd   Total
More specific reference books           205      53     21    279
Religious materials                      23      14      4     41
Medical/health                           25       8      9     42
Self-help/self-instruction               33      36     11     80
Science/technology                       50      23      8     81
Genealogy                                37       9      4     50
National newspapers                      18      10      7     35
Better periodicals/more periodicals      42      40     14     96
Current politics/current events          21       3      3     27
History                                  31      15      7     53
Best-sellers                             17      19      6     42
Science fiction                           5       6            11
Career information                       12       4      3     19
Online systems                           11       8      3     21
Other                                    32     168      81   578
No response                           2,672   3,112   3,347

Four people listed four needs. They would add one to the counts for
"periodicals" and "online systems" and two to "other."

Q.13 How quickly are you able to obtain the materials that you need
at this library?
                          Frequency    %
a. That day                 1,959     59.9
b. Within a week              886     27.1
c. Within 2 weeks             371     11.3
d. Longer than 2 weeks         47      1.4
   No response                268

Q.14 If you wanted to change one thing about this library, what
would it be?
                                    Frequency     %
Larger building                        456       22.1
Larger selection of materials          287       13.9
More current materials                  98        4.7
Open more hours                        280       13.6
Open fewer hours                         2        0.1
Quiet area needed                       79        3.8
More science fiction                     6        0.3
More newspapers                          8        0.4
Have meeting rooms                       6        0.3
More microfilm readers                   8        0.4
More non-fiction                        19        0.9
Expand reference collection             55        2.7
Video availability                      41        2.0
More recorded music                     12        0.6
Have computers                          37        1.8
Make it easier to find materials        13        0.6
Handicapped access to all levels         5        0.2
Better floor plan                       20        1.0
Large print materials                    2        0.1
Other                                  558       27.0
No response                          1,536

Q.15 How important is this library to the well-being of your
community?
                             Frequency     %
a. Not important                  5        0.1
b. Somewhat important            85        2.4
c. Important                    601       17.3
d. Highly important           1,671       48.0
e. Critically important       1,117       32.1
   No response or miscode        52

Q.16 In overall services, rate this library.
                             Frequency     %
a. Poor                           5        0.1
b. Fair                         113        3.3
c. Good                       1,257       36.2
d. Excellent                  2,094       60.4
   No response or miscode        62

Q.17 In addition to the library, where else do you regularly
get information to answer your questions?
                                         Frequency
                                     1st      2nd   3rd     Total
a. Newspapers                        653      371    137    1,161
b. Word of mouth                     199      206    209      614
c. Professionals                     96       88      61      245
d. Own books, magazines, etc.        562      470    284    1,316
e. T.V.                              267      322    186      775
f. Other libraries                   481      223    106      810
g. Gov't agencies non-profit org.    238      146     76      460
h. Bookstores                        104       85     45      234
i. Seminars/workshops                  4        8     13        25
j. Other                             111      134    143       388
   No response or miscode            816    1,478   2,271
Q.17 total includes responses from respondents who provided more
three information sources.

Q.18 Over the last six months, how many books have you read?
Number of respondents = 3293
Mean = 41.5
SD = 73.5
Min = 0
Max = 999

Q.19 Do you read any magazines on a regular basis?
                             Frequent    %
a. Yes                        2,753      81.9
b. No                           608      18.1
   No response or miscode       170
Q.20 If "yes," which do you regularly read?
                                             Frequency
                                       1st    2nd    3rd   Total
  a. Family life                       716    643    508   1,867
  b. News                              596    404    281   1,281
  c. Lifestyles                        560    572    444   1,576
  d. Nature                            223    240    220     683
  e. Consumer                           27     39     33      99
  f. Religion                           87     70     62     219
  g. Financial                          78     72     52     202
  h. Computers                          26     23     23      72
  i. Hobbies                           300    314    328     942
  j. Professional journals              95     93     72     260
  k. Assn. Soc. J.                      14     21     18      53
  l. Other                              68     70     66     204
     No response                       741    970          1,424
Q. 21 Do you belong to any community or social organizations?
                                           Frequency    %
  a. Yes                                      1,600    48.9
  b. No                                       1,665    50.9
     No response or miscode                     266
Q.22 If you answered "yes," please list the organizations to
which you belong.
                                                    Frequency
                                         1st    2nd    3rd   Total
  a. Elected/app. local gov't             40     15     15     70
  b. Church                              320    151     76    547
  c. Civic group--multipurpose           227     78     56    361
  d. Special interest--single purpose    799    570    306  1,675
  e. Youth/children                       90     67     38    195
  f. Lodges/fraternities                  81     79     33    193
  g. Other                                57     51     19    127
     No response                       1,917  2,520  2,988
Q.23 Annually, how much would you estimate that your community spends per
       person to support this library?
                                       Frequency        %
  a. <$1.00                              459           16.2
  b. 1.00-$1.99                          456           16.1
  c. 2.00-$2.99                          573           20.2
  d. 3.00-$3.99                          351           12.4
  e. More than $4.00                     978           34.5
     No response or miscode              714
Q.24 Annually, what would you consider to be the ideal level of
community support per person for this library?
                             Frequency   %
  a. $1.00                       88     3.1
  b. $1.00-$1.99                213     7.5
  c. 2.00-$2.99                 393     13.8
  d. 3.00-$3.99                 438     15.4
  e. More than $4.00          1,699     59.7
     No response or miscode     700
Q.25 My occupation is:
                                    Frequency    %
  a. Professional                     713      21.1
  b. Technical & skilled labor        299       8.9
  c. Clerical                         217       6.4
  d. Service worker                   102       3.0
  e. Student                          316       9.4
  f. Homemaker                        852      25.2
  g. Retired                          669      19.8
  h. Laborer                           92       2.7
  i. Other                            118       3.5
     No response or miscode           153
Q.26 My age is:
  N = 3377
  Mean = 44.7
  SD = 17.1
  Min = 0
  Max = 87
Q.27 My gender is:
                                    Frequency   %
  a. Female                           2,526    72.8
  b. Male                               943    27.2
     No response or miscode              62
Q.28 My highest level of schooling is:
                                         Frequency     %
  a. 1-6 grade school                       30        0.9
  b. 7-8 jr. high                           70        2.0
  c. 9-11 high school                      188        5.5
  d. 12 high school grad/G.E.D.          1,229       36.0
  e. Tech./trade/business school/A.A.      459       13.4
  f. B.A./B.S.                             885       25.9
  g. Master's                              343       10.0
  h. Doctorate, M.D., D.V.M., D.D.S.        40        1.2
  i. Other                                 170        5.0
     No response                           117

APPENDIX B

ASSESSING THE ROLE OF THE RURAL PUBLIC LIBRARY

The following data represent the preliminary results of a national telephone survey conducted among n = 5,676 adults residing in nonmetropolitan areas in the United States during the period of February-June, 1991. The usable response rate was n = 2,485 (44%). This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Public Library Programs.

Q1. Please indicate your age, at your nearest birthday, according to the following categories:

Female: 1,653 respondents, 66.3%

Male: 832 respondents, 33.4%

a. 17-26, 315 respondents, 12.6%

b. 27-36, 529 respondents, 21.2%

c. 37-46, 549 respondents, 22.0%

d. 47-56, 314 respondents, 12.6%

Q2. How often do you use your public library or its services?

a. daily, 46 respondents, 1.8%

b. weekly, 387 respondents, 15.5%

c. monthly, 582 respondents, 23.3%

d. once a year, 38 respondents, 21.6%

e. less than once a year 372 respondents, 14.9%

f. don't know/can't remember, 353 respondents, 14.2%

Q3. We realize that there are lots of reasons that people don't use their public library more often. Are the following concerns to you?

a. library is too far away

Yes: 357 respondents, 14.3%

No: 2,059 respondents, 82.6%

Somewhat: 69 respondents, 2.8%

b. no transportation

Yes: 148 respondents, 5.9%

No: 2,301 respondents, 92.3%

Somewhat: 33 respondents, 1.3%

c. hours are inconvenient

Yes: 467 respondents, 18.7%

No: 1,796 respondents, 72.0%

Somewhat: 213 respondents, 8.5%

d. it doesn't have what I want

Yes: 321 respondents, 12.9%

No: 1,930 respondents, 77.4%

Somewhat: 220 respondents, 8.8%

e. I have no need

Yes: 755 respondents, 30.3%

No: 1,530 respondents, 61.4%

Somewhat: 198 respondents, 7.9%

f. not sure of what's there

Yes: 386 respondents, 15.5%

No: 1,938 respondents, 77.7%

Somewhat: 153 respondents, 6.1%

g. staff is unpleasant

Yes: 64 respondents, 2.6%

No: 2,367 respondents, 94.9%

Somewhat: 37 respondents, 1.5%

h. not enough time

Yes: 1,181 respondents, 47.4%

No: 1,121 respondents, 45.0%

Somewhat: 170 respondents, 6.8%

i. I need to brush-up on my reading

Yes: 506 respondents, 20.3%

No: 1,882 respondents, 75.5%

Somewhat: 69 respondents, 2.8%

j. I am physically unable

Yes: 104 respondents, 4.2%

No: 2,346 respondents, 94.1%

Somewhat: 20 respondents, 2.8%

k. I use other libraries

Yes: 557 respondents, 22.3%

No: 1,834 respondents, 73.6%

Somewhat: 75 respondents, 3.0%

Q4. If your public library could provide the following services, would you be interested in them?

a. computerized information

Yes: 1,189 respondents, 47.7%

No: 962 respondents, 38.6%

Somewhat: 174 respondents, 7.0%

Available Now: 145 respondents, 5.8%

b. books-on-tape

Yes: 921 respondents, 36.9%

No: 1,307 respondents, 52.4%

Somewhat: 118 respondents, 4.7%

Available Now: 125 respondents, 5.0%

c. literacy services

Yes: 569 respondents, 22.8%

No: 1,684 respondents, 67.5%

Somewhat: 123 respondents, 4.9%

Available Now: 92 respondents, 3.7%

d. day care services

Yes: 448 respondents, 18.0%

No: 1,896 respondents, 76.1%

Somewhat: 99 respondents, 4.0%

Available Now: 24 respondents, 1.0%

e. activities/senior citizens

Yes: 813 respondents, 32.6%

No: 1,444 respondents, 57.9%

Somewhat: 149 respondents, 6.0%

Available Now: 61 respondents, 2.4%

f. job training

Yes: 975 respondents. 39.1%

No: 1 349 respondents, 54.1%

Somewhat: 122 respondents, 4.9%

Available Now: 19 respondents, .8%

Q5. When was the last time you saw or heard any type of advertising about your public library or its services?

a. last week (includes daily) 547 respondents, 21.9%

b. last month 341 respondents, 13.7%

c. within last year309 respondents, 12.4%

d. no response/can't remember 1,113 respondents, 44.6%

These next questions concern your need for information on a daily basis.

Q6. On a day-to-day basis, do you need information on the following topics?

a. hobbies/crafts

Yes: 730 respondents, 29.3%

No: 1,523 respondents, 61.1%

Somewhat: 212 respondents, 8.5%

b. local news

Yes: 1,787 respondents, 71.7%

No: 601 respondents, 24.1 %

Somewhat: 76 respondents, 3.0%

c. programs of education

Yes: 1,216 respondents, 48.8%

No: 1,049 respondents, 42.1 %

Somewhat: 202 respondents, 8.1%

d. best-selling books

Yes: 905 respondents, 36.3%

No: 1,355 respondents, 53.5%

Somewhat: 224 respondents, 9.0%

e. national news

Yes: 1,794 respondents, 72.0%

No: 583 respondents, 23.4%

Somewhat: 88 respondents, 3.5%

f. decisions of local government

Yes: 1,490 respondents, 59.8%

No: 811 respondents, 32.5%

Somewhat: 163 respondents. 6.5%

g. reference or how to-book

Yes: 1,189 respondents, 47.7%

No: 1,001 respondents, 40.2%

Somewhat: 274 respondents, 11.0%

h. health/medical services

Yes: 1,186 respondents, 47.6%

No: 1,053 respondents, 42.2%

Somewhat: 223 respondents, 8.9%

i. local social services

Yes: 769 respondents, 30.8%

No: 1,528 respondents, 61.3%

Somewhat: 164 respondents, 6.6%

j. videocassettes

Yes: 981 respondents, 39.4%

No: 1,276 respondents, 51.2%

Somewhat: 204 respondents, 8.2%

Q7. If you wanted more information on the subject of managing money, which of the following would you do? Please give your first and second choices.

a. ask a friend or relative

first choice: 552 respondents, 22.1 %

second choice: 317 respondents, 12.7%

b. ask a professional

first choice: 1,014 respondents, 40.7%

second choice: 466 respondents, 18.7%

c. buy a book or magazine

first choice: 227 respondents, 9.1 %

second choice: 470 respondents, 18.9%

d. attend a lecture

first choice: 86 respondents, 3.4%

second choice: 189 respondents, 7.6%

e. use the public library

first choice: 274 respondents, 11.0%

second choice: 407 respondents, 16.3%

f. take a class

first choice: 203 respondents, 8.1 %

second choice: 339 respondents, 13.6%

g. other: Specify

first choice: 35 respondents, 1.4%

second choice: 14 respondents, 0.6%

Q8. If you wanted more information on the subject of protecting the environment, which of the following would you do? Please give your first and second choices.

a. ask a friend or relative

first choice: 184 respondents, 7.4%

second choice: 167 respondents, 6.7%

b. ask a professional

first choice: 670 respondents, 26.9%

second choice: 363 respondents, 14.6%

c. buy a book or magazine

first choice: 397 respondents, 15.9%

second choice: 466 respondents, 18.7%

d. attend a lecture

first choice: 333 respondents, 13.4%

second choice: 378 respondents, 15.2%

e. use the public library

first choice: 547 respondents, 21.9%

second choice: 553 respondents, 22.2%

f. take a class

first choice: 194 respondents, 7.8%

second choice: 257 respondents, 10.3%

g. other: Specify

first choice: 25 respondents, 1.0%

second choice: 12 respondents, 0.5%

These last questions concern your use of information in the library.

Q9. Does the public library ever provide information to you personally on the following topics?

a. local social services

Yes: 301 respondents, 12.1%

No: 2,023 respondents, 81.1%

Somewhat: 98 respondents, 3.9%

b. videocassettes

Yes: 625 respondents, 25.1%

No: 1,731 respondents, 69.4%

Somewhat: 68 respondents, 2.7%

c. reference or how-to books

Yes: 1,Y01 respondents, 48.2%

No: 1,114 respondents, 44.7%

Somewhat: 113 respondents, 4.5%

d. local news

Yes: 636 respondents, 25.5%

No: 1,698 respondents, 68.1%

Somewhat: 93 respondents, 3.7%

e. programs of education

Yes: 748 respondents, 30.0%

No: 1,564 respondents, 62.7%

Somewhat: 112 respondents, 4.5%

f. best-selling book

Yes: 1,011 respondents, 40.6%

No: 1,312 respondents, 52.6%

Somewhat: 100 respondents, 4.0%

g. hobby/crafts

Yes: 946 respondents, 37.9%

No: 1,358 respondents, ::)4.5%

Somewhat: 125 respondents, 5.0%

h. health/medical services

Yes: 630 respondents, 25.3%

No: 1,647 respondents, 66.1%

Somewhat: 143 respondents F 7

i. decisions of local government

Yes: 499 respondents, 20.0%

No: 1,809 respondents, 72.6%

Somewhat: 112 respondents, 4.5%

j . national news

Yes: 669 respondents, 26.8%

No: 1,662 respondents, 66.7%

Somewhat: 96 respondents, 3.9%

Q10. Other than books, magazines, and newspapers, are you familiar with other materials or services that your public library has?

Yes: 1,110 respondents, 44.5%

No: 1,332 respondents, 53.4%

REFERENCES

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Bernard Vavrek, Center for the Study of Rural Librarianship, Department of Library Science, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Clarion, PA 16214 LIBRARY TRENDS, Vol. 44, No. 1, Summer 1995, pp. 21-48 1995 The Board of Trustees, University of Illinois