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Dissertation Information for M. Lisa DeGruyter

NAME:
- M. Lisa DeGruyter

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- University of Chicago (USA) (1982)

ADVISORS:
- Warden Boyd Rayward

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Abraham Bookstein
- Victor H. Yngve

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: PATTERNS OF RURAL ADULT PUBLIC LIBRARY USE

Abstract:
This study addressed three general questions : What are
some of the differences between the characteristics of rural
adult public library users and nonusers? Do characteristics
of adult public library users in a rural area differ from
those of other public library users? and For what purposes
do people use the public library in a rural area?
The objectives of the study were to build on the best
previous current research in the field, using the best current
methodology, to produce results relevant to public
library management. The study expanded on previous research
in two ways : first, by concentrating on a rural popu l ation ,
and comparing the results to a previous study of a general
population, in order to identify differences in public
library use related to physical and social environmental
factors; and second, by examining the purposes (as perceived
by users) of public library use, and the relationship of
these purposes to other characteristics of users .
A model of factors affecting adult public library use IS
proposed, which categorizes these factors as individual
characteristics, social characteristics, physical environment
characteristics, and occasions of use. ('Occasion of
use' is a term introduced to indicate the proximate cause of
a use of the library on a specific occasion by a specific
user. It is broader in scope than the commonly used term
'information need.')
The data were collected in telephone interviews of 466
respondents from randomly selected households in Calhoun
County, West Virginia, a rural county in west central West
Virginia. The survey is based on the methods and questionnaire
used by Douglas Zweizig in his study of Onandaga
County, New York, at Syracuse University in 1973. The major
change is in the addition of questions to elicit information
on the purposes of public library use.
Descriptive statistics, multiple regression, and partial
correlation analyses were used to describe rural adult
public library users and identify relationships of user
characteristics to use. These results were compared to the
results of Zweizig ' s 1973 study, to identify differences
between rural and general population public library use.
Finally, data on specific uses of the public library made by
respondents were analyzed by multiple regression, factor and
content analyses, and compared to the proposed model.
The findings show that rural public library users are
more active in social and cultural activities, read more,
own more books, have more years of schooling, and use more
prof essional sources of advice than nonusers. Frequent and
intense users read more books and may have more schooling
and make more use of professional sources.
Public library users in Calhoun County do not differ
significantly from public library users in other areas, but
there are fewer of them in proportion to the population,
probably because the characteristics that influence library
use are not as prevalent in rural populations.
The reasons given for using and borrowing from the public
library were divi ded about evenly between reading for entertainment
and trying to obtain useful knowledge. Helping
children was also a frequent
hypothesized occasions of use
motivation. Six of the ten
(entertainment, social and
cultural participation, interaction with children, formal
education, self-education, provision of materials or information
for others) were confirmed, and an additional one
(casual or 'killing time' use) discovered.

MPACT Scores for M. Lisa DeGruyter

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:15:18

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Students under M. Lisa DeGruyter

ADVISEES:
- None

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- None