The Library’s “Place”

Lucy Hart Peaden | Dr. Ron Bergquist | INLS 843: Public Libraries Seminar | 26 February 2010

Image from http://librisdesign.org/docs/SiteSelectionLibraries.pdf

A university is just a group of

buildings gathered around a

library.--Shelby Foote Is a community

just a group of buildings

gathered around a library?

Does location matter?

Agenda

• A Brief History• Themes throughout

History and Summary Points

• What’s your opinion?• Library Spatial

Research• Geographic Information

Systems (GIS)• Closing Thoughts• Reading Suggestions

A Brief History of Public Library Locations1800s

Early 1900s

1920s

1930s & 1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s and beyond…?

– emergence; prestigious structure in elite neighborhood

– Carnegie; library building expiration date; libraries a mile apart from each other

– Joseph Wheeler; downtown; location first (then the rest), no old buildings, rent

– Great Depression; “superbranches”; post-WWII; suburbia; automobiles

– Library Services Act (1956); more ALA involvement

– War on Poverty, Civil Rights Movement, counterculture; Library Services and Construction Act (1964)

– more diversified; focus on ethnic service centers; Public Library Mission Statement and Its Imperatives for Service

– less social reform; more research about location; libraries without walls

– less construction because of economy; focus on location

– Internet; creative spaces; PLGDB

Themes throughout History and Summary Points

1800s

Early 1900s

1920s

1930s & 1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s and beyond…?

• discussion influenced by social norms of the day

• no clear consensus; ebb and flow

1) location is a major determinant of use2) optimal location = accessible to

greatest number of users3) retail site selection methods are

considered valuable by librarians

What’s your opinion?

• downtown vs. near school, park, etc?

• stand-alone building vs. part of larger structure (such as mall)

• parking lots vs. side street parking

• old vs. new structures

Library Spatial Research

• Past research has found that distance is the most important determinant in library use.– distance users live from the library: most usually

live within two miles• Shaughnessy (1970): “a distance of ten to fifteen

miles or 20 to 30 minutes of travel time marks the practical limit of a central library’s range.”

—distance between facilities—market area distance range—distance and elasticity of demand—distance and quality or attractiveness of service—distance and library effectiveness

Library Spatial Research

• Demographic and consumer behavior patterns– non-demographic factors

• accessibility (user proximity to the library)

• accessibility (mode of travel)• shopping patterns• communication

– non-demographic user characteristics• lifestyle• social roles

Library Spatial Research• Demographic user and potential user characteristics

– univariate studies• degree of urbanization and population density• income• age• political activity

– multivariate studies• education, life cycle, urban residence• education, sex, age• education, age• education, income, occupation• education, income, family life cycle• education, occupation

• Race• Re-siting, closing, and opening

Geographic Information System Use

• simplifies the process of analyzing market area data

• GIS: – produces geographic references such as address and

voting district– maintains and is capable of calculating the

relationship among geographic features– indentifies and analyzes library market profiles

– capable of providing descriptions, explanations, predictions and judgements• community analysis, market area profile, land selection

http://www.geolib.org/PLGDB.cfm

Closing Thoughts

• Does location matter?– Is the idea that the location makes or

breaks the effectiveness of the library too doom and gloom?

• How can librarians be active players?

• What are some approaches you think are correct? Which ones are incorrect?

Additional Reading• The County of Fresno. (2003). The Heart of a Community: Its Public Library. Meeting Library Needs for Fresno

County Residents: 2002-2020. Fresno County, CA: Fresno County Board of Supervisors.• Koontz, C.M. (2007). A History of Location of U.S. Public Libraries Within Community Place and Space: Evolving

Implications for the Library’s Mission of Equitable Service. Public Library Quarterly, 26 (1/2). doi: 10.1300/J118v26n01_05

• ---. (1997). Library Facility Siting and Location Handbook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.• ---. (2001). The Location of Your Library Building: Why It Is Important, and How to Do it, Using GIS (Geographic

Information System Software). In M.-F. Bisbrouk (ed.), Library Buildings in a Changing Environment (pp. 141-153). München: K.G. Saur.

• ---. (1992). Public Library Site Evaluation and Location: Past and Present Market-Based Modeling Tools for the Future. Library & Information Science Research, 14 (4), 379-409.

• ---. (1994). Retail Location Theory: Can It Help Solve the Public Library Location Dilemma? In J. M. Greiner (ed.), Research Issues in Public Librarianship (pp. 171-181). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

• ---. (2002). Where do Our Library Customers Live (and Why Should We Care?). Retrieved from http://www.geolib.org/pdf/MLSGeoMarketSize.pdf

• Marcum, Deanna B. (1996). Redefining Community through the Public Library. Daedalus, 125 (4, Books, Bricks, and

Bytes), 191-205. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20027393.• WBDG Staff. (2009). Public Library. Retrieved from http://www.wbdg.org/design/public_library.php