CHICAGO — The Library Research Round Table (LRRT) of the American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce Sung Jae Park as the winner of the Jesse H. Shera Award for Distinguished Published Research for the article, “Measuring Public Library Accessibility: A Case Study Using GIS,” published in Library & Information Research 34(2012): 13-21, December 2011.
Park’s article provided a well-defined research question, detailed explanation of the research methods and a coherent and thoughtful discussion of the results. Park's work stood out because of its great significance to both current and future issues in library and information science, as well as future considerations in the profession.
"Measuring Public Library Accessibility" considers the role of distance and travel patterns in accessing public libraries by looking at actual travel routes, including roads and geographical landmarks, instead of considering distance in terms of straight lines. The research provides an important point of view when considering the barriers to accessibility.
LRRT was founded in 1968 to contribute toward the extension and improvement of library research by providing public program opportunities for describing and evaluating library research projects and for disseminating their findings. LRRT is dedicated to informing and educating ALA members regarding research techniques and their usefulness in obtaining information. The information must help users reach administrative decisions and solve problems and expand the theoretical base of the field by serving as a forum for discussion and action on issues related to the literature and information needs for the field of library and information science.
For more information on the Library Research Round Table and the awards, please visit http://www.ala.org/lrrt.
Jesse H Shera Awards Committee
Lisa Hussey, Simmons College (CHAIR)
Diane Velasquez, University of South Australia
Linda Most, Valdosta University
Jennifer Campbell Meier, University of Alabama
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740818811000958
1.
Abstract
Physical accessibility is considered a fundamental measure of freedom to attend activities. Although several accessibility analyses have been conducted of public libraries, these studies tend to measure the distance from the users' homes to the library using straight lines. This generally serves as a poor measurement of actual travel distances. In order to provide more realistic analysis, and measure patterns of library access more accurately, this study employed geographic information systems (GIS), including descriptive and statistical analyses, and a road network-based distance measure. One finding from the GIS analyses was that distance was a determining factor for library use. Specifically, the evidence shows that distance affected a considerable number of registered users who lived within the areas that were defined through Thiessen polygons. Another finding was that there was a difference in the travel distance between ethnic groups: Caucasians went further to access public libraries than other ethnic groups. Finally, in terms of the relationship between distance and demographic data, household characteristics relative to children and education level were significantly related to the travel distance of users. To improve the accessibility of public libraries, this study recommends librarians define service areas for libraries, develop library programs and services for susceptible user groups, and evaluate user groups' needs.
Highlights
► Travel distance is critical in assessing accessibility of libraries for users. ► Road networks rather than straight lines give an accurate measure of travel distance. ► A Thiessen polygon analysis renders a library service area map based on distance. ► Library registration and circulation data are used to analyze use patterns.
Fig. 1. Locations of LCLS libraries and registers.
Fig. 2. Distance-based service areas for each library in Lake County, FL. Lake County library service areas based on TAZs. Reprinted from Lake County Library System facilities plan 2005–2020, unpublished manuscript, Lake County Library System, FL. Adapted with permission.
Sung Jae Park recently received his doctorate from the Florida State University College of Communication & Information. He holds an M.A. in Library and Information Science (LIS) and a B.A. in Sociology and LIS from Yonsei University in Korea. His thesis topic was on the optimal site selection for public libraries in urban areas using geographic information systems (GIS). Currently, he is interested in several public library issues and space concepts, in particular the social significance of libraries, connecting LIS with geography and sociology, in that social relationships among people in the library are studied in the context of geographical space.
1.
Physical accessibility is considered a fundamental measure of freedom to attend activities. Although several accessibility analyses have been conducted of public libraries, these studies tend to measure the distance from the users' homes to the library using straight lines. This generally serves as a poor measurement of actual travel distances. In order to provide more realistic analysis, and measure patterns of library access more accurately, this study employed geographic information systems (GIS), including descriptive and statistical analyses, and a road network-based distance measure. One finding from the GIS analyses was that distance was a determining factor for library use. Specifically, the evidence shows that distance affected a considerable number of registered users who lived within the areas that were defined through Thiessen polygons. Another finding was that there was a difference in the travel distance between ethnic groups: Caucasians went further to access public libraries than other ethnic groups. Finally, in terms of the relationship between distance and demographic data, household characteristics relative to children and education level were significantly related to the travel distance of users. To improve the accessibility of public libraries, this study recommends librarians define service areas for libraries, develop library programs and services for susceptible user groups, and evaluate user groups' needs.Travel distance is critical in assessing accessibility of libraries for users. Road networks rather than straight lines give an accurate measure of travel distance. A Thiessen polygon analysis renders a library service area map based on distance. Library registration and circulation data are used to analyze use patterns. .
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