Modeling the impact of individuals’ characteristics and library service levels on high school students’ public library usage : a national analysis
Information behavior (IB) and public library usage studies seldom simultaneously analyze individual-level characteristics and community-level information service factors. Thus, it is uncertain whether changes in community-level factors, such as an increase in public library funding and service level...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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2013
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/98270 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/17676 |
| _version_ | 1811696313177210880 |
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| author | Sin, Sei-Ching Joanna |
| author2 | Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information |
| author_facet | Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information Sin, Sei-Ching Joanna |
| author_sort | Sin, Sei-Ching Joanna |
| collection | NTU |
| description | Information behavior (IB) and public library usage studies seldom simultaneously analyze individual-level characteristics and community-level information service factors. Thus, it is uncertain whether changes in community-level factors, such as an increase in public library funding and service level, make a difference in an individual's library usage after differences in personal characteristics are accounted for. Applying the person-in-environment (PIE) framework designed to integrate individual agency and sociostructural factors in IB research, this study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the factors influencing a student's frequency of public library usage for schoolwork, leisure, and Internet access. It mapped and merged a nationally representative survey of 13,000 U.S. 12th graders with census tract data and public library statistics. The SEM findings indicate that school information environment, frequency of school library use, race/ethnicity, and home computer availability were among the top three factors affecting public library usage for schoolwork, leisure, and Internet access. More importantly, library service levels had a positive impact on students’ library usage in terms of frequency of use. Specifically, even after personal differences such as each student's socioeconomic status and achievement motivation were controlled for, higher service levels in the student's neighborhood public library contributed to more frequent library usage. The findings pinpoint the benefits for individual-level IB study to incorporate etic measures of community-level factors. The findings also suggest that continuous effort to fund high levels of public library services—particularly in disadvantaged areas—is worthwhile. Such efforts should be encouraged. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T07:37:22Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/98270 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T07:37:22Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/982702020-03-07T12:15:51Z Modeling the impact of individuals’ characteristics and library service levels on high school students’ public library usage : a national analysis Sin, Sei-Ching Joanna Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication::Communication theories and models Information behavior (IB) and public library usage studies seldom simultaneously analyze individual-level characteristics and community-level information service factors. Thus, it is uncertain whether changes in community-level factors, such as an increase in public library funding and service level, make a difference in an individual's library usage after differences in personal characteristics are accounted for. Applying the person-in-environment (PIE) framework designed to integrate individual agency and sociostructural factors in IB research, this study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the factors influencing a student's frequency of public library usage for schoolwork, leisure, and Internet access. It mapped and merged a nationally representative survey of 13,000 U.S. 12th graders with census tract data and public library statistics. The SEM findings indicate that school information environment, frequency of school library use, race/ethnicity, and home computer availability were among the top three factors affecting public library usage for schoolwork, leisure, and Internet access. More importantly, library service levels had a positive impact on students’ library usage in terms of frequency of use. Specifically, even after personal differences such as each student's socioeconomic status and achievement motivation were controlled for, higher service levels in the student's neighborhood public library contributed to more frequent library usage. The findings pinpoint the benefits for individual-level IB study to incorporate etic measures of community-level factors. The findings also suggest that continuous effort to fund high levels of public library services—particularly in disadvantaged areas—is worthwhile. Such efforts should be encouraged. 2013-11-15T05:53:48Z 2019-12-06T19:53:02Z 2013-11-15T05:53:48Z 2019-12-06T19:53:02Z 2012 2012 Journal Article Sin, S.-C. J. (2012). Modeling the impact of individuals’ characteristics and library service levels on high school students’ public library usage : a national analysis. Library & information science research, 34(3), 228-237. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/98270 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/17676 10.1016/j.lisr.2012.01.002 en Library & information science research |
| spellingShingle | DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication::Communication theories and models Sin, Sei-Ching Joanna Modeling the impact of individuals’ characteristics and library service levels on high school students’ public library usage : a national analysis |
| title | Modeling the impact of individuals’ characteristics and library service levels on high school students’ public library usage : a national analysis |
| title_full | Modeling the impact of individuals’ characteristics and library service levels on high school students’ public library usage : a national analysis |
| title_fullStr | Modeling the impact of individuals’ characteristics and library service levels on high school students’ public library usage : a national analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modeling the impact of individuals’ characteristics and library service levels on high school students’ public library usage : a national analysis |
| title_short | Modeling the impact of individuals’ characteristics and library service levels on high school students’ public library usage : a national analysis |
| title_sort | modeling the impact of individuals characteristics and library service levels on high school students public library usage a national analysis |
| topic | DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication::Communication theories and models |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/98270 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/17676 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sinseichingjoanna modelingtheimpactofindividualscharacteristicsandlibraryservicelevelsonhighschoolstudentspubliclibraryusageanationalanalysis |