Library Computing Services in Rural Texas during the COVID-19 Pandemic

IF 1.4 Q2 INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE

Public Library Quarterly Pub Date : 2022-07-03 DOI:10.1080/01616846.2022.2096369

Yunfei Du

引用次数: 0

Abstract

ABSTRACT Library services in the US were reduced during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, and rural residents were particularly impacted. To understand the impact of the pandemic on library services in rural areas, this paper analyzed the 2020 Texas Public Library Statistics and a portion of the 2019 and 2018 data. It examined various services from libraries located in the areas with a population of less than 5,000. Although libraries opened only 76% of hours in 2020 compared to 2019 and 2018, their public computer usage dropped around 50% compared to previous years. Paired sample t-tests suggested statistically significant differences in annual library visits, opening hours, and computer use, indicating much-needed support for computing resources in rural areas because of the pandemic. This study suggested that rural libraries are crucial candidates for a public-private partnership to build rural broadband and enhance public computing services.

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新冠肺炎大流行期间得克萨斯州农村地区的图书馆计算机服务

在2020年新冠肺炎疫情封锁期间，美国图书馆服务减少，农村居民受到的影响尤其严重。为了了解疫情对农村地区图书馆服务的影响，本文分析了2020年德克萨斯州公共图书馆的统计数据以及2019年和2018年的部分数据。它审查了人口少于5000人的地区的图书馆提供的各种服务。尽管与2019年和2018年相比，2020年图书馆的开放时间仅为76%，但其公共计算机使用量比前几年下降了约50%。配对样本t检验表明，在每年的图书馆访问量、开放时间和计算机使用方面存在统计学上的显著差异，这表明由于疫情，农村地区急需对计算机资源的支持。这项研究表明，农村图书馆是公私合作伙伴关系建设农村宽带和增强公共计算服务的关键候选者。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Public Library Quarterly INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE-

CiteScore

3.50

自引率

21.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： Public Libraries Quarterly is addressed to leaders-directors, managers, staff, trustees, and friends-who believe that change is imperative if public libraries are to fulfill their service missions in the twenty-first century. In PLQ, directors and operating officers tell how they accomplished change. The journal examines: •best practices and models to improve service •management case studies-with results and failures •library mythologies that retard individual and institutional development •studies of how to plan results and accomplish desired outcomes •marketing and fund-raising tools that work •budget and financial analysis tools and tips