Dublin City Library users’ awareness and perceptions of public library services
Authors
Baldwin, Esme
Issue Date
2023-08
Degree
MSc in Information and Library Management
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
Abstract
Irish public libraries have changed drastically in the past 25 years. Guided by a series of national public library strategies, Irish library authorities joined within the national consortium of Libraries Ireland to provide linked services throughout the country. The linked system and its facilities receive a lot of use and focus by library authorities but have not featured in much academic research since their respective launches.
To address this gap in research this study was designed to measure levels of awareness and perceptions of recent service developments locally and nationally. This was completed with a questionnaire aimed at Dublin City Library users. The survey found that active library users are more likely to be aware of national services than non-users. Local services from Dublin City Libraries could be promoted more to users as awareness levels were much lower than for national services. Despite lower awareness, all services included were positively perceived by respondents, though future research could investigate public reception on a deeper level.