THE MISSION OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY |
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| Authors: | S L Baker |
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| Institution: | Doctoral degree at the University of Illinois , 5 Fisher Court., Urbana , IL , 61801 |
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| Abstract: | The author briefly describes arguments used in the quality versus demand debate, discusses how a number of public librarians have compromised between the two in their selection practices, and shows how battle lines are being redrawn with the rise of public libraries which claim to be exclusively demand‐oriented. The bulk of the paper, however, reviews research done during the last quarter‐century in public libraries to determine whether any evidence has been found to support claims that demand‐oriented public libraries are filled with materials of dubious quality. While a great deal has been written on the quality versus demand issue, the author notes that much of it is rhetoric only; the research itself is scanty, in part due to the complexities of defining and measuring quality. However, three factors are identified which have been assumed to affect collection quality: the financial resources the library devotes to book purchases, the educational background of individual selectors, and the degree of contact such selectors have with the public. The author reviews studies relating to these factors and concludes that to date, there is no evidence to corroborate the belief that the quality of books in demand‐oriented libraries is less than that of their quality‐oriented counterparts. Suggestions for future research needed are included. |
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| Keywords: | Library buildings design competition historic buildings design schemes design workshops cost projections building tours |
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