ERIC Number: ED201331
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1980-Nov
Pages: 154
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Study of Library Delivery Systems with an Emphasis on Bookmobiles vs Books-By-Mail.
Benson, James; Boyd, Alex
Developed to assist Alabama libraries in their choice of delivery systems to bring library services to isolated populations and to provide guidance for better utilization of library resources, this statewide study examines books by mail and bookmobile systems. Although bookmobile services are better received by users, they are more costly than books by mail, and neither of these services is currently reaching a substantial portion of its potential users. Books by mail programs suffer from confusing and incomprehensible catalogs. While not recommending either service as preferred for a particular library, libraries should establish relative costs and should avoid sole reliance on one form to the exclusion of all others. Libraries should strive to create public acceptance through better public relations; imaginative and attractive catalogs; and by providing library materials, including reference items, that appeal to the established tastes of their patrons. The study includes a summary of previous studies, the research design of this study, analyses of the characteristics of the respondents and the library system, and cost analyses of the major delivery systems. Four appendices provide a supplementary survey of leisure time activities, opinions of library staffs and community leaders, a data analysis, and the survey instruments. (RAA)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Alabama Public Library Service, Montgomery.
Authoring Institution: Alabama Univ., Birmingham.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A