Library and Information Research Group

Refereed Article

Author

Helen Cartwright is an Assistant Librarian at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. She graduated from the University of Sheffield with an MA in Librarianship in September 2001, and previously worked at the J.B. Morrell Library, University of York.
Email: helen.cartwright@fco.gov.uk

Abstract

The book superstore is promoted not just as a place to buy books but also as a community resource in which to read, learn and socialise: traits that have in combination traditionally been the preserve of the public library. This study investigates the impact of the bookstore environment on public library space. The attitudes and behaviours of library and bookstore users were examined through focus group interviews and a self-completed questionnaire. Clear areas of overlap in the functions of the two sites were found, as was evidence of age and income-related splits in use and perception of bookstores and libraries. Results suggest attention should be paid to the beliefs and behaviours of young people and middle-income earners (the groups most noticeably increasing their use of the bookstore) and to the desired balance of education and recreation in the image and nature of the public library.