Understanding the needs of public library users in a COVID-changed Australia - Libraries Research Group at Charles Sturt University

Group members: Simon Wakeling, Philip Hider, Hamid Jamali, Mary Anne Kennan, Yazdan Mansourian, Holly Randell-Moon

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has had a significant impact of Australian society. It seems likely that these societal shifts will have significant consequences for public libraries; the resources they provide, the needs and behaviour of library users, and models of service and resource delivery. In short, these changes encourage the asking of fundamental questions about the role of public libraries in a post-COVID society, and the value of their services to a post-crisis. This research project, funded by the State Library of New South Wales, will utilise focus groups at three NSW libraries to determine how user needs and expectations have changed, and how public libraries can best meet those needs.

Contact: Simon Wakeling
Email: swakeling@csu.edu.au

About the Libraries Research Group

Our research focuses on key issues affecting the sector, examining the ways in which library and information services can be improved, and library collections enhanced, as well the role of libraries and librarianship in contemporary society.

Building on CSU’s position as the leading and largest provider of library education in Australia, we are ideally placed to be the group librarians turn to when they need an evidence base for their decisions, or new solutions to real-world problems.