Background
While public libraries have long been part of the institutional landscape of rural Australia, little research has been undertaken to examine their evolving role in improving social, educational, and economic outcomes in their outer regional and remote communities. Yet it is in these communities that libraries are most needed, given the paucity of other social and economic infrastructure available in many rural areas. Alternative spaces for social connection and community support in the more remote parts of Australia are limited, with retail and recreational outlets relatively scarce, and many government and utility providers consolidating their ‘bricks and mortar’ operations in more populous areas. Further, as accessing government and commercial services online becomes increasingly necessary for everyday activities, libraries are well placed to address the key issue of digital inclusion within rural communities, to help ensure that the critical digital access and literacy needs of rural families are met.
Our preliminary survey of rural library services across Australia showed that they offer similar kinds of resources and services as their urban and suburban counterparts, although these offerings are often less comprehensive due to the libraries’ particularly acute funding issues. Nonetheless, their collections can include a variety of textual and audiovisual materials, both physical and online, and increasingly less traditional resources such as games, toys, kits, tech equipment, musical instruments, sewing machines, garden seeds, and other components of a ‘library of things’. Patrons also typically enjoy access to computers and other electronic devices, reprographic facilities, free wifi, and meeting rooms. Rural libraries’ programming is also consistent with that of urban libraries, and usually includes a range of sessions for both children (e.g., story time, baby bounce, after-school clubs) and adults (e.g., serious leisure activities, guest speakers, digital literacy classes, conversation classes for migrants), while other common services include one-on-one IT help and readers’ advisory. Thus, as elsewhere in Australia, public libraries in rural areas have the potential to serve as important community hubs, and no longer simply as repositories of standard reading matter. However, researchers have very rarely sought to understand how rural libraries can meet the specific needs of rural communities, which differ significantly from those in urban areas.
Aims
1. To reveal the role and impact of public library services on Australian rural communities
2. To identify ways in which public libraries in rural Australia could better serve their communities
