Asian Libraries
6,3/4
242
Customer involvement with
services in public libraries
Pao-Long Chang
College of Management, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan,
ROC, and
Pao-Nuan Hsieh
National Chiao Tung University, and Department of Library Science,
National Taiwan University, Taiwan, ROC
Because of increased economic prosperity, public libraries in Taiwan with well-
established library systems have flourished during the past four decades. There
are currently 439 public libraries in Taiwan[1] classified into three levels,
namely, provincial/municipal, county/city, and town/village, as well as those
owned by the private sector. The four provincial/municipal libraries have
relatively large collections, and facilities and large numbers of staff. The 21
county/city libraries are located in cultural centres which provide reading
services and also sponsor informational and recreational activities, such as
exhibitions, lectures, and performances. In order to enrich the cultural life of the
general public, each of Taiwan’s 309 towns and villages has established a
library. Although sizes and services differ to a certain degree according to the
level of classification, the goals of all public libraries are similar, namely, the
promotion of our national culture, the propagation of civil education, the
dissemination of information and the promotion of leisure activities[2].
The importance of public libraries is fully appreciated by the government
and laws and regulations and policies have been drawn up to promote library
services actively. The efforts made by the government in this regard are
remarkable when considered from the standpoint of legislation, national
planning, and financial support. However, the sad fact is that the public
libraries may be so widespread that their value as a learning resource centre
may all too easily be overlooked by many of the customers. Although the extent
to which public libraries are used varies with the individual community
concerned, in general less than one-tenth of the population in the Community
served have registered as library users, and library visits per capita average
only 1.25, according to a survey conducted by the National Central Library[3].
The relatively low level of use by residents in the community may be due to
a lack of awareness of the services that the public library has to offer.
Alternatively, it may reflect a personal dissatisfaction with the kind or the
quality of service initially received from the library. An extensive questionnaire
survey conducted by the Taiwan Provincial Taichung Library reported that,
among 4,907 customers surveyed from 293 public libraries, the main purpose
for visiting public libraries was to borrow books, and 30 per cent of the
Asian Libraries, Vol. 6 No. 3/4, 1997,
pp. 242-249. © MCB University
Press, 1017-6748