Structural change of English public library policy: focusing on interest groups and their roles

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25330386
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Library and information science/Humanistic social informatics
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: SUGA Chie 慶應義塾大学, 文学部(三田), 講師(非常勤) (80310390)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 図書館学 / 公共図書館 / 図書館政策

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this research is to examine the actual situation of involvement in the policy process of citizens, its influence, relations with policy actors including governments, officials, and interest groups, focusing on protest to public library closures in the UK (England). The author conducted a series of observation surveys at policy-related meetings, and interviews with related people, and the results suggested that citizens have been changing from the passive existence as users to the one who actively involved in policy process. However, while citizens developing protest campaigns want to maintain libraries managed directly by local governments, the government side seeks citizens to engage themselves in service implementation and management due to financial reasons. It was shown that there was considerable disagreement between their opinions.

Free Research Field

情報学