Behavioral Analysis of Library Users in Kashiwa Municipal Library Network

Abstract

　Public library service points should be organized as a network to provide an equalized and efficient service to all members of community. However, only 24 percent of municipal library systems having multiple service points are composed of a main library and branch libraries and only three percent have a comprehensive network providing a book-mobile service as well as a main library and branch libraries. This study aims at a better understanding of the user behavior of such a comprehensive network. In particular, we are interested in how and why users choose their favoured service points from among the multiple service points of the network. A questionnaire survey was circulated among registered residents of Kashiwa Municipal Library System. This paper presents a preliminary analysis of the result of the survey.