Knowledge Disparity in Public Universities

University Library Resources in the Digital Age

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine the disparity in expenses for collections between academic libraries at public universities. While digitization and the rising prices of materials proceed simultaneously, we examine how the disparity between university libraries is transforming. Public universities are managed individually by local governments. Therefore, studies examining the disparity between public universities are absent thus far. We need to investigate the relationship between academic libraries and our society in the digital age. To achieve the purpose of this study, we used the annual data of each academic library included in the “Japanese Library.” We analyzed the disparity between universities and their hierarchies in terms of expenses related to identified variables (expenses for books, printed journals, and e-journals) for each library. The main findings are as follows.

First, disparity between universities and university hierarchies in expenses for books and printed journals is equal to the disparity between the entire cost of the university. Second, disparity between universities and the university hierarchy in expenses for e-journals is greater than that between the entire cost of the university. To further clarify the status of the disparity between public university libraries, more detailed research is required in the future.