Orman, Meghan and Wanless, Shannon
(2022)
Investigating the Relationship Between Public Libraries and Community Indicators in Pennsylvania.
Investigating the Relationship Between Public Libraries and Community Indicators in Pennsylvania.
Abstract
Public libraries in the U.S. provide communities access to myriad resources and are generally favored by users (Horrigan, 2016). Yet research on public library access and individual and community outcomes is sorely lacking (Gilpin et al, 2021). Although the goal is to produce causal evidence of the impact of public libraries on library users specifically and communities with libraries broadly, first required is a general assessment of where public libraries are located and characteristics of the communities they serve. The present study explores this question of association between public library access and community characteristics and indicators. This study focuses on public libraries in the state of Pennsylvania. The primary research questions addressed in this study are:
1. How are libraries in Pennsylvania distributed in relation to community characteristics (e.g., population density, race, income)?
2. How do areas with libraries differ from areas without libraries in terms of educational attainment, poverty rates, and vacancies?
3. How is library expenditure per person related to community characteristics and indicators?
An additional research question relevant to the Covid-19 pandemic was:
4. How are libraries situated in relation to residents’ access to broadband internet?
To answer these questions, library locations and expenditures were examined in relation to community characteristics and indicators measured at the Census tract level. Data analysis consisted of two aspects: a geospatial aspect and a descriptive and inferential statistics aspect. The geospatial aspect produced a series of maps displaying library locations and expenditures in relation to community characteristics and indicators (i.e., population density, race, income, educational attainment, poverty rates, vacancies, and broadband access). The geospatial maps provide a rich picture of the landscape of library locations and expenditure in relation to community indicators and can be used to inform library, school, and university practices and policies at the local and state level. Inferential statistics compared community indicators for tracts with and without libraries. Significant differences were found for household income, poverty rates, vacancies, and broadband access. Additionally, library expenditure per person was significantly associated with population density, household income, educational attainment, poverty rates, and broadband access. The correlational findings are offered with caution, however, as library branches were excluded from analysis due to missing data. Implications and recommendations for future studies are discussed.
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