Public Library Image through the Eyes of Users: Results of Sociological Diagnostics

Abstract

The article presents the main results of the qualitative study of the opinions of information consumption subjects on the nature of the image crisis of the contemporary domestic public library. The survey, conducted in December 2022, involved 181 respondents aged from 14 to 76 years. The authors analyze the views of the user audience on the prerequisites and reasons for the decline in popularity of library and information institutions associated with the possible transformation of their social role in the context of stable growth of digital information consumption and mass access of the population to the Internet.The paper establishes the main motives for accessing library services and products in connection with the indicators of frequency of contacts with the institution and recognition of its competitive advantages. The article presents an overview of the respondentsʼ points of view on the relationship between the crisis of reading quality and the weakening of the libraryʼs market position.The authors reveal some characteristics of the subjective image of the library profession in the user environment as an image component of the activities of library and information institutions. The paper considers the attitude of the respondents to the possible employment of their growing or future children and grandchildren in the library field. The authors analyze respondentsʼ perceptions of key areas of reputational risks for a modern public library, as well as user assessments of the efficiency of its marketing efforts to promote all range of products and services.The paper outlines immediate prospects for the development of the research, in particular, related to the further study of the phenomenon of socio-psychological influence on the evolution of the model of consumer behaviour in the information market, marketing factors of the formation and fixation of consumer preferences of the library audience.