Running Head: PATRON OPINIONS EXAMINED !

Funding Partnerships between Public Libraries & For-Profit Business: Patron Opinions Examined

Research Team 8 Jamie Bernard, Terry Chartier, & Stacy Harkness April 25, 2012 LI810XR

PATRON OPINIONS EXAMINED Research Problem

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The goal of this study is to examine the feasibility of partnerships between public libraries and businesses by examining the opinions and attitudes of citizens living in the Johnson County, KS library district. This project is designed as a way to gauge public reception of such partnerships as well as to explore the advantages and disadvantages of public librarybusiness partnerships from the view of the average citizen. This research study will benefit LIS scholarship by delving into new areas of ethical contention. The researchers hope to have a better understanding of the ethical dilemmas one would face in a partnership situation between a public library and a business. This research will benefit LIS practice by examining the feasibility of a financial solution to a problem many public libraries around the United States are facing. Research Paradigm & Rationale Since the researchers have opted to use a qualitative framework for the study, they are naturally examining it from an interpretivist framework. An interpretivist approach will allow the researchers to view the research topic through the lens of the participants of the research study. Specifically, interpretivism will allow the researchers to assess the participant's attitudes, feelings, and perceptions toward partnerships between public libraries and for-profit businesses. By creating a questionnaire written from an interpretivist framework, the researchers will be able to gain deep and detailed data. This research is also constructed using a phenomenological approach to the subject matter in order to understand not only the participant's perceptions of the issue, but also how and why they developed those perceptions. Research Questions What, if any, are the perceived ethical ramifications of partnering a non-profit, tax supported organization with a for-profit business? How will such public library-business relationships impact public perceptions of businesses involved in said partnership? How will such public library-business relationships impact public perceptions of public libraries involved in said partnership? Does the perceived financial climate of an area impact public perceptions about partnerships between tax-supported and for-profit entities?

Qualitative Data Collection & Analysis Procedure Overview & Characteristics of Participants The researchers will attempt to contact one thousand participants for this research study. The defining characteristics of the participants will be that they are over age 18 and living in Johnson County, KS. The data will be collected via a mailed self-completion questionnaire. Participant Selection

PATRON OPINIONS EXAMINED

The survey participants will be randomly sampled. By utilizing a zip code map, the county will be separated into areas based on zip codes. By utilizing census records, the researchers will assign a total number of surveys to be randomly sent to addresses in each gridded area. The number of surveys sent to each area will be proportionate to the population in each gridded area to control for overrepresentation in areas of low population or underrepresentation in areas of high population. Meeting Procedures The only contact between researchers and participants will be via postal mail. A letter will be sent to each of the one thousand recipients. It will introduce the institution conducting the research and provide them with the privacy policy. Additionally, the letter will mention that all participants will be entered in a drawing to win a $100 gift card donated by a local pizza restaurant. The letter will also tell them to expect to receive a questionnaire in approximately two weeks. Approximately 12 days thereafter, a questionnaire will be mailed to the participants. Two weeks after the questionnaire is mailed, a second questionnaire will be mailed to participants for whom completed surveys have not yet been received. There will be no follow-up following questionnaire completion. Data Collection and Research Instrument The researchers will utilize a postal mail, self-completion questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. The questionnaire will feature only closed-questions to make coding and data analysis more efficient. A postal mail, self-completion method of data collection was selected for several reasons. In this instance, a mailed questionnaire is preferable to a structured interview due to time constraints. Physically interviewing hundreds of participants would take not only a great deal of time, but also considerable amount money for either telephone service or travel. Additionally, a self-completion questionnaire is the most efficient means by which to reach a large group of people in a relatively abbreviated amount of time. The researchers also believed that a self-completion questionnaire would be quick and convenient for participants. It also alleviated the problem of variance among interviewers because all participants would receive the same questions in the same manner. Reliability and Validity The researchers have taken several steps to address issues of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Credibility or internal validity is one of the strongest attributes of this particular study. This is because the researcher's observations are closely tied to the concepts being studied. By using a qualitative framework and closed-questions concerning respondent's attitudes and feelings towards partnerships between public libraries and for-profit businesses, one can see the relationship between self-reported attitudes and feelings and the feasibility of the public libraries being able to maintain said business arrangements while being under public scrutiny. Transferability, or external validity is slightly more problematic in this particular study. The Johnson County Library district has two factors that might make it difficult to transfer findings to other areas of the United States. First, Johnson County, KS is quite suburban. !

PATRON OPINIONS EXAMINED

Because of this, it is difficult to generalize findings in areas that are more urban or rural. Additionally, the Johnson County area is dealing with severe budgetary issues. This might make it difficult to generalize findings in other areas that are not facing said budgetary issues. The researchers have tried to accommodate for this by touching on issues such as budget constraints in the questionnaire. Because of this, the researchers believe external validity will be strong while generalizing findings among suburban public library districts. Dependability, or reliability, did not appear to be problematic in this particular research design. The researchers believe the nature of the study makes it easy to replicate, thus strengthening external reliability. The use of the self-completion questionnaire helps to ensure internal reliability. By utilizing a research instrument that does not require an interviewer, the researchers expect to be able to maintain inter-observer consistency. Although confirmability or complete objectivity is never completely possible in this line of research, the researchers have made sure to act in good faith. The researchers made a point to act impartially. Steps have been taken to make sure that the questionnaire did not appear to be overtly biased or misleading. Research Instrument The research will be conducted using a print survey to be mailed through the postal service. The researchers elected to use closed-questions in order to make coding easier. Many questions were asked using a five-point answer scale in an attempt to accommodate for the range of opinions and emotions experienced by respondents. The researchers also asked about issues like gender and age to assess whether or not various subgroups had different feelings about the matter. The questionnaire was pre-tested on a group of 100 people randomly selected in a neighboring suburban area by using the sampling frame of the phone book. Respondent's comments were taken into consideration and the survey was revised accordingly. Permissions The researchers obtained permission from their university to conduct the research study. The researchers did not anticipate the need for external permissions except for advertising purposes. Permission will be requested from area locations where advertisements about the study would be posted. Boundaries of the Research The researchers set very stringent boundaries for this research study. They made a point not to mention any particular library branch location or a specific for-profit business in the Questionnaire. This is because the study aims to assess general attitudes concerning library partnerships rather than explore specific funding opportunities. Emphasis was placed on the fact that the questionnaire was only addressing public libraries rather than for-profit or academic libraries. Additionally, the researchers have made a point to distinguish for-profit businesses from non-profit business so as to not delve into another area of research. The researchers have also elected not to publish personal or identifying information of any of the respondents. !

PATRON OPINIONS EXAMINED

Ethical Considerations The ethical principles of research will be upheld in this study. There will be a consent form for each participant to sign and a letter of approval will be written to the ESU ethics board. Each area of ethical concern will be addressed. The survey will be mailed and a reasonable turn-in time will be allowed. This should alleviate any unnecessary stress on the participants. The survey instructions will be clear and concise and will help ensure that the participants understand what they survey is for. The privacy of the participants will be protected throughout the duration of this study. The names of the participants will be anonymous and the surveys will be kept private. Only the members of this research team will know the names of the participants. The surveys will only be kept for year from the completion of this research. Participants will not be allowed to know the specific aims of the study. They only be told that this study is being conducted to assess patron attitudes toward public libraries partnering with for-profit business. By keeping the description vague, the researchers will also be able to reduce potential bias.

PATRON OPINIONS EXAMINED Appendix A Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management Research Study

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You are being asked to participate in a research study. The following information is being provided to ensure that you understand what will be asked of you. Before you consent to this study, please take the time to read all of the following information. Investigators Jamie Bernard, Terry Chartier, and Stacy Harkness will be conducting this study. This study will be under the advisement of Dr. Rajesh Singh. He can be contacted at (620) 341-5181. Purpose of the Research This research study is designed to examine patron attitudes toward public libraries partnering with for-profit business for funding purposes. The data from this research will be used to gain a better understanding of how patrons feel they are affected by public libraries partnering with for-profit business. The results of this study will contribute the field of library science. Procedures If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will be asked to complete a survey. Your participation will take approximately 10 minutes. We ask that the surveys be mailed back within 2 weeks. Potential Risks or Discomforts You will be responsible for mailing the completed survey back to the institution. You will be given an addressed and stamped envelope for this purpose. Potential Benefits of the Research This research will help public libraries understand how patrons feel about them partnering with for-profit business. This may help public libraries assess viable funding solutions. Confidentiality and Data Storage The participants of this study will be kept anonymous during the duration of this study. Once the study is completed, the surveys will be kept for only a year in Dr. Rajesh Singhs office at Emporia State University. The only people that will see the surveys will be the investigators and the advisor, Dr. Rajesh Singh.

PATRON OPINIONS EXAMINED Participation and Withdrawal

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If for any reason you do not wish to participate in this study, just send the blank survey back in the envelope that is sent with the survey. Questions about the Research If you have any questions, please contact Rajesh Singh at rsingh@emporia.edu. This research project has been reviewed and approved by the Emporia State University Ethics Board. I have read the information provided above. I understand that by returning the completed survey. I am agreeing to participate in this research study. _______________________ _________ Signature Date

PATRON OPINIONS EXAMINED Appendix B Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management Questionnaire

We thank you in advance for your time and thoughts. This survey is being conducted to assist public libraries with making decisions concerning alternative funding solutions. Please complete this survey and mail it back to us with the already addressed and stamped envelope that came with your survey. Please mail this survey within 2 weeks of the received date. This survey will take you about 10 minutes to complete. The privacy of our participants is very important to us. Identifying information of participants will be protected. Thanks again to all those participating in this study. Instructions Please select what you feel is the most appropriate response. Circle your response in black or blue pen. Please select only one answer per question. 1. What is your age? (Please note that only adults ages 18 and above are invited to participate.) 18-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81 or above

2. What is your gender? Male Female Prefer Not to Disclose

3. Have you ever visited any branches of the Johnson County, KS Public Library? Yes No Not Sure

If you answered No or Not Sure to the previous question, please proceed to question 6. 4. How frequently did you visit the Johnson County, KS Public Library in the past 12 months? Zero Times 1 Time Per Month 2-3 Times Per Month

4-8 Times Per Month

9+ Times Per Month

PATRON OPINIONS EXAMINED 5. What activities did you engage in while visiting the library? (Circle all that apply.) Checked out materials (Books, music, audio CDs, movies, periodicals, etc.) Attended Library Programs (Craft programs, book clubs, story times, etc.) Used a computer that belonged to the library Other (Please Explain)_______________________________

For the following questions, please select whether you agree or disagree with the following statement. Please circle one response. PATRON OPINIONS EXAMINED 6. Public libraries do not receive enough funding. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree or Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

7. Local taxes should be increased in order to increase funding to libraries. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree or Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

8. Libraries should seek private business donations in order to increase funding. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree or Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

9. Libraries should partner with for-profit businesses to supplement the public library budget. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree or Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

10. I would feel comfortable with a for-profit business advertising in the public library. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree or Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

11. I would feel comfortable with a for-profit business displaying their logo on public library materials. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree or Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

PATRON OPINIONS EXAMINED 13. Johnson County, KS is suffering financially. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree or Disagree Agree

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Strongly Agree

14. I would be more likely to support a business that partnered with a public library. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree or Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

15. I would be more likely to support a public library that partnered with a for-profit business. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree or Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

14. I would be less likely to support a business that partnered with a public library. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree or Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

15. I would be less likely to support a public library that partnered with a for-profit business. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree or Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

Thank you for participating! Please place your completed survey in the addressed envelope provided.