THE NEED FOR A SUMMER LIBRARY

PROGRAM IN A RURAL
COMMUNITY

DIANA FIDDLER

INTRODUCTION
The following points explain why a research study is needed:
Rural communities need access to library resources during summer
months.
Studies have only been conducted nationally regarding year round
dual-use libraries.
Studies have been conducted internationally in rural areas with
regards to joint-use and colocated libraries.

PREVIOUS STUDIES
Haycock (2006) has studied the relationship between the public school
and community library through the idea of a dual-use library.
States with school-public libraries which have been studied nationally
include: Kansas (Grunau 1965), Pennsylvania (Jaffe 1982), and South
Dakota (Heath 1997).
International studies of dual and joint use libraries include: Canada
(Amey 1989), Australia (Amey 1989), South Africa (Hart 2010; Hart
2011; Le Roux and Hendrikz 2006), New Zealand (Matthews and
Calvert 2007), United Kingdom (McNicol 2006), and Queensland
(Monley 2006).

PREVIOUS STUDIES CONTINUED

Matthews and Calvert (2007) discuss the benefits of the encouragement

of continued education through the joint effort of the school and
community.
McNicols (2006) discusses the importance of the dual librarys promotion
of the lifelong learner which can take place in formal and informal
settings.
Harts (2010) study of school-based libraries in South Africa acknowledges
the ability for the innovative informational services to fill the library gaps
within a rural community.

PREVIOUS STUDIES CONTINUED

Ameys (1997) study of Australian school-based libraries refers to the need of
social equity for all individuals.
Heaths (1997) study of school-community libraries suggests that schools
which have different sites for their elementary and high school facilities may
find the need to locate the school/community library in the high school
building.
Monleys (2006) case study of colocated libraries in Queensland is a more
recent library model which offers an alternative to school/community based
library locations. Monley describes the ability to locate the library in a shared
facility other than a public school.

RESEARCH TOPIC

The purpose of this study is to gather information to determine

whether or not a summer library program would be beneficial for the
rural community located within the school district of Caney Valley Public
School, in Ochelata/Ramona, Oklahoma.
Small rural communities often do not have the convenience and
accessibility to public library resources. This is especially true for schoolaged students during the summer months. When school is no longer in
session, students in rural areas may not be able to access library
resources. This scenario is also true for the adult populations lack of
resource accessibility.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Would parents of school-aged children and community members from
within the school district be interested in the schools library being
available during the summer months?
What summer library programs would academically benefit the rural
community?
Would the availability of transportation assistance increase the
likelihood that patrons would use the summer library resources?

VARIABLES
Communities Opinions
Types of Summer Library Programs Offered
These variables will be measured through survey questions.
Independent Variable: Availability of transportation assistance
Dependent Variable: Likelihood that patrons would use the summer
library resources.

DATA COLLECTION METHODS

Data Collection Process: Online and Mailed Surveys
Data Collection Dates: February 2017 through April 2017.
Sample Population and Method: Stratified random sampling will be used to
select 100 participants (4 groups with 25 members per group) that reside
within the Caney Valley School District. 25 community members will represent
each of the following categories/towns: Ochelata, Ramona, Oglesby, and Vera.
Each of the four groups will represent one of the towns that make up the
school district. The participants from each group will be representative of the
varying age groups within the towns population.

DATA COLLECTION METHODS CONTINUED

Informed Consent Form
All participants will receive a copy of an informed consent form indicating:

Purpose of the Research Study

Procedure: Complete Survey and Approximate Time

Risks and Benefits of Study

Compensation: None Given

Voluntary Participation

Length of Participation

Confidentiality

Contacts and Questions

Completing Questionnaire: Indicates Agreement to Participate

DATA ANALYSIS METHODS

Data will be analyzed through descriptive statistics
and visual displays. Descriptive statistics will provide
simple summaries of the sample and will measure data
from the survey. By using simple graphic analysis, the
summaries will form the basis for the collected
quantitative data. Visual displays such as tables, pie
charts, and bar graphs will enable the viewer to visually
understand the collected data.

DATA ANALYSIS CONTINUED

Data results will be displayed in tables, charts,
and graphs. Data displays will need to
accurately represent the collected data. The
displays will be easy to read. If the table, chart,
and/or graph has a legend, it will be informative
to the viewer.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES
Benefits of a Study
For a Summer Library Program in a Rural
Community
Determine the need and/or interest in a summer schoolcommunity library program.
Determine if transportation is a factor in increasing library
accessibility during summer months.
Indicates the types of summer library programs desired by
the community.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES CONTINUED

Usefulness of the Study:
The study will give statistical data to determine whether or not the rural
community will support a school-community summer library program. The
participants will include various ages from all four communities that are
included in the Caney Valley School District. This data will give insight into the
need for additional study.
Further Research:
Future research would be dependent on the findings from the initial survey.
If the survey determines the community is supportive of a school-community
library, additional research would be conducted with the stakeholders. Funding
would be a significant factor in supporting a program of this type.

RESOURCES
Amey, L. J. 1989. Success in the Outback: The Case for School-Housed Public Libraries. School Library Journal March/April:
109-14. Library Literature &

Information Science Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed October 1, 2016).

Amey, Larry. 1997. Rural Social Equity and School Housed Public Libraries. Australasian Public Libraries and Information
Services 10 (4): 216-

24. Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost (accessed October 1, 2016).

Grunau, A. R. 1965. An Investigation of Existing Approaches to the Problem of Providing Library Service in the Rural Kansas
Community: A Study of the

Interrelationships of the Public Library and the Public School Library in Selected Rural

communities of Kansas. Unpublished doctoral dissertation,

University of Kansas, Lawrence.

Hart, Genevieve. 2010. New Vision, New Goals, New Markets? Reflections on a South African Case Study of Community
Library

Services. South African

Journal of Library & Information Science 76 (2): 81-90. Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost

(accessed October 1, 2016).

Hart, Genevieve. 2011. The Tricky Business of Dual-Use School Community Libraries: A Case Study in Rural South Africa.
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10.1515/libr.2011.018.

Haycock, Ken. 2006. Dual Use Libraries: Guidelines for Success. Library Trends 54 (4): 488-500. Project Muse, EBSCOhost

RESOURCES CONTINUED
Heath, Jay A. 1997. The Combined School/Community Library: An Enhanced Sense of Community Through Shared Public Services.
ERS Spectrum Spring: 28-34.
Jaffe, L. L. 1982. The Combined School/Public Library in Pennsylvania. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.
Le Roux, Sophia, and Francois Hendrikz. 2006. Joint Use Libraries: Implementing a Pilot Community/School Library Project in a
Remote Rural Area in South Africa. Library Trends 54 (4): 620-39. Project Muse, EBSCOhost (accessed October 1, 2016).
Matthews, Kaye, D. and Phillip J. Calvert. 2007. The Critical Success Factors for School and Community (Joint Use) Libraries in New
Zealand. Education Libraries 30 (2): 5-17. Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost (accessed October 1, 2016).
McNicol, Sarah. 2006. What Makes a Joint Use Library a Community Library? Library Trends 54 (4): 519-534. Project Muse,
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1, 2016).

Monley, Bruce. 2006. Colocated Rural Public Libraries: Partnerships for Progress. Australasian Public Libraries and Information
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