{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T20:55:32Z","timestamp":1777928132768,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2002,9,1]],"date-time":"2002-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1030838400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Journal of Librarianship and Information Science"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2002,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Reports results of a study which aimed to apply the technique used to gather data for the Mass Observation Archive (MOA) to the study of user behaviour in the public library. The study was designed to provide an open access public commentary on the public library and reveal what the public library does well, what it does badly and what it means to both its users and non-users. The research also sought to demonstrate the validity of the mass observation (MO) method and its possible adaptation by library authorities for use at the local level. The data for the study was obtained from the written testimony of 231 contributions (64 men and 167 women) gathered from volunteers in response to the request for observations on public libraries and was gathered by the \u2018autobiographical diary\u2019 method, as employed by the MOA. The project was conceived in purely academic terms as a study of an \u2018everyday\u2019 social institution, the results of which could prove to be of interest in their own right and which could be said to reinforce the proposition that investigating the sociology of libraries tells us as much about society as it does about libraries. The discourse analysis which was applied to the data was used to reveal specific aspects of library use, including: general impressions; cuts in services; social exclusion; commercialization; use of computers; public place\/private space issues; library staff; and buildings, design and ambience. The project was judged to be a success and it is concluded that the MO approach to studying library use is a practical and useful one. Although there are methodological deficiencies inherent in the MO method (subjectivity of views, temptation to embellish observations, unrepresentative nature of the volunteer panel), these can be allowed for in the final data evaluation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/096100060203400303","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2005,2,7]],"date-time":"2005-02-07T23:27:40Z","timestamp":1107818860000},"page":"145-157","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["In the public eye"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"34","author":[{"given":"Alistair","family":"Black","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Leeds Metropolitan University,"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Melvyn","family":"Crann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Information Management, Leeds Metropolitan University"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2002,9,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"atypb1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/02614360050023071"},{"issue":"2","key":"atypb2","first-page":"5","volume":"4","author":"Birbeck, V.P.","year":"1986","journal-title":"REFER: journal of the ISG"},{"key":"atypb3","volume-title":"The public library in Britain 1914-2000","author":"Black, A.M.","year":"2000"},{"key":"atypb4","volume-title":"A mass observation of the public library","author":"Black, A.M.","year":"2000"},{"key":"atypb5","volume-title":"Understanding community librarianship: the public library in postmodern Britain","author":"Black, A.","year":"1997"},{"key":"atypb6","volume-title":"Reading Mass-Observation writing: theoretical and methodological issues in researching the Mass-Observation Archive","author":"Bloome, D.","year":"1993"},{"key":"atypb7","first-page":"121","volume-title":"Essays on the history of British sociological research","author":"Calder, A.","year":"1995"},{"key":"atypb8","volume-title":"Consulting the customer: using market research in libraries","author":"Capital Planning Information","year":"1998"},{"key":"atypb9","volume-title":"Worktowners in Blackpool: Mass-Observation and popular leisure in the 1930s","author":"Cross, G.","year":"1990"},{"key":"atypb10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1108\/00242539310026977"},{"key":"atypb11","volume-title":"Perspectives on public library use: a compendium of survey information","author":"England, L.","year":"1995"},{"key":"atypb12","first-page":"69","volume":"6","author":"Goodall, D.","year":"1996","journal-title":"Public Library Journal"},{"key":"atypb13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1108\/01435129810239958"},{"key":"atypb14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3233\/EFI-1997-15406"},{"key":"atypb15","first-page":"342","volume":"41","author":"Harries, M.L.","year":"1939","journal-title":"Library Association Record"},{"key":"atypb16","first-page":"272","volume":"102","author":"Hendry, J.","year":"2000","journal-title":"Library Association Record"},{"key":"atypb17","volume-title":"May the twelfth: Mass-Observation day-surveys 1937 by over two hundred observers","author":"Jennings, H.","year":"1987"},{"key":"atypb18","volume-title":"A history of the public library in Great Britain 1845-1975","author":"Kelly, T.","year":"1977"},{"key":"atypb19","volume-title":"Issues in Participant Observation: a text and reader","author":"McCall, G.L.","year":"1969"},{"key":"atypb20","volume-title":"Open to all? The public library and social exclusion","author":"Muddiman, D.","year":"2000"},{"key":"atypb21","first-page":"20","volume":"11","author":"Pluse, J.","year":"1996","journal-title":"Public Library Journal"},{"key":"atypb22","volume-title":"Research methods for business students","author":"Saunders, M.","year":"2000"},{"key":"atypb23","first-page":"256","volume":"94","author":"Sheridan, D.","year":"1992","journal-title":"Library Association Record"},{"key":"atypb24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/003803859302700104"},{"key":"atypb25","volume-title":"Writing ourselves: Mass-Observation and literacy practices","author":"Sheridan, D.","year":"2000"},{"key":"atypb26","first-page":"164","volume":"40","author":"Smith, H.S.A.","year":"1938","journal-title":"Library Association Record"},{"key":"atypb27","volume-title":"The effective library: report on the Hillingdon project on public library effectiveness","author":"Totterdell, B.","year":"1976"},{"key":"atypb28","volume-title":"Recruit, retain and lead: the public library workforce study","author":"Usherwood, B.","year":"2001"},{"key":"atypb29","first-page":"117","volume":"7","author":"Worpole, K.","year":"1992","journal-title":"Public Library Journal"},{"key":"atypb30","first-page":"5","volume-title":"Issues in Participant Observation: a text and reader","author":"Zelditch, M. 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