Finnish Local Government 2004: Libraries 1999

The survey focused on public libraries in Finnish municipalities, concentrating on their management, services and development. Other similar surveys were carried out in 1996 and 2002. First, the respondents were asked a number of questions relating to staff qualifications and numbers, library services, facilities and stock. One theme pertained to who produces certain services like cataloguing, maintenance, IT systems, etc. for the library, and satisfaction with these services. Decision-making was studied with questions pertaining to the municipal committee responsible for library matters, and to the level of activity, knowledge of libraries and role of committee members. The respondents were also asked who (e.g. municipal council, municipal committee, the person in charge) decides on staff recruitment, acquisition, opening hours, allocation of funds, etc. Use of client surveys was charted. Opinions were probed on the impact of certain bodies (e.g. neighbouring municipalities, trade unions, civil servants, the EU, library users) on library services. The respondents were asked about priorities in their role as persons in charge, and what kind of changes had happened in the library since 1994. They also evaluated the state of the library and its services at the time of the survey, and were asked whether certain areas for development (e.g. image promotion and marketing, increasing the influence of users or staff, introducing new services, increasing staff numbers, contracting out services) would be important for the library in the coming years. Background variables included library type, and the respondent's year of birth, education, work experience in libraries, responsibility areas at work, and number of inhabitants in the municipality.