ABSTRACT Outreach services provided by rural public libraries are crucial to fulfilling their mission to provide information access to the widest array of user groups. Particular socioeconomic and geographic factors in rural areas present challenges of access to information resources, yet there exists only a limited amount of published scholarly work examining outreach services provided specifically by rural public libraries. This case study of outreach services to elder users offers contextual evidence for the centrality of social equity and access to the larger work of rural public libraries. Primary data were collected through four semi-structured focus group meetings conducted with elder users of the agency’s outreach services as well as through narrative interviews with six agency staff members. Principal findings showed that elder users had particular information needs related to entertainment and intellectual stimulation, challenges of transportation, and a limited access to technology and internet service. WCPL outreach services were found to positively impact the lives and general well-being of elder users by providing vital social and community connections and serving as a key link for elder users to an institution understood to be central to the life of the community in general.

中文翻译：

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农村公共图书馆外展服务和老年用户：华盛顿县 (VA) 公共图书馆的案例研究

摘要 农村公共图书馆提供的外展服务对于完成其为最广泛的用户群体提供信息访问的使命至关重要。农村地区的特定社会经济和地理因素对获取信息资源提出了挑战，但研究农村公共图书馆专门提供的外展服务的已发表学术著作数量有限。这个针对老年用户的外展服务案例研究为社会公平的中心地位和农村公共图书馆更大范围的工作提供了背景证据。主要数据是通过与机构外展服务的老年用户进行的四次半结构化焦点小组会议以及通过与六名机构工作人员进行的叙述性访谈收集的。主要调查结果表明，老年用户有与娱乐和智力刺激、交通挑战以及对技术和互联网服务的访问有限有关的特殊信息需求。WCPL 外展服务被发现通过提供重要的社会和社区联系，并作为老年用户与被认为对整个社区生活至关重要的机构的关键联系，对老年用户的生活和总体福祉产生积极影响。