ABSTRACT

Library services in the US were reduced during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, and rural residents were particularly impacted. To understand the impact of the pandemic on library services in rural areas, this paper analyzed the 2020 Texas Public Library Statistics and a portion of the 2019 and 2018 data. It examined various services from libraries located in the areas with a population of less than 5,000. Although libraries opened only 76% of hours in 2020 compared to 2019 and 2018, their public computer usage dropped around 50% compared to previous years. Paired sample t-tests suggested statistically significant differences in annual library visits, opening hours, and computer use, indicating much-needed support for computing resources in rural areas because of the pandemic. This study suggested that rural libraries are crucial candidates for a public-private partnership to build rural broadband and enhance public computing services.

摘要

在 2020 年 COVID-19 封锁期间，美国的图书馆服务有所减少，农村居民受到的影响尤其大。为了解大流行对农村地区图书馆服务的影响，本文分析了 2020 年德州公共图书馆统计数据以及 2019 年和 2018 年的部分数据。它检查了位于人口少于 5,000 的地区的图书馆的各种服务。尽管与 2019 年和 2018 年相比，图书馆在 2020 年的开放时间仅为 76%，但与往年相比，它们的公共计算机使用率下降了约 50%。配对样本 t 检验表明，每年的图书馆访问量、开放时间和计算机使用量在统计上存在显着差异，这表明由于大流行，农村地区急需对计算资源的支持。