Library services for unaffiliated patrons at Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)

This study reviewed library websites at Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) to learn more about the services they provide to unaffiliated patrons and how they share this information. This review demonstrated that websites at land-grant libraries affirmed unaffiliated patrons' building access privileges at slightly higher rates and circulation privileges at lower rates than non-land-grant APLUs. Data also revealed that requirements and fees for library privileges varied across APLU libraries as a whole. This research is a first step in identifying how libraries at land-grants and non-land-grant APLUs compare to one another and to different types of institutions in the services they provide to unaffiliated patrons. It also continues the discussion of whether libraries, especially those at land-grant colleges and universities, have an obligation to open their spaces and collections to unaffiliated patrons.
Source: The Journal of Academic Librarianship - Category: Databases & Libraries Source Type: research