The attitudes of public library staff to the Internet

Abstract

The aim of this study was to measure the attitudes of public library staff towards the
Internet. Opinions of training received by staff for use of the Internet were also
recorded and the relationship between attitudes and training was analysed and
considered. This was deemed of value at a time when public library staff were about
to embark on the largest public library training initiative ever undertaken for
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the installation ofPCs
with Internet access in every public library as part of the People's Network.
A mixture of quantitative and qualitative research methods were utilised including a
questionnaire which incorporated an amended version of the Technology
Acceptance Model completed by more than 900 public library staff, interviews with
managers, focus groups with a cross-section of staff and an online bulletin board.