Talk delivered by Rachel Salzano, PhD Candidate at Edinburgh Napier University

1. THE EFFECT OF CULTURE ON PUBLIC
LIBRARY USE IN NEW-COMER
POPULATIONS
Rachel Salzano
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon

2. Who Am I?
■ PhD student
■ Research topic: The effect of
culture on public library use in
new-comer populations
■ Presentation based primarily
on pilot study
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon

3. Definitions
■ Culture - A population’s values systems,
patterns of behaviours, and accepted norms
derived from historical traditions and
passed from one generation to the next
■ New-comers: considered to be forced
migrants (refugees), immigrants,
international students, migrant workers
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon

4. Topic Overview
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

5. Literature Review Findings
■ Information behaviours tied to culture
(e.g. Khosrowjerdi et al., 2020)
■ Research on information behaviours
(e.g. Borkert et al., 2018)
■ Research on public library use (e.g.
Shepherd et al., 2018)
■ Little consideration of culture
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon

6. Research Questions
1.How do international students of non-Western
background use public libraries during their period of
study in a Western country?
2.Which cultural factors influence use of public library
resources?
3.How do cultural factors that influence public library
use vary by geographical region of country of origin
of the international student?
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon

7. Methodology
■ Online Questionnaire
■ Follow-up Interviews
■ Recruitment
– Social Media
– Slack
– E-mail
– SGSSS Social
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon

8. Limitations
■ Fully digital
■ Participant reliance on academic
libraries
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon

9. Analysis
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon
■ Frequency Measures
■ Thematic Analysis

10. Preliminary Findings
■ Accessibility
■ Economic Status
■ Social Status
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon

11. Next Steps
■ Finish Analysis (Oct./Nov. 2020)
■ Approach organisations (Nov. 2020)
■ Adjust research tools (Nov./Dec. 2020)
■ Conduct full study (2nd quarter 2021)
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon

12. References:
Borkert, M.,Yafi, E., & Fisher, K. (2018).The best, the worst, and the hardest to find: how
people, mobiles, and social media connect migrants in(to) Europe. Social Media + Society,
4(1), 1 – 11. doi: 10.1177/2056305118764428
Brady, L., Fryberg, S., & Shoda,Y. (2018). Expanding the interpretive power of
psychological science by attending to culture. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences of the United States of America, 115(45), 11406-11413.
Khosrowjerdi, M., Sundqvist, A., & Byström, K. (2020). Cultural patterns of information
source use: A global study of 47 countries. Journal of the Association for Information Science
andTechnology, 71(6), 711 – 724.
Shepherd, J., Petrillo, L., &Wilson,A. (2018). Settling in: How newcomers use a public
library. Library Management, 39(8/9), 583-596. doi: 10.1108/LM-01-2018-0001
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon

13. References:
Image Credits:
"Stratford Public Library" by Government of Prince Edward Island is licensed under CC BY-
NC-ND 2.0
“Fountainbridge Public Library” byThe Edinburgh Reporter
“Edinburgh Central Library” by 1001 Libraries to See BeforeYou Die
r.salzano@napier.ac.uk Rachel Salzano @librarygryphon
"Animated Picture of Ariel,The Little Mermaid" by UnknownAuthor is licensed under CC BY-
NC-ND
"Photo of a person Dressed As Ariel,The Little Mermaid, with a fork" by UnknownAuthor
is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND