Users and uses of the public library reading rooms

The study examines the demographic profile of reading-room users in urban public libraries in Israel, as well as their patterns of use. The primary purpose of use of the reading rooms is study, whereas the library plays almost no role in the locating of job-related information. The largest group of users consists of high school students; the second largest is made up of college and university students. Reading-room users in public libraries are either high school students (in the course of obtaining a high school education) or people with postsecondary education. Most of the reading-room users were not subscribers to the library's lending service; that is, the reading rooms serve a different clientele. Browsing and consulting the librarians are the main channels for locating library materials, whereas very little use is made of the catalog.