Social uses of the university library: the case of the University of Provence

The investigation of the university library of the University of Provence (Aix-Marseille, Literature and Humanities), which was carried out in December 1999, aimed to identify the social uses of this library. The main findings indicate that these uses are very little affected by social background or sex of the users. The university library is useful for most of the students who have integrated institutional reading, an activity that is part of their affiliation to the university. Belonging to a particular field and courses of study affects considerably the degree of input by the students in the university library, as much in the frequency of attendance as in the kind of use and appropriation of this space.
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