A Distant Regard: Non-users of Public Libraries

Three-quarters of the French population are not users of public libraries. They have a positive regard for the libraries, but this regard remains distant. Several hypotheses can be explored to explain this persistant distance. On one hand, their socio-cultural profile differs from that of users, as much in their relation with books as in their reading practices. As for the image that they have of the library, it consists of three handicaps: the library is a useful establishment, but austere ; it is not very accessible ; it neither offers the sort of books that weak readers would like to read, nor a sample of modern culture which might arouse the appetite. Even if librarians may judge this image to be unjust or erroneous, their service policy cannot ignore it.
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