Differences Among Patrons in a Public Library vs. a School Library
There is a lot of discussion among librarians about the differences among different types of libraries. Ultimately, it seems that the differences among the various types of libraries have less to do with the clientele that they serve, and more to do with the libraries' roles and purposes in the community. Here we will examine the purpose and scope of the three major types of libraries -- public libraries, K-12 school libraries and academic libraries.
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Libraries Without Walls
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From the perspective of most of the clientele, there is no real distinction among the three types of libraries -- public, school or academic. The user of a library will likely treat all libraries the same. This is especially true in the 21st century, when technology has made it possible for library users to search all libraries from one location for the materials that they need. The OPAC system (online public access catalog) is now available in nearly every library, making it possible for necessary resources to be found by the people who need them. That said, there are differences in the purposes of each type of library, and the services they offer. Because of this, we may also see some differences in the clientele that they serve.
The School Library
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According to the School Library Association (SLA), the purpose of a school library is to "provide a wide range of books and multimedia resources to support teaching and learning throughout the key stages, and foster a reading and information culture that promotes independent motivated readers and learners for life." Because of this mission, and because of the institution to which the school library is partnered, the clientele will be made up of students who attend the K-12 institution to which the library is partnered. The materials in the library, including the magazine subscriptions, research materials and books, will be focused on a young audience. The clientele is reading primarily for leisure and to complete school assignments -- which usually do not require the type of in-depth research that academic libraries need to be able to handle.
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The Academic Library
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According to the Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, the purpose of the academic library in the 21st century is to "support the school's curriculum, and to support the research of the university faculty and students." This is not so far removed from the purpose of the school library, except that the focus is more on research, and less on simply fostering an enjoyment of reading -- because the needs of university patrons are different from the needs of those patrons from the K-12 grades. The clientele of the academic library has a wider range, from the new undergraduate student who has little experience with research, to the seasoned Ph.D. student, who is seeking out more and more complex research and materials. Academic libraries also often serve more members of the community than do their school counterparts, and so there is also a wide collection of mainstream reading materials available.
The Public Library
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According to the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the primary purpose of the public library is to provide resources and services in a variety of media to meet the needs of individuals and groups for education, information and personal development, including recreation and leisure. Public libraries also have an important role in the development and maintenance of a democratic society by giving the individual access to a wide and varied range of knowledge, ideas and opinions. Because of this, the public library has the greatest degree of freedom of operation. Its clientele may range from families with young children to educated, retired adults who simply love to read, so its collection of information must be vast so it can serve the wide range of needs of changing communities.
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