Through seven ethnographic case studies, the reserachers will investigate the role public libraries located in more remote and outer regional communities play in narrowing the socioeconomic gap between rural and urban Australia.

We all appreciate the value and impact of Australian rural public libraries, which provide critical services, resources and programs, and are important places for social connection. We also know that rural and remote areas generally enjoy less economic and social infrastructure than metropolitan areas. However, little academic research has been conducted in this area.

This project investigates the role these libraries play in narrowing the socioeconomic gap between rural and urban Australia through seven ethnographic case studies, with outcomes including a research monograph, the first national conference on rural and remote librarianship since 1987, and a set of recommendations for future policy and practice.

The research team conducted a preliminary survey of rural library services in Australia, which showed that they offer similar kinds of resources and services as their urban and suburban counterparts, although these offerings are often less comprehensive due funding issues. Nonetheless, their collections can include a variety of textual and audiovisual materials, both physical and online, and increasingly less traditional resources such as games, toys, kits, tech equipment, musical instruments, sewing machines, garden seeds, and other components of a 'library of things'.

The aims of the project are twofold: to reveal the role and impact of public library services on Australian rural communities, and to identify ways in which public libraries in rural Australia could better serve their communities.

For more information about the project see: librariesresearchgroup.csu.domains/the-role-of-public-library-services-for-a-changing-rural-australia/

For more information about ALIA's role on the Reference Group contact [email protected] or Philip Hider [email protected]