Emerging Role of Public Librarians as E-Government Providers

Libraries increasingly play an integral role as service providers in E-Government systems, but little has been done to assess the scope or trajectory of citizen needs in libraries. This multi-method exploratory study used a series of interviews, surveys, workshops and reference logs to identify trends in E-Government in public libraries, the E-Government support roles of public libraries, and citizen expectations from public libraries regarding E-Government services. The study found that librarians answered questions about the IRS and taxes, children and family services, and immigration services among others. Most patrons reported that they used the library for internet service because they did not have any other form of internet access.