Study title

Finnish Local Government 2004: Libraries 2002

Dataset ID Number

FSD2147

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2147

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Mattila, Juha (University of Vaasa. Department of Public Management)

Abstract

The survey focused on public libraries in Finnish municipalities, concentrating on their management, services and development. Other similar surveys were carried out in 1996 and 1999.

First, the respondents were asked a number of questions relating to staff numbers, library stock, and satisfaction with different library services. One theme pertained to who produces certain services like cataloguing, maintenance, IT systems etc. for the library, and satisfaction with these services. Some questions covered opinions on outsourcing. The respondents were also asked what kind of changes had happened in the library since 1999. They evaluated the state of the library and its services at the time of the survey. Decision-making was studied with questions pertaining to the role of the municipal committee responsible for library matters, and how active or knowledgeable etc. the committee members were. Opinions were probed on the impact of certain bodies (e.g. neighbouring municipalities, trade unions, civil servants, the EU, library users) on library services.

The respondents were asked how important various duties and responsibilities were in their position as the person in charge, how much time they allocate to certain tasks, and who or which body has the power to make decisions on staff recruitment, acquisition, opening hours, allocation of funds etc. They were also asked whether certain areas for development (e.g. increasing the variety of services, extending the opening hours, producing more individual services, getting more funding) would be important for the library in the coming years. Use of client surveys was charted.

Background variables included library type, and the respondent's gender, year of birth, education, work experience in libraries, responsibility areas at work, and number of inhabitants in the municipality.

Keywords

information/library resources; library facilities; library services; local government services; management; outsourcing; public libraries; public services

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Natural sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Government, political systems and organisations (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Finnish Local Government 2004

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Mattila, Juha (University of Vaasa. Department of Public Management)

Data Producers

• Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities

Time Period Covered

2002

Collection Dates

2002

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Political-administrative area (Municipality)

Universe

Finnish municipalities (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Probability: Multistage

Two-stage stratified sampling in selecting project municipalities. Total study of library managers/chief librarians of libraries located in the selected municipalities.

The project municipalities were selected separately from those with less than 10000 inhabitants (28 municipalities) and from those with more than 10000 inhabitants (19 municipalities). The selection aimed to be representative within both groups in relation to all municipalities with the same population size. Large municipalities were over-represented because 70 % of the Finnish population lives in large municipalities. Representativeness criteria included regional location, age and education of the population, industry structure, municipal economy parameters, political situation and variables related to municipal policy. The selected municipalities form a small scale model of all Finnish municipalities. The Åland Islands municipalities were excluded because of special features resulting from Åland's autonomy.

Total study of all libraries and branch libraries which were located in the selected municipalities and had someone designated as the person in charge.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

91

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Data Version

2.0

Related Datasets

FSD2145 Finnish Local Government 2004: Libraries 1996

FSD2146 Finnish Local Government 2004: Libraries 1999

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

Variables connected to the questions q4a, q5a, q12_10, q17_5, q22_32 - q22_35 and q24 of the questionnaire are missing from the data.

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Mattila, Juha (University of Vaasa): Finnish Local Government 2004: Libraries 2002 [dataset]. Version 2.0 (2018-07-19). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2147

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Materials

Mattila, Juha & Ikola-Norrbacka, Rinna (2004). Vaihtelevat vapaa-aikapalvelut. Tutkimus kuntien kirjasto-, kulttuuri-, nuoriso- ja liikuntapalveluista 1996-2002 [verkkodokumentti]. Helsinki : Kuntaliitto. Saatavissa: http://hosted.kuntaliitto.fi/intra/julkaisut/pdf/p041216133533D.pdf [viitattu 2.6.2006].

Related Publications

Mattila, Juha & Ikola-Norrbacka, Rinna (2004). Vaihtelevat vapaa-aikapalvelut. Tutkimus kuntien kirjasto-, kulttuuri-, nuoriso- ja liikuntapalveluista 1996-2002 [verkkodokumentti]. Helsinki: Kuntaliitto. http://hosted.kuntaliitto.fi/intra/julkaisut/pdf/p041216133533D.pdf [viitattu 28.9.2006].