Do Smart City Policies Promote the Development of Public Libraries?: An Empirical Study Based on the Difference-in-Differences Method from China

Authors

Jia Li, Sun Yat-sen UniversityFollow
Xiaohua Awa Zhu, University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleFollow
Shengnan Yang, University of Western OntarioFollow
Peng Xiao, Sun Yat-sen UniversityFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

Jia Li https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0266-233X

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2024

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1145/3677389.3702575

Abstract

The role of public libraries is evolving with the Smart City (SC) trend, but the impact of SC policies on libraries remains under evaluated. Using the Chinese SC program as a testbed, we applied the Difference-in-Differences (DID) method to assess these policies’ effects on infrastructure and services. Results show SC policies enhanced physical collections but negatively impacted space and seating, with no significant effect on services. We discuss the complexity underlying the interplay between digitization and public libraries’ roles in the SC context, suggesting a need for further research and policy consideration.

Recommended Citation

Jia Li, Xiaohua Awa Zhu, Shengnan Yang, and Peng Xiao. 2024. Do Smart City Policies Promote the Development of Public Libraries?: An Empirical Study Based on the Difference-in-Differences Method from China. In The 2024 ACM/IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL ’24), December 16–20, 2024, Hong Kong, China. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 5 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3677389.3702575

Submission Type

Publisher's Version