Public lbraries as third places: Computer usage patterns of a German public library system

Maria K. Wolters; Mathilde  Linnenberg; Dennis  Lindt

doi:10.1145/3772363.3799100

Public lbraries as third places: Computer usage patterns of a German public library system

Maria K. Wolters, Mathilde Linnenberg, Dennis Lindt

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

Abstract

Public access computers have become a standard part of public library service provision. While extensive qualitative and survey studies have examined how library visitors (patrons) use these computers, very little is known about how this is reflected in the actual public library computer access logs. We analysed general usage and internet access patterns for all 17 computers of German city ANONCITY’s library system, for which we also had survey data from the European Sentobib study. These logs included internet access, printing, app use, and file up- or downloads. We found that the key value proposition of public library computers was to offer access to technology in the comfort of a home away from home and discuss the implications for designing public library technology spaces.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	CHI EA '26
Subtitle of host publication	Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Pages	1-6
Number of pages	6
ISBN (Electronic)	9798400722813
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3772363.3799100
Publication status	Published - 13 Apr 2026
Event	ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2026: Creant el demà junts - International Barcelona Convention Center, Barcelona, Spain Duration: 13 Apr 2026 → 17 Apr 2026 https://chi2026.acm.org/

Conference

Conference	ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2026
Abbreviated title	ACM CHI 2026
Country/Territory	Spain
City	Barcelona
Period	13/04/26 → 17/04/26
Internet address	https://chi2026.acm.org/

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

libraries
library computers
digital divide
third spaces

Access to Document

10.1145/3772363.3799100Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)

WoltersEtalCHI2026PublicLibrariesFinal published version, 430 KBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)

Cite this

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title = "Public lbraries as third places: Computer usage patterns of a German public library system",

abstract = "Public access computers have become a standard part of public library service provision. While extensive qualitative and survey studies have examined how library visitors (patrons) use these computers, very little is known about how this is reflected in the actual public library computer access logs. We analysed general usage and internet access patterns for all 17 computers of German city ANONCITY{\textquoteright}s library system, for which we also had survey data from the European Sentobib study. These logs included internet access, printing, app use, and file up- or downloads. We found that the key value proposition of public library computers was to offer access to technology in the comfort of a home away from home and discuss the implications for designing public library technology spaces. ",

keywords = "libraries, library computers, digital divide, third spaces",

author = "Wolters, \{Maria K.\} and Mathilde Linnenberg and Dennis Lindt",

year = "2026",

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doi = "10.1145/3772363.3799100",

language = "English",

pages = "1--6",

booktitle = "CHI EA '26",

publisher = "Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)",

address = "United States",

note = "ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2026 : Creant el dem{\`a} junts, ACM CHI 2026 ; Conference date: 13-04-2026 Through 17-04-2026",

url = "https://chi2026.acm.org/",

}

Wolters, MK, Linnenberg, M & Lindt, D 2026, Public lbraries as third places: Computer usage patterns of a German public library system. in CHI EA '26: Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems., 535, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), pp. 1-6, ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2026, Barcelona, Spain, 13/04/26. https://doi.org/10.1145/3772363.3799100

Public lbraries as third places: Computer usage patterns of a German public library system. / Wolters, Maria K.; Linnenberg, Mathilde ; Lindt, Dennis .
CHI EA '26: Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), 2026. p. 1-6 535.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

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T1 - Public lbraries as third places

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AU - Lindt, Dennis

PY - 2026/4/13

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N2 - Public access computers have become a standard part of public library service provision. While extensive qualitative and survey studies have examined how library visitors (patrons) use these computers, very little is known about how this is reflected in the actual public library computer access logs. We analysed general usage and internet access patterns for all 17 computers of German city ANONCITY’s library system, for which we also had survey data from the European Sentobib study. These logs included internet access, printing, app use, and file up- or downloads. We found that the key value proposition of public library computers was to offer access to technology in the comfort of a home away from home and discuss the implications for designing public library technology spaces.

AB - Public access computers have become a standard part of public library service provision. While extensive qualitative and survey studies have examined how library visitors (patrons) use these computers, very little is known about how this is reflected in the actual public library computer access logs. We analysed general usage and internet access patterns for all 17 computers of German city ANONCITY’s library system, for which we also had survey data from the European Sentobib study. These logs included internet access, printing, app use, and file up- or downloads. We found that the key value proposition of public library computers was to offer access to technology in the comfort of a home away from home and discuss the implications for designing public library technology spaces.

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KW - library computers

KW - digital divide

KW - third spaces

U2 - 10.1145/3772363.3799100

DO - 10.1145/3772363.3799100

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PB - Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

Y2 - 13 April 2026 through 17 April 2026

ER -

Public lbraries as third places: Computer usage patterns of a German public library system

Abstract

Conference

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this