Abstract:
The purpose of the thesis was to study the Suan Lumpini Public Librarys usage and user satisfaction with the reading materials with respect to : adequacy of materials (non-fiction, fiction, reference book, childrens book, newspaper, and periodical) and of subject; condition of the reading materials; acquisition and preparation; library service; problem in using and also the management of reading materials. The research was conducted by distributing questionnaires to 378 Suan Lumpini Public Library users who were over 12 years old by accidental sampling during the 8th-9th and 11th-14th of December, 1985. The 305 responses (80.69%) were statistically analyzed by using percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Moreover, data was also collected from printed materials, a survey of the reading materials and interviewing the Suan Lumpini librarians and staffs and the librarian of the Public Library Division of the Bangkok Metropolis. The results of the research were as follow: most of the users were males, undergraduate students between 20-29 years of age and most of them came to the library once a week. The major reason for comming to the library was to use reading materials, with the objective of increasing their knowledge. The most popular reading materials among the users were nonfiction. The users used Thai reading materials in the mid and the low level. Non-fiction, fiction, newspaper and periodical were used in the mid level but reference book and childrens book were used in the low level. As for English reading materials, they were used in the low level. The users were satisfied with the quantity and conditions of most of Thai reading materials in the mid level were satisfied with the quantity and condition of most of the English reading materials in the low level. On acquisition and the availability of reading materials, the users were satisfied in the mid and high level. They were also satisfied with most of the reading material services in the mid level. Therefore, it could be said that the users were satisfied with Suan Lumpini reading materials in the mid level. The problems the users had in using the librarys reading materials were in non-fiction, fiction, childrens book, newspaper and periodical, both in Thai and English, were mostly in the mid level. As for reference book, the users has problem in using Thai reference book in the mid level and in English reference book in the low level. The problems shared by most of the users in using all types of reading materials were that the materials were out of date and not in good condition, the inadequacy of some of reading materials and the unavailability of some reading materials that they wanted. As a result, the users recommended that the library should increase the number of reading materials except childrens book and should provide more library services. So the results of the research proved the hypothesis that the users demanded more reading materials than that the library provided. Nevertheless, it didnt meet completely with the hypothesis which says that the users were less satisfied with the library reading materials. The researcher recommended that the library should create a reading material policy; improve the management of reading materials, especially on the periodical acquisition; improve the book accession, the Thai reference book services and the condition of reading materials and also provide more types of library service. The Public Library Division of the Bangkok Metropolis should increase the acquisition budget for Suan Lumpini Public Library in order to make it possible to provide standard reading materials for users.