Abstract

This study aims to investigate the support and collaboration experiences of public library and small library staff involved in activities to bridge the knowledge and information divide, and to understand their perceptions of the expected benefits, feasible areas of activity, and challenges to be addressed when collaborating. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 12 participants: public librarians, small library operators, and policy officials in City D. Interview results revealed that participants cited small libraries’ superior accessibility and efficient staffing as key benefits of collaboration. They also identified potential for services targeting the elderly, low-income children, and persons with disabilities. Based on these findings, six development directions were derived:(1)Activating individual library services, (2) Developing specialized strategies tailored to the characteristics of marginalized groups, (3) Establishing a support system and guidelines for public libraries, (4) Improving recognition of small libraries’ public nature and enhancing operator capacity-building education, (5) Achieving self-sufficiency for small libraries through securing professional staff and budgets, (6) Creating an integrated online service environment. The findings of this study can serve as foundational data for establishing support and linkage policies between public libraries and small libraries aimed at bridging the knowledge and information divide.