The Impact of Digitalization on the Categories of Users of Library Services in the Period of Aging and Population Decline: A Case Study of Sapporo, Japan

In relation to the restructuring of public facilities in the phase of aging and subsequent population decline, the digitalization of public services will reduce the cost of maintenance and management of public facilities and contribute to sustaining or even improving standards of services. This study compares attributes of users of physical and digitized electronic libraries, using the results of an original questionnaire survey conducted in Sapporo metropolitan area, Japan, analyzed via statistical methods. The results showed that electronic libraries provide their services to some different groups of citizens compared with physical libraries. Electronic libraries have a clear tendency to provide services to the working population, which means the service reaches more taxpayers who have contributed to the funding of public facilities but have not used them. On the other hand, the influence of age is not simple for physical and electronic library use, although there is certainly a trend toward higher use among younger age groups. The digital divide among the elderly is not clearly observed for the use of electronic libraries, which means that the digitalization of library services can be used by various categories of citizens, including the elderly, even in an aging society.