Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and evaluate the role played by digital libraries in Polish society, particularly in relation to users who are not in education or professionally engaged in academic work. Design/methodology/approach – Results are presented from a survey of non-academic users, identified as one of the key groups of digital library users in an exploratory survey in 2008-2009. The targeted survey was carried out by sending e-mails to persons who had supplied their addresses in the first survey or had set up accounts with the Digital Library of Wielkopolska. Analysis was also made of e-mail correspondence between digital library users and librarians, and data from digital library server logs, during 2008-2013. Findings – The research provided three interesting results. The first is that the creation of digital libraries in Poland has caused a significant number of people to pursue an interest in genealogical or local historical research. The second result is that the evaluations of digital libraries made by non-academics do not differ significantly from those made by students and academics. The third is the fact that at present, approximately 50 per cent of digital library users in the non-academic category are over 50 years of age. Originality/value – This is the first comprehensive study on the use of digital libraries in Poland by non-academic users. It shows what role digital libraries play, and to what extent, in the stimulation of cultural activity in Polish society.

Purpose -The article concerns efforts to identify the key users of Polish digital libraries. Design/methodology/approach -The research was based on a questionnaire containing 19 questions, on subjects which included ways of using the library, reasons for using it, and which types of publications were most often used. Use was also made of statistical data collected on the library's server. An attempt was made to characterize the dominant groups of digital library users, taking a user's interests as the main determinant. The analysis focused on age, sex, level of education, and size of town where users reside. An attempt was also made to determine approximately the total number of users.Findings -Approximately 60 per cent of users are amateur historians with an interest in the history of their place of residence or genealogists interested in the history of their family. The remaining 40 per cent consist mainly of academic researchers and students. The number of regular readers -those who use the library at least several times per year -is approximately 30,000. There will probably be a significant rise in the number of users in the amateur historians and genealogists category. One of the factors that may affect the number of users is the expansion of information technology infrastructure in rural areas. This will undoubtedly cause a significant rise in the number of internet users, although the number of digital library users will probably increase only marginally as a result of this. A second factor is the spreading of internet skills in the over-70 age group. In a few years' time that group will be more numerous. The group that affords the greatest prospects for expansion is students. Firstly this is a group that numbers two million people in Poland, and secondly they require universal access to textbooks. A cause for concern is the minimal interest in digital libraries shown by teachers and school pupils.Research limitations/implications -This is the first stage of research into the function performed by digital libraries in Polish society. Originality/value -This is the first study carried out in Poland to answer the question of who uses digital libraries, to what extent, and why.

Teza/cel artykułu – Artykuł prezentuje oceny i komentarze dotyczące funkcjonowania polskich bibliotek cyfrowych, wyrażone przez pracowników naukowych. Zawiera również ich opinie dotyczące przyszłości bibliotek cyfrowych. Metody badań – Artykuł opiera się na autorskim badaniu przeprowadzonym na początku 2011 r. metodą ankiety online. Do odpowiedzi na 19 pytań zaproszone zostały wyłącznie osoby korzystające z usług oferowanych przez biblioteki cyfrowe do prowadzenia prac naukowych. Wyniki – W sondażu udział wzięło 110 pracowników naukowych. W przeważającej większości byli to przedstawiciele nauk humanistycznych, wśród nich głównie historycy. Uzyskane wyniki stanowią pierwszą próbę usystematyzowania wiedzy na temat stanu wykorzystania przez naukowców zasobów udostępnianych w bibliotekach cyfrowych. Wnioski – Najwięcej przykładów praktycznego wykorzystania bibliotek cyfrowych przytaczają humaniści. Analiza ich opinii prowadzi do wniosku, iż w celu podniesienia poziomu wykorzystania bibliotek cyfrowych w pracy naukowców z różnych obszarów nauki, dalszy rozwój tych serwisów powinien następować dwutorowo: 1. Należy wzmacniać ich repozytoryjny charakter poprzez rozbudowanie kolekcji materiałów źródłowych z różnych dziedzin oraz 2. Należy zintensyfikować prace nad rozbudowywaniem kolekcji zasobów współczesnych, włączając w to publikowanie dorobku polskich naukowców.