Disseminating information technology at the kominkan: a strategy for facilities management

Abstract

This paper proposes a facilities management strategy for the dissemination of information technology at the kominkan (community center), the main public facility for community adult education in Japan. This study was undertaken in August 2000 with the initial distribution of questionnaires. Of the 513 facilities that participated in this study, viable returned responses stood at 298, representing a rate of 58 per cent. According to findings in our study, the three main room‐types in the kominkan in which satellite communication hardware and personal computers were installed are: the audio‐visual learning room, the recreation room, and the cultural activity room. In order to effectively disseminate information technology at the kominkan, the research team proposes a management strategy based on three criteria. These concern the concepts of “openness”, “operation and management”, and “equipment and furniture.”