Akademska digitalna zbirka SLovenije - logo
E-viri
Recenzirano Odprti dostop
  • Agent-based geographical mo...
    Zakrajšek, Franc J.; Vodeb, Vlasta

    Library & information science research, April 2020, 2020-04-00, 20200401, Letnik: 42, Številka: 2
    Journal Article

    Public libraries play a vital role in providing information, education, and cultural activities to local populations. Digitization and the Internet have changed the traditional functions of public libraries and caused them to become more community-centered and offer more diverse services. Agent-based geographical modeling is a method for simulating complex urban environments using heuristic and approximated algorithms. The agent model for public libraries developed for this study demonstrates the possibilities for analyzing accessibility, exploring demographic data of potential users, finding underserved areas, and searching for the best locations or relocation sites for libraries. This model has been implemented and tested using the entire public library network of Slovenia. Results suggest that agent-based geographical modeling is a promising method for research in the field of library and information science. •Agent based geographical modeling (ABGM) is a promising research method in the field of library and information science.•ABGM is a heuristic method for the analysis of the accessibility when exploring demographic data of potential users.•ABGM supports the identification of underserved areas and searching for the best (re)locations sites for libraries.•ABGM results deepen the knowledge of potential library users.•Library administrators can use ABGM results in everyday decision-making and planning of the public library network.