Reading Matters in the Academic Library: Taking the Lead from Public Librarians

With the increasing virtualization of resources, reference service, and instruction, college students have fewer reasons to visit the academic library, a place they believe lacks relevance in their lives. This article explores the idea of revitalizing academic libraries by reconsidering the place of pleasure reading in them. Considerable research has been conducted on reading in the last quarter century. Reading serves a host of essential functions, far more than we have ever guessed. The first part of this paper looks at the social, psychological, moral, emotional, and cognitive role it plays in our lives. The second half examines readers’ advisory services that we can borrow or adapt from public libraries, services that can attract new users, promote lifelong reading, and transform academic libraries to be more community, user, and reader focused

Tipología de las bibliotecas argentinas desde el período hispánico hasta 1830. Una primera clasificación provisional

This article tries to outline a brief classification of the different types of existing libraries in the present Argentine territory since the Hispanic domination to 1830. The typology adopted is, above all, a provisional approach greatly rectifiable. The contribution is aimed, in general terms, to whom start the study of the history of the books, libraries, and reading in Argentina. In that sense, the quoted bibliography tries to substitute the lack of study guides on the subject. The identified libraries belong to: institutions or religious corporations; private individuals; foreigners societies (i.e.: belonging to a society); educational institutes; and cathedral public libraries; conventual public libraries; public libraries; circulating libraries (and reading rooms); and libraries made to order or offered by businessmen

Public Library Summer Reading Programs Contribute to Reading Progress and Proficiency

This is an evidence summary article. Objectives – To explore summer reading partnerships between public libraries and school libraries, and the impact on student achievement in reading

The Role of Schools and Public Libraries in Promoting Reading Habit among Children and Adolescents in Nigeria

Reading is very vital to progress and development human life and its in the development of children and adolescents cannot be over emphasized. The paper, therefore examines the role of school and public libraries in promoting reading habits among children and adolescents. In an age of modern information and communication technologies (ICTS), with proliferation of televisions and video players, it was uncommon to see children and adolescents carrying books to read. Technology is slowing but very steadying taking over the control of children and adolescents lives and cultivation of a good reading habit has gone with the wind. They have gradually abandoned book reading to pursue interests in movie watching and recently, surfing and chatting on the net. Empty school and public libraries are a silent witness of this dread picture. There are diverse ways of promoting reading habits among groups of young people which include programmes such as clubs, mobile reading tents, book talk, and story hours, among others. School and public libraries play a leading role in the reading habit of children and adolescents. The challenges and implication of poor reading habits were discussed. The paper concludes by admonishing parents to encourage the provision of reading materials and utilization to avoid information famine. Key words: Children and Adolescents, Reading Habit, School and Public Libraries, Nigeria

The Public Library: A Photographic Essay

Over the last eighteen years, photographer Robert Dawson documented hundreds of public libraries throughout the United States. The Public Library presents an inspiring selection of his work—libraries grand and modest, from the reading room at the New York Public Library to Allensworth, California’s one-room Tulare County Free Library, built by former slaves. Essays, letters, and poetry by distinguished writers and librarians complete this impassioned tribute to a vibrant but threatened American institution. With a foreword by Bill Moyers and an afterword by Ann Patchett. Additional contributors include Isaac Asimov, Walker Dawson, Luis Herrera, Barbara Kingsolver, Anne Lamott, Dorothy Lazard, Philip Levine, David Morris, Stuart A. P. Murray, Kevin K. Selders, Dr. Seuss, Charles Simic, Amy Tan, Chip Ward, and E. B. Whit

The Survey on Deployment of E-Resources in District Central Public Libraries in Andhra Pradesh: The User’s Perspective

The Future Public Libraries are filled with Electronic resources. All the public libraries in India need to improve the e-resource to meet the user information needs. Implementation of Information Communication Technology in the district central public libraries have to instruct their subordinate public libraries in the district., The utilization of the Internet, and conduction of the Digitization process in the district central public libraries in the state. The Community has to give their support to the implementation of information communication technologies and develop the electronic resource in the Central Coastal district public libraries in Andhra Pradesh. Sometime in the future, a public library is a room with a bookshelf and a computer terminal per person. The shelves are mostly bare of books and instead stuffed with old conventional documents. The Indian government had initiated to development of the public library system. Chadavadam makistam (We Love Reading) concept was initiated by the government of Andhra Pradesh, to improve the reading habitation in school level children

Graphic novels: enticing teenagers into the library

This thesis investigates the inclusion of graphic novels in library collections and whether the format encourages teenagers to use libraries and read in their free time. Graphic novels are bound paperback or hardcover works in comic-book form and cover the full range of fiction genres, manga (Japanese comics), and also nonfiction. Teenagers are believed to read less in their free time than their younger counterparts. The importance of recreational reading necessitates methods to encourage teenagers to enjoy reading and undertake the pastime. Graphic novels have been discussed as a popular format among teenagers. As with reading, library use among teenagers declines as they age from childhood. The combination of graphic novel collections in school and public libraries may be a solution to both these dilemmas.Teenagers’ views were explored through focus groups to determine their attitudes toward reading, libraries and their use of libraries; their opinions on reading for school, including reading for English classes and gathering information for school assignments; and their liking for different reading materials, including graphic novels. Opinions on school reading can impact feelings on reading in general and thus influence views and amount of recreational reading.A survey of public libraries determined the incidence of graphic novel collections throughout Australia and how collections are managed, with the intention of comparing libraries from different states and territories and metropolitan or rural areas. Interviews with selected librarians who collected graphic novels provided insight into their attitudes to the place of graphic novels in public and high school libraries and a more detailed picture of how the format is managed. This included use of graphic novel by the libraries’ teenage users or students and problems encountered, such as complaints about specific titles.Graphic novel collections are widespread among surveyed Australian libraries, although a metropolitan location led to a greater likelihood of collection of graphic novels, and librarians were passionate about the format and its popularity among teenagers. The teenagers investigated were not as universally positive about graphic novels or libraries. The necessity of inclusion of all formats of reading matter in library collections will enable teenagers to discover for themselves what provides enjoyable reading experiences, so these become the norm, and lead to a greater enthusiasm for reading and more undertaken in their free time

Intersection: Reading, And Adult Homelessness And Public Libraries

A deeper understanding of reading as more than a set of word-attack and decoding skills may help to guide public librarians seeking to fully implement the ethical professional standard of equitable access to information for everyone, including marginalized patrons such as adults experiencing homelessness. As public libraries respond to questions about their continued relevance in a digital age, an understanding of how libraries can contribute to solutions to community social needs such as homelessness has the potential to broaden community support for more inclusive library programming. In this qualitative study of the experience of reading among eight adults in a transitional homeless shelter in a small southern city, the power of a reading life to provide respite or escape from the struggles of homelessness is documented. Four themes emerge: (1) Reading provides a distraction from negative feelings of loneliness, melancholy, and/or boredom experienced while homeless. (2) Reading experiences temporarily transport the reader out of the negative experience of homelessness by allowing the person to travel. (3) Reading experiences assist in managing personal behavior necessary to maintaining an interface with services to overcome homelessness. (4) Reading experiences ameliorate stress by providing calm and/or comfort in the uncertain circumstance of homelessness

Assessing the impact of a public library's print collection: a case study of two public libraries in Cape Town

The purpose of these case studies was to explore the impact of a public library’s print collection on the community using the library. The motivation for this research is driven by three factors in the South African public library environment. Firstly, the huge investment in library print collections is not currently accounted for in any assessment of library performance, other than expenditure. Secondly, studies of the low levels of literacy and book ownership have established that the public libraries are potentially the only source of reading material for over fifty percent of the population. Thirdly, The Library and Information Services (LIS) Transformation Charter calls for more effective and meaningful performance measurement. The research design for this study was informed by the work of reading theorists. The methodology made use of the GLOs (Generic Learning Outcomes) developed and adopted by the United Kingdom Museums, Libraries and Archives Council as well as research into reading outcomes in public libraries. The study was undertaken within the framework of impact assessment as outlined in the ISO 16439 – Information and documentation – Methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries and the work of library assessment specialists, Markless and Streatfield. The research was conducted at two public libraries in two different communities of Cape Town. Questionnaires were distributed to fifty people at each site to collect quantitative data, with follow up interviews conducted with a smaller sample. The focus of the survey and interviews was the leisure reading activities of the participants. The results describe both the patterns of library use and reading behaviour, as well as the impact of using the print collection on the participants. While the results showed that taste in reading differed, in some respects, between communities, the participants all considered reading an important pastime. The reading experiences described by the participants in this study at the two libraries were similar, as were the benefits gained from leisure reading. This study mirrors the results of studies performed in the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom. Recommendations from this research are that the impact of the public libraries print collection on users, that primarily make use of the collection for leisure reading, is significant and should be documented as an important outcome of a library’s performance. Public libraries should focus efforts on providing leisure reading material, despite pressure to focus on literacy, skills development, youth programmes and other activities that are considered to produce more tangible outcomes. In order to uncover factors that make reading an activity of choice, further research needs to be conducted into what differentiates the serious leisure readers from those who do not engage in this pastime

An investigation into the use of literacy materials by adult learners : a study of the education programmes in two Cape Town public libraries

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-143).The paper deals with the role of literacy materials in adult education in two Cape Town public libraries, namely Bellville South and Milnerton public libraries. Adult education is education that is provided to adult who lack basic education. It involves the teaching of writing, reading, calculation skills and developmental and functional skills such as income generation skills. Literacy programmes are supported by both teaching and reading materials that are usually made available in public libraries and literacy classes. The objectives of the study were to investigate the availability of locally produced literacy materials for use in literacy programmes in public libraries, the types and features of these materials and the suitability of literacy materials in acquisition of literacy skills. Milnerton and Bellville South public libraries were used as case studies because they had literacy programmes and literacy materials in their libraries. The Stikland Learning Centre was also included because it was partly managed by the Bellville South librarian. The enrolled learners in these literacy programmes, facilitators, librarians and providers were interviewed using face to face interviews. Publishers, (Viva Books. New Readers Project and Project literacy) were also interviewed. The study showed that both public libraries provided literacy programmes that aim to equip the learners with survival and functional skills. Although they also provided literacy materials to support and maintain the literacy skills, such materials were not sufficient in literacy classes because some learners did not have literacy materials in their classes. The available reading materials in public libraries also need to be adapted so that they can meet the educational and cultural needs of the users. The research also showed that there are two types of literacy materials, namely learning or instructional and reading or informational materials. Learning materials include study guides, manuals and worksheets. They are usually provided by the literacy providers and their main aims are to support the acquisition of literacy skills and they are also used for assessment purposes. Reading or informational materials are usually provided by the public libraries and they are used to maintain the newly acquired skills. The availability of these materials is important for the success of literacy programmes and to avoid relapse into illiteracy. These materials are published by various publishers such as New Readers Project (NRP), Viva Books. Project Literacy (literacy provider) and government departments such as the Department of Education. They are published in various South African languages. Both learning and reading materials were characterized with simple languages, colourful pictures and large fonts, aiming to equip learners with the developmental and survival skills that are based on their daily activities. The learners' daily activities included reading the bus/train schedule, writing CVs and job searching related skills, reading medical prescription and reading road signs. The use of either local languages or official language in these materials is determined by the needs of the learners and the language that is used in their literacy programmes