How to improve library use among the teenagers

Introduction

Teenagers have different reading behaviors that affect their acquisition of knowledge and their success in education (Tveit, 2012).  Teenagers have different library habits because of the varying variations in their literary tastes and the purpose of the readings that they are doing. There is a difference in the reading habits between girls and boys.  In the current case study, it has been noted that the number of teenagers that are visiting the library is smaller compared to that of the adults based on the records that have been written in the visitors’ book.  According to Snowball (2008), children and teens are the future of the adult users of the libraries and how people will be treated in the libraries.  According to the author, how the young people and the children are treated in the libraries is important because it will enable them to develop lifelong memories and habits that will enable them to make the library a better place to be.  Snowball (2008) notes that teenagers are less likely to use the library compared to adults. He notes that it is important for the libraries to put in place various methods that will encourage the use of the library among the young people. The library will help young people access the knowledge that they need in their studies.

Purpose and research questions

The current research is focused on improving library attendance among teenagers after it has been noted that they are likely not to use the library services, a situation that will affect their education.  The study is also aimed at answering various questions that include:

1. What are the factors that make teenagers not to use the library?
2. What are the factors that encourage teenagers to use the library?
3. What can be done to improve library attendance among teenagers?

Literature review

According to Snowball (2008), young people are less likely to visit the library, which is an issue of concern in the society.  It is, therefore, important to find out various ways of encouraging the use of libraries among young people in society. Howard (2011) addresses what young teens think about the public library. What such a population thinks about the library is important because it can give the necessary information that will in coming up with measures that will encourage them to use public libraries such as the ones that are located in the schools. Howard (2011) found out that many teens have a positive overall impression about the library, but their attendance of the libraries is still lower, meaning that the low attendance may have been caused by some of the factors that are not about the impression. According to Howard (2011), some of the concerns that the teens brought about that were barriers to the use of libraries include lack of good relationships between the users and the librarians, lack of teen involvement as well as teen libraries and websites that are not appealing to the teenagers. The reading tendencies among young people may affect their habits of visiting the library.  Lin, Pang & Luyt (2015) conducted a study on the perceptions that young people have with regard to attendance to the libraries.  According to the authors, the library is a relevant and engaging place for young people in Singapore. They also note that a library is a place that is used for studying, a social place, as well as the place where people get information and entertainment. According to the author, the library is interesting to the young people in Singapore, meaning that they have all that it takes to attract young people to the facilities. Lee (2019) argues that the use of digital devices such as mobile phones affects the reading behavior of young people hence affecting their visit to the libraries. The author notes that 71% of the youth in Singapore frequently read any material for leisure, meaning that the reading habits have been established among the youth in Singapore.  According to the study, half (51%) of the youths that read online articles and social media. However, according to the author, the internet and digital services help young people to read more, but they distract them from reading because they have an active connection with their friends on social media. The fact that most of the young people in Singapore are on social media means that the libraries and the institutions can use the platform to persuade them to access the library services. More information on what should be done to improve library usage among young people is important because the libraries will find out various ways that they can use to reach young people. Based on literature review, some factors that make the teenagers not to use the libraries depend on the way the library itself has been planned and the technology that the libraries are using.

Methodology

The current research will use the true experimental design with a positivist approach in collecting the necessary research and answering the research questions that have been put in place. Experiments are an excellent data collection strategy that helps the social workers to observe phenomena. It is important for the researchers to understand how and why the experiments are carried out.  An experiment is a method that has been designed to test hypotheses in a given study under controlled conditions (Kirk, 2012). It provides multiple results of the same thing that can be used in the observation of phenomena in the society; hence it is appropriate in the current research. The design will be influential in the data collection process and the data analysis process that will be applied in the current research.

Selection of the participants

The participants in the current research will be selected at random as a way of making sure that there is no bias. The participants have to be teens that are continuing with the learning process, and they should be with a sober mind at the time the research is being carried out.  The researchers in the current research have the role of finding out whether the subjects that they have selected to take part in the research meet the inclusion criteria noted above.  The number of males and females that will take part in the research will be the same. The inclusion of both male and female participants in the research will help in the comparison of the library use among the girls and boys in the academic institutions and the factors that affect the trends identified.  Only the participants that are willing to take part in the research will be included in the research because that is the only way the researchers will be able to get the correct results that are required in the study.  The identity of the participants will also be hidden as a way of safeguarding their privacy. The participants are also free to withdraw from the research at the time they want.

Data collection process

First of all, the participants will share their views with regards to the use of the libraries by answering a questionnaire that they will be given at the start of the research. The questionnaire will be used to assess the attitudes of the participants as far as the use of the libraries is concerned.  All the participants will be assigned numbers that 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. This is an observational study, which means that the variable of interest will be assessed without changing the existing conditions. The researchers will convince them to go to the library of their school and read from there.  Data on the acceptance to go to the library will be collected. The researchers will then be monitoring the library visits of the subjects by assessing the library Visitors’ book without convincing them and without letting them know that they are being monitored.  The researchers will then work with the library to advertise the special features of the library on social media and on various notice boards within the institution.  They will then monitor the library visits of the subjects for the next month. They will be recording the number of days the subjects will be going to the library after every treatment.  They will be looking at the other libraries as well as asking them if they have visited any library during the period when the research is being conducted (Seltman, 2012).

Data analysis

The data will be analyzed with the use of Microsoft excel to help the researchers to make sense of the data that they have collected during the research. The graphical representation will be used to represent the data and make it possible to understand what it addresses.  Experimental data will generate multiple measurements of the same thing, meaning that the graphical representation that will be used to present the data will be important in showing the trends in the results hence help in researching the best way possible.  The data collected will then be used in answering the research questions that were designed at the beginning of the research.

References

Howard, V. (2011). What do young teens think about the public library?. The Library Quarterly, 81(3), 321-344.

Kirk, R. E. (2012). Experimental design. Handbook of Psychology, Second Edition, 2.

Lee, A. (2019). Digitally-Wired and Mobile Device-Driven: Are Singapore Teenagers Still Reading?. Journal of Library Administration, 59(2), 223-239.

Lin, H., Pang, N., & Luyt, B. (2015). Is the library a third place for young people?. Journal of librarianship and information science, 47(2), 145-155.

Seltman, H. J. (2012). Experimental design and analysis.

Snowball, C. (2008). Enticing teenagers into the library. Library Review.

Tveit, Å. K. (2012). Reading habits and library use among young adults. New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship, 18(2), 85-104.

Appendix. 1

Questionnaire

1. What are the factors that make you visit the library?
2. What are the factors that make you not visit the library?
3. What do you think can be done to make you visit the library often?

Appendix 2

Data sheet