A Teenage View of the Public Library: What Are the Students Saying?

Abstract

Many public libraries are concerned that students do not make the best use of them. Discussion on this tends to be anecdotal but in an attempt to provide empirical data a case study was undertaken in one NSW secondary school examining the relationship which students and teachers had with their closest public library. The findings suggest that there are significant issues for public libraries and decision makers to consider if they are to engage more effectively with young people. They also provide a stimulus for new efforts by teacher and children's librarians to work together. The survey proforma is appended. Edited version of a paper to be published in `Connecting challenges: issues for teacher and children's librarians' edited by Maureen Nimon and to be published in May 2003 by Auslib Press ********** Schools and public libraries have a common client base although they view their clients from different perspectives. The children's librarian in the public library and the teacher librarian in the school share an understanding of the physical, emotional and cognitive development of youth, the processes and stages of their literacy development and students' growth of competency in information skills. The children's librarian has a basic knowledge of the expectations of pedagogy and curriculum which gives her an understanding of the role of the teacher librarian. In both schools and public libraries, librarians need to respond to these variables in terms of collection development, programs and activities, displays, service practices, internal spatial arrangements, technological provision and general library environment. The responses will vary from place to place and from librarian to librarian. There is a great deal that the two providers of library services to teenagers have in common. They have so much in common that there should be a constant dialogue between the two groups of librarians to achieve * a close awareness of all things pertaining to the shared clientele * a sharing of rare or expensive resources where possible * a forum for active and professional networking where experience and differences of perspective can be discussed and understood * and in some events, like Library and Information Week and Book Week, a sharing of the promotional ideas to present a common front to achieve a greater impact Such collaboration would devolve to grass roots staff in each organisation who would then contextualise the library services for their young clients. For this to happen there would have to be agreement concerning the relationship at the management level of each organisation and a conviction about the value of this collaboration. Most of us can look at our libraries and quickly realise that the above is not generally the reality. Why is this so ? Potential unfulfilled It is true that the two organisations have a common client base. It is true that the librarians who deal with this client base deliver many similar services, conduct parallel events and share knowledge. Yet in many communities that is where the commonalities end. In many there is no relationship at all between the public library system and the schools which the children and young adults attend and no relationship at all between any of the principal players or stakeholders. Often there is no contact between managers and principals, no contact between any of the public librarians and teacher librarians, no communication, no shared events. The shared clientele must observe this lack of connection between the two service providers. For primary schools close enough to walk to the public library, some students may have an occasional visit to look at the books or a Book Week exhibition but for secondary students the provision of library services may as well be on two different planets. Such a situation is not only a waste of opportunities but it defeats some of the educational aims of both groups of librarians, the children's specialist and the teacher librarian. …

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