Combined School/Public Libraries: Do They Have An Effect On Teens' Use Of Library Materials And Teens Leisure Reading?

This study set out to explore if a relationship exists between library usage for leisure reading by high school students and convenient access to the public library collection at a combined school/public library and also if there is a relationship between such access and the amount of leisure reading by high school students. Library usage was examined in three ways: number of visits, purpose of visits, and number of books borrowed. Leisure reading was examined in terms of where reading material is accessed, hours spent in reading for pleasure and motivations for reading. Students from two high schools in the Wake County Public School System in North Carolina were the subjects in this study. Surveys administered to students at a high school with a combined school/public library were compared with those from students with a stand-alone high school media center. Both library usage and engagement in leisure reading showed a significantly positive relationship to access to public library resources at school. Students at the high school with a combined school/public library made more independent visits to the library during the school day and more visits to a library outside the school day. Visits to the library during the school day to read or check out books both for schoolwork and leisure were greater at the school with a combined school/public library as was the amount of books borrowed during the school year. When sources of leisure reading material were compared, a higher percentage of teens with convenient access to the public library collection at school used library resources for leisure reading, especially magazines, and a lower percentage buy most of the books they read for leisure. Evidence also indicates that teens with convenient access to the public library collection at school engage in more hours of leisure reading with fewer students reporting that they do not engage in reading outside of school assignments. Finally, students at the school with convenient access to the public library collection scored more motivated toward reading on a reading motivation scale. Most results were significant at .05