Youngsters’ use of public libraries for information: Results of a qualitative research project

As public libraries straggle to compete with domestic electronic materials for use by young people, more research is needed to explore youngsters’ exploitation of and attitudes to these organisations. This paper investigates such issues by drawing on the results of a qualitative research project sampling 188 English youngsters between four and eighteen years of age. Attention is specifically focused on the use of public libraries for information purposes. Public libraries were used to varying degrees across the sample. Many information needs prompting their employment emerged from school work but informants also sought material in support of their own interests. Preferred libraries were often those with the largest collections. The children's section was exploited by library‐going first schoolers, the adult department by children at high school and a combination of both by many middle school children, often depending on the need. Substantial criticisms were made of libraries, including unhelpful opening hours, the time necessary to make use of them and unsuitable or overwhelming bookstock. When other, more favoured sources of information became available to youngsters their library visits tended to dwindle. These findings have substantial implications for practices both within schools and in the libraries themselves.