Learning More about What Kids Want, Need, and Expect from Research

Informatics, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Thyme, England. He can be reached via e-mail at a.shenton1@hotmail.com. Pat Dixon is Principal Lecturer, Division of Information and Communication Studies, School of Informatics, Northumbria University. She can be reached via e-mail at pat.dixon@ northumbria.ac.uk. This article is intended to complement a paper that previously appeared in this journal (“Just What Do They Want? Just What Do They Need? A Study of the Informational Needs of Children, Children and Libraries, Summer/Fall 2003). It explores the information needed by young children and teenagers in their everyday lives. The focus is not the subjects of the information, nor the purposes for which it is required—both of which have been commonly investigated in previous need typologies—but other situational factors that must be appreciated if an adequate understanding of youngsters’ needs is to be gained.