Rural literacy –cooperation of Polish young country dwellers with public libraries

Riga 2008

Basic information about the research Date - year 2006 Respondents - staff of 308 rural libraries

from all of Poland and 1352 students of rural secondary schools

Client of rural libraries - age

Readers olderthan fifteen yearsold - 55%Readers youngerthan fifteen yearsold - 45%

Students – sources of reading materials School library – 64% Public library – 60% Home book collection – 51% Purchases – 40% Book borrowed from friends and relatives

– 36%

Client of library versus users of other sources of reading materials

0

1020

30

40

5060

70

8090

100

Clients of at least onelibrary

Clients of at least oneother than librarysource of readingmaterials

-

Collections and purchases – year 2005 Collection – 28054 volumes Collection for children and adolescents –

8341 volumes Books purchased in year 2005 – 812

volumes Books for children and adolescents

purchased in year 2005 – 262 volumes

Library staff - sources of information about books for children and adolescents

Internet – 73% Publishers cataloques – 66% Press – 59% Schools – 54% Other libraries – 31% Radio, television – 26%

The motivations of library staff (respondents could indicate more than one reason)

„Readers would like this book in my opinion” – 81,2% of book

„This is the quality book – they should read it”– 46,5%

„Clients asked me for this book (not for school reasons)” – 33%

„Readers need this book for school” – 14,5%

Classic and contemporary literature among purchases of the library

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1. Kw

Before 19451945-89After 1989

Classic and contemporary literature among books read by students

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

before 19451945-89after 89

Student’s assessment of library collection of school literature„Can you find the books you need for school at the public library”?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1. Kw

AlwaysOftenSometimesNever

The sources of classic books

Public library -30%School library -30%Home collection -17%Purchases - 10%

Friends andrelatives - 7%Other surces

The sources of contemporary literature

Public library

School library

Home collection

Purchases

Friends andrelativesOther sources

Student’s assessment of leisure books collection „Can you find at the public library books you would like to read for pleasure?”

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1. Kw

AlwaysOftenSometimesNever

Contemporary literature

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Librariespurchases

Students reading

Polish

Foreign

Psychological

Adventure

Realistic

Fantastic