"Children Selecting Books in a Library": Extending Models of Information Behavior to a Recreational Setting

Revision with unchanged content. In research studies children have reported that finding books they like is the biggest barrier they face to reading. However, few studies have examined the processes children use to select books. This study undertook a qualitative investigation of primary-school children's selection of books for recreational reading in a public library over the summer. Book selection was examined using library and information science models of information behavior and relevance assessment. Using a multiple-case study design, the study collected questionnaire, interview, and observation data from 20 7- to 9-year-old children and their parents during several sessions at their homes and at the public library. During the study, children spoke in general of the gratifications that reading provides, but when embarking on book selection at the library, they did not mention specific needs they sought to fill. When browsing the library, children exhibited successively more involvement with books, focusing on a variety of elements. The central aspects influencing children's selection of books were contents and reading experience. Several differences emerged in the book-selection practices of the children.