The use of the library by young people

• Main Author: Zubaidah Mohsen.
• Other Authors: Butterworth, Margaret
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Library and information science::Libraries::Public libraries
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/20483
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This study investigates the reasons for the use and non-use of the public libraries in Singapore by young people. As the National Library of Singapore is concerned with the decrease in loans of materials to teenagers in the last few years, there is a need to establish possible factors for the decrease. At a time when Singapore plans to develop itself into a learning nation, drawing the young people to use the public libraries in the acquisition of knowledge and skills is necessary. A review of the literature on this subject pointed to several reasons such as the belief that it is a common trend that usage of libraries drops when children became teenagers. Data were collected through two surveys which were carried out in educational institutions, public libraries and shopping centres. From the findings the study highlighted the reasons for the teenagers use and non-use of the public libraries. The main reasons for using the library were to borrow books and to do school projects. The two major reasons for teenagers not using the library were the lack of time and the lack of motivation to use the library due to lack of interest, poor service, poor collection and no interesting activities being held by the library. Decline in use was found to be more in the nature of a change in use. It was hoped that these findings would enable the National Library of Singapore to formulate ways in attracting more young people to use the public libraries.