Understanding the reading habits and needs of Chinese-speaking senior citizens in Singapore : a case study at the Toa Payoh Public Library.

• Main Author: Ho, Swee Ann.
• Other Authors: Brendan Luyt
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Library and information science
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/20836
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

With the rapid growth of the aged population in Singapore, there is a more urgent need to help senior citizens cope with the aging process. The ideal is that they grow older with a sense of optimism and continue contributing to the society. Reading can help the silver-haired population remain mentally and socially healthy. How then can they be encouraged to read, especially those with lower literacy levels? To cater to their reading needs, it is important to know and understand their reading habits and their perspectives toward reading. This project is a study of the reading habits and needs of Chinese-speaking senior citizens in Singapore, using the case study of the Toa Payoh Public Library. Thirty-two Chinese-speaking senior citizens who patronised the Toa Payoh Public Library were interviewed to find out their favourite topics and reading materials, the source of their reading materials, their usage of the Senior Citizens Reading Room in the library, problems faced when reading, their opinions of how to encourage their counterparts to read, and their perspectives of reading. The study then goes on to recommend measures to encourage Chinese-speaking senior citizens with low literacy levels to read.