Young Adult Library Survey By Anne George University of British Columbia, British Columbia. Vancouver, B.C Volume 17 Number 3 1989 The West Vancouver Memorial Library (WVML) conducted a survey in June 1988 to help the library serve its teen population. Librarians wanted to hear from both users and non-users of the local library's teen-age community. The goal was to gather data to aid in present selection of young adult materials and to help with future library planning. The Community and Its Public Library West Vancouver is a community of 36,000 people located twenty minutes from downtown Vancouver. It is a residential community with its own local government. The average income per capita is well above average. WVML is an active library (20.4 circulations per capita) and, except for the bookmobile, is housed in one building. Municipal council and the library board have plans for a large extension to the present building within the next few years. The library's teen-age patrons are served by a small area next to the children's department filled with fiction, records and magazines. Of course, many also use the adult and reference departments. Methodology The population of grade 7 to 11 students in the local high schools (three public, one private) was 2,391 in May 1988. Because of the high proportion of professional adults in the community and because the school leaving age is 16, it is believed that the majority of the target population attends high school, which begins at grade 7. The method of cluster sampling was used in the three public schools. One third of classes in each grade were selected and everyone in the class answered the questions simultaneously. Because of the streaming method used to form classes in the private school, all students answered the questionnaire and a proportionate number were evenly drawn for the sample. The total number of respondents was 709, with 99 being rejected because the questionnaires were incomplete (10), ruined (15) or because respondents lived outside the community (74). The final sample size was 610 students, equally divided by sexes, representing 25.5 per cent of the grade 7 to 11 population. The survey instrument was a four-page written questionnaire, which took 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Most questions were multiple choice, while a few were open-ended. Results Initial questions in the survey gave an understanding of the student population and their library use. Only four students said they did not know the location of WVML. Over half said they usually came to the library a few Times a month to every couple of months, making this age group active library users. Only 5.4 per cent of the students (male = 9.5 per cent, female = 1.3 per cent) said they never used the library, while another 21.1 per cent said they use the library rarely. This compares with the Regina survey of teenagers, in which 9.7 per cent of the respondents said they never used any library. At WVML, the twelve-year-olds appear to be more frequent users of the library than their older counterparts. Students said they were more likely to get their material for school projects at the public library, but they went first to their school library for leisure reading material. Over three quarters of students reported that they most easily got information for school projects from the public library, and about 45 per cent of the students said they usually got recreational reading books from the public library. This is not, however, to say that both types of libraries are not utilized for both purposes. Table 1 shows the most frequently cited reasons for using the library, and these are listed according to amount of time respondents spent in their public library. Table 1. Unusual Purpose of Using WVML USE WVML USE WVML USE WVML PURPOSE FREQUENTLY OCCASIONALLY RARELY Look up information for homework..... 77.0% 80.1% 72.0% Take out books....................... 67.7 58.0 36.5 Study................................ 37.9 28.3 16.4 Take out music, videos, magazines.... 23.6 18.8 6.9 Look up information for hobbies...... 18.6 14.6 6.9 To be with friends................... 13.7 6.2 2.6 Read in a quiet place................ 8.1 5.8 1.6 Read magazines or newspapers......... 6.8 .1 2.1 Other................................ 3.7 1.8 2.1 ----- ----- ----- N= 161 226 189 From Table 1 It can be seen that students who rarely (that is, twice a year or less) go to the public library go to complete a school assignment. In contrast, frequent users (two to three times a month or more often) more often stay to study, to meet with friends and to utilize other resources of the library. Students were also asked in the survey for reasons why they prefer not to use their public library. The most often cited reasons were that the library hours are inconvenient WVML stays open to 9:00 p.m. weeknights) and that they did not like library rules, fines, etc. Table 2 shows the most frequently given reasons for not using the library, and this table is also presented according to whether students use the library rarely, occasionally or frequently. Table 2. Students Responses to Survey Questions Asking about Reasons Why They Prefer Not to Use WVML. USE WVML USE WVML USE WVML REASONS GIVEN FREQUENTLY OCCASIONALLY RARELY Don't Read much...................... 19.6% 8.4% 6.2% Too far from home.................... 18.6 15.9 6.8 Too difficult to find material....... 17.5 11.1 3.7 Don't like rules,fines............... 16.9 14.6 8.1 No need to use library............... 11.6 5.3 1.9 Hours inconvenient................... 11.1 5.8 8.1 Book materials always out............ 11.1 15.0 6.8 I have to be too quiet at library.... 10.6 3.5 3.7 Library too quiet to study........... 10.0 5.3 1.9 Rarely anywhere to sit............... 9.0 6.2 6.2 Prefer to buy own books.............. 8.5 5.3 5.2 Preferred Formats for Novels and Music When asked about their preferences in formats for fiction books, most students (male = 35.4 per cent, female = 39.7 per cent) said they had no preference. Of those respondents who do care about format, far more indicated a preference for soft-cover books. Table 3 gives a summary of the choices of formats for novels. Table 3. Preferences of Formats for Novels, According to Sex of Respondent TOTAL MALE FEMALE No Preferences....................... 37.5% 35.4% 39.7% Prefer softcover..................... 35.4 29.9 40.9 Prefer hardcover..................... 12.6 12.7 12.5 Don't borrow any..................... 14.5 22.0 6.9 ----- ------ ----- 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% There were differences by age in respondents' choice of formats: more older students had no preference, while younger ones indicated a preference for paperbacks. Students were also asked about the preferred format for recorded music. Of those who do borrow music, students appear to prefer cassettes with CDs next and records least popular. At the WVML, there is no popular or rock music available on cassette--if there had been, the results might have been even more in favour of cassettes. The demand for records increased with age (grade 7 = 9.9 per cent to grade 11 . 31.3 per cent prefer records), while the demand for cassettes decreased with age. The demand for CDs varied between age groups, with no obvious trend. Reading Selection and Preferences Students claimed to select books most often by browsing the shelves and least often based on recommendations from either a Librarian or a teacher. Results from the question "How do you usually choose a book?" are shown in Table 4. Table 4. Methods of Book Selection According to Sex TOTAL MALE FEMALE Browsing............................. 62.1% 50.8% 73.4% By subject........................... 36.2 40.3 32.1 Family/friend recommends............. 32.0 21.3 32.6 By author............................ 25.4 20.0 30.8 Teacher recommends................... 6.1 6.9 5.2 Librarian recommends................. 5.4 6.9 3.9 NOTE: The results add to more than 100% because many students gave more than one response. It can be readily seen from Table 4 that there were differences between sexes on how books are apparently chosen. Results of this question were also analysed according to frequency of library use. Even then, those who use the library on a regular basis claim to be no more influenced by the recommendations of the teacher or librarian. Other surveys have shown similar results, with browsing being the usual method of finding suitable novels and librarians being ranked low as a source consulted. However, since browsing is at the top of the list and librarians are active both in purchasing and displaying materials, it is probable that thy have at least an indirect effect on reading choices. Students were asked about preferences in genres. Males indicated their first choices to be adventure (52.8 per cent), humour (50.8 per cent), mystery (45.2 per cent), horror (35.1 per cent) and suspense (34 per cent). Females said their preferences were mystery (50.2 per cent), humour (48.5 per cent), suspense (48.5 per cent), romance (47.9 per cent) and problem novels (40 per cent). Students were also asked whether they had read any novels by specific authors. Although some of these authors would have been read because of school assignments rather than by choice, the results can nevertheless be useful. The results are shown in Table 5, which shows the great interest in Stephen King, Judy Blume and Agatha Christie. The popularity of Stephen King was confirmed by other open-ended questions about reading enjoyment in which the most cited books were those by Stephen King and V.C. Andrews. Table 5. Percentage of Students Claiming to Have Read Books by Various Authors AUTHOR TOTAL MALE FEMALE Stephen King......................... 66.7% 62.3% 71.1% Judy Blume........................... 64.9 43.0 86.9 Agatha Christie...................... 62.0 55.4 68.5 Tolken............................... 34.8 41.0 28.5 Lois Duncan.......................... 34.4 9.5 59.3 S.E. Hinton.......................... 33.3 27.9 38.7 Gordon Korman........................ 26.7 28.5 24.9 Francine Pascal*..................... 25.7 3.3 48.2 John Steinbeck....................... 25.6 22.9 28.2 Paul Zindel.......................... 24.9 13.8 36.1 Paula Danziger....................... 23.1 4.9 41.3 John Wyndham......................... 14.1 14.1 14.1 M.E. Kerr............................ 11.0 5.2 16.7 Monica Hughes........................ 10.8 10.5 11.1 Allister Mclean...................... 10.7 14.1 7.2 J.D. Salinger........................ 8.4 6.6 10.2 Bronte**............................. 8.0 3.3 12.8 Mary Stewart......................... 7.2 4.3 10.2 Margaret Laurence.................... 6.1 4.6 7.5 Ursula LeGuin........................ 4.4 4.6 4.3 Margaret Mahy........................ 3.1 2.0 4.3 * Francine Pascal is named on"Sweet Valley High" and "Sweet Valley Twins" series, although she did not write each book. ** The Bronte Sisters were not differentiated, as it was believed that the style of writing is indicated no matter which of the sisters wrote the book. Students were asked to suggest which magazines WVML should subscribe to. There were many, the most popular of which were Elle, Seventeen, Vogue, Transworld Skateboarding, Teen, Sports Illustrated Rolling Stone, and Road and Track The list of musicians or musical groups favoured by these teenagers was extensive, but among the most popular were U2, Led Zepplin, AC/DC, The Beatles, lNXS, George Michael, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Whitney Houston, Tiffany, The Cure and The Who. Location of Teen Material in the Library Students were asked where thy would prefer to have teen books located in their public library. The majority (male = 56.8 per cent, female = 70.5 per cent, total = 63.8 per cent) asked for a separate section in the library designated for teens. Another large group (male = 40.5 per cent, female = 27.9 per cent, total = 34.1 per cent) asked that teen books be located in the adult section. A small percentage (2 per cent) indicated a preference for teen books to be in the children's section. Not surprisingly, the results to this question showed considerable differences according to age, with younger students more often requesting a separate teen area. In another question students were asked where the library should spend any extra funding. While there were obvious differences in ages in the responses to this question as well, in total the students ranked a separate teen area first, more books and other r.materials second, and more staff as last priority. Conclusion The survey of this community's teenagers revealed that the majority of students are active library users. The WVML has been able to ascertain what some students like about the library and what keeps others away. The survey results showed what difficulties students have in locating materials in the library as well as other complaints and compliments specific to the WVML. Long lists of books, magazines and musical groups recommended by the teens have already been useful for selection. In summary, the teens were found to be library users, to rate their public library positively, and to care about it enough to offer an extensive number and variety of suggestions about how the WVML can best serve the community's teen population. Notes 1Betty-Kay Williams Murray, "Regina Public Library's Survey of Young Adults," in Meeting the Challenge, ed. Andre Gagnon and Ann Gagnon (Ottawa: CLA, 1985). 2For example, see Darlene Braeder, "Booktalking: A Survey of Student Reactions CLJ41 (August 1984): 211-215. Also see Donald R Gallo, "Ask Your Librarians Four Surveys Reveal Where Young People Turn for Reading Advice," American Libraries 16 (November 1985): 736739. Bibliography Amey, L.J. "Neglected Enthusiasts: Adolescent Information Seekers." In Meeting the Challenge, edited by Andre Gagnon and Ann Gagnon. Ottawa; CLA, 1985. Braeder, Darlene Booktalking A Survey of Student Reaction." CLJ41 (August 1984): 211-215. Bodart, Joni. "The Third Time Around: BAYA Hip Pocket Reading Interest Survey E." Top of the News 35 (Summer 1979): 373-377. Canada. Statistics Canada. Population and Dwelling Characteristics. Census Divisions and Subdivisions. British Columbia. Part 1 and Part 2. Profiles. Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 1987. Downen, Thomas W. "Y.A. Services: 1993." Top of the News 35 (Summer 1979): 347-353. Fitzgibbons, Shirley. "Research on Library Services for Children and Young Adults: Implications for Practiced In Kids and Libraries, edited by Ken Haycock and Carol-Ann Haycock. Vancouver Dyad Services, 1984. Gallo, Donald R "Ask Your Librarians Four Surveys Reveal Where Young People Turn for Reading Advice." American Libraries 16 (November 1985): 736-739. Murray, Betty-Kay Williams. "Regina Public Library's Survey of Young Adults." In Meeting the Challenge, edited by Andre Gagnon and Ann Gagnon. Ottawa: CLA, 1985. Shontz, Marilyn Louise. "Selected Research Related to Children s and Young Adult Services in Public Libraries." Top of the News 38 Winter 1982): 125-141. U.S. Department of Education. National Centre for Education Statistics. Services and Resources for Young Adults in Public Librairies. Survey Report Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, July 1988. Anne George has been a researcher in various areas of social science for the past fifteen years. Currently, she is a full-time student in the MLS program at the University of British Columbia She was Columbia during the summer of 1988 by the West Vancouver Memorial Library to conduct this survey.