Information services for young adults, 15-19 years, in New Zealand, with particular reference to those who have left school

Abstract

This thesis is the result of a study to investigate the needs of young adults in New Zealand for life-information once they are outside the school system. It is concerned with their use of community information resources, and the abilities of those resources to cater for the specific requirements of young adults. The research included a survey of more than two hundred young adults who had left school, from university students to prison inmates, with both urban and rural backgrounds. Discussions were held with librarians, community workers, and specialist information sources. The nature, availability, and potential for use, of particular materials in a variety of formats were also investigated. The research was supported by an extensive literature search which identified problem areas and provided models of service. The conclusions drawn from this work are that school-leavers in New Zealand do have specific informational requirements that are different from those of the public in general. Their skills in information access and decision making appear to relate closely to the educational level at which they left school, with the less well educated relying more heavily upon potentially unreliable informal sources of information. All are affected by a lack of coordination in the distribution of materials, and confusion over the choice of an appropriate information provider. Some excellent materials are being produced for this group, but many of them are not available to young adults outside the educational systems. The generalist services show limited recognition of the needs of this group, and some actively or passively discourage young adult use. This lack of awareness and apprehension of young adult information service appears to be the result of an almost total lack of opportunities for training in such work. Recent overseas literature indicates a growing acceptance by librarians of the fact that adult services are not satisfactory for this group, and that the age limit for young adulthood should be extended to the end of adolescence at about 25 years of age.