Student use of the secondary school library

Abstract

Although there is a library in every secondary school in New Zealand, very little is known about the variables that affect the student use and perceptions of the library. This research combines Questionnaires and focus erouns involving Year 12 and 13 students to give a nicture of school library use in Christchurch. Students were asked about where they went for information for the last school assignment, use of the school library, and perceptions of library staff. Results indicate that nearly all students use the library, over half find library staff approachable, and sixty percent used the school library for their last school assignment. The Internet was used by a large proportion of students as an information source. Two variables that affected school library use were the perception that the school library had relevant resources, and usually finding what was needed in the school library. Students who used the school library for their last school assignment were found to make more use of all other information sources than students who did not use the school library.