The school librarian as motivational agent and strategist for reading appreciation

Abstract

The promotion of reading appreciation is one of the many responsibilities of school librarians. Different strategies have been used in elementary and middle school to achieve this, and these strategies need to meet the students’ interests. This article presents the results of a study that was conducted to identify the different strategies elementary and middle school librarians in Puerto Rico are currently using to promote reading appreciation. A total of 24 elementary school librarians and 12 middle school librarians completed a questionnaire. The participants work in public schools located in different cities around the island of Puerto Rico. Through the collected data it was possible to identify and compare the different strategies. Some of the conclusions indicate that school librarians consider Library Week a key activity for the promotion of reading appreciation, and the Internet as a key resource for the implementation of the different activities they design. The conclusions also acknowledge that school librarians face different challenges, the most difficult being collaboration and support from the students’ parents. In general, this study provides useful information to be considered by school librarians, school administrators, and by the Department of Education as a way of identifying what needs to be done in terms of reading appreciation. It also provides school librarians with an overview of important elements that are needed when promoting reading as a key activity in the learning process.

Keywords

Reading appreciation reading promotion school librarians school libraries

Introduction

Reading promotion projects are one of the main components of any school library program. According to the School Library Manifesto, issued by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the main purpose of the school library is to create and encourage reading habits in children, to enhance their learning experience, and to promote students’ use of library resources through their lives (UNESCO and IFLA, 1999). In other words, school libraries are an integral part of the educational process and they carry the responsibility for encouraging students to become learners who enjoy reading and develop the habit of using library resources in their daily lives.

Reading is an integral and necessary component of the learning process of students. Literacy promotion projects help students become active participants in a democratic and civil society, which is enhanced by globalization, competitiveness, and the development of emerging technologies (Johnsson and Jönhsson, 2006; Kelley and Decker, 2009). It is through reading that students are able to make sense of school assignments and to acquire a deeper knowledge of the world. Reading facilitates the ability of students to obtain knowledge and have a better understanding of ‘life, science, culture and the world’ (Department of Education of Puerto Rico, 2003).

In 2000, the Department of Education of Puerto Rico published their standards for excellence in the use of information, to be implemented in the School Library Program. This document discusses five standards. The fifth standard addresses the appreciation and promotion of reading, detailing the skills and competences that a student should acquire in order to enjoy reading. Additionally, it discusses the assignments and activities that the students should accomplish in order to demonstrate the achievement of this standard.

In addition, the Puerto Rico Department of Education’s public policy establishes that among the goals of the Program of Library and Information Services for School Libraries, the students have to develop an appreciation for reading that enables them to become avid readers who will promote the use of books as a recreational activity (Department of Education of Puerto Rico, 2011). In order to reach these goals, the teacher librarian must plan and carry out activities that integrate the previously mentioned standard.

School librarians, without a doubt, have a responsibility to plan activities that promote reading appreciation in students, and this is a great challenge. In recent years, the concept of reading for pleasure has lost its luster for some people. Students are viewing reading as an obligation for their school assignments, and people who know how to read are not reading enough (Department of Education of Puerto Rico, 2003). Unfortunately, this has caused severe deficiencies in basic reading competences in the student population (Department of Education of Puerto Rico, 2010).

This worsening situation demands that the school community take action, especially school librarians. They must take into their own hands the task of encouraging a passion for reading and developing reading habits in students. The library is the ideal place to provide the facilities and resources necessary to achieve this goal.

Literature review

School library programs to promote recreational reading

The design of innovative programs that promote recreational reading is a difficult and complex task. The emphasis that educational institutions are established to deliver curriculum content in order for students to pass standardized tests has led to students not visualizing the reading process as one that is an entertaining, fun, sociable, and productive activity. According to the results of research conducted by Pitcher et al. (2007) into the factors that motivate US teenagers to read, students conceptualize the reading process as an exclusively academic one. This may be one of the reasons why the interest in recreational reading has declined in recent years.

Therefore, school librarians face the challenge of developing new and creative programs in order to rescue the love of recreational reading, which, as a result, will lead to the development of lifelong readers. In this way, students can expand their access to information and knowledge (Laureano, 1998).

An effective program to promote recreational reading should consider, first of all, the characteristics, needs, and interests of students (Hobbs et al., 2009; Huertas, 2004). The issue that students do not have materials available in libraries that match their interests and reading level could be a factor that affects the activities they engage in for recreational reading. Laureano (1998) noted, as a result of an investigation into the factors that motivate or impede the recreational reading process in eighth-grade students from a public school in Puerto Rico, that the most important obstacle to recreational reading was related to the availability of materials in the library not responding to their interests.

Moreover, the literature has observed through the years that elementary school children enjoy recreational reading, but when they reach middle school they lose interest or spend less time reading (Pitcher et al., 2007; Strommen and Mates, 2004). This situation may be related to changes in the interests, needs, and reading comprehension levels of adolescents through the years. This is manifested in investigations related to reading topics of their choice; males said they preferred reading related to sports, adventure, computers, and video games, and females preferred to read topics related to fashion, romance, music, and television (Hopper, 2005).

Therefore, the teacher librarian must research the characteristics of the students in order to design relevant activities and to acquire resources according to the students’ reading level. Bateman-Whitson (2011) recommends that the teacher librarian should conduct an assessment during the first weeks of each school year to get to know students’ interests. Questionnaires, observations, interviews, and analysis of library statistics are tools to facilitate data collection. This in turn, will provide information as a basis for the development of the library collection.

Another factor that promotes recreational reading is the environment of the library. Bateman-Whitson (2011), Braxton (2008), and Huertas (2004) agreed on the importance of developing creative and dynamic environments that stimulate the imagination. This is related to the way in which the library is organized: the distribution of space, location of furniture, signs and identification of the areas, the resources that are used in displays and used in reading activities such as puppets, among others. All these aspects should meet the characteristics of children and adolescents.

The related literature presents a variety of activities that can be performed to promote reading. The teacher librarian must use the results of the students’ needs assessment as a criterion for the selection or planning of a particular activity. The narration and dramatization of stories, book talks, drawings, reading marathons, clubs, library week and reading week, and displays of books are activities that teacher librarians commonly organize. However, it is noteworthy that teacher librarians, in their interest to develop new activities, are integrating technology as a means to enrich the promotion of recreational reading.

Grishman and Wolsey (2006) support the use of technology as a means to promote reading. They conclude that its use motivates students by providing the essential components of learning: choice, empowerment, and belonging. Consistent with the foregoing, Chancer and Lesesne (2012) recommend the following: the use of blogs and websites to share reading experiences; the use of digital cameras to record book talks to share with other students; access to authors’ and publishers’ websites to examine books and trailers; the creation of book trailers, and the creation of podcasts to promote reading activities, among others.

In addition to these activities, teacher librarians can design innovative projects that respond to the reality of their schools. Hobbs et al. (2009) described a program that has been successful in Bower Hill Elementary School in Pennsylvania: the PIE program (Personal Independent Enrichment reading program). The goal of this program is that all students have access to books that they consider interesting and that they can read. This program consists of three steps in which students have the opportunity to select books according to their interests, write about the essential elements of the story using a guide, and relate the story to others already read with their own experiences and the world around them.

Makatche and Urick (2011) described another example of an innovative project: Monday Morning Read. Every Monday morning each member of Warrior Run High School stops what they are doing and takes 15 minutes to read. Students, teachers, secretaries, counselors, in other words, the entire school community participates in this activity. As a result, students are motivated to continue reading and share their experiences with their peers. It is noted that all these activities have in common three elements: the empowerment of students in the process of reading, adult modeling, and collaboration between teachers and teacher librarians.

It is very important that students have the opportunity to actively participate, not only in activities that take place in the library, but also in their planning process. Also, they should have the opportunity to freely select those resources that catch their attention. If students are encouraged to select books that interest them, they will become better readers (Dorn, 2001). In other words, ‘when students self-select books that they enjoy, they naturally achieve growth and become information literate’ (Hobbs et al., 2009: 43).

Strommen and Mates (2004) stated that students who share discussions about the joy of reading with family members or others close to them are motivated to keep reading, because they have learned that this process can be entertaining, fun, sociable, and a productive activity. We can say that the teacher librarian must involve the whole school community in the reading promotion program. In this way, students value and position the library as an essential part of the school’s educational program.

Finally, Hobbs et al. (2009) argue that teamwork between the teacher librarian and the classroom teacher facilitates the development of long-time readers because teachers know their students’ skills while teacher librarians know the library collection. The effective sharing of this knowledge facilitates the development of students’ reading skills.

Reading is a fundamental part of any school library program. Getting students to enjoy recreational reading is a systematic and planned process that takes effort and work, but the result will lead to the formation of lifelong readers.

School librarians as motivational agents

One of the favorite activities of students in the primary grades is to visit the library to enjoy a good story, either because the librarian reads to them or because they can choose a book that catches their eye. In these grades, children develop a taste for reading and learn life lessons through it. However, the school librarian must not only foster an appreciation for reading in younger kids, but also to adolescents and youth as prescribed by the Appreciation and Enjoyment of Reading Standard of the aforementioned Standards and Expectations guide, which indicates that the function of this professional is:

share books with children;

model reading;

talk about letters and their sounds in meaningful and relevant contexts;

enrich the environment with print and literary material;

reread favorite stories;

involve children in language games;

tell and read stories;

perform literary analysis; and

encourage games with words or dramatizations.

In accordance with these functions, librarians should make an extra effort to act as motivators or reading agents in secondary grades, because as children grow and leave the elementary grades, their course load is higher and reading related to their school courses is assigned by teachers as established in their curriculum.. Unfortunately, reading books for pleasure in terms of volume and appreciation among adolescents appears to be declining (NEA, 2004 quoted in Ercegovac, 2012). Similarly, Ercegovac (2012) conducted a survey among seventh graders, which revealed that they read more when the process is voluntary, when they want or without supervision.

Marcoux and Loertscher (2009) state that reading instruction should be integrated across all grades enabling the whole school community to effectively participate in the school reading plan, using alternative strategies for that group of students who have not been successful during the process. They also indicate the use of motivational strategies such as:

time to read every day before and after school;

read aloud daily;

interaction with community resources to participate in reading activities;

family support;

collaborative reading activities and celebrations; and

integration of technology to motivate others and communicate.

For each of these strategies, they emphasize that this plan must be read together in order to achieve the goals of the school. Harvey (2009) agrees with this approach when he emphasizes in his article ‘We can open the window to the world’, that the information specialist should be active and engage in teamwork, knowing what his/her school is doing to help its students become readers. Therefore, Harvey highlights several factors that motivated the students at his school, the North Elementary, including: Maintaining an environment that supports reading (comfortable and spacious); Creating a graphic novel section; Adding audio books using 10 iPods; Subscription to Scholastic’s Book Flix page for students to read online; Adding 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis and podcasts to the library website; Organization of leveled books and Students awards readers.

There are many activities available for users to attend the library to read for pleasure but nothing motivates some adolescents like technology. Today, adolescent students have a range of devices such as smartphones, tablets, IPads, or computers and what better way to draw their attention than to develop strategies where they are used. Ercegovac (2012) argues that students can use some of the most popular tools and Web 2.0 applications. An example of this, is the use of a blog as a support to reading, to encourage young people to write and share their impressions of their chosen literature with peers; thus consumers become creators of their own products, and understand the nature and permanence of the content posted on the Web.

Grenawalt (2004) also thinks of technology as an excellent method to motivate users to read, but unlike Ercegovac, proposes the use of commercial reading management software such as Accelerated Reader and Reading Counts! These tools allow the student to choose the reading, they are not assigned by the teacher; instead points are assigned as reading incentives based on the level of difficulty and students are rewarded after reading the books and taking the program tests. Grenawalt concludes, though, by emphasizing that these tools are just that, and it is the teacher and the school librarian who must work together to promote reading and to provide effective feedback during the process and progress of the users. Small et al. (2011) and Ercegovac (2012) agree that the use of technological tools can improve and expand students’ reading potential. By creating a blog for a favorite character, for example, the student will assume this role and respond to comments posted by other students, while others can create a video trailer about their favorite author and present it in class.

Certainly school librarians and teachers are figures that exert major roles in terms of modeling the skill and appreciation for reading. Small et al. (2011) claim that reading can be considered a creative art and skill when they show that librarians must transform curiosity that students have about a topic into an opportunity to read. If, for example, a student requests a book on skyscrapers because he wants to know how to build and rise as high, this is an opportunity for continuous reading, because maybe when he has finished reading his first book on this subject, he may develop a lasting interest in reading about the architecture and engineering. Failure to seize these moments could cause ‘readicide’ which Gallagher (2009) defined as the systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the absurd practices found in schools.

Another motivational strategy recommended by Small et al. (2011), is to provide access to a variety of reading materials from novels, graphic novels, comics, magazines, videos, and blogs that students can access from home so they have options to choose any reading level from very easy to very difficult or very short to very long. In this way the librarian has a great influence on the curiosity and interest of students. They also present several examples of extremely creative and motivating group reading activities such as: children as reading buddies; and reading through writing.

The purpose for which the authors suggest these activities is to promote reading as the students’ own reward, no stickers, no unrelated reading incentives, or forced reading because this is necessary to avoid the ‘readicide’. Barringuer (2006) also opposes these kinds of rewards and encourages student reading through programs like Book It ®, Advantage Learning Systems Accelerated Reader ®, Parents as Reading Partners (PARP), or Scholastic’s Reading Counts! as an incentive. The author also recommends strategies such as creating a display of movie-based books or popular themes, or encouraging a student who reads an award-winning book to write a summary and recommendation, then take a picture of him/her with the book and stick it prominently on the bulletin board.

For teenagers, it is important that the teacher librarian has various strategies to motivate them, because they probably have to work harder. Reading Week always has a space in the school calendar and maybe the teacher librarian does not have enough time or budgetary support to be creative enough and develop a program of reading activities that includes the entire school community in which young people are eager to participate. Battle (2011) captures everyone’s attention in the Teen Read Week, placing literature in the spotlight with a program of fun activities he has carried out in the library and shares as a suggestion for other professionals. Here are some: demonstrations and books lists; art appreciation books; teens top ten; Who is reading that book?; and What’s the story?

Similarly, Barone (2010) shares his activities and recommends those which do not take too much time, effort, and budget so the time is spent on the students’ participation. Among the reading recommendations, he suggests that one way to increase readership is when adolescents recommend books to others adolescents which means you can create a contest to develop short reviews about the books that they have enjoyed and write them on 4x6 cards attached close to the book on the shelf. Students can decorate the card or use a computer program and the winner will be recognized on the library’s website and with a coupon from some bookstore to buy books, if available. Otherwise, instead of a card for the review, they could create a podcast using free software named Audacy and publish on the website. Students will write the review including the book title, author, abstract, and their impression. When ready, they can use a microphone attached to the computer so they can create the podcast.

Another alternative to capture the attention of young people, is including the use of virtual tools 2.0 as suggested by Harvey (2009) above. Creative gamers can hone their skills and technology skills after a good read. For this, Barone (2010) refers to the following: Glogster (www.glogster.com) and Wordle (www.wordle.net). These resources are a sure way to maximize the experience of reading among young people creating impact in developing this skill. McPherson (2005) agrees with this statement when presenting concrete statistics regarding use of the Internet by children and adolescents. McPherson cites a statistic by Lenhart et al. (2001) who found that 94% of teens are online; they usually use it for school projects and according to the US Department of Education (Wells, 2004), even low-income students without access to technology at home, use computers in places that are available such as schools, libraries, or friends’ houses. In summary, more and more students and teachers are using the Internet as a source of personal reading assignments. So how can school libraries maximize online reading experiences with students? To do this, McPherson held several group work sessions with teachers and librarians to explore the similarities and differences between reading the Internet or through traditional print reading, paying special attention to the use of Webquests and their advantages and disadvantages. In terms of the disadvantages, the author indicates that:

students often felt confused and lost time surfing links;

promotions distract;

ethical implications;

the web pages’ design often have a reading structure that makes it difficult for younger readers; and

the readability of Webquests and linked websites is often beyond the reading ability of the scholars.

In terms of the advantages:

media can increase the readability of complicated or lengthy texts;

students are motivated to read available online material;

it exposes students to structured information texts; and

the materials can be incorporated into reading programs at home.

According to McPherson (2005), teachers and librarians seem to ignore the importance of readability when creating or using Webquests with their students. The author uses them as a method to maximize online reading experience for students that will keep them motivated to read and to achieve the goals of improving technological skills and use of the school library. However, there are teachers and librarians who are worried about the use of technology for reading, because they feel the scholars are missing the enjoyment of this activity in its most natural form, being replaced by video games, television, texting culture, and the use of social networks. Seyfried (2008), when observing this situation became aware of a new kind of recreational book, which may well strongly revitalize literature and visual literature. The author successfully introduced graphic novels to the school library in San Francisco Brandeis, offering the Graphic Novel Book Club as an elective class sponsored by the library itself. Those who took the course continued to visit the library to read recreationally when it was finished, confirming the impact of the club in reading motivation. In the classes, students developed direct observation and skills of visual literature because this kind of novel requires you to appreciate the images before words. After completing the course, the students created a character in different scenarios and then used Comic Life, a free program that comes with Mac OS to create visual stories, which is extremely easy to use because it has pre-designed templates and bubbles where the text goes. After completing the course, their own comics consolidated what they learned as readers. But Seyfried, recommends caution to the librarian when choosing novels before adding them to the collection, avoiding the cheap or low quality ones, limiting the amount of Japanese novels like Manga, so that students move to sophisticated novels and prose. This strategy of using graphic novels as a different alternative reading format that students should read in the school curriculum, is extremely interesting and workable, because students of all ages like to see, read, and interpret a story just by looking at an image. In addition, for those who see reading as a chore, these novels are a way to slowly motivate them because they contain short sentences and phrases to tell the story.

This motivational strategy, plus all the others the authors have suggested above, contributes to achieving the objectives, standards and expectations of the School Library Services Program and enhances the work of the teacher librarian as motivator and strategist of reading. It is important and necessary for these professionals to share with colleagues the various activities carried out in their units so that all benefit and, ultimately, the students in particular.

Purpose of the study

As indicated by the review of selected literature above, the promotion of reading appreciation is one of the many responsibilities school librarians have. The design and use of different strategies is an important aspect school librarians should consider, especially in today’s society, where students are surrounded by many resources and technologies that can distract them or prevent them from considering reading as an entertainment.

School librarians have been using different strategies to promote reading appreciation in elementary and middle school, and these strategies need to meet the students’ interests. The purpose of this study, through the administration of a questionnaire to school librarians, was to collect data to identify the different strategies they are currently using in elementary and middle schools.

As part of this study, it was also considered necessary to identify the resources school librarians saw as the ones they needed to incorporate in a successful reading program among their patrons. School librarians were also asked to identify the challenges they faced through the process of implementing strategies to promote a reading program that encouraged its appreciation among patrons. One last aspect that was considered necessary to identify was the level of satisfaction of the school librarians in regard to these strategies.

Research questions

What are the strategies used by school librarians working in elementary and middle school to promote reading appreciation among their patrons?

How do the strategies used by school librarians working in elementary school to promote reading appreciation compare to those used by school librarians working in middle schools?

What are the resources needed by school librarians to incorporate a successful reading program among their patrons?

What kind of challenges do school librarians encounter through the process of implementing strategies to promote a reading program that stimulates their patrons?

What is the level of satisfaction of school librarians in regards to the strategies that are being carried out to promote reading programs and their appreciation among patrons?

Research design

The methodological strategy implemented in this research was the administration of a questionnaire to school librarians. School librarians from private and public school libraries in Puerto Rico were invited to participate. The survey consisted of 18 quantitative questions written in Spanish, the native language of the island of Puerto Rico. All the quantitative questions in the survey, except one (number 18), were multiple-choice questions. Three questions (4, 5 and 11) consisted of a dual structure, in which participants could elaborate their answers.

The first part of the survey included socio-demographic questions and the second part focused on identifying techniques used by school librarians for reading engagement. The estimated time for the completion of the survey was 20 minutes. The survey was administrated through email. The email included two attached documents: the survey and an information document which described the aim of the project, as well as the risks and benefits of participating in the project, a non-disclosure agreement, and contact information for the main researcher. The participants were instructed to answer the survey and return it to the researchers.

Participants

Participants in the study were school librarians who work in elementary and middle schools around the island of Puerto Rico. A total of 36 school librarians completed the questionnaire. From this total, 32 were female and 4 male. The age distribution of the participants is presented in the next figure:

In terms of their education, 31 of the participants indicated they possessed a Masters degree in Library Science, while four held Post-Bachelor Certificates in School Libraries, and one had a Bachelors degree in Education. Among the participants 33 indicated they held a Certificate of School Librarian from the Department of Education of Puerto Rico, while three indicated that they did not; 35 of the participants indicated they worked in public schools, while only one worked in a private school. They were also asked to indicate their years of experience as a school librarian. Their answers evidenced that this ranged from one year of experience (three participants) to 28 years of experience (one participant).

Since one of the objectives of the study was to compare the strategies that elementary school librarians use to promote reading appreciation with those used by middle school librarians, the participants were asked to indicate in what type of school they worked. A total of 24 indicated they worked in elementary schools, while 12 worked in middle schools.

Results and discussion

The results of the study will be presented and discussed while answering the research questions. The first results help answer the first and the second research questions: What are the strategies used by school librarians working in elementary and middle school to promote reading appreciation among their patrons? And, How do the strategies to promote reading appreciation used by school librarians working in elementary school compare with those used by school librarians working in middle schools?

The participants were asked to identify the strategies they currently use to promote their users’ reading appreciation. Table 1 presents the strategies selected by the elementary and the middle school librarians.

Table 1.

Strategies used by school librarians to promote reading appreciation.

Strategy to promote reading appreciation	Number of elementary school librarians	%	Number of middle school librarians	%
Library Week	24	100	12	100
Storytelling	23	96	9	75
Book fair	22	92	8	67
Use of technology	20	83	10	83
Reading marathons	18	75	5	42
Dramatizations	18	75	6	50
Library club	13	54	9	75
Competencies	13	54	6	50
Drawings	12	50	6	50
Games	12	50	6	50
Creative writing	12	50	4	33
Exhibitions	11	46	11	92
Visit to websites	6	25	2	17
Creation of craft books	5	21	1	83
Literary circles	3	13	4	33
Use of software	2	83	0	0
Use of library blog	0	0	4	33

As evidenced in the previous table, the only strategy that was identified by 100% of participants (in both elementary and middle schools) is Library Week. Library Week is the special week where librarians tend to plan different activities for students, teachers, parents, and the community. Some of the activities include book fairs, games, conferences, workshops, reading marathons, and other activities that are offered to promote the library, its services and resources.

In terms of the other strategies identified by participants, 96% of the elementary school librarians selected storytelling. It was expected that this strategy was going to be selected by a great number of librarians, since it is known that reading a book to children promotes reading appreciation. On the other hand, storytelling to middle school students was selected by 75% of the participants. Although it is still a high number of participants, it was expected that the percentage was going to decrease, since it is a strategy that middle school students do not necessarily enjoy. In this case, the second strategy that was identified by middle school librarians was exhibitions (92%).

The third strategy selected by elementary school librarians was book fairs (92%). It was unsurprising that this was the third strategy since this is an activity that is often part of the Library Week. Once a year, librarians receive books from publishers and exhibit them at the library, where students can buy them at low cost. The result among middle school librarians was different, since in third place they selected use of technology (83%) and creation of craft books (83%). This was an expected result, since today middle school students tend to use technology, and they have access to different equipment such as laptops and other mobile technologies. In this case, it is important to acknowledge that this strategy was selected by 83% of elementary school librarians, evidencing that, although it was not the third strategy, it was also selected by a great number of participants. In general, it can be understood that the use of technology is a good strategy to use, especially when there are many software and applications that can be used to promote reading appreciation.

Figure 1.

Age distribution of participants.

In terms of the creating of craft books, which was selected by 83% of middle school librarians, this is a handcraft activity where students have the opportunity to be creative, and demonstrate their abilities and preferences. In other words, they can relate books to something that is fun.

Reading marathons and dramatizations were selected by 75% of elementary school librarians. In terms of the reading marathons, this encourages students to read a great number of books for a prize, while dramatizations encourage students to assume the role of a character and act in front of a group. Both strategies tend to be fun and interesting to students, since they have the opportunity to read for a specific purpose, and they tend to select readings that they like.

In terms of the middle school librarians, apart from storytelling, which was selected by 75% of the participants, library clubs were also selected by the same percentage of participants. Through library clubs students are able to learn about the different responsibilities in a library, and they are able to help with the organization of resources and basic library services. While the students support the library, they are able to enjoy different books, learn about what is at the library collection and appreciate reading. It can be understood that this strategy was selected by a lower percentage of elementary school librarians (54%), since the activities that are performed as part of the library club are more appropriate for middle and high school students.

Other strategies that were selected by 50% or more of the elementary school librarians as the ones they used to promote reading appreciation were: competencies, drawings, games and creative writing. In terms of the middle school librarians, the other strategies that were selected by 50% or more of the participants were: book fairs, dramatizations, competencies, drawings, and games. As evidenced, both groups of participants selected almost the same strategies, only differing by creative writing. In terms of this last one, 33% of the middle school librarians selected this strategy. In this case, it was expected that this percentage was going to be higher, since writing is a skill that is worked on during middle school, and creative writing can be a strategy that can be beneficial to students, where they can express their feelings and thoughts, aspects that are important during adolescence.

After identifying and comparing the strategies school librarians used to promote reading appreciation, it was considered necessary to identify the resources they currently use when designing and implementing these strategies. Table 2 presents the resources the school librarians identified as the ones they use.

Table 2.

Resources school librarians use to implement strategies to promote reading appreciation.

Resources they use	Number of elementary school librarians	%	Number of middle school librarians	%
Short stories collections	24	100	11	92
Comics	12	50	4	33
Reading corner	22	92	10	83
Videos	8	33	7	58
Computers	19	79	9	75
Graphic novels	7	29	4	33
Puppets	24	100	3	25
Audio (CDs)	11	46	2	17
Posters	7	29	0	0
Magazines	2	8	5	42
Newspapers	1	4	0	0

As the results evidenced, and as was expected, 100% of elementary school librarians used short stories and puppets as part of the activities to promote reading appreciation. The other resource that was identified by a significant number of elementary school librarians was the reading corner with 79% of the participants. In this case, maybe the rest of the participants do not have a reading corner in their libraries, or it is not appropriate for their activities, or they just offer the different activities in other areas of the library or school. One last resource that can be acknowledged is comics. This resource was identified by 50% of the elementary school librarians, and it is interesting because this is a resource that could be used by more librarians, since comics are resources that children like. Again, maybe they do not use them because they do not have them available.

In terms of the middle school librarians a high number of participants identified books of short stories (92%) as a key resource, as did the elementary school librarians. This similarity is repeated with the second resource, which was the reading corner. These results were expected, since both are resources that can be used for both levels. But, when identifying the third resource, 75% of the middle school librarians identified computers. In this case, this result was also expected, and maybe it was not selected by more participants because it is possible they do not have computers available at their libraries.

In general, there is evidence that school librarians (elementary and middle) use the different resources they have available when implementing different strategies to promote reading appreciation. The reading corner and short stories are the two resources that are used by a great number of participants, meaning that these are resources that should be available in school libraries. But, it is necessary to evaluate and identify why they do not integrate the use of other resources, and design a variety of activities to meet the different students’ interests.

After identifying the resources the participants currently use when implementing their strategies, they were asked to identify the resources they considered necessary to promote reading appreciation. This question was considered important, since school librarians could be using resources, just because they are the ones they have available, but not the ones they actually need. Table 3 presents the results, both from elementary and middle school librarians.

Table 3.

Resources school librarians identified as the ones that are needed to implement strategies to promote reading appreciation.

Resources they need	Number of elementary school librarians	%	Number of middle school librarians	%
Books appropriate for children	23	96	11	92
Puppets	20	83	3	3
Computers	2	1	9	8
Appropriate furniture for the reading corner	8	33	8	67
Internet	18	75	9	75
Digital projector	18	75	8	67
Music equipment	12	50	6	50
Movies	12	50	6	50
Activities guide	13	54	8	67
TV	0	0	5	42

As presented, both elementary and middle school librarians considered books appropriate for children as fundamental. But, when identifying other resources, the results were different for the two levels. In terms of the elementary school librarians, a significant number considered puppets necessary while this is a resource that is less important for middle school librarians, and this was expected, since activities with puppets are more suitable for smaller kids. On the other hand, the Internet was selected as a necessary resource by a large number of participants from both groups. This is an interesting result, since none of the participants identified the Internet on the question that asked them to identify the resources they use. This situation could be due to the fact that many school libraries do not have access or have a limited access to the Internet and, as a result, they cannot use it as part of their activities to promote reading appreciation. Other resources that both groups considered necessary were: digital projector, music equipment, and movies. In terms of the digital projector, this resource was not selected as one of those they currently use, while music and movies (videos) received a lower percentage than on the previous question. These results should be considered when identifying the needs of the school librarians in terms of resources and equipment.

Another research question was intended to identify the challenges school librarians have to face during the process of implementing strategies to promote reading appreciation. Elementary and middle school librarians identified the same types of challenges: problems with the Internet; lack of time available to design, plan and implement activities; lack of student interest; lack of support from teachers; lack of support from administrators; lack of support from parents; limited book collections; lack of budget; and inappropriate furniture for students. From these difficulties, the lack of support from parents and teachers was selected by more than 50% of the elementary school librarians. In addition, 54% indicated that the current support they receive from the Department of Education and the School Directors is not effective. First, the fact that they selected problems with the Internet supports the results of the previous questions which indicated they needed this resource. Also, the need to find new strategies that can be implemented to promote parents’ and teachers’ support and collaboration is evident.

The last research question was intended to identify the level of satisfaction of the school librarians in regard to the strategies that are being carried out to promote reading programs and their appreciation among patrons. The results indicate that all the elementary school librarians were very satisfied or satisfied with the strategies they used, with the participation of the students, and with the results of the activities that were offered. Only when considering the collaboration and participation of parents, did the participants indicate they were dissatisfied (50%). Middle school librarians were also satisfied or very satisfied with the strategies they used, while 58% indicated they were dissatisfied with the collaboration of teachers, and 50% dissatisfied with the collaboration of parents. In terms of these results, it is evident that school librarians consider the lack of support from parents a challenge, and it can be understood that they have not been able to deal with this problem, since they also express they are dissatisfied with their collaboration and participation. Considering this, it would seem necessary and important to identify strategies that could be used to promote participation and collaboration with the different activities that are offered by the school library.

Conclusions

After the administration of a questionnaire to elementary and middle school librarians, and the presentation and discussion of the results, it can be concluded that school librarians are currently designing and implementing a range of different strategies to promote reading appreciation among their students. The results indicate that school librarians from both levels consider Library Week a key event to promote reading. Considering this, it can be perceived that to a large degree their efforts to design activities and promote reading are related to this annual celebration. This situation needs special attention, since these strategies and activities should be offered all year long. In other words, school librarians need to identify other instances where they can integrate their activities as part of the academic activities that are held at school. But, it is important to understand that to be able to offer effective activities, school librarians need specific resources that meet users’ needs.

In terms of the resources that school librarians use and need to implement the different strategies they implement to promote reading appreciation, it can be concluded that access to the Internet is a key resource, but effective access is currently a significant challenge. The reality is that school librarians have limited access to the Internet, or do not have access from their libraries. This situation limits the different strategies they can design and use, since they are not able to integrate the use of computers and other technologies.

In terms of other challenges that school librarians face when promoting reading appreciation, it can be concluded that they do not receive the support and collaboration they need from the students’ parents. Considering this situation, it is necessary to identify and develop new strategies, communicate in different ways with those parents and get them to collaborate, and actively participate in different activities with their kids. It is known that when parents read and value reading, then their children will follow that example. In other words, school librarians need to create a bridge with parents and promote communication in a way that will gain their support and collaboration.

One last aspect that it is necessary to acknowledge is that, although there are challenges, limitations, and other situations that interfere with the different activities school librarians want to offer to the school community, it can be concluded that school librarians are satisfied with the work they do, with the different strategies they use, and with students’ participation. The only aspect that needs to be reinforced is the collaboration and support from teachers, and especially from parents. Ultimately, the promotion of reading appreciation is not a school librarian’s responsibility only, but it is the responsibility of each educator, and of each parent who wants their children to be educated. Not only that, but it is the responsibility of all a society that wants to grow, develop, and learn each day.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Author biographies

Noraida Domínguez is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies, University of Puerto Rico. She has a PhD in Information Science. Her research interests are school libraries, information literacy, knowledge management, emerging technologies, mobile technologies.

Idalisse García is a school librarian. She is a graduate Student at the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies, University of Puerto Rico.

Jackeline Martinó is a school librarian. She is a graduate student at the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies, University of Puerto Rico.

Alejandra Méndez is a school librarian. She is a graduate student at the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies, University of Puerto Rico.

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