While student teaching at two junior high schools in Edmonton, I had the opportunity to observe how students use books on a daily basis in an environment dominated by technology. As new media becomes popular, new reading platforms are promoted in schools. By the time students are in grade seven, they usually own a smart phone or other device.

During my practicums, I spent much of my time in the school libraries to find out if there has been a transformation in how students use library spaces and resources. If students are indeed reading, I want to learn which genres are popular, and to look at the routines that promote everyday reading practices in schools. Using empirical methods of research and my own observations, I want to determine what role school libraries play in an ever-growing technological world.

My research includes an interview with a librarian, Marilyn, my own observations, and informal questioning of students and teachers. I use the information I collected to compare and contrast two junior high school libraries in the hopes of further understanding how libraries influence adolescent reading practices.

SBS is an affluent junior high school with a middle-class population. There are pre-AP courses offered to grade nine students and the accessibility to technology and devices is high. LYC School has a lower- to middle-class population and each grade follows the Knowledge and Employability Program of Studies. Because LYC is a school for special needs students with mild cognitive disabilities, technology, devices, and other resources are available to every student.

In this report, I focus on SBS because I have done more empirical research on this school and library. However, it is valuable to compare SBS and LYC in order to learn more about the reading practices of diverse adolescent populations within Edmonton, and to determine if different school contexts affect junior high students’ cultures of reading.

The spatial and temporal construction of the libraries has an impact on student reading practices. The SBS library is centrally located on the second floor of the school. The space is large and there is a common reading area with chairs and a large wrap-around window that provides natural light. There are several computer stations, and tables and chairs are scattered throughout the library. Movable book shelves, about four feet tall, and shelves line the walls. Several circular racks for books and magazines can be found throughout the space.

The library is open in the morning before and during classes and at lunchtime. Student volunteers help scan returned books and organize the shelves. The materials are sorted by genre, author, and type. Each week, different selections of popular books are displayed near the front where the checkout desk is located. The library is decorated each month by the Library Club with a different theme based on a holiday or popular event. Marilyn creates an “Author of the Month” display that includes a biography of the author and a selection of books written by that author. Students come to the library to read, study, finish homework, play video games on their phones, and socialize throughout their school day.

The LYC library is about the size of two classrooms and is located on the second floor of the school in a corner of the building. There are several round tables in the middle with chairs, and couches are placed along the perimeter.

Books and other reading materials are stored on movable shelves about four feet tall and organized alphabetically by author. The most popular authors and genres are displayed near the front. The librarian’s recommendations shelf is also near the front and is replaced frequently due to high circulation. There is one student-accessible computer located in the library used to search the database and check out or return books.

The library is closed at lunch times but open before and during classes to accommodate students who want to come in to find a book, work on schoolwork, or read. Educational assistants use the space to do individual work with students who are struggling in their classes. Each Language Arts class has a scheduled time (once per week) for students to return, check out, or renew their books. At the beginning of every Language Arts class, students read silently for fifteen minutes. Although the LYC library is not a common destination for students to go to outside of class time, students use the space during their scheduled visits to socialize with their peers, browse, and read the material that is available.

I interviewed the librarian at SBS, Marilyn, about the acquisition and selection process for books. Marilyn told me that every month a bus load of Edmonton Public School librarians travel down to Calgary and go to the United Library Services' 30-40% Off Sale. She buys about one hundred books per trip.

Marilyn also directed me to the Young Readers Choice Awards on the Edmonton Public Library website which has numerous recommendations for adolescents. Marilyn attends book talks hosted by the EPL which influences the types of books that she chooses to bring in. The “Best of the Best” program on the Alberta School Library Council’s website is also useful because it filters book recommendations by genre and grade level. Direction is also given by the Language Arts teachers. For example, The Outsiders and The Giver are bought in large quantities for Language Arts classes to read. Parents sometimes try to donate their old books, but usually are not accepted. “I read the books that I bring in so that I know what the students are reading," Marilyn tells me.

Labelling and keeping genres organized helps students find something that they are interested in. Most students are referred by their peers to read certain books, but Marilyn also has a large influence on what the students read. Series are very popular in any genre. The “hybrid novel” is the most popular genre which combines illustrations with writing. Students also enjoy reading graphic novels and fictional diaries including The Middle School Diaries. Students read humour, mystery and horror, and “supernatural fiction” about angels and demons and super heroes. Steam punk is on the rise in popularity as well as “classics that are retold”. For example, Jane is a contemporary conception of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. Apocalyptic novels are decreasing in popularity and “vampires are out."

Students come in on their breaks to read “quick reads” including the Guinness Book of World Records and other non-fiction texts. Students cannot take out these books because there is usually only one copy in the library. The turnover rate for book check outs and returns is about 250 per day. The grade eight students check out the greatest amount of books and the grade nines take out the least amount. There are eBooks available for many of the popular titles, but they are rarely ever checked out. Students still prefer reading print over digital copies.

At LYC, the books in the library include picture books, graphic novels, popular series, quick reads, and non-fiction. Many of the students prefer books that have pictures because they help in comprehending the text. LYC provides adaptations of certain books that are easier to read. For example, Frankenstein is available as a graphic novel as well as an edited version with vocabulary notes included in the margins. Many books come in larger font sizes and have less text on each page to assist and encourage students in their reading practices.

The atmosphere in the library changes depending on the time of day. In the mornings before class, the library is a zoo. Students frantically exchange their books for new ones and the checkout desk has a line up, and are genuinely upset if the next book in their series is not available. During lunchtime, the library is a place for socializing, playing games, and working on homework. Every Friday, I supervised the library and I had to make sure students were strictly using the computers for school-related activities. The male students would dominate the common area in the library; it was where (according to one student) the “cool grade nine guys” would hang out at lunch and play video games on their phones.

There is a large reading community at SBS, and there are sixty members in the Library Club. Marilyn says there is a “culture of reading” at SBS, where students are not embarrassed to be seen reading a book. Students come to the library because it is a place they can socialize about books with their friends.

A distinguishing and valuable addition to the SBS library is the kitchenette where students and teachers can find cookies, cakes, and other treats, and boil water for tea or coffee. Both teachers and students feel more welcome in this space that is situated outside of regular school contexts as an area for people to converse and relax.

At LYC, many students choose books based on what their friends are reading. A group of friends select the same book and then talk about it with each other after they finish reading. Because of the nature of the students, reading seems to be a challenging and obligatory activity rather than an enjoyable one.

Although reading is conducted silently during the beginning of most classes, I observed that it is a social activity in classes of students with more severe cognitive disabilities. They are encouraged to talk about and read excerpts from their favourite books to others to help their comprehension and speech development. Reading is a cooperative activity between the student, educational assistant, and the teacher. Social reading in this context is enjoyable and gratifying for the student. Print books continue to be read in lieu of devices because they are more personable and shareable between students who have mild to severe cognitive disabilities.

Both SBS and LYC encourage a culture of reading by providing students with a space to practice and engage in everyday reading practices. The librarians have an essential role in the dissemination and reception of books and other reading materials. There is a wide variety and selection of books for students to choose from, and it is evident that these students are choosing to read print books rather than digital copies.

My research brings me to the conclusion that school libraries are necessary in building a community of adolescent readers that do not rely on technology to augment their reading practices. Not only are the material books important to the culture of reading, but the library space is essential in encouraging sociability, community, and life-long reading practices. It is a space where all students are welcome, and where they can develop their identities through the involvement in the culture of the library and the school.

Last Updated: July 7, 2017