UNAIR NEWS – As an information provider for students, school libraries need to ensure that the available services can meet the user needs. Libraries need to know what motivates students to use the library.
Not all students visit the library to read books. Not infrequently, students who come to the library only want to take advantage of internet facilities or other services.
Through research conducted on high school students in Surabaya, Dessy Harisanty, S. Sos., M.A., explained that several factors affect someone visiting a library.
“From the results of the study, as many as 63.5% of the total 200 respondents said that their main motivation in using the library is because of the comfortable space,” she said.
Library D3 lecturer continued, the library room was considered comfortable because of the presence of air conditioning and various other supporting facilities. The location is strategic, and the library provides comfortable seating and reading rooms for groups and individuals, as well as good lighting.
Furthermore, the comfort factor is supported by librarian services. They should provide excellent service to students as library users.
“Librarians must also be friendly, helping the visitor, responsible, attractive, and good at communicating, “she explained.
Besides, several other external motivations influenced middle school students in utilizing the school library. Such as friend invitation, completing homework, reading books, spending their spare time. Although it has a small percentage and is not a significant factor, Dessy said that students in visiting the library, other external factors also need to be considered.
“These external factors also need to be a consideration for school libraries in developing their services,” she said.
Moreover, the library collection must support the school curriculum because the school library is also an educational, informative, and recreational institution. Thus, the library must provide a curriculum-based book collection, an extensive collection of fiction, mandatory books, and supporting books, and other general knowledge books.
The results of this study are high school students consider the library as a prestigious place. Students who come to identical libraries are diligent and intelligent individuals. Besides, another factor that motivated high school students is spending their spare time.
“Therefore, library opening hours should follow students’ free time so they can visit the library more often,” he said.
Dessy stated the school library could provide services that are in line with user expectations. The results of the study could be a reference for school libraries in maximizing their services. (*)
Author: Erika Eight Novanty
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
Reference : Harisanty, Dessy, “How to Motivate Students in Using School Library” (2019). Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal). 2698. Link : https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/2698/
