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\"In this high interest novel for middle readers, boy-crazy Kiara convinces studious Jane to create a questionnaire to help find her soulmate.

PurposeThis article aims to help ensure high-quality subject access to Swedish lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersexual (LGBTQI) fiction, and aims to identify challenges that librarians consider important to address, on behalf of themselves and end users.Design/methodology/approachA web-based questionnaire comprising 35 closed and open questions, 22 of which were required, was sent via online channels in January 2022. By the survey closing date, 20 March 2022, 82 responses had been received. The study was intended to complement an earlier study targeting end users.FindingsBoth this study of librarians and the previous study of end users have painted a dismal image of online search services when it comes to searching for LGBTQI fiction. The need to consult different channels (e.g. social media, library catalogues and friends), the inability to search more specifically than for the broad LGBTQI category and suboptimal search interfaces were among the commonly reported issues. The results of these studies are used to inform the development of a dedicated Swedish LGBTQI fiction database with an online search interface.Originality/valueThe subject searching of fiction via online services is usually limited to genre with facets for time and place, while users are often seeking characteristics such as pacing, characterization, storyline, frame/setting, tone and language/style. LGBTQI fiction is even more challenging to search because indexing practices are not really being standardized or disseminated worldwide. This study helps address this important gap, in both research and practical applications.

PurposeThe proliferation of digital tools and instant access to information has diversified reading habits among Generation Z (Gen Z) students. The primary objective of this study is to examine the reading habits of Gen Z students at Dhaka University.Design/methodology/approachA survey questionnaire method was employed to collect data from 354 university students. We collected research data through printed questionnaires, and randomly selected students to answer survey questions. A total of 500 printed questionnaires were distributed to the seminar library, university hall library and Dhaka University library. Additional efforts made to engage students in classrooms.FindingsStudents prefer printed materials, particularly fiction and enjoy reading at home. The majority have emerged as dormant readers and prefer using mobile phones for reading. Hobbies and interests have been identified as significant influencers in shaping reading habits. Promoting a reading culture, improving access to books, integrating technology, expanding fiction collections, creating engaging content and tailoring outreach strategies are key steps to enhancing the reading habits of the Gen Z students in Bangladesh.Social implicationsThese findings provide valuable guidance for policymakers and educators seeking to foster effective reading habits among students by aligning strategies with their preferences and needs.Originality/valueThis study offers original insights into the reading habits of Gen Z students at Dhaka University, focus on enhancing library collections, particularly in fiction literature, addresses challenges such as space constraints and reflects innovative approaches to fostering improved reading habits among students.

Purpose – The benefits of public libraries as perceived by adults in everyday activities, in cultural activities and in career are modeled by multivariate techniques. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The survey data are based on a representative sample of 1,000 Finnish adults ranging from 15 to 79 years. The perceived benefits were modeled by linear regression analysis and by path analysis. Findings – The models explain 27-32 percent of the variation in the three benefit types observed. The role and the explanatory power of the factors included in the models vary to a certain extent between the benefit types. Research limitations/implications – The results are generalizable at least to small, wealthy welfare states with a well-developed public library system. Practical implications – It seems that the public library functions relatively more as a source of information for everyday activities in older age groups, whereas more as a source of information for career in younger age groups. The public library should profile its services accordingly. Originality/value – This is first study to model the factors associated with the benefits adults derive by using the public library in the major areas of life.

In Botswana, it is common to hear the lament that there is no culture of reading. We aim to contribute to the development of more specific understanding of a culture of reading by reporting on information gathered from teachers who attended workshops we offered titled “Teachers as Readers AND Readers as Teachers: Creating Young Readers and Writers.” Eighty‐six teachers answered questions about their reading habits, attitudes, and perceptions of students' reading. We learned that teachers differed with regard to what they read and how often they choose reading over other activities. We propose what culture of reading was found among the teachers and what needs to be done to learn more about reading in Botswana.

The involvement of players with special needs in the early design and development stages bring about complex issues and challenges in games user research (GUR). In the context of the research project GBL4deaf - Game-Based Learning for Deaf Students [PTDC/COM-CSS/32022/2017], a research-based educational game is being designed and developed as a tool to support mathematics learning for deaf and hard of hearing students (DHH). Research on deaf and hard of hearing children's academic achievement demonstrates that deaf children, on average, show a delay in mathematics achievement when compared with hearing students. Game-based learning approaches reveal a significant and positive influence in several areas of cognition, resulting in improved performance in several areas of knowledge such as mathematics. In this paper, Game User Research (GUR) Design of \"Otherwordly Math\" as well the results of the participatory design with DHH students will be presented. In the participatory design study, the sample was composed of eight deaf students with profound levels of hearing loss and, among them, five wear a cochlear implant. The participants, aged between 12 and 14 years old (five girls and three boys), attended grades six and seven at a school specialised in deafness. A media usage questionnaire was adapted to deaf students and applied with the mediation of a Sign Language interpreter. Most students use smartphones, laptops, and PCs and only one reported to use the TV and console in their everyday life. DHH students reported to access the internet mostly from home, using smartphones with wi-fi internet. In what respects the preferred leisure activities, playing video games is the most selected, followed by watching movies, social networking and hanging out with friends. The participatory design results show that science fiction images were the most preferred. Based on these results, the science fiction genre was chosen for the video game.

Tell a Tail 360 is a Virtual Reality (VR) documentary, part of a larger transmedia project about animal welfare in Madeira island, created to educate, raise awareness and spread the love for the animals, targeting teenage audiences. The literature review and the context research surveys suggest that younger audiences are more likely to change their behaviours than adults. Moreover, the majority of people are interested in the topic of animal welfare (AW) although not always aware of its complexity (e.g., lack of responsibility of ownership or lack of education on proper animal treatment). Over several months, 360º footage was recorded showing different perspectives of the problem through contact with different stakeholders. Later, the footage was used in the design of an interactive VR documentary highlighting kennels’ conditions, Non-governmental organizations fieldwork, and the importance of providing primary care to pets. The user explores the story through different media sources inside the virtual world, such as social media posts, photography and audio. These interactive features provide users with the opportunity to unfold the story through their choices, promoting exploration and contemplation of the subject and were designed to increase audience engagement and agency in the experience. Through A/B user testing conducted with two groups of adolescents (in which one tested a non-VR version of the documentary and the other group the VR version), findings suggest that the immersive version generated greater interest and involvement in the problem addressed. This thesis project can provide new insights on how interactive and immersive content can engage the teenage audience to a more significant awareness of good animal welfare behaviours and other social problems.

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to attempt to answer some plausible questions like what do teenagers prefer to read at leisure, how do they read and why do they read? With the rapid changes in information technology, there is tremendous change in means of communication. Today, much more information is available from electronic and digital media as compared to traditional books. A paradigm shift in information delivery from just information to infotainment has also affected the preferences of the information seekers. Teenagers are a demographic group under transition and they are not untouched by these rapid changes in technology and their impact on their reading preferences. Design/methodology/approach - For this purpose, a survey among 223 school-going (public/convent and government-/aided) teenagers aged between 12 and 18 years was done using a semi-structured questionnaire. Findings - The findings revealed a decline in sports and outdoor recreational activities during leisure, and only 20.6 per cent teenagers preferred reading during leisure. However, self-perception as an avid reader was expressed by majority (53.8 per cent). Fictions were liked by > 75 per cent teenagers; however, non-fictions were also liked by majority (61.8 per cent). The reading preferences of the children were found to be affected by their age, their gender and the type of schools they attended. A significant inverse relationship of television watching and movie-going was observed with reading time. Research limitations/implications - The biggest limitation was inability to directly interact with the students and inability to gather data from more schools. Practical implications - By knowing the current reading trends, leisure time habits and exposure to different means of information technology, the choice of medium for knowledge dispersal could be done. The study would help in providing a basis for a strategic change in the ratio of conventional books and other information media in the library. Social implications - By identifying the media exposure time and popularity, proper steps may be taken in order to enrich the particular media and to ensure that quality of information available on the media can be directed for social benefit in large. Originality/value - The impact of demographic and environmental variables on reading habits of teenagers has not been evaluated in this part of the world, especially in view of the paradigm shift in information technology and the growing influence of electronic media and social networking. An understanding of this mutual relationship would help in modifying the reading behaviour of the teenagers.

Using a questionnaire study, this research examines the perceived reading wants and needs of two groups of high-school students, one with L1 English and FL Spanish in the US, and the other with L1 Spanish and FL English in Spain. The results suggest that the perceived wants in FL Spanish are considerably greater than those in FL English, while the perceived needs are marginally higher for FL English. For the English and Spanish L1s, the perceived wants and needs are remarkably similar in distribution, especially the needs, and the perceived wants in both cases far outweigh the perceived needs. In pedagogical terms, teachers and educators need to take seriously into consideration student reading needs and wants across the curriculum in first, second, and foreign languages in order to see not only improvements in terms of reading competency but also to instil and promote the desire to read.

1. Purpose — the aim of this research study was designed to measure the potentials and the effects of the online Audio-book resources in fostering young children — reading. The research study involved comparing 2 groups of 5th and 6th-grade elementary school students — measuring their reading motivation, understanding, and learning from an online audio-book resource, Naxos Spoken Word Library (NSWL), under a school library setting in Hong Kong. 2. Design/Methodology/Approach — approximately 292 plus participants (students from 2 different international elementary schools (Bradbury & Kingston Elementary School) in Hong Kong were invited to take part in this study. Students — motivations, their reading comprehension, their attitudes and experiences with the online audio-books were recorded, and measured with a set of questionnaires, designed together by the researcher, and the 2 school/teacher- librarians from Bradbury and Kingston Elementary. 3. Findings — the findings helped identify the characteristics of these elementary school children, e.g., their reading habits, interests; what sorts of books, what kind of reading materials attracted them; and most importantly, to find out whether the online audio-book resources really had the potentials to make a difference, i.e., what attracted these young students to the pleasures of reading, and turned them into avid readers, etc. 4. Research limitations — some limitations included a small sampling size, and the data gathered from questionnaires were essentially quantitative in nature, hence, they did not provide opportunity to probe individual respondents/students to elaborate an answer. The time and manpower constraints might not have permited the researchers to perform regular onsite observations and recordings of the children engaged in the use of the online audio-books. There were relatively little important contemporary fiction/stories available inside the online audio-book resource chosen for this research, i.e., Naxos Spoken Word Library. It was also difficult in obtain an informed consent when studying students at this age, as they were vulnerable to manipulation. It was also difficult to ensure that all the students had a good understanding of the nature of the study, and the young students — might feel pressured to lie on the questionnaire. 5. Originality/Value — this research study aim to fill the gaps in the subject of how elementary school students relate to, and learn from the electronic and online audiobooks. This research was also set up to measure the online audio-books — potentials in attracting elementary students to the pleasures of reading. This research is of particular interest to teachers, school librarians and parents, etc. 6. Ethical issues - the study received formal approval from both the Bradbury Elementary School and Kingston Elementary School to conduct the study in their school libraries. Respondents/students — identities are fully protected so that the information the researchers collect will not embarrass or in other ways harm them. The researchers also promised not to intrude the students — normal learning, as well as their lives outside the research. In addition, the disruption of classes was kept to minimal.