What are Librarians’ Perceptions of How to Further Engage 15–18-year-olds with the Irish Public Library?

Authors

Westman, Éadine

Issue Date

2023

Degree

MSc in Information and Library Management

Publisher

Dublin Business School

Rights

Abstract

This research seeks to discover librarians’ perceptions of how to further engage 15–18-year-olds with the Irish Public Library. The main aims of this research were to establish how 15–18-year-olds currently engage with Irish public libraries, and to discover Librarians perceptions on how to further engage this audience. A mixed-methods approach was applied, and a survey was distributed to a number of Irish public librarians as part of this research. The research finds that although many participants reported efforts to engage 15–18-year-olds, they also reported difficulty in attracting and sustaining engagement with this audience. The findings of this research resulted in several recommendations on how to further engage 15–18-year-olds with the Irish Public Library. These recommendations include continuous teen consultation in library planning and decision making, community engagement and outreach, young adult specific collection development and teen specific areas, events, and activities.