In order to study whether sex as a reading-interest determinant has lessened as the women's movement has strengthened, the reading interests of 161 first-grade and second-grade girls and boys were studied by conducting one-to-one interviews with the children in Glen Cove, New York, in the spring of 1976. Answers were tabulated in seven categories.…

A study was conducted to discover the components of books that children prefer over and above those children's books that adults critically acclaim. Forty intermediate-level fiction books included in the "Children's Choices" listings for 1978 to 1980 were read by three adult researchers and classified according to A. Applebee's taxonomy…

We should resist the temptation to label our times the Age of Television--it really is an era of mass communication, and books play a strong role in this process. A positive correlation between increased television viewing and the increased use of books is indicated by new highs in library circulation figures in the past two decades. Television…

The categories of news flow research and the objectives of readership studies were combined in a pilot field experiment in audience reaction to and interest in foreign news. Using both projective and behavioral measures, the study explored media use patterns and story preferences. In particular, it investigated the effect on reader interest of…

The "Harry Potter" series has become a phenomenal success with children. "Harry Potter" books in print worldwide is in excess of 116 million, and they have been translated into 47 languages. What might account for this huge popularity? While the characters and events are certainly engaging, funny, original, and creative, they…

Students' book choices and discussions during independent reading were studied in a combined fifth/sixth grade classroom. The meanings students and the teacher gave to the practice of independent, "free-choice" reading were studied, and the influences that shaped students' choices of books were explored. Independent reading is actually social in…

The National Language and Literature Development Agency (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka) in Malaysia promotes literacy and reading through publishing, book promotion, book distribution, extension programs, writing incentives, and maintenance of a special library. The article signals a need for the understanding of reasons why interest in reading has not…

Several points need to be addressed when selecting humorous books for children. First, people of all ages react to humor in different ways; therefore, what one child finds funny another may not. Care must therefore be taken in sharing books with and recommending books for children. Second, humor itself is difficult to define, but humor should…

This paper presents a brief history of the decline in recreational reading in university libraries and provides suggestions for ways to reverse the trend. The paper argues that students' anxiety about using the university library can be reduced by incorporating library instruction into existing courses. The paper also argues that prominent,…

To identify the profile of the active older reader, indepth taped interviews were conducted with 23 retired individuals for whom reading was an important part of daily living experience. Demographic data indicated that the highest education level attained varied from grammar school to a master's degree. Developmentally, the lifetime reader…

Elementary school children were questioned about what and why they read. The 20 children, four each from kindergarten and grades one, three, four, and six, included 12 boys and 8 girls. The teachers were asked to send two good readers and two poor readers from each grade, without indicating which children were good or poor readers. During…

A study investigated the diversity of reading behaviors reported by 3,354 middle-aged (45-64) and older (65 and older) Canadian readers in response to a questionnaire on reading habits. The study coupled the amount of time spent reading with a "breadth" score based on the variety and frequency of books read. Based on the subjects' time…

Library historians and historians of literacy have been more creative than journalism historians in using individual-level historical data such as deeds, wills, depositions, surveys, and census figures to study reading behaviors of the past. For example, the series of family cost of living surveys conducted in the United States by state and…

The responses of 36 publishers and editors of city magazines--magazines such as "Chicago,""MPLS," and "Texas Monthly" that are published primarily for a local or regional market--provided data for an analysis of the positioning of these magazines in the media marketplace, factors leading to their success, their…

Segmentation, a research technique used to ascertain the needs and wants of consumers, was employed in a study that examined the attitudes of persons aged 18 to 34 years toward newspapers. This age group was chosen on the basis of research indicating that it is the weakest segment in the newspaper readership market. Interviews with 14 college…