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A significant amount of research supports the value of learning outside the classroom for creating effective learning opportunities, and for the social, cultural and emotional benefits it presents. Although there is a movement in place in the United Kingdom to integrate learning outside the classroom into classroom practice, many pre-service teachers have little to no training or experience in that theory and practice. This case study describes the "settings other than schools" element of the teacher training programs at York St. John University and looks at the impact on student teachers' attitudes and dispositions about their own firsthand experience in learning outside the classroom.

The study described here investigates the thoughts and opinions of young readers related to age banding on children's books. Emphasizing the views of children themselves, rather than adults such as parents, librarians, teachers and authors, the research involved a series of three focus groups involving children aged 11-13 years. The discussions held by the focus groups revealed that participants thought that age banding is intended primarily for adults, and for readers younger than the participants. Age bands were thought to neglect individualism and to restrict autonomy; they were less obvious than other features on books so their position and appearance were significant.

This article reports on selected results of a comprehensive survey of children's reading in England, carried out online in 2005 by the National Centre for Research in Children's Literature at Roehampton University. With 4182 responses from children living in England aged from 4 to 16 years, the survey is a follow-up to a similar study completed in 1996. The article concentrates on those issues included in the survey which are of particular interest to children's librarians, specifically questions relating to borrowing books, choosing books, reading recommendations, book reviews, school libraries and classroom book corners. (Contains 20 tables and 5 figures.)

This article reports an investigation of the attitudes and opinions of children's librarians towards poetry, and towards its promotion in the public library. It also reports some attitudes towards literature promotion to young people in general. A series of structured interviews with library professionals currently working in the public sector strongly indicate that children's librarians are themselves enthusiastic concerning poetry, and are firmly convinced both of the benefits incurred by children encouraged to read, write and listen to poems from a very early age, and of children's own enjoyment of this genre. Due to its brevity and memorability, poetry is regarded by the interviewees as the most accessible literary form for poor or reluctant readers, despite its wider image as a neglected and "difficult" genre for children and young people.

This article investigates the ways in which libraries and librarians are portrayed in children's fiction. Three example texts are used to determine whether the portrayal of the library and the librarian in modern children's fiction provides children with a positive image of the service, and to identify the ways in which such fiction can teach children about library use. The chosen texts provide critical analysis and are as follows: "Little Bo Peep's Library Book" (Cowell, 1999); "The Legend of Spud Murphy" (Colfer, 2004) and "The Last of the Sky Pirates" (Stewart and Riddell, 2003). The three texts include a picture book for young children, a story for children who are capable of reading on their own and a book for older children and young adults. The main conclusion drawn is that modern children's fiction presents a positive view of libraries, librarians and the services they provide. It is argued that a variety of methods is used to portray libraries and librarians in a positive light, and that such fiction may play a considerable role in educating young readers about responsible library use and the range of services provided by libraries. (Contains 2 figures.)

Introduction. Information sharing has recently become an area of interest within the information behaviour literature. Yet, limited published empirical research can be found. This paper reports results concerning the information sharing behaviour of a group of female academics in Saudi Arabia. Method. The data for this paper were collected via semi-structured interviews, informed by the critical incident technique, and diaries between May-September, 2013 to gather data from 24 female academics. Eight of whom kept a diary for a two-week period. Analysis. Thematic data analysis was undertaken to analyse different aspects of information sharing, motivation and strategies for sharing information. Results. Information sharing was an embedded aspect of the participants' information behaviour and exhibited in both the work and everyday life context. A tendency for retaining and withholding information was also identified. The analysis allowed different types of information sharing to be distinguished and helped to explain why and how the participants shared information in relation to a range of situations that related to their daily life. Conclusions. The study indicated the complexity of information sharing and identified why people shared or withheld information; the information sharing process; the situations where information was shared and the nature of their information sharing and adds to our understanding of information sharing. Nevertheless, further distinctions are likely to be identified in the course of further analysis and placed in the broader context of information behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a research project, funded by Booktrust, into factors which contribute to successful primary school libraries. The research involved six case studies of primary school libraries which had proved successful in challenging circumstances. Such challenges might include lack of space, poor resourcing or deprived school catchment areas. Evidence was collected through visits, during which semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff across the schools - principally those with a close involvement or interest in the library, together with a survey of the pupils of each school being visited. The schools included a variety of library models and types of school - both urban and rural schools of varying sizes. Each school in the study faces a range of challenges in terms of providing a good library service to children. The study found a range of factors important for a successful library. These included: ensuring the commitment of both senior staff and library staff; involving children in the development and day-to-day running of the library; integrating the library into the school and encouraging collaboration between library staff and teachers; maximising the opening hours of the library; making innovative use of space; ensuring the availability of resources to provide a wide range of good quality stock, and using evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article investigates the ways in which libraries and librarians are portrayed in children's fiction. Three example texts are used to determine whether the portrayal of the library and the librarian in modern children's fiction provides children with a positive image of the service, and to identify the ways in which such fiction can teach children about library use. The importance of reading undertaken in childhood cannot be underestimated. It provides a foundation for the acquisition of knowledge as well as for a love of reading for pleasure, and the strength of this foundation depends not only on the encouragement children receive from teachers and parents, but also on the work of those who write and illustrate books for children. Despite the importance of developing reading skills, recent statistics show that issues of children's books from public libraries in Great Britain have fallen by 22.3 million. Over the last five years or so, however, an increasing number of children's books have been published in which the library is portrayed in an altogether more positive light.

A small-scale study of primary school library provision in Leicestershire is described. A questionnaire was sent to every primary school in the area, covering issues such as library staffing, support, access, accommodation, collection status and management. The survey achieved a response rate of 39%. A supplementary diary study investigating the uses made of individual primary school libraries was also undertaken. Results indicated that improvements in primary school library provision had been taking place, although the general impression that libraries are managing despite lack of funds and staffing was mostly confirmed. The majority of schools in Leicestershire noted having a library, with their size varying considerably. School management generally ensures that one individual has responsibility for the library. Only 33% of respondents report the library's activities to governors and even fewer inform the parents through the annual report. Funding the school library budget is very complex-no coherent policy for funding with a regular budget was identified. Forty-nine per cent of respondents allowed pupils access to the school library at any time during the school day. Only 15% of responding schools had an electronic catalogue, although 98% used some method of classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]