Sparking Reading Motivation with the Bluestem: School Librarians' Role with a Children's Choice Award

This paper reports findings of a qualitative collective case study and single case study that explored student reading motivation. This research focused on school librarians' perceived value of one children's choice award--the Bluestem Award--and its effect on school librarians' promotions and student behavior in the school library. Data were collected from site visits, questionnaires, book availability, book circulation, and voting ballots. Findings suggested that school librarians' perceived value of the Bluestem was essential for their promotion of the award. This study concluded that the purchase of multiple copies of Bluestem Award books and promotions with the greatest personal interaction led to greater student reading motivation, as evidenced by student questionnaires, checkouts, and voting behavior.