Interests and preferences of children, teens, and young adults at the Havana public libraries Author: Miguel Viciedo Principal Specialist Methodological Area Adjunct professor Rubén Martínez Villena Public Library Office of the Historian of the City of Havana, Cuba

Objectives To understand the user’s reading tastes and preferences at the system’s libraries. To understand the user’s tastes and preferences of the system’s libraries regarding cultural activities.

Development A recently completed public library user’s taste and preference study. The development and attainment of the research’s objectives and its results corroborate and enrich our original hypothesis.

A questionnaire was developed which sampled the average number of children, teens, young adults, and adult users who visited the libraries over a period of six months. Eleven of the fourteen municipal libraries in the system participated. The questionnaire and standard interview techniques were used with 3618 patrons who visited their institutions during the period. This was done in accordance with the resources available, e.g. paper, pens or pencils, staff etc. The following results are organized by age group:

Age groups surveyed Children and teens

The most popular titles mentioned by Children and Teens Harry Potter Lord of the Rings Alice in Wonderland The gnome princess Journey to Space Coloring books Journey to the Center of the earth Text books (Geography, Physics, Music, Botany and Chemistry) Greek Mythology History of Dance

Young adults and adults

The group who liked to read: Children, Teens andYoung adults (%)

Preferred genres(%)

Topics preferred (%)

Cultural activities chosen by children and teens Educational and entertainment videos, 29.7 Game workshops, 26.1% Book talks and book sales, 23.1% Talks on topics of interest for children and adolescents, 21.1% Art workshops, 20%

The most popular titles of young adult El Monte Máscaras (Masks) Jardín (Garden) Twenty poems of love and a song of despair House of the spirits Paula Poems of José A. Buesa Biographies of famous authors Biography of Napoleón Bonaparte Good morning sadness Great biographies Diary of Anne Frank

Conclusions The results of the study confirm the original hypothesis. The data analysis allows us to reach the following conclusions: The majority of library users are female (60.4%). The ages most represented in the study are adolescents between 12 and 16 (64.5%), young adults between 17 and 24 (34.7) The predominant school level in children and teens is junior high, and in the young adults and adults those from pre-university and technical school. In the population’s economically active sector the most represented are workers and in those economically non-active are students and housewives. The majority of users who visit the libraries like to read, whether at home or in the library, with books and documents available to them in our libraries. This confirms the need for libraries as public spaces that enhance the culture and education of the population both within and outside of the institutions.

Novels, short stories, and poetry are the preferred genres by all age groups surveyed. Topics preferred are literature, history, and science fiction. Activities preferred by children and teens at libraries are educational theatrical videos, game workshops, and book talks and sales. Activities preferred by young adults and adults at libraries are: book talks and sales, book fairs, and music and poetry clubs. Authors preferred by young adult and adult users surveyed are: Lydia Cabrera, Leonardo Padura, Dulce María Loynaz, Isabel Allende, José Ángel Buesa, Mario Benedetti Y Gabriel García Márquez. Preferred titles of children and teens are Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and The Gnome Princess, among others. Titles most preferred by young adult and adults are: El Monte (by Lydia Cabrera), Máscaras (Masks, by Leonardo Padura Fuentes), Jardín (Garden by Dulce María Loynaz), Paisaje de otoño (Autumn Landscape, by Leonardo Padura Fuentes), Twenty poems of love and a song of despair (by Pablo Neruda), House of the Spirits (by Isabel Allende), Paula (by Isabel Allende) and Poetry of José A. Buesa.

Recomendations Utilize the results of the study in the design of strategies and projs of the libraries, as well as in the selection and acquisition of books that meet the interests and preferences of children, teens, and young adults. Design a program of activities for public libraries that promotes reading and the cultural level of the population, corresponding to the user’s interests and preferences. Achieve this research by conducting a taste and preference study every two years in the public libraries, to determine how user interests are changing and to systematically and dynamically enrich the work strategies established in conformance with new options and criteria. This continuity of study will ensure that the librarian’s work with children, teens, and young adults remains fresh and vital. Utilize the results of this study in the design of the Cultural Program of the City of Havana.

"Shaping Our Future: Library Services for Youth"

Reading is part of growing up ¡Thanks Colleagues! mviciedo@bpvillena.ohdireco.cu metodologico@bpvillena.ohdireco.cu