ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICES ON THE LITERACY LEVEL OF NIGERIANS
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- NGN 5000
ABSTRACT
The public libraries in Nigeria play a major role in helping children to read. Previous evaluations of libraries, however, have often bypassed the part libraries play in improving children’s literacy skills, focusing instead on the number of books circulated or patrons registered.
A survey of recent literature reveals that libraries continue to play a major role in fostering literacy in our nation, particularly among those segments of the populations that need special assistance in developing literacy skills, such as preschool and elementary school children. Public libraries are in a remarkable position to expose children to great quantities of print and meaningful language opportunities that researchers say are crucial to reading achievement. One study found that children who had been exposed to a library preschool program showed a greater number of emergent literacy behaviors and prereading skills than did those in a control group. Summer reading programs seek to attract large numbers of children to the library during the summer, a time when reading skills often decline. Perhaps the greatest change in children’s library services has been the move among many libraries to incorporate “emergent literacy”—a more interactive, holistic approach to literacy development emphasizing the natural reading and writing behaviors exhibited by preschoolers before formal instruction begins.
Observations at various libraries and interviews with parents, children, and library staff reveal that preschool and summer reading programs encourage children to spend significant amounts of time with books, a first step toward reading achievement. Observations and interviews also show that library programs encourage parents to play greater roles in their children’s literacy development—another factor leading to reading achievement.
Finally, experimental methods showed that children who attend library summer reading programs read significantly better than those children who attend a camp program, suggesting that the time children spend in the library significantly enhances their reading achievement compared to other recreational activities.
Taken together, the various components of this evaluation paint a rich and colorful picture of libraries’ contribution to the educational success of Nigeria’s children. In addition, these findings underscore the important position the library plays in the reading achievement of children who lack access to books and other reading materials in their daily lives.
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