assignment for the sociology

Ima Gakusei 1007000651 January 18, 2020 SOCI 200A - Article Analysis #1

In the journal, Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, Bailey Diers aims to uncover the leisure reading habits of the community at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Her article, “At Your Leisure: Establishing a Popular Reading Collection at UBC Library”, utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methods to effectively analyze whether creating a leisure reading collection at the campus academic library would be beneficial and garner regular use. Although the study has some problems with sampling, the methods used are valid and it contributes significantly to research on this topic.

The main research question is to determine the level of need for leisure reading materials, with the goal to enhance the positive outcomes of reading by increasing accessibility to such resources. For the purposes of this research, leisure reading is defined as reading “fiction or non-fiction books of one’s own accord for pleasure, or for one’s own enrichment, rather than for work and school” (Diers 2012, p.50). (Would this mean popular books? Or books one might find in a non-university library or store? What about the overlap between classic literature and books one might read for leisure?) This research is differentiated from other similar articles in its field by its diversity in sample size (this would mean various sizes of sample. You could rephrase to “by the internal diversity of its sample.”). While other research tends to focus (solely?) on undergraduate students, the scope of Diers’ research is expanded to include undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, faculty and other community members of the UBC campus (as well?). This is significant, because nearly all UBC residents lack access to other free public library services that may enable them to attain leisure reading materials. The availability of said materials may act as an incentive for those who do not regularly read for leisure to choose more learning-positive leisure channels. For example, a study done by Salter and Brook (2007) is cited in the article to indicate that students are more inclined to spend their leisure time watching TV or movies in favour of leisure reading (which is the second most chosen preference) since the technological revolution. (Does the availability of e-books change access to leisure reading materials?)

Diers used a triangulation method to obtain data for her study, by sending 1500 random sample invitations for her survey to UBC residents (quantitative) and analyzing their subjective answers (qualitative) (try to integrate “quantitative and qualitative” directly into the sentence). To ensure that there was a relatively even number of responses from each demographic, a preset number of invitations were sent to undergraduates (500), graduate students (400), faculty (300), and community members (300). In addition to this sample, the survey was posted on the UBC library website for open participation for non-invited participants. Each participant was given an online questionnaire, consisting of nineteen questions and other open-ended questions to include their opinions, such as genres and authors that they wished to see in the hypothetical reading collection created. The questionnaire asked about reading habits, tendencies and preferences regarding leisure reading. Of the answers received, there were 467 deemed valid; with a relatively equal number coming from the random sample and the open participation (244 and 229, respectively). This method was designed with the intention of similar studies being easily replicated in future studies (unnecessary repetition), therefore giving it external validity.

Largely positive feedback was received, with 64% of respondents saying that they would use a leisure reading collection, 32% responding with “maybe”, and only 6% responding that they would not. Diers also found that within all response groups, there were strong leisure reading habits, with the Faculty of Arts being the highest, followed by the Faculty of Science. However, it is recognized that this information could be skewed, as these are also the two largest departments at UBC, resulting in a higher rate of response from that demographic in general. It was also found that graduate students were more likely than undergraduates to read for leisure. When prompted to explain why, the most common response was related to time - either that they had more of it to spare, or made more time. (maybe graduate students have more flexible schedules?)Finally, this study revealed that the UBC library already owned 81% of the titles and authors requested by the respondents. This could result in two interpretations. First, that the UBC library has an adequate number of resources to fulfill the need for leisure reading materials, therefore making a new collection unnecessary. The other interpretation, made by Diers, is that this demonstrates a genuine need for more leisure reading books, in order to supplement the existing resources. The expansion of this collection could also attract more community members, thus contributing to a thriving UBC community.

This study’s contribution to the field is significant, as it distinguishes between the different groups who would benefit more from a leisure reading collection, and provides data regarding their reading habits and preferences. However, this data may be biased due to unrepresentative sampling. Although half the sample is randomly selected, the other half is comprised of those who already use the library, as the open survey was posted on the library website. This may mean that creating a collection would not actually lead students to choose reading over other activities in their leisure time. Furthermore, the wording of the questions may be misleading. A “maybe” response cannot be equated to a positive one, as the meaning is ambiguous. “Maybe” using the collection is unclear as to whether it will be used only once or many times, thereby not providing a concrete variable to evaluate whether the collection will be worth the cost. And while the design of the study provides generalizability, the results may not do the same. One must take into consideration that UBC is an affluent school with a higher tuition than most post-secondary institutions, so this data may not be applicable to less prestigious universities and colleges. For example, those of a lower socio-economic status may have other factors that reduce their leisure activity time, such as having to work. Despite the problems with the study, I believe the results are valid and create significant positive repercussions. A recommendation for future studies would be to do a comparative study of several campuses, using more random sampling and having more questions in the surveys with more specific wording. Reference Diers, B., & Simpson, S. (2012). At your leisure: Establishing a popular reading collection at UBC library. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 7(2), 49-66.

Instructor Comments: This is very good, including (and especially) the critical analysis section. Please take a look at some of the clarity issues I indicated. Your article choice is very beneficial for your research.