Services for Baby Users in Public Libraries
Ayşenur Güneş, Mehmet CanatarWhen the status of public libraries serving all age groups in Turkey is questioned, it is seen that there is not much variety of service for babies compared to other age groups. Taking into account the importance of this issue, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has carried out studies to provide services for babies in libraries. Within the scope of this study, the relevant sections of two public libraries in Turkey, which were found to have separate sections for babies, were examined in the context of the five basic elements of libraries (budget, location, user, staff, collection). Since libraries for infants, which serve in a detached building outside the public library and independent from it, were excluded from the sample, they were not included in the research. Qualitative research was conducted in the study. During the case study implementation, structured interview and document review techniques were used as the data collection technique. At the stage of data evaluation, descriptive analysis technique was used. The result of the study showed that the sections for infants were used extensively by users of the library and positive feedback was received from the users.
Halk Kütüphanelerinde Bebek Kullanıcılara Yönelik Hizmetler
Ayşenur Güneş, Mehmet CanatarHalk kütüphaneleri, hizmet sunduğu kullanıcı kitlesi en geniş kütüphane türüdür. Bebeklikten başlayarak, tüm yaş gruplarına hizmet sunan halk kütüphanelerinin ülkemizdeki durumu sorgulandığında diğer yaş gruplarına göre bebeklere yönelik hizmet çeşitliliğinin fazla olmadığı görülmektedir. Yurt dışı literatürde “baby friendly- bebek dostu” olarak adlandırılan bu kütüphane türü ülkemizde henüz yeni gelişmekle beraber hızlı bir şekilde yayılmaktadır. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı bu konunun önemini dikkate alarak Karabük Zübeyde Hanım İl Halk Kütüphanesi ve Şarköy İlçe Halk Kütüphanesinde ilk olarak bebek bölümlerini hizmete sunmuştur. Çalışma kapsamında ülkemizde bebekler için ayrı bölümleri olduğu saptanan iki halk kütüphanesinin ilişkili bölümleri kütüphanelerin beş temel unsuru (bütçe, mekân, kullanıcı, personel, derme) bağlamında incelenmiştir. Halk kütüphanesi kapsamı dışında müstakil bir binada ve halk kütüphanesinden bağımsız olarak hizmet sunan bebek kütüphanesi örneklem dışında kaldığından araştırma kapsamına alınmamıştır. Çalışmada nitel araştırma yapılmıştır. Durum çalışması uygulanması aşamasında, veri toplama tekniği olarak ise yapılandırılmış görüşme ve doküman incelemesi teknikleri uygulanmıştır. Verilerin değerlendirilmesi aşamasında ise betimsel analiz tekniğinden yararlanılmıştır. Gerçekleştirilen değerlendirmeye göre her iki kütüphanenin de eksikleri olmasına karşın işbirliği ve paylaşımlarla geliştirilebilecek olan bu hizmeti ülkemizde ilk olarak sunmuş olmaları önem arz etmektedir. Ayrıca, bebek bölümlerinin kütüphane kullanıcıları tarafından yoğun bir şekilde kullanıldığı ve yaygınlaştırılması gerektiği şeklinde olumlu dönütler alındığı bilgisi elde edilmiştir.
Until recently, not many library services have been designed for the baby user group . As consideration of baby users has increased, the concept of a library for infants has emerged in recent years. This concept has led to some conceptual confusion in the literature, but nonetheless a type of library has emerged for babies who are already within the service of public libraries. The term "baby friendly", already in use in foreign literature, was preferred instead of the concept of "baby library" within the scope of this study. Although library services for the baby group under twelve months of age, also referred to as pre-walkers, are quite limited, babies in this age group constitute the user group that needs utmost attention in terms of safety. Although providing services for this age group is challenging for libraries, it should be kept in mind that the mentioned age group is the most important period in an individual’s life. When it is considered that habits such as using libraries and reading books are very early acquired behaviors, the importance of libraries for babies becomes apparent. In our country, spaces known as ‘baby-friendly’ have started to appear in public libraries: Karabük Zübeyde Hanım Provincial Public Library and Şarköy District Public Library are two examples of this. In this study, two baby sections that serve within the scope of a public library were examined. The aim of the study was to determine the service qualities of the baby sections and to reveal the importance of these sections. A qualitative research method was used in the study. Structured interview and document analysis techniques were used in the study in which a case study method was applied. Structured interview questions consisting of 12 questions and directed to both libraries, were sent to the library administrators via e-mail and data were collected. In the light of the data obtained, although both libraries were established with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the most important feature of Karabük Zübeyde Hanım Provincial Public Library is that it was established in cooperation with the Department of Child Development and Education of Karabük University and takes support from this department while providing its services. Among other findings, this study concludes that baby departments are visited with interest by families and that they are satisfied with the service provided . Both libraries serve babies aged 0-3 and do not have separate staff for this department. While an average of 6-7 babies use Şarköy District Public Library per day, an average of 30 babies use Karabük Provincial Public Library. Karabük Zübeyde Hanım Provincial Public Library and Şarköy District Public Library, evaluated within the scope of the study, are the first examples in our country to put the concept of a baby-friendly library into practice. Karabük Zübeyde Hanım Provincial Public Library provides this service cooperatively by receiving the support of the Department of Child Development of Karabük University. This not only ensures that the collection is of high quality and rich in materials for babies, but also increases the quality of the service. Also, the availability of a separate baby care room can be shown as a result of this cooperation. This is because the needs of this age group were clarified by taking the opinions of experts into account (child developers, educators, etc.) and necessary arrangements were made. The fact that Şarköy District Public Library is located in a small district and therefore has limited opportunities can be shown as its negative aspect. Despite being in a small district, the high usage rates reveal the importance of this place for that area. The lack of a separate baby care room can be regarded as the most important deficiency of this library. It is clearly understood how important these, and similar contributions, are especially for small provinces and districts that are relatively devoid of many opportunities rather than areas with more opportunities such as developed metropolises. Although there are many facilities that families can avail themselves of with their babies in big cities, such facilities are either limited or not available in small places. At this point, when we consider public libraries in the context of socialization, the necessity of designing areas for babies becomes more apparent. While many elements related to library services designed in such areas are fulfilled, it is very important to constantly pay attention to hygiene in order to ensure the continuity of these services. It should not be forgotten that the health and physical development of the age group being served are essential for the basis of their development in many areas such as cognitive and mental areas. Individuals who have grown up in the library environment since infancy will regard the library as a natural environment and this will make them good library users.
