This study attempts to discover the pattern of rural library usage among rural youth in Malaysia and to determine the problems that are associated with such usage. The findings of this study provide an insight into youth usage of rural library services. The most obvious pattern that resulted from the findings is the connection between library usage and the availability of reading materials. Furthermore, it was found that some of the respondents raised their concern with regard to rural libraries being congested with children. A number of recommendations have been highlighted and it is expected that these can be used by concerned parties to further improve and develop rural library services.
AlexapolousGKoutsourisATzouramaniI (2010) Adoption and use of ICTs among rural youth: Evidence from Greece. International Journal of Information Communication Technologies and Human Development3: 1–18.
BadsarMAbu SamahBAbu HassanMOsmanNShaffrilHAM (2011) Predictor factors of telecentres outcome from the users’ perspectives in rural communities. American Journal of Applied Science8(6): 617–627.
4.
BarlowCHallBL (2007) ‘What about feelings?’: A study of emotion and tension in social work field education. Social Work Education: The International Journal26(4): 399–413.
5.
BegumS (2011) Readers; advisory and underestimated roles of escapist reading. Library Review60(9): 738–747.
6.
CorradiniE (2003) Teenagers analyse their public library. New Library World107: 481–498.
7.
DeweM (2006) Planning Public Library Buildings: Concepts and Issues for the Librarian. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Limited, p. 87.
8.
EvansJEtekieraK (1990) Rural library services in the Republic of Kiribati. International Library Review22: 225–237.
9.
GillespieNAWalshMWinefieldAHDuaJStoughC (2001) Occupational stress in universities: staff perceptions of the causes, consequences and moderators of stress. Work & Stress: An International Journal of Work, Health & Organisations15(1): 53–72.
10.
HarmonCBradburnFB (1988) Realizing the reading and information needs of youth. Library Trends37(1): 19–27.
11.
HowardV (2011) What do young teens think about the public library?The Library Quarterly81(3): 321–344.
IslamMAHoqKMG (2010) Community Internet access in rural areas: A study on community information centres in Bangladesh. Malaysian Journal of Library & Information Science15(2): 109–124.
14.
KuateFAF (2008) The social impact of ICTs on youth living in less developed countries: A case study of the mobile phone in Cameroonian rural areas. Paper presented at The Fourth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge and Society, 18–20 January, 2008. Boston.
15.
LindellLR (2009) So long as I can read: Farm women’s reading experiences in depression-era South Dakota. Agricultural History83(4): 503–527.
16.
LoertscherDVWoollsEB (2002) Teenage users of libraries: A brief overview of the research. Knowledge Quest30(5): 31–36.
17.
McQuaidRLindsayCGreigM (2004) ‘Reconnecting’ the unemployed information and communication technology and services for jobseekers in rural areas. Information, Communication and Society7(3): 364–388.
18.
MelentievaJP (2009) Reading among young Russians: Some modern tendencies. Slavic and East European Information Resource10(4): 304–321.
MumtazAAHanaIS (1998) Information need of rural Malaysians: An exploratory study of a cluster of three villages with no library services. International Information & Library Review30: 23–36.
21.
National Library of Malaysia (2011) Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia. Available at: http://www.pnm.gov.my/pnmv3/index.php. (accessed on 23 November 2012).
NunnallyJC (1978) Psychometric Theory. 2nd Edition. McGraw Hill, New York.
24.
OmarSZShaffrilHAMBolongJD’SilvaJL (2012) The impingement factors of rural library services usage among rural youth in Malaysia. Asian Social Science8(7): 60–68.
25.
Shariful IslamM (2009) The community development library in Bangladesh. Information Development25: 99–111.
26.
TeeLH (1986) Public library services in Malaysia: an analysis. Library Review35 (1): 5–12.
27.
TenopirCKingDWEdwardsSHWuL (2009) Electronic journals and changes in scholarly article seeking and reading patterns. Aslib Proceedings61(1): 5–32.
28.
TveitAK (2012) Reading habits and library use among young adults. New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship18(2): 85–104.
