Public library staff attitudes toward storytime programs: An empirical study of demographic differences in Türkiye

Abstract

This study examines public library staff attitudes toward storytime programs in Türkiye and explores how these attitudes vary according to key demographic and professional characteristics, including gender, job position, years of professional experience, and geographic region. Using a descriptive quantitative survey design, data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to 552 public library staff members working across Türkiye’s seven geographical regions. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted to identify overall attitude levels and group-based differences. The findings indicate that public library staff generally hold positive attitudes toward storytime programs (M = 3.67, SD = 0.95). Statistically significant differences were observed across several variables: female staff members and professional librarians reported more positive attitudes than their male and non-professional counterparts, highlighting the role of gender and professional engagement in children’s library services. Regional variations were also evident, with higher attitude levels reported in the Marmara, Aegean, and Southeastern Anatolia regions. In addition, attitudes demonstrated a non-linear pattern across years of professional experience, suggesting that professional motivation and openness to program innovation fluctuate over the course of a career. Overall, the results underscore the critical influence of staff perceptions on the planning, implementation, and sustainability of storytime programs, which play an increasingly central role in public libraries’ contributions to early literacy and community engagement. By providing one of the first comprehensive empirical assessments of storytime-related staff attitudes in a non-Western context, this study contributes to the international literature on library-based early childhood services and highlights the importance of institutional and demographic factors in shaping service quality.