Experience has shown that when library procedures are simplified to the operational needs of its users, children look forward to their weekly library hour with anticipation -- and read with pleasure. (Authors)

Books which show children and adolescents coping with current social and family problems are discussed. The books deal with the changing structure of families, divorce, children's loneliness, urban problems, death, and other issues. (PP)

Outlines one junior high school's method of improving students' reading habits through a book fair, a book exchange club, and a weekly read-in. (MM)

Reveals that there are definite factors fifth- through eighth-grade students consider when choosing books for personal reading, including (1) peer recommendations, (2) movie and television tie-ins, and (3) information provided on the book jacket. (FL)

Describes St. Maria Goretti School's Home/School-Read/Discuss program in which parent, teacher, and child sign a contract for leisure reading. Both parent and child read and discuss the selected books. Responsibilities of each participant are listed on the sample reading contract provided. (SJL)

Presents a study of adult reading habits based on time use. Indicates a decline in daily newspaper readership, particularly in the past 10 years, but a revival in magazine and book reading for the same period. (JMF)

Suggests field trips and other community exploration activities to show students that reading exists as a useful skill outside the classroom. (SJL)

Discusses the issue of capable high school students who are excellent readers but don't read outside of school assignments. Suggests that the school librarian's role in solving this problem is to provide a variety of reading materials and to encourage reading both in the library and in the school program. (BK)

Investigates the five-factor model of personality (neuroticism, extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) as a correlate of mass media use. Shows strongest relationships for mass media use between openness and pleasure reading, extroversion and negative pleasure reading, and openness and negative TV viewing. Finds that…

Demonstrates that when children select library books, there is a generalizable routine or pattern learned and followed by most children--refinements or elaborations on that routine, however, are best demonstrated by "outlier" behaviors atypical to the basic routine. Shows that children typically select books based upon the book's…

Compares second grade and fifth grade students' recreational reading levels (when students self-select library books for recreation reading) in relation to independent, instructional, and frustration levels as determined with an informal reading inventory. Concludes that recreational reading levels should not be viewed as synonymous with…

Discusses the current widespread acceptance of the public library model for prison libraries, in which preferences of the inmates are the chief consideration in programing and collection development. It is argued that this model results in recreational programs and collections that fail to fulfill the prison library's role in education and…

Studies the effect of sustained silent reading (SSR) on recreational reading habits after termination of instruction. Finds that SSR students read more than those not in the program, and that SSR has no impact on above average readers, great impact on average readers, and little impact on below average readers. (RS)

Lists 21 teacher tested ways of encouraging voluntary reading. Suggestions include role playing, teacher modeling, reading aloud, reading books from a series, critical reading, bringing books from home, and tape recording passages from books. (RS)

Presents annotations of five documents in the ERIC database that discuss recreational reading programs. Presents two annotations of documents listing award-winning or favorably reviewed works of children's literature. (RS)