Article
“Pure Delight and Professional Development”: The Reading Practices and Library Use of an Active Poetry Community
Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science
(2014)
Abstract
Abstract:
This paper reports the findings of an online survey designed to explore the reading practices, library habits, and book acquisition of adult members of an active poetry community (n = 32) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Findings show the close relationship between poetry reading and poetry writing and the tight interweaving of poetry throughout the working and personal lives of respondents. Reading and finding out about poetry are also highly social in nature with a clear reliance on the poetry community rather than the public library. Our findings have implications for the roles of reading institutions such as bookstores, libraries, and publishers, as well as for collection development and readers’ advisory services to specialized reading communities.
Keywords
- poets and poetry,
- public libraries,
- reading practices,
- Ontario
Disciplines
Publication Date
2014
DOI
doi:10.1353/ils.2014.0010
Citation Information
Carey Toane and Paulette Rothbauer. "“Pure Delight and Professional Development”: The Reading Practices and Library Use of an Active Poetry Community" Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science Vol. 38 Iss. 2 (2014) p. 97 - 126 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/paulette_rothbauer/12/