The aim of this study was to, through a qualitative method, investigate students’ participation in a specific library blog to find out what motivate them to create and share digital book recommendations through videos. It also intended to describe the students’ own views of their participation.We conducted interviews with eight students in the ages 12 and 13, who all had similar experiences regarding the blog creation but diverse attitudes concerning the blog production and intentions to participate.The results showed that the strongest motivating forces behind the students' participation in the blog creation was that they enjoyed the making of the videos and also because they wanted to inspire others to read more and create resembling blogs.

37 % aller Kinder wird niemals ein Buch vorgelesen, weder im Elternhaus noch im Kindergarten oder in der Schule. Dies geht aus einer aktuellen Umfrage der Stiftung Lesen hervor. Dabei ist das Vorlesen die Mutter des Lesens, wie Goethe schon wusste.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the literacy environment at home, at school and in the community and the development of voluntary reading and thus a reading habit. This research is relevant as there is an alarming drop out rate, poor matriculation results and low scores in reading performance tests in South African schools. Many factors and possible causes can contribute to this, but a major problem is the lack of a reading habit, low literacy levels and an environment that is not supportive of literacy. As a result, many children are still leaving school functionally illiterate. In order to develop a reading habit, learners must get maximum support and encouragement from their literacy environment, as children learn from what is going on around them. The major role players in the learner's literacy environment, are the home and family (microstructure), the school and teachers, and his community which includes libraries (macrostructure). A literature study on the foundations, contexts and practices of literacy, voluntary reading and environmental factors that affect reading provides the theoretical basis and a conceptual framework for this study. The research method used is a case study with the focus on a sample of learners from Grade 3 - 7 from schools in the Highveld Ridge and Gauteng East area. Due to budgetary and logistical constraints, rural areas are not included. The empirical survey investigates various aspects of the literacy environment. The survey method, with questionnaires for learners, teachers and headmasters, was used. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used to generate data. The findings are that many learners experience difficulties which hinder the development of a reading habit, for example: schools and communities do not have libraries, or access to them is limited; appropriate reading materials are not available; or learners do not have access to them; multilingualism is a major problem in a country with eleven official languages, as many learners have to learn and teachers have to teach in a language other than their mother tongue; parents are not literate and cannot help their children; socio-economic conditions are not conductive to reading; there is a lack of support from governmental at various levels. Although findings in a case study cannot be generalised, certain conclusions and suggestions can guide teachers, parents and librarians to create a more supportive literacy environment to encourage voluntary reading. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

37 % aller Kinder wird niemals ein Buch vorgelesen, weder im Elternhaus noch im Kindergarten oder in der Schule. Dies geht aus einer aktuellen Umfrage der Stiftung Lesen hervor. Dabei ist das Vorlesen die Mutter des Lesens, wie Goethe schon wusste.

Solicitud de embargo por publicación en revista indexada. / Para el espectador los finales de las películas, libros o series, suelen en algunas ocasiones, quedar con tramas inconclusas, desarrollo de personajes incompletos, etc. Por ello, algunos fans, a la expectativa de querer saber las futuras situaciones en las que podrían encontrarse sus personajes en un próximo libro o al verse con la historia ya terminada por el autor, deciden crear sus propias versiones. A esta práctica, popular en los jóvenes de hoy en día, se le conoce como fanfiction. Existen plataformas web tales como: fanfiction.net, Archive of our own, etc, las cuales albergan cientos de historias creadas por los fans. En este contexto, inicialmente con un fin lúdico, los escritores se han apropiado y/o reinterpretado dichos elementos (personajes, características, universos) para crear fanfiction; de modo que, sin ellos darse cuenta, han comenzado a mejorar sus capacidades de lectura y escritura. Este trabajo de investigación aborda la problemática con respecto a si las comunidades fanfiction pueden ser de utilidad en un ámbito formal, como por ejemplo el educativo. En especial, el estudio analiza si la práctica del fanfiction fomenta la lectura y escritura en los jóvenes. Para ello se ha realizado una investigación cualitativa a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas a autores de la plataforma Wattpad. Se ha podido observar que la interacción social es uno de los principales ejes que motivan a los escritores jóvenes a seguir creciendo en la plataforma y seguir nutriéndose de conocimientos para mejorar sus historias. / For the viewer, the endings of movies, books or series tend; in some occasions, to be left with unfinished plots, incomplete character development, etc. For this reason, some fans, in the expectation of wanting to know the future situations in which their characters could find themselves in an upcoming book or when seeing the story already finished by the author, decide to create their own versions. This practice, very popular in today´s youth, is known as fanfiction. There are web platforms such as: fanfiction.net, Archive of our own, etc. which house hundreds of stories created by fans. In this context, initially with a playful purpose, the writers have appropriated and/or reinterpreted these elements (characters, characteristics, universes) to create fanfiction. So, without them realizing it, they have begun to improve their reading and writing skills. This research work addresses the problem regarding whether fanfiction communities can be useful in a formal setting, such as education. In particular, the study examines whether the practice of fanfiction encourages reading and writing in young people. For this, a qualitative research has been carried out through semi-structured interviews with authors of the Wattpad platform. It has been observed that social interaction is one of the main axes that motivate young writers to continue growing on the platform and continue to nourish themselves with knowledge to improve their stories. / Tesis

This two years master's thesis examines the experience of children who read to a dog. The theoretical framework is inspired by sociocultural theory developed by Roger Säljö and the concept carnival inspired by Mikhail Bakhtin. The sociocultural theory has been chosen because it emphasizes the role of practice, instruments and communication in learning and the concept carnival has been chosen to analyze the experience of reading to a dog. The method used is qualitative interview and observation. A total of eight interviews and two observations when children read to a dog have been collected. One interview is with a teacher and seven interviews are with the children (six children participated and one child was interviewed twice). The method of analysis is a process in three stages where the first stage is to explore what the children say, the next stage examines the meaning of what is being said and the third stage understands it in relation to the theoretical framework and prior done research. Important results are that most of the children participating in this thesis have a positive experience of reading to a dog. The children read to a dog in different rooms, at different times and the children read to several dogs. The instrument used was fiction books. Since the purpose was to read only to the dogs the role of the teacher who was in the room during the sessions was described by the children as passive. The observations showed a more active role where the teacher helped the children with difficult words. Most children pet the dog while reading and they gave the dog a treat afterwards. The discussion of this thesis focuses on the role of the libraries. It also gives examples on how to develop reading to dogs and what studies can be done in the future. For the program to evolve more literacy activities can be incorporated and the role of the adult and the dog can be more active. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

This study aims to acquire knowledge about the concept of drag storytimes in public libraries. It addresses research questions regarding their relation to the libraries' mission, as well as associated experiences with and perceptions of these events. The study adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing interviews with different stakeholders, alongside non-participatory observation, as well as media and social media analysis. The theoretical frameworks of agonistic pluralism and visibility are employed.  Findings show that drag storytimes promote accessibility, representation, and acceptance of diversity, aligning with libraries' democratic mission. They also bridge the gap between the art form drag and literature, serving as a means for libraries to encourage and facilitate children's reading. Findings also highlight misconceptions and misrepresentations of drag storytimes in media and public discourse. While libraries have encountered challenges and resistance when hosting drag storytimes, they have also received significant appreciation and support. Resistance is based on concerns about sexualization, indoctrination and unsuitability for children. These concerns are addressed with observations and interviews, which refute these notions.  This study finds that the purpose of drag storytimes lies in promoting reading and providing entertaining experiences for children, emphasizing their child-centric nature. Opinions and perceptions influenced by adults' perspectives, biases, and fears impact the power dynamics among libraries, the public, and politics. This study underscores the challenges faced by libraries in this dynamic and emphasizes their resilience. It underlines the importance of information dissemination, communication, and destigmatization of drag and drag storytimes. By engaging in open conversations, librarians can address misconceptions, confront prejudices, and broaden perspectives.