Study on Public Libraries' Reading Supports for Families with Foreign Backgrounds

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H06761
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Library and information science/Humanistic social informatics
• Research Institution: Mie University
• Principal Investigator: Wake Naomi 三重大学, 地域人材教育開発機構, 助教 (80799742)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-08-25 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: ブックスタート / 外国にルーツを持つ家庭 / 読書支援 / 移民 / 難民 / 公共図書館

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research project aims to clarify the reality of public libraries' reading supports so called the Bookstart from two points of view; users, and Promotion organization and libraries.
In Japan, this project conducted surveys in 3 multicultural communities in order to find out the implementation and the system of the Bookstart project especially for families with foreign roots. In the above 3 cities, this project approached to the users of the Bookstart with foreign backgrounds through participant observation and interview survey.
Also it was found that the implementation of the Bookstart especially for immigrants and refugees in the UK and Sweden from a policy perspective through interviews with national promotion organizations. Further more, in the UK and Sweden, thorough the interviews with librarians, it was clarified that the way of approaching to the users of the Bookstart with immigrants backgrounds.

Free Research Field

図書館情報学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は国内外におけるブックスタートの展開方法と実施体制を示した。日本では現状ブックスタートの実施の有無や外国にルーツを持つ家庭への支援は，各自治体の判断に委ねられており，自治体間で差異がある。一方本研究では，スウェーデンのように文化評議会が国レベルの文化機関として介在し，全国から社会経済的に困窮する世帯の多い自治体を対象地域に選択するといった展開方法が明らかとなった。このような知見は，今後さらに多文化化の進展が予想される日本のコミュニティにおいて，図書館に限らず公共セクターが外国にルーツを持つ世帯に公共サービスを提供する際の制度設計や対象の選択において議論を深める一助となりうる。