Ethnographic Study Found School Library is a Safe Refuge of Solitude for French Urban Middle School Students

A Review of: Joing, I. (2023). The school library: An important place for adolescents’ well-being. An ethnographic experience in a French middle school. Journal of Library Administration, 63(6), 777-796. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2023.2240192 Objective – To understand the role of school libraries in middle school students’ well-being. Design – Ethnographic study consisting of overt participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and a written questionnaire. Setting – An urban middle school in northern France between November 2017 and April 2018. Subjects –Students from 10 to 15 years of age and selected school personnel. Methods – Students from three randomly selected classes were invited to complete the questionnaire, and quantifiable responses were summarized using descriptive statistics. Other materials collected during the five-month study period, including the researcher’s field journal, interview transcripts, and qualitative questionnaire responses, were analyzed using grounded theory-informed open, axial, and selective coding to discern students’ perception of the library. Main Results – The majority of the 95 students who completed the questionnaire viewed the library as a safe place associated with positive school experiences. However, these favorable impressions gradually decreased as students progressed in their studies, with senior (fourth-year) respondents reporting the lowest positive-to-negative experience ratio, at 1.1 to 1. Thematic clusters that emerged from coding of the rest of study materials further supported these findings, showing that students perceived the library to be both (a) a physical shelter from harsh winter elements during recess or lunch, and (b) a psychological refuge for solitude and peace from negative peer interactions. Nonetheless, (c) limited and unreliable library hours and (d) restrictive rules concerning noise and space access appeared to erode these positive associations over time. Senior students also expressed (e) the desire for more library or general school spaces dedicated to group work. Conclusion – Findings from this ethnographic study highlighted different ways library space contributed to students’ sense of well-being. The study also uncovered some shortcomings in space management that contributed to students’ declining library use and positive perception over the course of middle school. The researcher recommended extending library hours and expanding the diversity of library activities to ensure the space would serve as a welcoming environment not only for students seeking solitude, but also for those desiring more peer collaborations and social connections.