Vloga in razvoj bralne kulture v knjižničarstvu: bralna kultura vodij knjižnic ter modela profesionalnega razvoja in longitudinalnega raziskovanja

The book The Role of Reading Culture in Librarianship: Reading Culture of Library Managers and Models of Professional Development and Longitudinal Research focuses on the issue of reading culture and reading habits of Slovenian library managers and suggests further steps. The publication, which complements the book entitled Reading culture in the library space: Reflections on the Path from the Librarian as a Leisure Rea­der to the Librarian as a Professional Reader, fills the gap in scientific and professional literature by addressing the reading culture and reading habits of professionals who are recognized by the general public as the driving force behind the establishment and strengthening of reading culture and reading literacy in society, to which they cintribu­te also through their role as managers. Through five chapters, the book examines two content areas that are also linked by the national strategy for reading literacy under the term reading culture: reading motivation and reading habits. Both are transferred to the Slovenian context and to the field of librarianship, with a focus on librarians and, in particular, library managers as professional readers – although these are often one and the same person. In individual chapters, the book analyzes the reading culture and reading habits of library managers (combining the results of public library directors and academic library managers), also pointing out some shortcomings and gaps in the avai­lable data on the research populations and the challenges associated with management in academic libraries. The characteristics of the reading culture and reading habits of pu­blic library directors are presented separately. The empirical data related to the reading culture and reading habits of library professionals and library managers were collected as part of the targeted research project Reading Patterns: Reading Habits of Professionals in Kindergartens, Schools, Faculties, and Public Libraries. The study covered 58% of the population of library managers; the percentages in the subpopulations slightly vary. The key finding highlights the relationship between leisure readers and professional readers, i.e. between emotional and value-based attitudes to reading. In the second part of the book there is its central scientific contribution, which is based on the results of the research presented in both publications: two models, which are also applicative and with which the authors propose and wish to encourage the professional development in librarianship. The first is a model of professional development of librarians as readers, aimed at quality professional work in Slovenian libraries, and the second is a model of the longitudinal study of librarians‘ reading culture and reading habits. The concluding chapter provides a synthesis of all findings.