Den fysiska miljön och barns lärande
En undersökning av barnavdelningen på Kungsbacka huvudbibliotek
The starting point for the present study is that the physical environment can enhance the learning processes of children. We want to contribute to more focus being placed on this within library and information sciences. Our main aim is to illustrate how the physical environment can facilitate the learning of children. In order to achieve our aim, we examine a concrete physical environment, namely the children?s department at the main library in Kungsbacka. We have attempted to answer the following questions:1. How does the staff of the children?s department look upon the relationship between the physical environment and the learning of children?2. How can the physical environment influence the accessibility to the information systems SAB and the children?s catalogue at the children?s department in Kungsbacka?3. In what way can the physical environment at the children?s department at the main library in Kungsbacka facilitate the learning of children?Material has been obtained through qualitative observations and a group interview with the staff of the children?s department, and analysed with the help of interactionist theories and a socio-cultural perspective on children?s learning. We have found that the physical environment at the children?s department supports the learning of children in several ways. The accessibility to the material available at the library is enhanced by classification into genres. A rich supply of toys and inspiring environments enables the children to be active. Yet the study includes proposals for improvement, including inter alia better exposure of the children?s OPAC, adaptation of the division for non-fiction literature and measures to enable children to influence the environment.