![[Alan Review Image]](http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/alan-review-log1.jpg)
Charlotte S. Huck, in the 5th edition of Children's Literature in theElementary School (1992), states that "biography often bridges the gapbetween historical fiction and informational books" (p. 634). Carter andAbrahamson (1990) concur, suggesting that professionals working withadolescents might "use narrative informational books, biography or personalaccounts as bridges between nonfiction and fiction" (p. 7-8). And indeed, abook such as Jean Fritz's China Homecoming does serve as a bridge fromthe fictionalized account of her childhood in China, Homesick: My OwnStory, to informational books on this or other Asian countries. The Library Connection
Betty Carter, Editor
Texas Woman's University, Denton, TexasBiography Circulation in a Small Midwestern MiddleSchool Library Media Center
by
Ruth E. Dishnow
Texas Woman's UniversityAre young adults taking this transitional step by electing to read biographies?Adolescence is the transitional time when reading preferences move from fictionto nonfiction. How are teen readers bridging the genres?
As a district library media specialist, working with approximately sevenhundred K-12 students in a small rural school district in NorthcentralWisconsin, I questioned whether or not young adults were actuallyself-selecting and reading biographies. During the 1990-91 school year, I begana biography circulation count in the middle school library media center whichthen served approximately 170 students. While this preliminary count showed thenumbers of circulating biographies, it did not satisfy my curiosity about theactual books that students were reading or their motivations for doing so.Consequently, after that first year, I expanded the data collection to includetitle specific information on the biographies students were circulating. Due tothe small size of the school, hand written circulation statistics, includingtitles, were kept daily during the 1991-92 and 1992-93 school years. The schoollibrary media center's circulation system was not automated so information wasgleaned directly from circulation cards.
Experience with the teachers and the students, and an examination of the1990-91 counts led to the belief that the students were checking outbiographies only when they were required reading for assignments. At certainpoints during the school year teachers specifically assigned biographies asrequired reading. Each year, for example, the 8th grade history teacherscheduled time for classes to come into the library media center for anintroduction to period specific biographies and for a review of how to locatethem in the card catalog and on the shelves. It appeared that peaks inbiography circulation coincided with the months, or school quarters, thatbiography assignments were given, and that few biographies were circulated forrecreational reading. In order to accept or reject this hypothesis, I needed toanalyze circulation counts, periods when biographies were checked out, favoredsubjects, and popular titles.
Subject Areas
Twenty-seven broad subject areas such as "Adventure,""African-Americans," "Presidents," "Social Reformers," "Sports," and "WorldLeaders" emerged from an examination of the titles that circulated during thetwo year period of the study. A majority of the subject terms were chosen tocorrespond to students' requests, such as "I need to read a biography on a 20thcentury African-American," or "Would you help me find a biography on a sportsstar?" A few narrow terms were chosen, such as "Armenians," because thecorresponding biographies did not fit into any of the general categorieschosen. If overlap between categories occurred, the subject area most requestedby the students was used for categorization. For example, a biography on MartinLuther King Jr. was included in the African-American subject division, becausestudents came to it through this descriptor, rather than targeting his life asa social reformer or his role as a religious leader.
During the first period, the 1991-92 school year, the subject area "Presidents"received the most circulations at 98. "Sports" was the second most popularsubject area with 57 circulations. During the second period, the 1992-93 schoolyear, the favored subjects reversed: the highest circulation subject area was"Sports" with 33 circulations, and "Presidents" came in a close second with 28titles checked out.
One hundred twenty six "Presidents" titles and 90 "Sports" titles circulatedduring the two year period. "World Leaders" came in a distant third with 50circulations for the same period.
Titles
The students showed clear preferences for certain titles, such as thoseon our presidents or about sports stars. Abraham Lincoln proved to be the mostread about president and basketball's David Robinson won the popularity contestin the sports category. There was very little overlap between high circulationtitles from the 1991-92 and 1992-93 school years. Biographies on David Robinsonand Grizzly Adams were the only titles to make both lists.
Curriculum Influence
Biography circulation dropped from a high of 398 check outs during the1991-92 school year to a low of 115 during the 1992-93 school year. March 1992had the highest circulation, 114 titles, during the 1991-92 school year. Itshould be noted that many of these circulations were renewals by studentspossibly struggling to complete their biography reports. During the 1992-93school year, February was the highest circulation month with 45 check outs,less than half of the high circulation month's total for the previous year.
The rise in circulation during March 1992 and February 1993 coincided with the8th grade 20th century biography unit taught during the third quarter of bothschool years. Students came into the library media center in January 1992 andin February 1993 for an introduction to 20th century biographies.
There was also an increase in biography circulation during November andDecember 1991. This increase can, to a large degree, be attributed to aclassroom assignment given in November, which required the 8th grade historystudents to research the life of a person who lived during the 18th century.The 1992-93 statistics show zero biography circulation during this assignmenttime period. Biographies were not required reading during this quarter.
A change in classroom assignments possibly contributed to the over 70 percentdecrease in biography circulation from the 1991-92 to the 1992-93 school year.For example, the 8th grade history teacher gave the students the option ofreading a historical fiction title rather than a biography for one of theassignments during the 1992-93 school year. The assignment had been biographyspecific the year before. Many students took this option. This response to thehistorical fiction option suggests that these students were not readingbiographies, especially titles about presidents and/or world leaders, unlessrequired to do so. When given an option not to, they took the option.
Conclusion
The statistics compiled from the 172 titles that circulated during the1991-92 or 1992-93 school years support the hypothesis that this particularpopulation of middle school students check out biographies only for thecompletion of class assignments.
The subject areas of highest circulation also support this claim, as"Presidents" and "Sports" were the two highest subject areas circulated.Students did use both 20th century sports figures and presidents for theirthird quarter biography reports. The sports books were snapped up by both maleand female readers the first day these students came to the library mediacenter for the biography unit introduction.
The high circulation rates in November 1991, December 1991, March 1992, andFebruary 1993 all coincide with biography unit introductions in the librarymedia center. And, every circulated title could have been read to meet therequired biography assignments. Conversely, when teachers did not require theirstudents to read biographies, circulation dropped to zero.
This study was conducted with a small rural middle school population.Nevertheless, school library media specialists can learn from this two yearanalysis and, perhaps, address some of the very same questions in their ownfacilities. A replication of this study might well produce quite differentresults due to the size of the sample school's population, the school'scurriculum, the library media center's biography collection, teacher support oftrade book use in the curriculum, the proactive role of the library mediaspecialist, and other local factors.
This study did not answer all of my questions, though it certainly did supportthe hypothesis that there is a very strong correlation between biographycirculation and biography assignments, which in turn suggests that students, inthis particular middle school, read biographies only when required to do so forclass assignments. Could an interest in biographies as leisure reading becultivated? Would biography circulation improve with the addition of booktalksand/or displays in the library media center? I also question to what degreeyoung adults are reading biographical materials in other formats. Are theyreading biographical materials for their own edification and pleasure, but inmagazines and/or newspapers? US and People, two popular magazineswith young adults, both include a great deal of biographical material.Similarly, Sports Illustrated, which young adults read from cover tocover, is also laden with biographical material.
Further research on all aspects of the biographical interests and preferencesof young adults is needed. Replicating this study in middle school librarymedia centers across the country will certainly add to our knowledge base byeither supporting or refuting the results from this small population. Inaddition, research should be conducted to determine whether or not young adultsare reading biographical materials in formats other than books.
Biographies hold the potential of serving as a bridge in reading tastes. Thatbridge is useless unless students willingly cross it. Only by analyzing theirbiography reading patterns can we, as library media specialists and teachers,guide them in taking that transitional step.
Works Cited
Benegh, Jim. Sports Great Hershel Walker. Enslow, 1991.
Clemens, Roger with Peter Gammons. Rocket Man: The Roger Clemens Story.Penguin, 1987.
Dahl, Roald. Tales of Childhood. Puffin Books, 1984.
Deegan, Paul J. Michael Jordan: Basketball's Soaring Star. Lerner,1988.
Frank, Anne. Anne Frank's Tales from the Secret Annex. Pocket Books,1949.
Fritz, Jean. China Homecoming. Putnam, 1985.
______. Homesick: My Own Story. Putnam, 1982.
Garfinkel, Bernard. Margaret Thatcher. Chelsea, 1985.
Hargrove, Jim. Abraham Lincoln. Childrens Press, 1988.
______. Harry S. Truman. Childrens Press, 1987.
Kent, Zacharay, Ronald Reagan. Childrens Press, 1989.
______. Ulysses S. Grant. Childrens Press, 1989.
Kherdian, David. Road From Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl. Puffin,1979
Lillegard, Dee. Richard Nixon. Childrens Press, 1988.
McClung, Robert M. The True Adventures of Grizzly Adams. Morrow, 1985.
Miller, Dawn M. David Robinson: Backboard Admiral. Lerner, 1991.
Moos, Malcolm. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Random House, 1964.
Osinski, Alice. Andrew Jackson. Childrens Press, 1987.
______. Franklin D. Roosevelt. Childrens Press, 1987.
Petry, Ann. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad.Pocket Books, 1955.
Raber, Thomas R. Bo Jackson: Pro Sports Superstar. Lerner, 1990.
Richards, Kenneth G. Babe Ruth. Childrens Press, 1967.
Torres, John Albert and Michael John Sullivan. Sports Great DarrylStrawberry. Enslow, 1990.
