JURNAL ILMU INFORMASI, PERPUSTAKAAN, DAN KEARSIPAN - VOLUME 24, NOMOR 2, OKTOBER 2022

STUDY-AID BOOKS, WORKBOOKS, AND IT EQUIPMENT AS NEW
MATERIALS FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS IN JAPANESE PUBLICLIBRARIES
Keita Tsuji
Faculty of Library, Information and Media Science, University of Tsukuba
1-2 Kasuga, Tsukuba-city, Ibaraki-ken 305-0821, Japan
Keita@slis.tsukuba.ac.jp

Abstract
Japan is no longer a rich country. The poverty rate for “a single adult household with at least one child” is the third
highest among the 44 countries of OECD. Public libraries should provide study-aid books, workbooks, and IT
equipment to poor students. Based of this idea, we first identified 129 study-aid books and workbooks for junior highand high school students. Next, we investigated whether public libraries of all 1,392 Japanese local governments held
them. Then, we asked 631 students whether they wanted public libraries to hold the books and IT equipment such as
Nintendo Switch and iPad. Furthermore, we gathered three students, provided books and IT equipment, and asked
whether they wanted public libraries to hold them. It was shown that poor students wanted public libraries to havestudy-aid books and workbooks for English. Video games were desired by many students. Japanese public libraries
should consider providing them.
Keywords: Study-aid Books, Workbooks, IT Equipment, School Students, Public Libraries

INTRODUCTION
Japan is no longer a rich country. According to theOECD, the poverty rate is 15.7%, the 10th highest
among 41 countries (OECD, 2022). Furthermore, thepoverty rate for “a single adult household with atleast one child” in Japan is 48.3%, the third highest
among the 44 countries listed by the OECD. Only
Brazil (54.8%) and South Africa (49.8%) have ahigher rate (OECD, 2021). The Japan Institute forLabour Policy and Training (2019) described that thepercentage of households with disposable income
below the poverty line published by the Ministry of
Health, Labor and Welfare was 5.9% for two-parent
households, compared to 22.9% for father-childhouseholds and 51.4% for mother-child households.

examinations and IT equipment for accessing various
types of information and for video games.

The motivation and background for this study is
the increase in the number of children from such poorfamilies. Public libraries in poor Japan areas should
provide more resources than ever to help them learn
and grow. Specifically, study-aid books andworkbooks for school lessons and entrance(3) Asking high school students whether they wantNintendo Switch, Oculus Quest2, XP-PEN, iPad,study-aid books, and workbooks to be in public
libraries after we asked them to use or browse them.

I.

Video games are often talked about in a negative
light. However, they improve children's cognitive
abilities and improve their collaborative skills,
especially in games played by multiple players. They
are effective for children’s growth.
Based on this background, the following three
investigations were conducted in this study.
(1) Investigation on public libraries’ holdings ofstudy-aid books and workbooks for junior and seniorhigh school students.

114(2) A questionnaire survey of what junior and seniorhigh school students want public libraries to have.

JURNAL ILMU INFORMASI, PERPUSTAKAAN, DAN KEARSIPAN - VOLUME 24, NOMOR 2, OKTOBER 2022

II. INVESTIGATION OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES'HOLDINGS OF STUDY-AID BOOKS AND WORKBOOKS

with four or more stars on Amazon were also added
to the sample.

Emichi (2017) states that many public libraries do
not have workbooks. The reasons are: (1) they are notpractical, (2) they are at high risk of being lost anddamaged, and (3) they place a financial burden on
libraries. On the other hand, Yamaga City Library(2021) states that they provide study-aid books andworkbooks and such libraries are rare in Japan.
Min2-fly (2007) summarizes negative and positive
views on public libraries providing study-aid books
and workbooks. He suggests countermeasures to the
problems caused by providing the books.

1) https://study-search.jp/columns/424(Study-aid books and study tips for the college
entrance exam!)2) https://rank-king.jp/article/14966(30 recommended study-aid books for university
entrance exams)3) https://ieben.gakken.jp/chugakusei-sankosho/(7 recommended study-aid books for junior highschool students)

Results
The total number of study-aid books andworkbooks for junior and senior high school students
surveyed was 129, of which 50 were for English, 52
for mathematics, and 27 for physics, chemistry, andjunior high school science as shown in Tables 1, 2,
and 3.

Then, to what extent do public libraries havestudy-aid books/workbooks in their collections? Are
there any particular study-aid books/workbooks heldin many libraries? If there is, their bibliographic
information would be helpful for public libraries thatare thinking of providing study-aid books andworkbooks in the future.
MethodAccording to the Japan Library Association,
1,392 local governments (prefectures, cities, wards,
towns, and villages) have public libraries in Japan asof April 1, 2021 (Japan Library Association, 2022).
Based on the above questions, we investigated public
libraries in these municipalities from September 5 to
9, 2022, to see whether they have study-aid books
and workbooks for junior and senior high school
students. The investigation was conducted using
Calil’s “Library API,” which can automaticallysearch almost all OPACs in Japan.
Sample study-aid books and workbooks were
those with four or more stars on Amazon rating hit
by entering the keywords “high school,” “junior highschool,” “English,” “mathematics,” “physics,”“chemistry,” and “science.” Furthermore, some of
the books recommended in the following Web pages

The most widely held book on English was “世界一覚えやすい 中学の英単語 1800 (The World’s
Easiest to Remember Book for 1800 English Words
for Junior High School)” (eight libraries), followed
by “Junior High School English Words and Idioms
400” and “Comprehensive English Evergreen” bothof which were held by six libraries. As formathematics, the “数学ガールの秘密ノート (MathGirl’s Secret Notebooks)” series was the most widely
held book in most libraries. As for physics, chemistry,
and junior high school science, the most popular
books were “宇宙一わかりやすい高校物理（電磁気・熱・原子） (The Most Easy-to-UnderstandHigh
SchoolPhysics
intheUniverse(Electromagnetism, Heat, Atoms)).”115

Regardless of the subject (i.e. English,
mathematics, physics, chemistry, and science) the
number of libraries holding study-aid books andworkbooks with the word “問題集 (workbook)” or “演習 (drill)” in the title was minor, partly confirming
the tendency that public libraries do not haveworkbooks.

JURNAL ILMU INFORMASI, PERPUSTAKAAN, DAN KEARSIPAN - VOLUME 24, NOMOR 2, OKTOBER 2022

TABLE 1.

STUDY-AID BOOKS AND WORKBOOKS FOR ENGLISH

Title

Publisher

Year

ISBN

AmazonRatingHolding
Libraries

世界一覚えやすい 中学の英単語 1800

KADOKAWA

2019

9784046045539

4.3

8

高校入試 でる順ターゲット 中学英熟語 400（無料音声アプリ対応）

旺文社

2019

9784010218006

4.4

6

総合英語 Evergreen

いいずな書店2017

9784864602426

4.5

6

中 2 英語をひとつひとつわかりやすく。

学研プラス

2021

9784053052452

4.5

5

出る順で最短合格！ 英検準 1 級 語彙問題完全制覇（MP3 音声無料 DL つき）

ジャパンタイムズ出版

20199784789017374

4.3

4

高校入試 でる順ターゲット 中学英単語 1800（無料音声アプリ対応）

旺文社

2019

9784010217993

4.3

4

新基本英文 700 選（CD 付）

駿台文庫

2002

9784796110440

4.2

4

7 日間完成 英検準 1 級 予想問題ドリル（CD3 枚付・音声アプリ対応）

旺文社

2019

9784010948927

4.4

3

キクタン（Advanced）6000 語レベル（音声 DL・赤シート付）

アルク

2019

9784757433489

4.2

3

ニューコース参考書 中 1 英語

学研プラス

2021

9784053052087

4.4

3

ニューコース参考書 中 2 英語

学研プラス

2021

9784053052131

4.2

3

ポレポレ英文読解プロセス 50

代々木ライブラリー

1993

9784896803389

4.3

3

世界一覚えやすい中学の英熟語 430

KADOKAWA

2016

9784046001900

4.0

3

最短合格! 英検準 1 級 リスニング問題 完全制覇（CD-ROM1 枚&無料音声 DL つき）

ジャパンタイムズ出版

20199784789017299

4.4

22022 年度版 英検準 1 級 過去 6 回全問題集

旺文社

2022

9784010937112

4.5

2

大学入試 関正生の英語リスニング プラチナルール（CD2 枚付）

KADOKAWA

2016

9784046018137

4.2

2

Next Stage 英文法・語法問題: 入試英語頻出ポイント 218 の征服

桐原書店

2014

9784342431203

4.4

2

やっておきたい英語長文 500

河合出版

2005

9784777201556

4.3

2

英検 CBT/英検 S-CBT 専用 英検準 1 級予想問題ドリル

旺文社

2020

9784010949795

4.4

2

英検のプロと一緒! つきっきり英検準 1 級

旺文社

2021

9784010950715

4.2

2

英単語ターゲット 1900

旺文社

2020

9784010346464

4.52

出る順で最短合格! 英検準 1 級単熟語 EX

ジャパンタイムズ

20169784789016414

4.3

2

中 1 英語が面白いほどわかる本

KADOKAWA2021

9784046047687

4.5

2

中 1 英語をひとつひとつわかりやすく。

学研プラス

2021

9784053052445

4.4

2

中 2 英語が面白いほどわかる本

KADOKAWA2021

9784046047694

4.4

2

最短合格! 英検準 1 級 英作文問題完全制覇（MP3 音声無料 DL つき）

ジャパンタイムズ

20179784789016780

4.31

チャート式 中学英語 1 年

数研出版

2021

9784410151552

4.3

1

チャート式 中学英語 2 年

数研出版

2021

9784410151651

4.41

英検分野別ターゲット 英検準 1 級単語・熟語問題

旺文社

2018

9784010948521

4.2

1

鉄緑会東大英単語熟語 鉄壁

KADOKAWA

2020

9784046044112

4.5

1

大学入試 英語長文ハイパートレーニングレベル 2 標準編

桐原書店

2020

9784342206924

4.3

1

大学入試問題集 関正生の英語長文ポラリス

KADOKAWA

2016

9784046016898

4.3

1

中学版システム英単語

駿台文庫

2021

9784796111539

4.3

1

カード英熟語ターゲット 1000

旺文社

2021

9784010346600

4.40

チャート式 中学英語 1 年 準拠ドリル

数研出版

2021

9784410150579

4.30

チャート式 中学英語 2 年 準拠ドリル

数研出版

2021

9784410150586

4.6

0

できた! 中 1 英語 単語・読解

くもん出版

2021

9784774331102

4.2

0

できた! 中 1 英語 文法

くもん出版

2021

9784774331096

4.3

0

できた! 中 2 英語 単語・読解

くもん出版

2021

9784774331126

4.6

0

できた! 中 2 英語 文法

くもん出版

2021

9784774331133

4.4

0

ニューコース問題集 中 1 英語

学研プラス

2021

9784053052926

4.1

0

ニューコース問題集 中 2 英語

学研プラス

2021

9784053052971

4.60

英文法・語法 Vintage

いいずな書店2018

9784864603751

4.3

0

鉄緑会東大英単語熟語 鉄壁 CD

KADOKAWA

2020

9784044005252

4.4

0

高校入試 でる順ターゲット 中学英単語 1800 練習ノート

旺文社

2019

9784010218051

4.20

速読英単語 必修編 CD [改訂第 7 版対応]

Z会

2019

9784865312294

4.3

0

中学 10 分間復習ドリル 英語 1 年:サクサク基礎トレ!

増進堂・受験研究社

2021

9784424636182

4.00

中学 10 分間復習ドリル 英語 2 年:サクサク基礎トレ!

増進堂・受験研究社

2021

9784424636199

4.5

0

中学 10 分間復習ドリル 英単語 1 年:サクサク基礎トレ!

増進堂・受験研究社

2021

9784424636212

4.0

0

中学 10 分間復習ドリル 英単語 2 年:サクサク基礎トレ!

増進堂・受験研究社

2021

9784424636229

4.2

0

116

JURNAL ILMU INFORMASI, PERPUSTAKAAN, DAN KEARSIPAN - VOLUME 24, NOMOR 2, OKTOBER 2022

TABLE 2.

STUDY-AID BOOKS AND WORKBOOKS FOR MATHEMATICS

Title

Publisher

数学ガールの秘密ノート/丸い三角関数
数学ガールの秘密ノート/数列の広場
数学ガールの秘密ノート/微分を追いかけて
数学ガールの秘密ノート/積分を見つめて
数学ガールの秘密ノート/ベクトルの真実
工学博士が教える高校数学の「使い方」教室
気持ちよくわかる数列
マンガでわかる中学数学 中 1
中 1 数学が面白いほどわかる本
中 2 数学が面白いほどわかる本

SB クリエイティブ
SB クリエイティブ
SB クリエイティブ
SB クリエイティブ
SB クリエイティブ
ダイヤモンド社
ベレ出版
学研プラス
KADOKAWA
KADOKAWA

2014
2014
2015
2017
2015
2020
2013
2021
2021
2021

9784797375688
9784797375695
9784797382310
9784797391381
9784797382327
9784478108154
9784860641719
9784053049216
9784046047717
9784046047724

AmazonRating
4.5
4.7
4.6
4.4
4.3
4.4
4.8
4.4
4.4
4.8

中 3 数学が面白いほどわかる本
坂田アキラの 数列が面白いほどわかる本

KADOKAWA
KADOKAWA/中経出版

2021
2014

9784046047731
9784046007315

4.5
4.4

5
4

中 1 数学をひとつひとつわかりやすく。
中 2 数学をひとつひとつわかりやすく。
ニューコース参考書 中 1 数学
ニューコース参考書 中 2 数学
マンガでわかる中学数学 中 2
坂田アキラの 2 次関数が面白いほどわかる本
坂田アキラの ベクトルが面白いほどわかる本
坂田アキラの 場合の数・確率・データの分析が面白いほどわかる本
チャート式 基礎からの数学 3
坂田アキラの 円と直線が面白いほどわかる本
中学数学 図形の証明がらくらく解ける。

学研プラス
学研プラス
学研プラス
学研プラス
学研プラス
KADOKAWA/中経出版
KADOKAWA
KADOKAWA
数研出版
KADOKAWA
学研プラス

2021
2021
2021
2021
2022
2014
2017
2017
2018
2018
2010

9784053052407
9784053052421
9784053052094
9784053052148
9784053049223
9784046007322
9784046016188
9784046018762
9784410105562
9784046020222
9784053031051

4.3
4.3
4.4
4.6
5.0
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.4
4.4
4.1

4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2

チャート式 中学数学 1 年
チャート式 中学数学 2 年
坂田アキラの 数 II の微分積分が面白いほどわかる本
坂田アキラの 数 III の微分積分が面白いほどわかる本
数学 I・A 基礎問題精講 五訂版
数学 II・B 基礎問題精講 五訂版
数学 III 基礎問題精講 四訂新装版
NEW ACTION LEGEND 数学 1+A―思考と戦略
NEW ACTION LEGEND 数学 2+B―思考と戦略 数列・ベクトル
NEW ACTION LEGEND 数学 3―思考と戦略
チャート式 基礎からの数学Ⅱ＋B
チャート式 基礎からの数学 I+A
チャート式 中学数学 1 年 準拠ドリル
チャート式 中学数学 2 年 準拠ドリル

数研出版
数研出版
KADOKAWA/中経出版
KADOKAWA/中経出版
旺文社
旺文社
旺文社
東京書籍
東京書籍
東京書籍
数研出版
数研出版
数研出版
数研出版

2021
2021
2014
2015
2020
2020
2020
2016
2016
2019
2019
2019
2021
2021

9784410150166
9784410150265
9784046007308
9784046007346
9784010347065
9784010347072
9784010347089
9784487379910
9784487379927
9784487379934
9784410105876
9784410105777
9784410151422
9784410151439

4.6
4.3
4.6
4.3
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.7
4.4
4.3
4.5
4.5
4.7
4.0

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

できた! 中 1 数学 関数・図形・データの活用できた! 中 1 数学 計算
できた! 中 2 数学 計算・関数できた! 中 2 数学 図形・データの活用
ニューコース問題集 中 1 数学
ニューコース問題集 中 2 数学
ハイレベル精選問題演習数学 1+A+2+B
ハイレベル精選問題演習数学 3+C
教科書だけでは足りない大学入試攻略数列
中 2 数学の図形の証明―定期テストに自信がもてる!

くもん出版
くもん出版
くもん出版
くもん出版
学研プラス
学研プラス
旺文社
旺文社
河合出版
くもん出版

2021
2021
2021
2021
2021
2021
2009
2010
2013
2012

9784774331041
9784774331034
9784774331058
9784774331065
9784053052933
9784053052988
9784010335475
9784010335482
9784777213832
9784774321257

4.5
4.2
4.4
4.4
4.4
4.7
4.1
5.0
4.3
4.5

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

中学 10 分間復習ドリル 数学 1 年：サクサク基礎トレ!
中学 10 分間復習ドリル 数学 2 年：サクサク基礎トレ!

増進堂・受験研究社
増進堂・受験研究社

2021
2021

9784424636120
9784424636137

4.1
4.0

0
0

日本一わかりやすい 坂田アキラの 図形と方程式が面白いほどとける本
理系数学の良問プラチカ 数学 1・A・2・B
理系数学の良問プラチカ 数学 3

KADOKAWA/中経出版
河合出版
河合出版

2011
2014
2014

9784046029003
9784777214884
9784777214891

4.0
4.5
4.5

0
0
0

117

Year

ISBN

Holding
Libraries
492
485
474
473
455
212
58
13
7
5

JURNAL ILMU INFORMASI, PERPUSTAKAAN, DAN KEARSIPAN - VOLUME 24, NOMOR 2, OKTOBER 2022

TABLE 3.

STUDY-AID BOOKS AND WORKBOOKS FOR PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, AND JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE
Title

Publisher

Year

ISBN

AmazonRatingHolding
Libraries

宇宙一わかりやすい高校物理（電磁気・熱・原子）

学研プラス

2013

9784053038555

4.4

15

中学理科が面白いほどわかる本

KADOKAWA2021

9784046047755

4.1

8

中 1 理科をひとつひとつわかりやすく。

学研プラス

2021

9784053052353

4.5

4

中 2 理科をひとつひとつわかりやすく。

学研プラス

2021

9784053052360

4.2

4

ニューコース参考書 中 1 理科

学研プラス

2021

9784053052100

4.6

3

ニューコース参考書 中 2 理科

学研プラス

2021

9784053052155

4.9

3

鉄緑会物理攻略のヒント よくある質問と間違い例

角川学芸出版

2008

9784046213846

4.4

3

物理のエッセンス 熱・電磁気・原子

河合出版

2013

9784777213566

4.4

3

大学入試 漆原晃の 物理基礎・物理[力学・熱力学編]が面白いほどわかる本

KADOKAWA/中経出版

2014

9784046001382

4.3

2

物理のエッセンス 力学・波動

河合出版

2013

9784777213559

4.4

2

理系大学受験 化学の新演習―化学基礎収録

三省堂

2013

9784385261256

4.4

2

理系大学受験 化学の新研究

三省堂

2018

9784385260938

4.5

2

チャート式 中学理科 1 年

数研出版

2021

9784410150647

4.61

チャート式 中学理科 2 年

数研出版

2021

9784410150746

5.01

大学入試 坂田アキラの 物理基礎・物理[力学・熱力学編]の解法が面白いほどわかる本

中経出版

2013

9784046000576

4.3

1

大学入試 漆原晃の 物理基礎・物理[電磁気編]が面白いほどわかる本

KADOKAWA/中経出版

2014

9784046001399

4.3

1

大学入試 漆原晃の 物理基礎・物理[波動・原子編]が面白いほどわかる本

KADOKAWA/中経出版

2014

9784046001405

4.41

チャート式 中学理科 1 年 準拠ドリル

数研出版

2021

9784410153556

4.80

チャート式 中学理科 2 年 準拠ドリル

数研出版

2021

9784410153563

4.7

0

できた! 中 1 理科 物質・エネルギー（1 分野）

くもん出版

2021

9784774331201

4.3

0

できた! 中 2 理科 物質・エネルギー（1 分野）

くもん出版

2021

9784774331225

4.00

ニューコース問題集 中 1 理科

学研プラス

2021

9784053052940

4.50

ニューコース問題集 中 2 理科

学研プラス

2021

9784053052995

4.6

0

大学受験 Do シリーズ 鎌田の有機化学の講義

旺文社

2019

9784010346167

4.4

0

大学受験 Do シリーズ 鎌田の理論化学の講義

旺文社

2019

9784010346150

4.4

0

大学受験 Do シリーズ 福間の無機化学の講義

旺文社

2019

9784010346174

4.40

良問の風物理頻出・標準入試問題集

河合出版

2013

9784777213658

4.4

0Games as a New Resource for Public Libraries
Do libraries need games? We will introduce
papers below to answer this seemingly persistentquestion. Firstly, Kritikou (2019) states that games
are common in public libraries stating as follows:

III. SURVEY OF RESOURCES JUNIOR AND SENIORHIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WANT PUBLIC LIBRARIES TO
HAVEAs mentioned earlier, the background for thisstudy is the increase in the number of children from
low-income (poor) families. We think public libraries
should provide more resources than ever before tohelp them learn and grow. The candidate resources
are study-aid books and workbooks for school classes
and entrance examinations, IT equipment for
obtaining various types of information and for video
games.

The idea of a silent library, filled only withbooks, should be a picture of the past. CDs,
Nintendo Wii, and other calm electronic games,
electronic media but especially events for all kindsof library ́s possible customers should be a part ofthe services in modern libraries.

We investigated whether children from lowincome (poor) families want study-aid books,
workbooks, games, and other resources in public
libraries. The questionnaire survey was conductedusing LINE Research, a research service provided byLINE Corporation. The number of respondents was
631 as we mention later.

Nicholson (2009) randomly selected 400 public
libraries in the United States and asked them bytelephone if they offered games. The results showedthat 78% of public libraries offered some kind ofgames, and 20% even checked them out. Buchanan &Elzen (2012) stated that Nintendo Wii was impressivein encouraging and rewarding physical play,including games designed to be played standing up
with large body movements. Nicholson (2013)
describes the types of games offered in North

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American public libraries from the 1850s to thepresent day. Public libraries in North America haveoffered some type of game to their patrons since their
beginning. Schneider (2014) surveyed public
libraries in the United States and reported that 84(45.3%) out of 106 responding libraries had somevideo games. The most common were Nintendo’s
Wii, Nintendo DS, and Microsoft’s Xbox. Inoue(2016) showed examples of Japanese libraries which
introduced games and other countries’ trends.
National Diet Library (2018) described that Ozu
Town Ozu Library started lending board games
outside the library. Lindsey et al. (2018) described theutility and ways in which public libraries offered
video games to attract new patrons; the Boston Public
Library began lending video games in 2010, and theSt. Louis Library has nearly 200 Xbox games.
Templeton (2021) conducted a survey to determine
how familiar public librarians were with games toattract new patrons by offering gaming devices suchas PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox. Leorke & Wyatt(2022) discussed the history and utility of new public
libraries as places to play games.

g) A tablet such as iPadh) Game consoles such as the Nintendo Switch
and PlayStationi) VR devices such as Oculus Quest2j) Drawing tablets such as XP-PEN
The questionnaire survey was conducted using
LINE Research. As most children cannot answer theirparent's annual income, we decided to judge whether
or not children are poor by the number and gender ofparents they live with and whether or not they have apart-time job. As shown in the results of the OECD,
single-parent households in which only one parent
lives with the child tend to be poorer than two-parent
households in which both parents live with the child.

MethodNow, let us return to the questionnaire survey weconducted. We listed the following ten resources andasked whether children would like to have them in the
public library.

LINE Research distributed questionnaires toregistered respondents between the ages of 15 and 19
from September 20 to 21, 2022. The number of
respondents was set at 600 due to our budget
constraints, but 631 responses were obtained. Amongthe 631 respondents, the number of responded juniorhigh and high school students, etc. was 448. The
number of students with single/no parents was 78. 15
out of 78 children had some kind of part-time job as
we mention later. In this study, we focus on these 15
and 78 students as those who are more likely to bepoor than others.
Results
Of the above-mentioned 631 respondents, 324(51.3%) were male and 307 (48.7%) were female.
The results of the first question about the grade(occupation) are shown in Table 4. For example,
Table 4 shows 121 respondents in the second year ofhigh school, accounting for 19.2% of the total.

a) Study-aid books and workbooks for Englishb) Study-aid books
mathematics

andworkbooks

forc) Study-aid books and workbooks for theJapanese languaged) Study-aid books and workbooks on physics,
chemistry, biology, geology, etc.
e) Study-aid books and workbooks on history,geography, civics, etc.

For convenience, we refer to the 448 junior highschool students, high school students, and Roninstudents in Table 4 as “children” in this study. We
may need to include working adults and university
students as poor minors in the survey, but this is an
issue to be addressed in the future.

f) Entertainment Manga such as Kimetsu-noYaiba, SPY x FAMILY, etc.

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TABLE 4.

GRADE (OCCUPATION) OF THE RESPONDENTS

Category
Junior High School Student
High School Freshman
High School Sophomore
Senior High School Student
College Student
Ronin
Working People
I don't want to answer.
Other
Total

1)

Ratio

Family Structure and Part-time Jobs

FAMILY STRUCTURE OF JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND RONIN STUDENTS

Category
Mother and Children (including Grand Parents)
Father and Children (including Grand Parents)
Grand Parents Only and Children
No Parent and No Grand Parent and Children
Single-or-No Parent and Children
Mother and Father (including Grand Parents) and Children
TABLE 6.

Ratio
11.4
2.7
0.7
2.7
17.4
82.6

N
51
12
3
12
78
370

WORKING HOURS PER WEEK OF “SINGLE-OR-NO PARENT” OF JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND RONINSTUDENTS

Category
More than 30 Hours
20 to 29 Hours
15 to 19 Hours
10 to 14 Hours
5 to 9 Hours
1 to 4 Hours
Not Working
Total

2)

39
157
121
122
119
9
17
41
6
631

accounting for 11.4% of the 448 students. The
number of hours of part-time jobs per week for thepreviously-mentioned 78 children is shown in Table
6. 15 out of 78 children, excluding 63 children, hadsome kind of part-time job.

Fig. 1. The family structure of the above 448 juniorhigh and high school students or Ronin students isshown in Table 5. Table 5 shows, for example, that
there were 51 children in single-parent families,

TABLE 5.

N
6.2
24.9
19.2
19.3
18.9
1.4
2.7
6.5
1.0
100.0

Ratio

N
6.4
2.6
3.8
3.8
0.0
2.6
80.8
100.0

5
2
3
3
0
2
63
78

Do You Use Public Libraries?

Fig. 2. Table 7 shows the degree of use of public libraries by 448 junior high and high school students. Amongthe 15 students who had a single-or-no parent and had a part-time job, 26.7% used the public library at least
once a week, which was significantly higher than the 3.6% of the total 448 students at the 0.01 level. Amongthe 78 students who had a single-or-no parent, 9.0% used the public library at least once a week, which wassignificantly higher than the above-mentioned 3.6% at the 0.05 level. If “poverty” can be inferred from thenumber of parents living together and engaging in part-time jobs, the poorer the children were, the more theyused the public library.

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TABLE 7.

CategoryOnce a Week or MoreTwo or Three Times a MonthOnce a MonthOnce every Three Months
Once every Six Months
Once a Year
Never
Total

FREQUENCY OF USE OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Students with
Single-or-No
Parent with Parttime Job
Ratio
N
26.7
4
0.0
0
6.7
1
0.0
0
13.3
2
13.3
2
40.0
6
100.0
15

Ratio
9.0
2.6
7.7
7.7
6.4
16.7
50.0
100.0

Students

N
7
2
6
6
5
13
39
78

Ratio
3.6
6.7
8.0
12.5
11.8
14.5
42.9
100.0

N
16
30
36
56
53
65
192
448

The results concerning the question “What books
or IT equipment would make you want to visit a
public library if it had them? (Multiple answers
allowed)” are shown in Table 8.

3)
Resources You Want to See in Public
Libraries

TABLE 8.

Students with
Single-or-No
ParentBOOKS AND IT EQUIPMENT THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO VISIT PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Category
Study-aid Books and Workbooks for English
Study-aid Books and Workbooks for mathematics
Study-aid Books and Workbooks for the Japanese
language
Study-aid Books and Workbooks on Physics, Chemistry,
Biology, Geology, etc.
Study-aid Books and Workbooks on History, Geography,
Civics, etc.
Entertainment Manga such as Kimetsu-no-Yaiba, SPY x
FAMILY, etc.
A Tablet such as iPad
Games such as Nintendo Switch and PlayStation
VR Devices such as Oculus Quest2
Drawing Tablets such as XP-PEN
Other
None

There was no tendency for “poor” children tochoose study-aid books and workbooks more often
than all children. However, it should be noted that themost common choice among the 448 junior high, highschool students, and Ronin students was“Entertainment Manga such as Kimetsu-no-Yaiba
and SPY x FAMILY,” (chosen by 44.4% of them),
while only 13.3% of the 15 students with a single-or-Students with
Single-or-No
Parent with
Part-time Job
Ratio
N
33.3
5
13.3
2

Students with
Single-or-No
ParentStudents

Ratio
34.6
25.6

N
27
20

Ratio
35.0
32.6

N
157
146

0.0

0

17.9

14

23.9

107

20.0

3

23.1

18

31.0

139

6.7

1

14.1

11

25.4

114

13.3

2

33.3

26

44.4

199

13.3
0.0
13.3
0.0
0.0
13.3

2
0
2
0
0
2

24.4
25.6
12.8
12.8
3.8
24.4

19
20
10
10
3
19

32.6
29.7
12.5
13.2
2.9
17.0

146
133
56
59
13
76

no parent and with part-time jobs chose this. The
same is true for the 78 students with a single-or-no
parent. The most frequently selected item by theabove-mentioned 15 students was “Study-aid books
and workbooks for English,” which accounted for
33.3%.

121

In general, 15 students were more likely to choose
study-aid books and workbooks than Manga andJURNAL ILMU INFORMASI, PERPUSTAKAAN, DAN KEARSIPAN - VOLUME 24, NOMOR 2, OKTOBER 2022

electronic devices, compared with 448 junior high,high school students, and Ronin students. The
tendency of “poor” children to want study-aid books
and workbooks at public libraries is relatively strong.
Of the above-mentioned 15 students, four answeredthat they used the public library at least once a week.
Two of them chose “Study-aid books and workbooks
for English.” This indicates that poor children who
already use public libraries frequently also wantstudy-aid books and workbooks for English.

(https://vr.u-tokyo.ac.jp/). There is a possibility thatthe number of educational environments which
students cannot access without VR equipment will
increase.

Although video games such as Nintendo Switch
and PlayStation were not needed by the 15 students,
they were relatively needed by 78 students and total
448 students (25.6% and 29.7% of them,
respectively). The same was true for tablets such as
the iPad. As mentioned earlier, video games are
becoming popular in public libraries in the UnitedStates. Japanese public libraries might be better toconsider holding and providing them. Tablets such as
iPad can be used as video games and reading devices
such as Kindle. They can also be used for various
purposes, such as writing, calculating, and drawing.

Finally, the proportion of respondents who wanted
a “Drawing tablet such as XP-PEN” was not veryhigh. However, it seems that even if there are notmany needs among junior high and high school
students, small children might be pleased with them.
We would like to examine the needs in the children’scorner in the future.
4)

Study-aid Books and Workbooks that were

HelpfulThe percentage of those who chose “VR device
such as Oculus Quest2” was not high, in the 10%
range. However, this may be because it is not wellknown yet. VR may become the center of electronic
devices in the future, not to mention the so-called“Metaverse.” For example, the Virtual Reality
Education and Research Center at the University ofTokyo aims to introduce VR into education anddramatically increase educational efficiency

Fig. 3. If public libraries provide study-aid books andworkbooks, it is more effective to provide highly
rated ones. When asked about English, mathematics,
and science, the results are shown in Tables 9, 10, and11, respectively. For English, “でる順ターゲット
中学英単語 1800” and “中 2 英語をひとつひとつ
わかりやすく。” were selected most frequently.
For mathematics, “チャート式 中学数学” and “中2 数学をひとつひとつわかりやすく。” and forscience, “中 2 理科をひとつひとつわかりやすく。” and “チャート式 中学理科” were selected
most. In the previous investigation on holding books,
many libraries had English vocabulary books. Here,too, vocabulary books ranked high. Public libraries
should consider holding and providing them.

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TABLE 9.

MOST SELECTED STUDY-AID BOOKS AND WORKBOOKS FOR ENGLISH

Title

Ratio

N

でる順ターゲット 中学英単語 1800

10.5

66

中 2 英語をひとつひとつわかりやすく。

5.9

37

チャート式 中学英語

4.1

26

中 2 英語が面白いほどわかる本

2.9

18

ニューコース参考書 英語

2.7

17

ニューコース問題集 英語

2.7

17

中学 10 分間復習ドリル 英語

2.7

17

チャート式 中学英語 準拠ドリル

2.1

13

中学版システム英単語

2.1

13

世界一覚えやすい中学の英単語 1800

1.6

10

できた!中 2 英語 文法

1.3
75.1

8
474

None
TABLE 10.

MOST SELECTED STUDY-AID BOOKS AND WORKBOOKS FOR MATHEMATICS

Title

Ratio
11.6

チャート式 中学数学

N
73

中 2 数学をひとつひとつわかりやすく。

5.5

35

チャート式 中学数学 準拠ドリル

4.3

27

中学 10 分間復習ドリル 数学

4.3

27

マンガでわかる中学数学

4.0

25

中 2 数学が面白いほどわかる本

3.3

21

ニューコース問題集 数学

2.2

14

ニューコース参考書 数学

2.1

13

できた!中 2 数学 計算・関数

2.1

13

中学数学 図形の証明がらくらく解ける。

1.3

8

中 2 数学の図形の証明―定期テストに自信がもてる!

1.0
73.5

6
464

None
TABLE 11.

MOST SELECTED STUDY-AID BOOKS AND WORKBOOKS FOR SCIENCE

Title

Ratio

N

中 2 理科をひとつひとつわかりやすく。

4.9

31

チャート式 中学理科

4.0

25

中学理科が面白いほどわかる本

3.3

21

できた!中 2 理科 物質・エネルギー

3.0

19

ニューコース参考書 理科

2.2

14

チャート式 中学理科 準拠ドリル

1.9

12

ニューコース問題集 理科

1.9
86.2

12
544

None

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Japan

Library
Association.
(2022).
https://www.jla.or.jp/Portals/0/data/iinkai/chosa/2022
pub_shukei.pdf.
Kritikou, I. (2019). Libraries and librarians in the smartphoneage. Proceedings of the IFLA World Library andInformation Congress (IFLA WLIC 2019), 1-8.
Leorke, D., & Wyatt, D. (2022). The library as playground:
How games and play are reshaping public culture.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 155p.
Lindsey, J. et al. (2018). Video games: attracting the nex-gen
patron. in Proceedings of the IFLA World Library andInformation Congress (IFLA WLIC 2018), 1-8.
LINE Research. https://www.linebiz.com/jp/service/lineresearch/.
Min2-fly (2007). On having study-aid books and workbooks inpubliclibraries.
https://min2fly.hatenablog.com/entry/20070507/1178549479.
National Diet Library. (2018). Ozu Town Ozu Library(Kumamoto Prefecture) to start lending board games
outside the library. Current Awareness Portal,
https://current.ndl.go.jp/node/35675.
Nicholson, S. (2009). Go back to start: Gathering baseline data
about gaming in libraries. Library Review, 58(3), 203214.
Nicholson, S. (2013). Playing in the past: A history of games,
toys, and puzzles in north American libraries. The
Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy,
83(4). The Library Quarterly: Information,
Community, Policy, 83(4). 341-361.
OECD (2022). Poverty rate (Indicator). OECD (2022), Poverty
rate(Indicator).
DOI:
10.1787/0fe1315d-en.
https://data.oecd.org/inequality/poverty-rate.htm.
OECD (2021). Child poverty [OECD Family Database],thedocument
isavailableathttps://www.oecd.org/els/CO_2_2_Child_Poverty.pdf
Valuesareavailableathttps://www.oecd.org/els/soc/CO_2_2_Child_Poverty.xlsx.
Schneider, E. F. (2014). A survey of graphic novel collection
and use in American public libraries. Evidence-Based
Library and Information Practice, 9(3), 68-79.
Templeton, L. (2021). How public library staff engage withvideo games and video game services. A Report for the
Degree of Master of Information Studies in Victoria
UniversityofWellington.
https://ir.wgtn.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/123456789/179
90/thesis_access.pdf?sequence=1.
The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (2019).
Poverty rate of mother and child households exceeds
50%, 13% are ‘deep poor’ households: Preliminary
Results of the Fifth (2018) National Survey of

INTERVIEW WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
On September 23, 2022, we asked three highschool students to use Nintendo Switch, Oculus
Quest2, XP-PEN, and iPad and asked whether theywould prefer to have them in the public library. As aresult, two respondents evaluated the Nintendo
Switch and its games as “It would be better if the
public library had these,” one respondent said, “I
already have the Nintendo Switch. So, I want libraries
to provide games for the Switch.” One respondentsaid, “It would be better if the public library hadthese, but I do not go to libraries alone to play games.
I will go with my friends.” Therefore, by offering
video games, libraries may be able to obtain newusers as friends of the existing users.
IV.

As for the Oculus Quest2 games, all threeevaluated it as “very immersive and should beavailable in public libraries.” Regarding the Ring Fit
Adventure for physical training, two rated that it is
not needed in public libraries, but the other noted that
it would be better to have, especially for children’s
libraries. As for the XP-PEN, two evaluated that it
was fine without it in the library, but one said that it
was better to have it in the library because it was
helpful for people who draw on their smartphones.
Regarding iPads, all three stated that they should bein public libraries and be eligible to be checked out.
However, one pointed out that since schools provide
iPads to all students now, it may not be necessary for
public libraries to provide them.
CONCLUSIONSIn this study, we investigated new resources thatpublic libraries should provide in the future with aview to children from poor families. It was shownthat poor students wanted public libraries to havestudy-aid books and workbooks for English. Games
were desired by many students. Public libraries inJapan should consider holding and providing them.
V.

REFERENCES
Buchanan, K., & Elzen, A. M. V. (2012). Beyond a fad: Why
video games should be part of 21st century libraries.
Education Libraries, 35(1-2), 15-33.
Calil. https://calil.jp/doc/api.html.
Emichi, Y. (2017). Why we do not hold workbook?
https://ameblo.jp/karuhon/entry-12293142469.html.
Inoue, N. (2016). CA1888 - Playing games at our library.
Current
Awareness,
330,
12-16.
https://current.ndl.go.jp/ca1888.

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Households
RaisingChildren.
https://www.jil.go.jp/press/documents/20191017.pdf.
TRC
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ServiceInc.
(2019).
https://www.trc.co.jp/information/191115_boardgam
e.html.
Yamaga City Library (2021). Library with study-aid books.
https://www.yamagalib.jp/komorebi_blog/2021/02/311/.

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