Abstract:

Nowadays, when the concepts of lifelong learning and information literature are emerging, giving children the habit of using the library in the early age, starting from the pre-school period, will be able to help them continue to develop in their future lives and gain a positive perception of the library. But in order to give students a library habit, we first need to know their existing knowledge structures and experiences regarding the library. Therefore, the main purpose of this research is to reveal the library perceptions of high school fifth class students. The research has taken advantage of qualitative research approaches to reveal students’ perceptions, thoughts and experiences about the library. In this context, research has been used from quality research patterns and art-based research patterns. The data; using the purpose sampling method, was obtained by the technique of drawing and writing from 72 students who go to the fifth class in three secondary schools, including one in the province of Erzurum and two in the state. In the analysis of data, the content analysis method was used. The study found that all of the students had information about the library, that their attitudes towards the library were positive, that the first thing that came to their mind when they said the library was the book and the rack, that they went to the library especially to read books and study lessons, that they saw the library as a quiet and comfortable environment, and that the majority of the students did not have a library phenomenon, that in their written narratives and paintings the library’s functional characteristics were more spatial. The results of this study are expected to be effective in raising awareness of the importance of the subject among librarians, academics, school managers, teachers, families and decision makers and in increasing joint work in this direction.

Keywords: