Document Type
Article
Publication Date
January 2014
Journal
Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science
Volume
38
Issue
2
First Page
97
Last Page
126
URL with Digital Object Identifier
doi:10.1353/ils.2014.0010
Abstract
Abstract:This paper reports the findings of an online survey designed to explore the reading practices, library habits, and book acquisition of adult members of an active poetry community (n = 32) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Findings show the close relationship between poetry reading and poetry writing and the tight interweaving of poetry throughout the working and personal lives of respondents. Reading and finding out about poetry are also highly social in nature with a clear reliance on the poetry community rather than the public library. Our findings have implications for the roles of reading institutions such as bookstores, libraries, and publishers, as well as for collection development and readers’ advisory services to specialized reading communities.
