【目的】 文庫は日本独自の私的な児童図書館的活動であり,第二次世界大戦後, 急速に拡がり全国各地に定着した。本稿はこの文庫の運営の現状, および運営者の意識を明らかにすることを目的としている。
【方法】 2010 年5 月に全国の文庫を対象に質問紙調査を実施し, 528 件の有効な回答を得た。この結果を分析して文庫の運営の現状と運営者の意識を量的・質的に明らかにした。
【結果】 文庫は減少の傾向にあり, 運営者の高年齢化と少人数化が進んでいる。これは家庭文庫を中心とした施設と蔵書の充実と関連している。また調査結果の検証から, 文庫の活動を行う場所, 文庫の本, 運営の精神が必ずしも一体としてではなく, 各要素が部分的に単独で引き継がれるのも文庫継続の一つの形であることが分かった。とりわけ本は継続を支えるための重要な要素であった。加えて同一の運営者が場所を変えて文庫を継続させている様子も明らかになった。文庫を始めた動機と続けている理由を尋ねる設問への回答からは, 「子どもの本」, 「子ども」, および「本を手渡すこと」が好きだ, 大切だと思う気持ちが, 継続した活動を動機づけている不変の意識であることが分かった。さらに運営者の意識として16 の要素を見出し, 「子どもとのつながり」, 「自分の生き方」, 「他者とのつながり」, 「文庫の役割の発見, 運営者としての自覚」の4 つの概念に分類した。
Purpose: Bunko is a private activity providing library services for children, which is unique to Japan. After the World War II, the activity spread rapidly all over the country. The purpose of this study is to survey current situation of the Bunko activity in Japan and to examine how its operators (i.e., persons responsible for it) feel the activity.
Methods: In May 2010, questionnaires were sent to the operators of Bunko activities and valid 528 responses were obtained finally. The responses were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.
Results: Findings show that the number of organizations working as Bunko has decreased. The operators in the organizations are aging and their number is decreasing, which affects quality of the activity in terms of its facility and book collection, remarkably in the Bunko operated at private homes. Also, all of three core elements for the Bunko activity such as 'place', 'books' and 'mission' are not always succeeded when its operator was exchanged, and only one or two of them tend to be kept continuously, which is a feature of Bunko activity. In particular, books are an important element for keeping the activity. Sometimes a person who suspended the activity at one place continues it at another location. As for the motivation and reasons for engaging in Bunko activity, it turned out that their belief in the value of 'children's books', children' and 'an act of handing books to children' were main incentive to sustain Bunko activity. In addition, 16 characteristics were found from the Bunko operators' attitudes. These characteristics were categorized into four concepts: relationship with children, one's own lifestyle, relationship with others, and recognition of the role of Bunko activity and that of the operators'.
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