Factors Affecting the Use of Appalachian Children’s Literature Titles in Libraries Located in the Central Appalachian Region, as offered by Librarians in the Central Appalachian Region

The purpose of this research is to describe, with the aid of a survey, the factors Library and Information Science professionals working in the Central Appalachian region believe influence the use of Appalachian Children’s Literature titles in Central Appalachian libraries. Primarily, what do librarians in the region feel affects the use of these titles to their library patrons? To thoroughly examine this issue the following research questions will be explored: Specifically, at what point in their lives, if at all, were librarians in this study exposed to Appalachian Children’s Literature? Did this exposure take place in a K-12 setting or public library during this time period, in a college setting, a library environment, or some other type of setting, if at all and does this level of exposure affect the promotion and use of Appalachian Children’s Literature in their libraries? Do librarians in the region actively promote Appalachian Children’s Literature to their patrons? If so, what methods do they use to promote these titles and can these participants name three or more authors or titles that fall within the genre of Appalachian Children’s Literature? Librarians participating in this study will be asked to provide estimations on the use of Appalachian Children’s Literature titles. Specifically, what factors may be affecting the use of these titles and how often do librarians feel these titles are being used?