Analysis of the compliance of the space with the service qualifications in children's libraries from the perspective of personnel: The example of Nasreddin Hodja Children's Library

Among the information centers, considering the current and potential users and the interaction processes of these users with the library, one of the institutions that should be emphasized is the children's libraries. Children's libraries are children's second homes and their first stop before starting their education life. They are institutions that aim to overcome any obstacle in accessing information, provide services free of charge and under equal conditions, all mission and vision are on children, and the culture of reading is aimed to be acquired at early ages. The study was prepared in order to make suggestions for the space designs and services of all children's departments, together with the space designs of children's education and the information services they provide to children, in the Nasreddin Hodja Children's Library serving the Presidential National Library. In this context, the responses to the interviews with the staff of the institution, on-site examinations and evaluations were made on the physical checklist prepared for children's libraries. In the research, the method of description was used to organize the information obtained through literature review and to organize it in line with the purpose of the study. The observation technique was used while evaluating the criteria created on the basis of the common determinations revealed in the studies related to the literature review. Afterwards, the structured interview technique gathered more specific information about the subject and the data obtained were correlated and interpreted in line with the aims of the study. After the meaningful association and integration of all the data obtained, the ability and competence of the sample was presented on the physical checklist. As a result of the data obtained, it has been determined that comfort and aesthetic elements have been more prominent in children's libraries, especially in Nasreddin Hodja Children's Library, it has been determined that there has been a relative improvement compared to the past, and an institutional effort has been made to keep up with the requirements of technology. In order to increase the use of children's libraries and to make the service appeal to a wider audience, the importance of the space element and the creative activities offered in these spaces has been emphasized and recommendations have been made in this regard.