People do not exist separate from environment but people live and adapt within the environmentand the behavior is exercised in the mutual relationship with the environment. The physical space environment created by people works with the characteristic...
People do not exist separate from environment but people live and adapt within the environmentand the behavior is exercised in the mutual relationship with the environment. The physical space environment created by people works with the characteristics and desire of people living in it and also works to create people by comprehending all the behaviors. Hence, this environment plays very important role in the behavior and psychological happiness of people. The influence of this physical environment is even more emphasized in children who have weak control and adaptation ability towards environment.
Therefore, it is necessary to recognize the importance of essential environment that helps children to grow as an independent individual and to make effort to compose interior environment with the consideration of environment behavioral concept beyond the significance as simple physical environment.
On one side, if we look at the reality of Koreathat lacks social education and cultural facilities for children, the importance of children's library is relatively large. Also, the library is changing into a space of new concept for experiencing reading, various social activities and plays beyond the conceptwhich library is a simple space for reading in the modern society for children. Therefore, it should be supported to reflect changing role of libraries and induce the developmental characteristics of the children into positive direction.
Therefore, the objective of this study is to look at the space that children prefer to read, analyze the characteristics of the space that have influence on reading habits of children, and provide basic information to plan children's reading space in various social and cultural facilities as well as the reading rooms in children's library.
The subject of this study is the children's libraries in the public libraries andspecialized libraries that provides services for children in Korea opened in 2003-2005 which are 4 places of Nowon Children's Library, Seoul, Miracle's Library, Suncheon, Miracle's Library, Keumsan, Municipal and Jungang Library, Paju. These 4 places are libraries that have different spatial characteristics which the influence of spatial characteristics on reading habits of children was compare analyzed through comparison and analysis of children's habits for the spatial form and reading.
The study method was the sojourner occupancy research through marking the data of the users on the prepared plane by rotating the library in 15 minutes interval from the opening hour to closing from each library. And the research subjects that have different architectural and spatial characteristics were categorized by the type with a uniformed standard and the space were classified into 7 areas of different characteristics to study the space that has highest users per area among the areas based on the data achieved from sojourner occupancy research. The area showing highest rate of use was almost identical in 4 subject libraries and these areas were considered as the preferred space for children to read books and analyzed ofthe spatial characteristics to induce the reading of children.
First, as a result of studying the spatial composition and characteristics of the children's library by the area, it showed common level of preference in the order of 'bookcase adjacent desks (area 2)', 'bookcase area (area 1)', 'bookcase adjacent sofa (area 3)' whereas, in case of Keumsan Miracle's Library, the level of preference in 'bookcase adjacent sofa (area 3)'was the highest. As a result of analyzing the spatial characteristics, it showed that different from other libraries which the distance between the bookcase area and desk is 1.2-1.5m, the distance in Keumsan Miracle's Library is 2.0-2.5m which is somewhat distantly located which children prefer the most close sofa within the distance of 1-1.2m.
The functional demand characteristics in the space could be understood that because younger aged children use picture books rather than story books which resultsshort reading time and frequent movement to the bookcase to reading area. Different from the thought that the children's preferred spatial characteristics would be the selection by the finishing materials, it was dependent on the distance from the bookcases and parent's selection. Therefore, safe design and material should be takeninto consideration to respond to careless accidents due to children's frequent movement and should be planned for convenient approaches and use through making bookcase area and reading area closer than other spaces.
Second, it is found that the distance is the biggest element in deciding preferred space for reading and this shows that the physical environment variable has very important and direct influence on the children's behavior. Rather than the furniture such as chairs and sofas without back supports for interest that induce incorrect postures from growing children and inhibits longer reading time, it should be taken into consideration to make correct reading habits of children by reducing noise in the library and planning stable reading atmosphere by locating desks and furniture to induce mental and physical development character into positive direction in the long term perspective and locate resting and playing space in rather obsolete or large spaces.
Third, in case of preschoolers and low grade children, the level of noise due to reading with parents, conversation and frequent movement; hence, it was observed that they were clearly separated from high grade children. This should be taken into consideration by separating reading spaces for low graders and high graders or locating low partitions or small and big independent spaces.
Fourth, in using libraries, the proportion of preschoolers and parents was in 1:1 or 2:1. This showed that the use of preschoolers and low grade children that required guidance from parents were the highest. This shows that the proportion of caregivers and supervisors for the preschoolers and low grade children, that is, adult cannot be overlooked and furniture and resting space for adult in space planning should be taken into consideration.
Fifth, according to the relationship with the companion, when they are with the caregivers, they are by themselves, or with friends, they preferred the independent space which small privacy is ensured to protect individual or group privacy from other people. Therefore, it should be taken into consideration to ensure privacy through using single sided furniture or two sided furniture to prevent eye contact.
This study is looked at various elements location condition of the library, distribution of users per area, property of the user, user's behavior by the age level of children, and distribution of sojourn place according to the relationship with the companion is related to the reading habits of children and space planning of children's room has influence on reading behavior to study the preferred space for the children to read and analyze the characteristics of the space that influence the reading habits of children. This is a content that has the ground on the necessity to consideruser oriented environmental behavioral concept in planning children's library in the future. However, since this has the limitations that the research data is limited to the reading room and it is a suggestion through the data of few, there should be constant studies on various spaces for ensuring data in the future.