My carrel, my second home: inclusion and the sense of belonging among visually impaired students in an academic library

Bodaghi, N.B. and Zainab, A.N. (2013) My carrel, my second home: inclusion and the sense of belonging among visually impaired students in an academic library. Malaysian Journal of Library & Information Science, 18 (1). pp. 39-54. ISSN 1394-6234,

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Abstract

This paper explores visually impaired persons' (VIPs) sense of belonging in a university library context. It focuses on their perceptions of and experiences with study carrels located in the university library. Data were collected during interviews and focus group discussions. Participants consisted of five female and thirteen male students between the ages of 20 and 37 years. Participants considered their carrels as second homes where they felt safe, comfortable, and accepted. The carrels gave them a sense of belonging. The carrels also served as social places where the VIPs could interact with peers, volunteer readers, and other sighted students. The VIPs viewed their carrels as quiet havens where they could study and learn. They felt they belonged to the library community and were proud to be accepted as students at the university. The findings may increase library managements' awareness of the need to include these types of spaces in future design.

Item Type: Article
Funders: UNSPECIFIED
Additional Information: Times Cited: 0 Bodaghi, Nahid Bayat Zainab, A. N.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Visually handicapped; Blind; Library services to special groups; Sense of belonging; Academic libraries; Inclusion in libraries
Subjects: Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources
Divisions: Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology > Dept of Library & Information Science Unit
Depositing User: Miss Nur Jannatul Adnin Ahmad Shafawi
Date Deposited: 11 Jul 2013 01:32
Last Modified: 31 Oct 2014 13:11
URI: http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/7109

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