Reading their way through immigration: The leisure reading practices of Russian-speaking immigrants in Canada
Abstract
In
the vastly diverse academic literature on reading, ethnic readerships
and immigrant reader stories are notably under-researched. To fill this
gap, empirical data from a sample of Russian-speaking immigrant readers
residing in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada, were collected
and analyzed using an innovative combination of two previously disparate
scholarships—immigration research and reading research. Reading is a
contextually dependent experience, and these findings are situated in
the context of acculturation attitudes of the ethnic readership in
question. Immigration causes acculturation stress in the sphere of
leisure reading and affects immigrant reading practices in numerous
ways, including the types of chosen books, book selection criteria, and
the methods of finding out about new titles and accessing items of
interest. An in-depth and thorough understanding of leisure reading
practices can improve insight into immigrant acculturation. Therefore,
these findings and discussion will be valuable for librarians, LIS
scholars, and reading researchers who interact with immigrant readers.
Highlights
►
The effect of immigration on reading practices is investigated. ►
Reading and immigration scholarships are combined. ► Leisure reading
practices are related to the acculturation patterns of immigrants. ►
Immigration affects reading choices and methods of accessing books. ►
Immigrants' conceptions of friendship and their reading behaviors are
related.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keren Dali
is an assistant professor on the Faculty of Information, University of
Toronto, Canada. Her published work includes peer-reviewed authored and
co-authored articles in the College & Research Libraries, Journal of Academic Librarianship, Library & Information Science Research, Library Resources & Technical Services, New Library World, and The Reference Librarian, among others. She is also a co-author of Contemporary World Fiction: A Guide to Literature in Translation.
She teaches courses on reading, readers' advisory, the foundations of
LIS, and international information and culture. Her other research
interests include reference services and international LIS education.
