The purpose of this study is to clarify how a school library functions as a place where students spend time during their lunch breaks, with a focus on their behaviors, the bookshelves, and the other's perception amid the places that bookshelves create. This study is based on micro-ethnographic case studies using observational data. During fieldwork at a public junior school, the researcher observed 474 students during their lunch breaks and conducted a questionnaire survey of 336 students. First, from the data yielded from the questionnaires, the researcher identified six places and the student's perception with each place of. Second, based on how students relax in each of the places, the researcher classified 15 students' behavior patterns by using the KJ method, which was developed by Jiro KAWAKITA in the 1960s, to classify data. The study results first clarified that students' behaviors are related to the placement of bookshelves. Next, we observed that a student will not only use the arrangement of bookshelves to serve a purpose, he or she will also move a chair, if needed, to avoid other students. Finally, students imitate the behavior which they are frequently observed in a spot, to secure a place where they can spend time in the library during the lunch break. These results indicate that school libraries can serve simultaneously each psychological place, and function as a safety net for students, allowing them temporarily to escape from school life in relation with bookshelves to spend time during a lunch break.

　In 2003, the Designated Manager System (DMS) was established through a revision of the Local Autonomy Law, and has been gradually introduced in public libraries in Japan. This study aimed to reveal the competitive environment of the DMS and its actual situation in public libraries. From December 2018 to March 2019, we surveyed public libraries located in the prefectures, cities, and wards throughout Japan. Data were gathered primarily from local government websites. On the basis of the data, 82.6% of local governments seek organizations that will manage libraries through public offerings. This observation indicates a competitive environment. However, the number of organizations applying to manage public libraries has been decreasing over time. In FY2018, there was only 1 applicant to approximately 70% of all public offerings. A specific library-related company occupies approximately 40% of the market share. It seems that the market has been gradually monopolized by one company. More than 80% of the organizations continue to manage in the subsequent period of management. That means many libraries are continuously managed by the same organization. A change in the managing organizations is observed between the library-related companies that are active nationwide.