Jeanette Larson - Childrens Services Today: A Practical Guide for Librarians

Childrens Services Today

Practical Guides for Librarians

About the Series

This innovative series written and edited for librarians by librarians provides authoritative, practical information and guidance on a wide spectrum of library processes and operations.

Books in the series are focused, describing practical and innovative solutions to a problem facing todays librarian and delivering step-by-step guidance for planning, creating, implementing, managing, and evaluating a wide range of services and programs.

The books are aimed at beginning and intermediate librarians needing basic instruction/guidance in a specific subject and at experienced librarians who need to gain knowledge in a new area or guidance in implementing a new program/service.

About the Series Editor

The Practical Guides for Librarians series was conceived by and is edited by M. Sandra Wood, MLS, MBA, AHIP, FMLA, Librarian Emerita, Penn State University Libraries.

M. Sandra Wood was a librarian at the George T. Harrell Library, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA, for over 35 years, specializing in reference, educational, and database services. Ms. Wood worked for several years as a Development Editor for Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Ms. Wood received a MLS from Indiana University and a MBA from the University of Maryland. She is a Fellow of the Medical Library Association and served as a member of MLAs Board of Directors from 1991 to 1995. Ms. Wood is founding and current editor of Medical Reference Services Quarterly , now in its 35th volume. She also was founding editor of the Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet and the Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries and served as editor/co-editor of both journals through 2011.

Titles in the Series

1. How to Teach: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Beverley E. Crane.

2. Implementing an Inclusive Staffing Model for Todays Reference Services by Julia K. Nims, Paula Storm, and Robert Stevens.

3. Managing Digital Audiovisual Resources: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Matthew C. Mariner.

4. Outsourcing Technology: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Robin Hastings.

5. Making the Library Accessible for All: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Jane Vincent .

6. Discovering and Using Historical Geographical Resources on the Web: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Eva H. Dodsworth and L. W. Lalibert

7. Digitization and Digital Archiving: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Elizabeth R. Leggett

8. Makerspaces: A Practical Guide for Librarians by John J. Burke

9. Implementing Web-Scale Discovery Services: A Practical Guide for Librarians by JoLinda Thompson

10. Using iPhones and iPads: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Matthew Connolly and Tony Cosgrave

11. Usability Testing: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Rebecca Blakiston

12. Mobile Devices: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Ben Rawlins

13. Going Beyond Loaning Books to Loaning Technologies: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Janelle Sander, Lori S. Mestre, and Eric Kurt

14. Childrens Services Today: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Jeanette Larson

Childrens Services Today

A Practical Guide for Librarians

Jeanette Larson

Practical Guides for Librarians, No. 14

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

www.rowman.com

Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB

Copyright 2015 by Rowman & Littlefield

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Larson, Jeanette.

Childrens services today : a practical guide for librarians / Jeanette Larson.

pages cm. (Practical guides for librarians ; 14)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8108-9324-5 (hardback : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8108-9132-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8108-9133-3 (ebook) 1. Childrens librariesUnited States. I. Title.

Z718.2.U6L37 2015

027.62'50973dc23

2014042217

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

To the many wonderful childrens book authors and illustrators who have made it so much fun to be a childrens librarian. Especially Jack Gantos. I point the finger at his Rotten Ralph books for luring me into this profession.

Contents

Preface

I was probably the last person my library school colleagues expected would become a childrens librarian. I loved research so I had big plans to be a reference librarian. Working at Anaheim Public Library during a period when every librarian was a generalist, I discovered childrens books, storytime, and summer reading programs. When I moved to Texas, the only job available during an economic downturn was as a childrens librarian, so I took it, learning on the job from talented librarians like Ann Furche Sampson.

The library world has certainly changed a lot since 1975. Libraries are emerging as technology centers and community gathering places. Access to electronic materials means patrons may not need to ever step foot into the library. The Internet makes information readily available to anyone, even when that information is outdated, wrong, or satirical. E-publishing means anyone and everyone can get their book published.

While their interests may be different and they seem to be born with a cell phone in their hand already taking selfies, children today are essentially no different from the children of yesterday. They crave attention, soak up information, love hearing stories, and need guidance to grow into healthy, productive adults. Through my experience I have seen firsthand the difference a good childrens librarian makes to a childs life. The work we do is important!

I have worked as a childrens librarian, childrens library consultant, administrator, and, most recently, library educator. Childrens Services Today: A Practical Guide for Librarians comes out of my teaching the Youth Programs course at Texas Womans University. While I was able to use many fine textbooks, I always found myself supplementing the textbook with practical informationthe stuff I learned on the job, from other librarians, and through trial and error. And childrens librarians never stop learning. We always need to know more, try new things, and keep a step ahead of our patrons.

Not every good childrens librarian has a masters degree in library science. Some great librarians never took a youth services or childrens literature course. I didnt. It was offered during a time when I could not attend classes in the pre-online learning era when I had to drive 60 miles each way to classes in downtown Los Angeles. Childrens Services Today: A Practical Guide for Librarians is based on my teaching experience but also my experience working with children and childrens librarians. The focus is on public libraries, although, of course, school librarians use many of the same skills and face similar issues. Childrens Services Today: A Practical Guide for Librarians has been written for use by university classes but also for that person who walks into the library one day and is told she will be the childrens librarian.