Children & Libraries: Getting It Right - Softcover

American Library Association

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0838907954 ISBN 13: 9780838907955

Publisher: ALA Editions, 2000

Synopsis

This visionary book by respected children's library specialist and advocate Virginia Walter is a call to action for libraries...to consider children as vital participants in the community, as well as serious readers and technology users.

About this title

About the Author

Virginia A. Walter holds a BA in world literature, an MLIS from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD in public administration from the University of Southern California. Before joining the faculty in what is now the Information Studies Department at UCLA in 1990, she had worked for more than twenty years in public libraries, most recently as children’s services coordinator at Los Angeles Public Library. She retired in June 2008 with the rank of professor emerita. She is the author of two books for young people, nine monographs, and more than thirty-five articles in scholarly and professional journals.

Reviews

A pivotal book for people who work with/for children in public libraries. Walter states in her introduction that this is not "a how-to-do-it" title, but rather a "how-to-think-about-it" guide. She begins with a comprehensive overview of the history of library services to children, assesses the current state of the profession, and proceeds to lay out a far-reaching vision for the future. She examines changing routines, educational practices, and social patterns that have had a profound effect on our communities and from these trends drafts a slate of suggested goals for those of us who strive to serve children. She also examines the impact of digital technology and looks at the future of the book. This volume doesn't have any answers for how to change the library to meet changing needs, but it does provide a platform of ideas from which we can draw as we consider where we must go. Competencies for librarians serving children in public libraries and a lengthy list of references are appended. This is an excellent resource to inspire the minds of everyone interested in library services to young people in the 21st century.-Cathy Fithian Williams, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: ALA Editions
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0838907954
• ISBN 13: 9780838907955
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 155