Libraries are champions of information independence and
freedom of information. This even applies to children, in which their rights
are recognized. In public libraries, children have the same rights to privacy
and the same ability to check out materials as any adult. However, children are
not truly represented in children’s literature because these materials are made
by adults and chosen by adults. Is it really the adult’s interpretation of
childhood?
There is a distinct lack of involvement by minors in
collection development. However, it has been shown that children prefer
recommendations from siblings, friends, and other children over those of their
parents, teachers, or librarians. They are active participants in literature
but do not actively participate in collection development as other age groups
do such as teen coalitions or adults. It may be possible to recognize the
competence of children and hear their opinions. Librarians should understand that
while children may not be fully independent, their collective experiences are
still valuable.
Aggleton, J. (2018). Where are the children in children’s
collection? An exploration of ethical principles and practical concerns
surrounding children’s participation in collection development. New Review of Children’s Literature and
Librarianship, 24(1), 1-17. Doi:10.1080/13614541.2018.1429122
I also read this article for the additional reading assignment. This article brought up several points that I agree with and on some scale already follow. For example, we have surveys for our students to fill out for book requests and I also work with 20 high school interns that keep me up to date on young adult interests and current fads. I use this knowledge to order books throughout the year. On the other hand, I hadn’t really thought of adding children’s books written by children to the collection. This idea was so thought provoking to me and now I want to make a section in my library for children’s books written by children. I got to thinking that Eragon for example was written by Christopher Paolini at the age of 15 and if we had a collection of books written by children on display, not only will students want to check them out, they might be inspired to write their own books.
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