Monday, November 2, 2015

Children's Services Today, J. Larson, Chapter 3: The Children's Collection

Tatarakis, Kelly



Larson, J. (2015). Chapter 03. The children's collection. In Children's services today: A practical guide for librarians [EBL Reader version]. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Retrieved from http://www.sjsu.eblib.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=1983586
Summary: 

           This chapter deals with development of the children's collection, particularly for public libraries. It covers selection, diversity in materials and subjects, supporting intellectual freedom, and how to promote reading and using the library among children. Suggestions for how to evaluate and select materials in all formats are given, including audiovisual and digital materials. Formats specific to the children's collection - board books, picture books, etc. - are considered separately as the author outlines evaluation methods and gives tips for developing selection criteria. Emphasis is put on understanding your library's collection development policy, and in making a needs assessment of the community and target users before planning acquisitions. A portion of the chapter reviews selection tools including review sources, catalogs, and websites. The different Awards for children's literature are summarized as an additional consideration in the selection process. The chapter also discusses how collection development can be affected by representations of diversity, and the impact that the concept of intellectual freedom has on acquisition policy.
Evaluation:
            This book is a great help to public librarians working in the children's department, and this chapter in particular is highly useful to acquisitions librarians focused on children's materials. I found it a helpful guide in planning selection criteria and procedure for a children's collection.

No comments:

Post a Comment