WEB and Children's Services

[Janet Kaul]

> From web4lib at library.berkeley.edu  Thu Oct 26 08:52:37 1995
> Date: Thu, 26 Oct 1995 09:01:44 -0700
> Reply-To: web4lib at library.berkeley.edu
> Originator: web4lib at library.berkeley.edu
> Sender: web4lib at library.berkeley.edu
> From: Julie Grigar <grigar at fiat.gslis.utexas.edu>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <web4lib at library.berkeley.edu>
> Subject: WEB and Children's Services
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> Content-Length: 510
> 
> Hi everyone-
> I am a full-time graduate student interested in either children's and 
> young adult's services in public libraries or school librarianship.  I 
> was wondering about the applications and implications of the Internet in 
> these areas.  Does anyone have any ideas and/or suggestions?  My school 
> is very interested in the information science aspect of librarianship, 
> but I am new to it and could use some help.  
> 
> Julie Grigar
> Graduate School of Library and Information Science
> grigar at gslis.utexas.edu
> 

Julie,

I'm a children's librarian in California, and also a webmaster at
a Silicon Valley software company.

This is an interesting topic you've brought up, and one I've been
thinking about myself. We just started allowing public internet access
at our library (a public library), and for one, we've had to reopen
all our old policies on parental approval. Kids must get signed off
by a parent to be able to use the Internet.

I haven't personally seen a huge demand for usage, and I think alot
of this is because people aren't awake to the possibilities out there
for children, yet. There are no good search tools for children's
services, or tutorials to guide them through the mass that is the
Internet. This is something children's librarians should be jumping
all over. But of course, our school system is atrocious here, and
school libraries nonexistant, so they aren't being taught about
information systems in many of the schools.

Certainly there are drawing programs and games that would help kids
become computer literate, if they aren't already, and there's a site
out there to suit everyone's interests. But I think the most useful
application right now is just the communications aspect. I read in
School Library Journal about some programs being set up for kids to
have email pen pals in the Soviet Union and other places, and I think
this could be invaluable to education. Also sites on countries and
the information available on government functioning could make the world
closer and more intimate than ever before to burgeouning young minds, and
do it in such a way that they would enjoy learning.

But I digress into soap box.

>From everything I read in the periodicals for children's services,
librarians are aware of the Internet and its potential, but no one
has really done anything about it. I would at least read the last
year of issues of School Library Journal and Library Journal, because
they've been discussing computer usage for a while now.

If anybody has information about search services or guides to the
Internet just for children, I too would be delighted to hear about it.
I'm setting up a small tutorial for kids on the Internet for my own
library in the near future. Examples would be welcome.

-Janet Kaul