What Is The Point of the Children's Library?

Today, a patron came and was really upset with me because I told him he could not use the computers in the Children's Library. This got me thinking about why there is a special area set up for the children's collection and I thought I should post about it for the benefit of all those adults who think there is no reason for the children's library except to keep them away from using computers and making their life difficult. (excuse the snark but I really am irritated at how entitled adults are)

In 1895, American libraries started building separate areas for their childrens books and media, later this innovation spread to Europe. The mission of these spaces were to provide a distinct area for children to use. It was to provide a space where children can learn about what the library has to offer, promote literacy, and provide other sources to enhance their interest in life-long learning. These spaces would be separate from the adult collection and also be distinct in their construction, layout, and decor. This mission has not changed, but I think, it's been forgotten by some of the people who come in to use the library, especially those people who do not have children.

So, this long established space now has dvd and cd collections and computers. Computers that are set up for children 14 and younger. There are reasons that kids have their own area with their own computers to use. And one of them is so that kids do not have to sit next to the older guy who decides he can look at porn on the library computers. It is set up so that kids can do their homework without interruption. It is also here so that kids do not have to battle adults for a library computer to use. You might laugh at that one but there are adults who use these computers all day long, steal other patrons card numbers and use them, and just are online for those 2 hours they have alotted under the library policy. It is also a "safe" area for kids to be.

So, I'm sorry if you think I'm being unreasonable because I won't let you use these computers. It's moments like these when I remember the father who came up to me and thanked me for enforcing the policy set up in this room. He said "My daughter would not be comfortable using a computer next to a man."

Safety in the Children's Library

On Saturday, a man was arrested for trying to lure kids out of the library by telling them that he had a puppy and he wanted to show it to them. The older you get, the more distance you have from those old PSAs and educational movies we watched in Elementary school. However, working with children, it is still such a real danger. This is just a reminder to be aware. Get to know the kids who go to your library so that they are comfortable enough to tell you when someone is acting strange or making them feel uncomfortable. A coworker thwarted this attempted kidnapping by being aware and approachable.

However, I am not saying that we, as librarians, are the only ones who need to be responsible for the well-being of our youngest patrons. Parents need to be there. They need to not assume that librarians are there to babysit their children. They need to educate their kids on some harsh realities and give kids strategies on what to do if this happens to them. Yes, sometimes they laugh at those PSAs "stranger danger! stranger danger!" But this is twice that I have heard of and seen on the news that that call has helped a kid stay out of harm's way.

Here are some links:
Safefromharmvideo.com - they have a good video to watch with your kids and it's free!
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The National Alert Registry - you can keep aware of child predators in your neighborhood
The LAPD or your local police department
McGruff - the National Crime Prevention Council (as a kid, I loved McGruff)
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention - great resources for parents, kids and educators, etc.