Abstract
Services and programming for children and young people have become a mainstay of public library services worldwide, although children were not necessarily welcomed into some of the early libraries in the 19th century. Nowadays, however, the needs of children are often prominent in the mission, goals and service delivery plans of public libraries. Similarly, that public libraries can contribute richly to the social and educational experiences of children and their families is widely acknowledged. At least, it is within the library community. Whether the contribution and potential contribution that public libraries and their early years programming make to wider agendas relating to children and families is recognised by those outside the sector is a moot point and one touched on in this volume, although not explored in great depth. Thus, while Ranking and Brock in Chapter 1 give a clear and coherent overview of the context within which library services to children operate, including a persuasive rationale for their provision as well as the constraints facing many services, the authors are to a large extent preaching to the converted. Convincing policy makers and funders that well-resourced children’s library services can assist them in achieving many of their wider priorities around supporting families, improving educational outcomes and enhancing quality of life is another matter, however. That kind of advocacy and political positioning is not really addressed in this book, although Chapter 5, also by Rankin and Brock, does emphasise the importance of working in partnership with other professional and partner organisations and the need to develop political and advocacy skills to ensure that the library service’s role is recognised in ‘the increasingly complex landscape of early years provision in the UK’ (p. 107).
That said, the aim of this book is not primarily to beat the drum for the inclusion of early years librarians and their services in national and/or local policy and strategy. As the editors make clear in the Introduction, the book is targeted at early years professionals and librarians. This is a substantially revised and retitled second edition of Rankin and Brock’s (2009) work, Delivering the Best Start: A Guide to Early Years Libraries and, throughout the book, there is an emphasis on librarians developing as reflective practitioners. This volume is a sound basis from which to proceed. It provides an evidence base made up of relevant research citations, professional insights, best practice guidance and case studies of successful initiatives from a range of international contributors. The international perspective is, for me, one of the key appeals and successes of the book. While Rankin and Brock acknowledge a UK bias in the chapters they have authored, the volume includes contributions from practitioners and academics from across the globe, albeit mainly from Anglophone countries. Chapter 11: ‘Reaching your audience: The librarian’s role’ gives a wide international view and includes case studies from non-English speaking countries, namely Croatia, Denmark, Italy, Russia and Sweden.
The book is divided into 14 chapters and the key theme running through them all is the role of public libraries in developing and promoting early literacy skills. Taking a socio-cultural perspective, early literacy researchers and practitioners now recognise that literacy starts from birth. The concepts of early literacy and emergent literacy take the view that children engage with literacy practices from the earliest age and that interactions with adults are vital to support the acquisition of skills underpinning children’s literacy development which is, of course, critical for future success in education and life. The concepts and theory of early literacy are explained clearly by Rankin and Brock in Chapter 2 which gives a sound and helpful overview of the important stages of child development and their implications for librarians’ practice. The discussion of brain development on page 33 is particularly relevant and of current interest as more and more library services (certainly here in New Zealand, anyway) are developing programmes for babies based on ‘Active Movement’ or ‘Positive Movement’ principles. As the authors note, it is now accepted that movement is vital for the developing brain and body of the growing child as it supports connections in the mind/body system. Library-based programmes and activities providing positive movement experiences for very young children aim to simulate the development of the brain and body, thus building the foundations for later learning. This aspect of programming could have been explored in more depth perhaps, although subsequent chapters do frequently make reference to brain development research, emphasising, for example, the importance of acting within crucial ‘windows of opportunity’ (p. 69) in children’s early experiences.
The focus of this book is primarily on developing communication, language and literacy through interaction with books. Thus, many of the chapters discuss appropriate book selection and successful methods of and tips for interactive or shared book reading. In this regard, the book is highly successful and provides a wealth of helpful advice supported by reference to an appropriate research base. There is also acknowledgement in various chapters that some caregivers may be anxious about their own reading abilities and suggestions of how to get around this are provided. Similarly, the importance of rhymes, songs and telling (as opposed to reading) stories is also highlighted in many of the contributions.
Two chapters, in particular, emphasise that library programming for young children is about more than books. Chapter 8 by Rachel Payne from Brooklyn Public Library focuses on using play to enhance early years literacy in babies and toddlers, noting that play is children’s way of experimenting with the world and is a powerful force for developing language and therefore literacy when adults respond and interact with them during playtime. The importance of modelling good practice to caregivers, stressed repeatedly throughout this book, is emphasised particularly strongly here. Chapter 10 by Shelley Bullas and Ben Lawrence from Calderdale Library Service in the UK is also a valuable addition to this volume and considers music and rhyme time sessions. As they suggest, there is little information to guide librarians on singing in the library environment and they provide a clear rationale for the practice as well as practical tips and some helpful suggestions for activities. Another chapter of interest which moves away from the more conventional book programmes is that on using digital media in story times. Francesca de Freitas and Tess Prendergast explore why public libraries may incorporate digital media in story time programmes and present case studies showing how this has been achieved in Vancouver’s public libraries, highlighting key lessons and summarising success factors in the provision of what they term a ‘topic of high importance in the field of early years librarianship’. The importance of modelling appropriate behaviour and use of digital media are once again emphasised.
The one chapter that was something of a disappointment for me was that on promoting books effectively. I expected a discussion of something akin to readers’ advisory or reader development specifically aimed at young children and their parents but the chapter repeated much of the information found elsewhere in the book about running early years activities and story times. A chapter on this topic would, however, be a valuable addition to a third edition.