International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature

witnessed within school libraries has led to new and ever increasing pressures on the
public library.

Towards the twenty-first century

What of the future? Public expenditure cuts, the threat of charges for children, the
ideological concerns surrounding market forces and sponsorship, rationalisation and
reductions in staffing and the precarious future of specialists are issues which led to a
lack of confidence during the 1980s and will continue to impact on the development of
services in the foreseeable future. Writing in the mid-1980s, one eminent children’s
librarian, Jennifer Shepherd, wrote:

What of the future? If there is light on the horizon it is this, that children’s work is

at last growing up. There is an awareness of the need for aims and objectives to

clarify what ought to be done and why; policies and programmes to identify how

and when; monitoring and evaluation to look at results; accountability to ensure

achievement in line with objectives and a fair distribution of total resources.

Shepherd 1986:30

A decade on, there is much to be positive about. Many libraries have established charter
service policies, and performance indicators and sophisticated management techniques
are being put in place; collections reflect the rich output of children’s book publishing;
the proactive marketing of collections, services and of children’s libraries in general are
bearing fruit. National aims and objectives and a clear philosophy are now manifest in
the guise of the Library Association guidelines and recent reports. With their publication,
new debate has been awakened which, given continued perseverance and dedication of
children’s librarians, could lead to a restored confidence and an optimistic future.

References

Aslib (1995) Review of the Public Library Service in England and Wales for the Department of
National Heritage: Final Report, London: ASLIB.
Bergiarusso, M. (1990) ‘Public library services for children in the United States’, International
Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship 5, 3:198–218.
Butler, D. (1980) Babies Need Books, London: Bodley Head.
Clyde, L.A. (1993) ‘Computer based resources for young people: an overview’, International Review
of Children’s Literature and Librarianship 8, 1:1–21.
Coleman, P. (1994) ‘Libraries and literacy: how public libraries should respond’, in Barker, K. and
Lonsdale, R. (eds), Skills for Life: The Meaning and Value of Literacy, pp 75–88, London: Taylor
Graham.
Colwell, E.H. (1947) ‘Twenty eventful years in children’s books’, Papers and Summaries of
Discussions at The Brighton Conference of the Library Association, 55–59.
Department of Education and Science (1967) Children and their Primary Schools, 2 Vols, London:
HMSO.

624 APPLICATIONS OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE