Juvenile Collection

Library and Meida Servies collects noteworthy or course-related books written for children and young adults. Both Newberry and Caldecott Award winning books are purchased. Materials about children's literature, including the history of children's literature and storytelling activities, are purchased and placed in the main circulating collection. Reference books about children's literature are purchased and placed in the Reference Collection.

The collection directly supports the coursework assignments of classes in children's literature and young adult literature taught in the COllege of Education. To the extent possible within funding constraints, the Juvenile Collection attempts to provide users with selected award-winning fiction and picture books and relatively current nonfiction material in selected areas. The collection is kept separate from the rest of the circulating collections. Except for fiction and picture books, the Juvenile Collection is arranged by Library of Congress call number.

The collection is not intended to provide students with examples of all newly published children's books nor to replicate what a children's collection might look like in an elementary school or in a public library. Nor is it intended to satisfy the needs of teachers who work with young adults or high school students; the emphasis is on the younger reader. It is not intended to be a comprehensive research collection in the history of children's literature or illustration within children's books, nor does it intend to represent more than some trends in American children's literature. It is a highly selective collection for student teachers and others pursuing education degrees or certification.

USER GROUPS DEFINED

Primary users

• University students in education courses
• faculty teaching education courses
• University students in other courses

Secondary users

• children of University faculty and staff
• children of students
• children within the community of Monmouth/Independence

The needs of the secondary users will not be taken into account for selection or weeding since they have access to the children's collection available in public and school libraries.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Types of books included in the Juvenile Collection include:

• picture books
• activity books for children
• fiction books
• fairy tales from around the world
• folk legends from around the world
• fantasy literature
• poetry and rhymes for children
• nonfiction in all areas
• song books
• all Caldecott and Newberry Award winning books
  
  Fictional and nonfictional treatments of disabilities and family problems as well as other examples of contemporary concerns in children's literature are examples of a major current emphasis in the collection.

Types of reference books about children's literature include:

• biographical sources
• book review sources
• bibliographies
• core lists
• lists of award winners
• specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries
• plot summaries
• indexes to poetry
• historical chronologies
• guides to children's literature

Formats Collected
The only format collected is print, in both paperbound and hard bound copy.

Funding Consideration
The Collection Development Librarian will determine the budget for the collection (part of the funding for purchase of humanities materials).

Language
English is the primary language of the materials in the Juvenile Collection; however juvenile materials in foreign languages will be purchased to support foreign language courses and these materials will be shelved in the main circulating collection.
Multiple Copies
Multiple copies of Caldecott and Newberry winners will be purchased:

• one copy of the winning books for the non-circulating collection
• two copies of the winning books for the circulating collection
• one copy of the Honor Books will be purchased for the circulating collection

For all other titles, single copies will be the norm unless reserve requirements suggest multiple copies.

Size (Height/Width)
The size of a book will not be an issue in the purchasing or shelving of juvenile materials. There will be no separate oversize juvenile collection; many picture books are oversize by nature. Shelving will be adjusted to accommodate a variety of heights.

LIMITS ON THE COLLECTION

Types of material excluded from the Collection include:

• foreign language books for children (shelved separately in the main circulating collection)
• classic fiction once considered standard children's literature but which in this setting is more often now read by University students, such as works by Alcott, Twain, Stevenson, and, which is shelved in the main circulating collection
• reference material about juvenile literature is shelved in the main Reference Book Collection
• books about children's literature and related topics are placed in the main circulating collection
• books aimed at the secondary, high school, young adult or adolescent readers are only selectively acquired
• science fiction, detective fiction, and popular fiction
• textbooks used in elementary school
• outdated nonfiction titles

Formats Excluded
• pop-up books
• comic books
• cloth books
• audio books
• video versions of books
• microform
• braille materials

GIFTS

Gifts will be added to the Juvenile Collection only if they meet the selection criteria listed above.

SCOPE, COLLECTION LEVEL, SIZE, ACCESSIBILITY, CIRCULATION AND AVAILABILITY

Scope and Reading Level
80% of the collection is for the elementary school level; 20 % is for the middle school and secondary school level.

Level of the Collection
The collection is not comprehensive in nature since the University has no degree program in children's literature; the collection is selective. While a large percentage of the collection is in picture book format, there is no intent to be comprehensive in that area either. The only area that it is comprehensive is the collection of all Caldecott and Newberry Award-winning books; Honor Books are purchased if funds allow.

Location and Accessibility
The main collection is located on the 2nd floor and accessible to all patrons.

Circulation Status
All titles in the Juvenile Collection may circulate except for the non-circulating collection of Caldecott and Newberry Award-winning books (additional circulating copies are available, however). The titles in the Reference Book Collection do not generally circulate.

Availability
The Juvenile Collection, Reference Collection, and other supporting collections are available for use during all of the hours that the Library is open. There are no restricted or special juvenile collections.

COLLECTION MAINTENANCE

The juvenile collection receives ongoing inventory, shelf reading, and weeding to maintain it in the best possible condition and to meet the demands of space limitations and the needs of the University.

Criteria for weeding materials from the collection include:

• title replaced by newer edition
• latest edition only kept of most titles, except for books in series or those published as supplements
• age of material
• if information has been superseded by newer discoveries or techniques, titles will be discarded