1

Determining best practices for identifying community needs is a multiple-step

process that, when done correctly and thoroughly, will lead to an integration of the
library into the lives of the community. The first step is to identify the culture that you
are looking to servefor the purposes of this paper we will be examining the parents
and children ages 0-12. Once the culture has been identified, demographic information
will need to be gathered. This will help to understand the variation within the client
group.1 Next, you should identify the community stakeholders both within and outside
of the client group. Here the stakeholders are parents, teachers, care givers,
pediatricians, and yes, the children themselves. From discussions with all of the
stakeholders, one can begin to get an idea of the goals of the client group. The needs that
the public libraries will address will help the client group achieve their goals. In the
instance of parents and children ages 0-12, the goals are healthy family units, literacy,
and school success.
In Serving the Needs of Diverse Communities Kate Baker suggested three ways
to gain information from your patrons: face-to-face interviews, focus groups, and paper
surveys. These are the methods commonly employed by libraries, which are not at all
like the means used by the business community to develop satisfying consumer
experiences. Steve McCallion, a giant in the realm of design and innovation, says We
need to model existing behaviors, attitudes and values and then apply what we know
about future trends to create experiences that surprise and delight consumers. 2 In the
1 Matthews, Joseph R. Research-Based Planning for Public Libraries: Increasing
Relevance in the Digital Age. Santa Barbara, Libraries Unlimited, 2013. 11-15.
2McCallion, Steve. How Customers Saying No can Become Consumer Experience
Yes, accessed March, 10, 2014. http://www.fastcompany.com/1331829/howcustomers-saying-no-can-become-consumer-experience-yes

case of parents and children ages 0-12, future trends are most likely to be the newest
curriculum standards, kindergarten readiness expectations, and child development
findings. One can apply the tools for developing an organizational strategy to
determining patron needs with a little adjustment. As Joseph Matthews states in
Research-Based Planning for Public Libraries, organizational strategies are concerned
with how to satisfy customers and how to provide services. The best way to satisfy
customers is to meet their needs and exceed their expectations. Community needs are
fulfilled by the programs, materials and services that will help the group achieve their
goals.
A good starting point for identifying successful childrens services is to examine
the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) 2005
document from the World Library and Information Congress, which outlines best
practices for childrens services. IFLAs goals of childrens services includes:
facilitating the right of every child to
- information
- functional, visual, digital and media literacy
- cultural development
- lifelong learning
- creative programs in leisure time
To provide children with open access to all resources and media
To provide various activities for children, parents and caregivers
To facilitate families' entry into the community
To empower children and to advocate for their freedom and safety
To encourage children to become confident and competent people
To strive for a peaceful world.3
When one is looking to serve parents and children ages 0-12 there are needs that this
group will have across the board, regardless of location, income level, or culture. These
3 Bon, Ingrid. Best Practices of Childrens Library Services around the World.

needs are access to materials and services, information on community resources,

support of informational literacy, digital literacy, and curriculum support.
According to the International Federation of Library Associations and
Institutions (IFLA) a quality children's library equips children with lifelong learning
and literacy skills enabling them to participate and contribute to the community. It
should constantly respond to the increasing changes in the society and meet the
information, cultural and entertainment needs of all children.4 There was an amazing
article in Library Quarterly about building Digital Libraries for children, where the
consultants on the project were both children and adults. This decision reflects the fact
that children want to be involved in helping to make change. They will fill out surveys
and be candid in what they suggest. Researchers point out that libraries need to change
the focus from working for young people to working with them. 5 In researching the
literature, I discovered that libraries across the United States are meeting and
identifying needs in a myriad of ways that enhance the role of the library in the
community.
In Oregon the Ready to Read program has established best services and best
practices in early literacy development. The Ready to Read program was started in 1993,
and has been keeping data on library services to children from the beginning. This has
allowed the program directors to identify what works and what doesnt work, which is
what makes the list of best practices and best services worth paying attention to. Best
4 Bon, Ingrid. Best Practices of Childrens Library Services around the World, World
Library and Information Congress: 71th IFLA General Conference and Council
Report, August 2005.
5 Druin, Allison. What Children Can Teach Us: Developing Digital Libraries for
Children with Children. The Library Quarterly, Volume 75, no. 1. 2005. 20-41.

practices include community agency partnership to reach non-library users, outreach to

childcare facilities to provide access to materials, partnerships with schools, and parent
training and mentoring. Best services include interaction with children in the library,
trained staff, storytimes and summer reading programs. 6 One could take this
information and tailor it to your own community and available resources with little
difficulty.
The Pennsylvania Library Association has a Best Practices Award in Early
Learning. In 2009 there were eight categories for awards, ranging from programs for
children from birth-3, to family programs, to early learning and parenting programs for
adults. The programs that were listed as winners were innovative in their ability to
deliver on age-old programming themes. My personal favorites included the Franklin
County Whole Child Preschool Project, Teens and Tots, and the Truck Zoo. The Franklin
County Whole Child Preschool Project is a web-based resource that helps caregivers
understand the social and emotional needs of their charges, provides curricula and
reading lists.7 Teens and Tots is a storytime series designed specifically for teenage
mothers with the goal of teaching parenting skills and developing a love of learning in
both parent and child. The Truck Zoo is a showcase of community collaboration; the
library parking lot became home to rescue trucks, big rigs, and construction vehicles for
a day. The children were able to talk to the vehicle operators, and inside the library was

6 Dahlgreen, MaryKay. Ready to Read in Oregon: Building Best Practice in Library

Service to Children, Children and Libraries. Winter 2004. 4-10.
7 Franklin County Whole Child. Accessed March 11, 2014.
http://frcowholechild.webs.com/preschoollinks.htm

a display of truck books available for check out.8 It would be wonderful to see the Illinois
Library Association adopt a similar approach to identifying best practices in services to
youth.
With the adoption of the Common Core standards in Illinois, libraries and
librarians need to have the resources on hand and an understanding of the curriculum
to foster student success. Curriculum support is one of the basic duties of the library. In
Downers Grove, Illinois the childrens librarian participates in the elementary school
curriculum committees.9 This kind of direct involvement allows the library to anticipate
the kind of materials the community will need throughout the school year. Having an
intimate knowledge of the curriculum would also help the library to plan programs that
support or supplement the curriculum for the students when they are out of school for
holidays and the like.
Public libraries are natural environments for teaching information literacy, and
with the ability to provide students with access to reliable online sources, web-building
tools, and a trained librarian programs should be popping up all over the place. In
Teaching Information Literacy Using Childrens Literature Dana Dukic states that
teaching library and information-searching skills in primary school by using childrens
literature is a good strategy to get students excited about learning. 10 The combination of

8 Gilbert, Paula. Pennsylvania Public Libraries: Best Practices in Early Learning,

Pennsylvania Library Association Bulletin, May/June 2009. 4-6.
9 Collen, Lauren. School and Public Library Partnership Case Studies. ILA Reporter.
Volume 31, Issue 4. August 2013. 20-21.
10 Dukic, Dana. Teaching Information Literacy Using Childrens Literature, Access,
June 2007. 21-26.

childrens literature and information literacy calls out to be taught in public libraries.
For younger elementary age students, a program as simple as writing a story to be
published on the librarys website would be a good starting place. For upper elementary
and middle school students, they could build their own informational websites under
the direction of a librarian. In cooperation with teachers and teacher-librarians, these
internet workshops could provide students with limited home access the confidence to
move forward and develop their skills.
As we move forward into an increasingly online world, it is important for children
to know how to navigate digital resources and how to use the tools at their disposal to
create digital works. The use of Transmedia storytelling in Australian and Canadian
classrooms provides an exciting and engaging way to experience the digital realm. 11
Transmedia storytelling is the use of different platforms to tell a complete story. Usually
these platforms include a digital element and book element, although if I were to create
a library program I would include as many platforms as I could: podcasts, music, comics
or graphic novels, film, and so on. Through the use of such resources as Inanimate
Alice, Toon Books, and Myths and Legends librarians can create exciting and engaging
programs to help children develop necessary skills while exploring stories via a digital
platform.12
Another benefit of the public library is the ability to act as a resource center. The
concept of a library as a family resource center has been successfully executed within the
11 Pullinger, Kate and Joseph, Chris. Inanimate Alice. Accessed March 1, 2014.
http://www.inanimatealice.com/index.html

12 The Following Digital Graphic Novels Are Free, and Can Be Used In Your Libraries
and Classrooms. Knowledge Quest. Volume 40, Issue 3. January/February 2012. 3334.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The purpose
of the Bristol-Meyers Squibb Childrens Hospital Library is to provide social and
emotional support for parents by offering developmentally and educationally
appropriate materials that address the concerns of the hospitalized child. 13 The library
also provides a wide variety of recreational reading material, a large picture window,
and an escape from the institutional environment that is prevalent in hospitals. The
library offers computers with internet access and business software to enable parents to
check email and handle school or work obligations. A family continues their life
outside of the hospital and the Family Resource Center is a bridge wherein the family
unit can continue to experience seasonal changes, holidays, or other normal events of
childhood and family life. There are books and materials for recreational reading and for
information, cookbooks, seasonal storybooks, craft projects, puzzles, games, and
coloring books.14 In the Childrens Hospital the Family Resource Center is a bridge to
the outside worldin the public library a Family Resource Center could be a bridge to
community agencies, literacy experts, and other families. For libraries in Cook County
there could be an online bibliography that links to the Illinois Head Start Association,
the Cook County Board of Health for information on vaccination clinics, the various
school district websites, the Illinois State Board of Education, and other community
resources that support the educational and welfare needs of the youngest Illinois
citizens. Within the building itself there should be books and programs on parenting, as

13 Forsberg, Nancy N. Family Friendly Space for Research, Reflection, and Respite: A Family Resource
Center and Library in a Pediatric Hospital Setting. Journal of Hospital Librarianship, volume 10, 2010.
82-87.

14 Forsberg, Nancy N. Family Friendly Space for Research, Reflection, and Respite: A Family Resource
Center and Library in a Pediatric Hospital Setting. 86.

well as programs to support early literacy. I think that orientations of the library for
elementary students are necessary because the needs of children change when they
move from storytime to elementary school. Librarians need to make sure that students
know how to find more than picture books in the collection.
By familiarizing ourselves with the goals of our constituents we can determine
their needs and be the bridge to success. Working on this assignment made me think
back to our guest speaker last semester, Bob Moran, and his discussion of systems
thinking.15 I found myself looking at the web of relationships that lay over the
community, and how each community member is connected to each other. When I took
this approach, addressing the needs of parents and children ages 0-12 became easier. I
was able to identify the community agencies that would be natural partners with the
library to help fill the needs of this group. This approach also encouraged me to look
outside of Illinois to see what other libraries are doing to support this group of patrons.
Determining best practices for identifying community needs is a process that will
change depending on the community you serve. Libraries that have successfully
identified needs and provided support are integrated into the lives of the community.
The library should connect the community stakeholders from within and outside of the
constituent group to provide the best support to the whole community. The needs that
the public libraries will address will help the group achieve their goals. In the instance of
parents and children ages 0-12, the goals are healthy family units, literacy, and school
success. Or as IFLA says, To encourage children to become confident and competent
people.16 Libraries and librarians are in the unique position to provide support and

15 Moran, Bob. Presentation to Library Management Class. November 21, 2013.

guidance to our youngest community members throughout their lives, to foster a love of
learning, and to promote the rights of childrenI cant think of a better place to be.

Bibliography
1. Bon, Ingrid. Best Practices of Childrens Library Services around the World,
World Library and Information Congress: 71th IFLA General Conference and
Council Report, August 2005.
2. Collen, Lauren. School and Public Library Partnership Case Studies. ILA
Reporter. Volume 31, Issue 4. August 2013. 20-21.
3. Dahlgreen, MaryKay. Ready to Read in Oregon: Building Best Practice in Library
Service to Children, Children and Libraries. Winter 2004. 4-10.
4. Druin, Allison. What Children Can Teach Us: Developing Digital Libraries for
Children with Children. The Library Quarterly, Volume 75, no. 1. 2005. 20-41.
5. Dukic, Dana. Teaching Information Literacy Using Childrens Literature,
Access, June 2007. 21-26.
6. Forsberg, Nancy N. Family Friendly Space for Research, Reflection, and Respite:
A Family Resource Center and Library in a Pediatric Hospital Setting. 86.
7. Franklin County Whole Child. Accessed March 11, 2014.
http://frcowholechild.webs.com/preschoollinks.htm
8. Gilbert, Paula. Pennsylvania Public Libraries: Best Practices in Early Learning,
Pennsylvania Library Association Bulletin, May/June 2009. 4-6
9. Matthews, Joseph R. Research-Based Planning for Public Libraries: Increasing
Relevance in the Digital Age. Santa Barbara, Libraries Unlimited, 2013. 11-15.
10. McCallion, Steve. How Customers Saying No can Become Consumer Experience
Yes, accessed March, 10, 2014. http://www.fastcompany.com/1331829/howcustomers-saying-no-can-become-consumer-experience-yes
11. Moran, Bob. Presentation to Library Management Class. November 21, 2013.
12. Pullinger, Kate and Joseph, Chris. Inanimate Alice. Accessed March 1, 2014.
http://www.inanimatealice.com/index.html
13. The Following Digital Graphic Novels Are Free, and Can Be Used In Your
Libraries and Classrooms. Knowledge Quest. Volume 40, Issue 3.
January/February 2012. 33-34.

16 Bon, Ingrid. Best Practices of Childrens Library Services around the World. August
2005.

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