Fundamentals of Children's Services (ALA Fundamentals)
This volume is intended to be a guide for the new or future children's librarian. As such, it reads like a textbook and covers the gamut of topics that you would expect to find in such a text–collection development (purposes, selection and acquisition, organizing, cataloging, evaluation, deselection); services (after-school, reference, readers' advisory, the Internet); programming (storyhours, book-discussion groups, booktalking, summer reading clubs, family programs, family literacy); and management, administration, and leadership (budget, finance, planning, policy and procedures, public relations, promotion, marketing, professional development). Sullivan also discusses the role of children's services and the principles of children's librarianship. Topics are not covered in great depth but the content does touch on the essential elements. Insets within the chapters discuss issues such as librarian shortages and pay equity, service to boys, children and privacy, and library programs and copyright. Other insets give suggested titles for storyhours, a sample press release, and Web resources. While the book is probably redundant for practicing children's librarians, it is well suited for novices or as a guide for library directors who are not sure of the place of children's services in the public library.–Janet Hilbun, Texas Woman's University, DentonCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.