A Time For Us

By Gail Junion-Metz -- School Library Journal, 8/1/1997

I think of August as the month I can spend doing what I want before I have to deal with the start of the school year. So this time, rather than focusing on resources for kids, parents, or teachers, I'll talk about sites for us -- school and public librarians. The sites I highlight are among the "best-of-the-best" for librarians on the web.

Just for Us

There are many web sites written by and for librarians who work with kids. Peter Milbury's School Librarian Web Pages is a great "jumping off" place to find lots of school library resources. I like his long list of sites maintained by K-12 librarians and his section on how to create web pages. LION (Librarians Information Online Network) contains unique information, including cataloging resources for school librarians, subject forums, and a who's who of school librarianship.

The Canadian Teacher-Librarians' Resource Pages, created by Alan Brown and updated the first of each month, is full of information for elementary school librarians and others interested in children's books. It's also a great place to learn what it's like to be a Canadian school librarian.

Kansas City Public Library hosts the Young Adult Librarian's Help/Home-page. Take a look at "What's Here" to start your exploration, then spend some time exploring the other links. Finally, check out Where the Wild Things Are: Librarian's Guide to the Best Information on the Net. There's lots here. I find the "Hot Paper Topics," "Neat New Stuff I Found this Week," and "Picture Sources" links especially useful. This site's lighthearted approach to reference is refreshing after viewing lots of the "too-serious" web sites out there.

Children's Lit

The "best-of-the-best" in this category is The Children's Literature Web Guide, created by David K. Brown at the University of Calgary. It's so full of information that I could write a whole column extolling its virtues. Instead, I'll list two of my favorite parts. Be sure to visit the children's book award section, which contains both U.S. and foreign winners. I also love the "Authors on the Web" section, which has links to author sites and e-mail links directly to authors. (Send a message to your favorite. I've received surprising responses.) If you haven't taken the time to explore this site at length, it's definitely worth it.

Two other good children's lit sites are Roxanne Hsu Feldman's Fairrosa Cyber Library of Children's Literature, which contains articles, reviews, and lots of useful links, and the online version of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, which is updated monthly. I like "The Bulletin Dozen," a theme-based list of titles. If you have little time to do professional reading, check out this site for a quick update on what new and what's worth looking at.

Sex, Kids, and the Net

Concerns about library Internet access have nearly overwhelmed the profession this year. For more information on relevant intellectual freedom issues, blocking software, emerging rating systems, and the need for Internet use policies, check out Guiding Children Through Cyberspace, created by SLJ columnist Carolyn Caywood. It provides lots of links focused on helping you decide whether "to block or not to block" kids' access to the Net. The Internet Advocate provides links to help you respond positively to concerned citizens and create a workable Internet use policy.

Web Addresses

• Peter Milbury's School Librarian Web Pages
  http://wombat.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/~pmilbury/lib.html
• LION
  http://www.libertynet.org/~lion/lion.html
• Canadian Teacher-Librarians' Resource Pages
  http://www.inforamp.net/~abrown/homepage.htm
• Young Adult Librarian's Help/Home-page
  http://www.kcpl.lib.mo.us/ya/yasitemap.htm
• Where the Wild Things Are: Librarian's Guide to the Best Information on the Net
  http://www.sau.edu/CWIS/Internet/Wild/index.htm
• Children's Literature Web Guide
  http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/index.html
• Roxanne Hsu Feldman's Fairrosa Cyber Library of Children's Literature
  http://www.users.interport.net/~fairrosa
• The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
  http://edfu.lis.uiuc.edu/puboff/bccb
• Guiding Children Through Cyberspace
  http://www6.pilot.infi.net/~carolyn/guide.html
• Internet Advocate
  http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/~lchampel/netadv.html