If I am being honest, my personal knowledge of children’s literature is limited. I have never really been a reader. This is kind of embarrassing to admit considering my choice to become a teacher librarian. When I told friends that my next career move was to become a librarian, they laughed at me. Over the last few years in my role, I have had every intention to start reading books in my collection, but the pressures of juggling full time work, part time study, spending time with my family and life gets in the way of these best laid plans. So, here I find myself in this subject. So, how do I find books for my collection? How do I increase my knowledge of children’s literature? My strategies include:
- Reading articles in journals about children’s literature
- Reading reviews of books from places like Kirkus, School Library Journal, CBCA
- Keeping an eye on teacher librarian networks such as my local SLAV group or OZTL net. I pick up lists of books and then use them as a springboard to discover new genres and forms of literature
- Collating my notes from my Masters subjects – lots of good ideas that I have found along the way
- Browsing SCIS for new literature ideas
- Speak to colleagues – for example, when I completed my placement at a council library, I found some great recommendations for magazines that would suit my students.
It is interesting though, as I have been in my library for a few years, I have kind of learnt the kind of fiction books that my students will gravitate towards. I have learnt the authors and styles that seem to appeal to my unique users. I have gotten to learn their tastes and the books that will stretch and challenge them. My knowledge of children’s literature is lived through their experiences, as they tell me about the books and their experiences with them. I am keen to learn in this subject about the trends in children’s literature. To find a greater collection of graphic novels (which my students love) and to expand my experiential repertoire. To look beyond tense mysteries and teen angst. I am excited and ready.