Youth-Serving Libraries in Japan, Russia, and the United States

Farmer, coordinator of the Library Media Teacher program at CSU-Long Beach, vice president of the International Association of School Librarianship, and a Booklist reviewer, presents 18 essays covering various aspects of international youth librarianship. Along with her associate editors, Farmer aims to start a discussion of the history and ongoing development of youth-serving libraries in their respective countries, with the goal of building bridges across cultural barriers. The book is divided by country, with each section giving an overview of libraries and then delving into more specific topics–an essay on media literacy in Japan; one on the role of a children’s library as a “center of tolerance, international communication, and peacemaking” in Russia; and school-library partnerships in the U.S. Public and school librarians with a focus on serving young patrons will enjoy having this book in their professional collections.

With this in mind, Lesley Farmer and her associate editors have produced a comprehensive collection of essays addressing the issues of libraries serving youth in Japan, Russia and the United States that includes contributions from the leading voices of youth services in libraries from these distinct geographic areas. … The three editors, identified the key issues for their area and selected expert authors to contribute to the volume on these issues. The result is a unique insight and appreciation of the role that libraries play in supporting youth and indeed their communities. … This comprehensive collection of essays forms a body of research that explores the development of library services, the impact of contemporary issues such as technology, and the cultural and social impacts of libraries on young people. The research is valuable in the development of new libraries, the redevelopment of old services and in building new ways of reaching youth who often disengage from library services.