Create, Innovate, and Serve: A Radical Approach to Children's and Youth Programming

Library services are transforming to emphasize interactive, innovative, participatory, and often production-centered programming. It's a truly radical approach, and tomorrow’s LIS graduates in children’s and youth services need a resource that helps them understand this programming as it pertains to these age ranges. This text meets that need, bringing together a wide range of perspectives from both practice and research to survey this new landscape of programming for children and youth. Providing in-depth information crucial to those who will soon encounter these programs in library settings, this contributed volume

• delves into a wide variety of different programs, discussing their crucial elements and how to develop, plan, and deliver them;
• uses case studies of innovative practices to address such key issues as diversity, equity, media mentorship, community partnerships, dedicated library spaces, discussion-based programming, and assessment;
• presents annotated bibliographies of research, organized by young children (birth to 5), middle childhood (ages 6 to 12), and teens (ages 13 and up); and
• examines children and youth programming trends, teaching how to recognize and incorporate these trends into all types of programs.

Emphasizing an inclusive approach to programming that incorporates research-based theories and frameworks, this text will be a valuable orientation tool for LIS students as well as a holistic guide for current children and youth services professionals.