Children and Young People

These guidelines constitute the Library Association's policy statement on the nature and quality of library provision in children's libraries. Since the first edition there have been many outcomes of political, economic, social and technological change which have made an impact on the public library's capability to respond to the information needs of children and young people. The document reflects a child-centred approach, discussing the special needs of the client group and its implications for service provision. The guidelines are not intended to be prescriptive, but to highlight key issues which should form the basis for clear and objective policy statements in all library services, irrespective of size, structure or type of community served. These include: the child and the library; standards and targets; staffing and training resources; a collection development policy; library design and layout planning; managing change; and promoting the library service.