Proposes a cross-cultural study of the working relationships of all who are involved with children and their books which have a direct bearing on where the field of children's literature began and where it is going. Traces the author's early experiences with children's literature and highlights a few children's titles. (AEF)

Discusses the importance of librarians being advocates for children and fighting for free and open access to printed and electronic information. Discusses Banned Book Week; intellectual freedom; the American Library Association's four main concerns related to the Internet--access, quality, education, and local control; and the importance of…

The themes of the 22nd Annual International Association of School Librarianship conference were: "Building a Picture of Society in the Year 2000"; "Literature--Themes of the '90s Towards the Future"; "Education--Partnerships To Develop Life-Long Learners"; and "Technology into the 21st Century." The…

Discusses the role of librarians in terms of their responsibility to examine the social content of children's literature and then decide whether that content is appropriate for a particular child based on possible biases. (CLB)

Notes that with the growing diversity in ethnic backgrounds, school librarians are challenged to find materials to meet children's cultural needs. (JC)

This digest examines changes that are involved in an elementary school library media program when the school's instructional methods move from a basic skills to a whole language approach. These changes are discussed in terms of three curricular foci--theme studies, process writing, and literature-based reading--and new demands that are placed on…