FRC: Library
"A library can be your window to the world."
Developing A Clear Mission for Your Library Is Key
Public libraries already do an excellent job of collecting and lending books of all types. A trip to the local library with your parenting groups to help familiarize parents with how the public library works is a simple way to encourage families to utilize an excellent existing community resource.
Some FRCs create libraries to introduce families to favorite children’s books. Others focus on educating families about childhood development and community issues. Some make a special effort to make books available in Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and other languages spoken by local community members. Some FRCs subscribe to newspapers from the homeland of families who have recently come to the United States. Some libraries focus on promoting quality practices within the center by carrying materials for staff on relevant topics such as child abuse prevention and intervention, juvenile crime prevention efforts, non-profit management materials, etc.
Toy Libraries and Recipe Libraries
Many FRCs feature toy and game lending library for families. This is a creative way to encourage families to use your facility and participate in activities together. A simple sign-out binder could be used to get all the necessary information about the borrower, date borrowed, and name or number of toy.
Another favorite at FRCs is a recipe-sharing binder. This can be done as a group activity in parenting groups. Teens also can get involved by sharing their favorite family recipes. Recipes may be removed and copied, and food using the recipes can be highlighted at center events.
How to Organize Your Library
Collecting Materials
The first and most important task in building a library is collecting appropriate materials for the families who use the FRC. Internet browsing is one way to develop a list of desired materials; most parenting/child/family sites provide a list of materials for families. One example of an excellent source is The Child Development Institute (www.cdipage.com). Their "Parent Info Mall" describes a wide variety of books and other materials and provides the opportunity to purchase them. Each source also has valuable articles that you might want to include in your pamphlet/article file. Searching for sites like this one will help you develop a bibliography of desired materials.
Cataloging Materials
You can choose to use a standard cataloging method like Dewey Decimal or a simpler method like using acquisition item numbers. The advantage of the former is that materials around the same subject will be grouped together on the shelf. The latter may be easier for families and the general public to use - one number instead of a decimal number system that can get lengthy - if your catalog records, often on cards filed in a card file, are comprehensive enough. Whichever method you choose, be sure to identify the material using the same number on the spine of book/video and in the card catalog.
Books For books you will need separate cards for Subject, Title, and Author with information which includes at a minimum item/catalog number, title, author, subject, publisher, publication date. A short description of the book would also be helpful.
Videos These can be cataloged similarly and shelved with books, but you need to indicate on its catalog card that it is a video and its running time.
Magazines These can be alphabetically shelved separately in magazine/pamphlet holders. For those that you receive regularly, shelve in individual labeled holder. You can have both a title and a subject card in your card catalog indicating the issues you have.
Loose Materials You can arrange pamphlets, articles, etc. by subject in hanging files in a file cabinet, if you have a large number of items for each subject category, or in magazine/pamphlet holders, if the quantity is not too large.
