Banning Children from the Library?

Tasha, the library director who runs the excellent Kids Lit site, speaks out against banning unchaperoned children from the library.

What message are we as libraries sending these future taxpayers and what message are we giving to the parents of the teens? Doesn't seem like a very positive one.

Agreed!

Comments

[Camille]

I see so many kids in the library after school is out. I do understand that using a library in lieu of daycare is a real problem for some public libraries when the librarians are put in the position of keeping them from disturbing other patrons and safeguarding the kids from predators.

Most of the time I see kids plugged into laptops or on the library computers. Some are doing homework and some are even reading. It is a good place for them to be.

[Susan]

Camille,
I do see how it could be a problem, too, and think that the Kids Lit librarian's creating serious programming for teens & preteens is a good solution.