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This survey research aims to investigate the level of satisfaction among children (up to 14 years) with regard to facilities and services available at the children’s section of the Jaffna Public Library (JPL, Sri Lanka).

A structured questionnaire was distributed among randomly selected members of the children’s section, JPL. Data collected via the structured questionnaire were analysed using SPSS 22.0. In addition to the descriptive analysis, independent samples t-test and f-test were conducted to observe the influence of personal variables on different facets of user satisfaction.

The response rate was 67 per cent. Descriptive analysis showed that the prime purpose of visiting the children’s section (JPL) is reading books and other materials. With regard to frequency of visit, 86 per cent of the respondents visit the library three to four times in a week or at least once a week. Results of the f-test indicated that there is no significant difference among different age groups for overall satisfaction of children’s section facilities and services. Results of the t-test revealed that female children are more satisfied with the library environment compared to males. Further, the level of satisfaction with shelf arrangement, library environment and children’s programmes differed significantly between children studying in the bilingual and the Tamil mediums.

This study reports the empirical findings of the user survey carried out at the children’s section of the JPL.

Provides a general description of the movement for library services for children and children’s libraries, together with the modern public library movement in post‐war Japan. The Bunko as a home library, or a community‐based small library, is quite characteristic of Japan. The Bunko movement played an important role in improving the reading environment of children and the library service for children. The Chusho‐report (1963) and Shimin‐no‐Toshokan (1970) changed the concept of the public library in Japan. They contributed to an increase in reading facilities for children and the establishment of new public libraries. Children’s libraries at the national, public and private level are also described.

This paper focuses on a project to work on the digital library of Arab children's culture for sustainable development (DLACSD).

This project claims to link the past, present, and future by creating a platform that can grow to include not only works by adults but by children who inspire adults with their imagination and the joys they bring to the world.

This project addresses in phases the different aspects of the problem of the lack of material for Egyptian/Arab children at different stages in Arabic on the internet (with copyright law in mind). It is time to fill this gap by having a rich repository of stories, plays, games and songs for children in Arabic in a digital library to enrich the life of the child and to inform the world that much that is worthwhile is available in Arabic for parents, teachers, and children to enjoy.

Through reading samples of the works by Abdel-Tawab Youssef (1928–2015) by using the Dublin Core Elements, it will be informative to see how his writings address the United Nations Goals of Sustainable Development way before these Goals were discussed.

Writers for children, librarians, teachers, psychologists, literary critics, illustrators, and parents need a platform that makes material available to promote children’s culture in the Arab world and to introduce the world to what is of value for children in Arabic.

Currently, communication brings the world together and although the social media and the new technology have introduced problems that are serious, to say the least, collaborators on all levels must play an active role in redressing the social wrongs, especially those affecting children.

This ongoing project by members of a team who believe in interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity has taken the first step to create and develop (DLACSD).

Library provision for children in specially furnished areas of the library began in the United Kingdom in the late 1890s although this early provision was sketchy. Where they did exist, children′s facilities were often provided in a separate children′s room, often resembling a “cut‐down” adult library. The advent of open‐plan libraries provided areas specially designed and furnished for children of all ages. The influence of Scandinavian and North American children′s library design has been evident for some years. A library′s appearance is now recognized as an important factor in marketing services to children. Despite the problems caused by old and unsuitable buildings, library staff often take considerable care to provide a welcoming environment for children. However, children′s work in the 1980s ad 1990s has had to face cuts in expenditure, staffing levels, hours of opening and in some cases compete with new “priority areas” – services to ethnic minorities; housebound services; business or community information. The children′s librarian with a knowledge of children′s reading needs and library design needs would seem to be a dying breed.

WHEN ASKED which aspect of the library service was given priority in Copenhagen a senior librarian said he was reluctant to emphasize any one aspect of the service but when pressed felt that priority had to be given to children's library services.

Ask a group of mature graduate students what they remember about their early schooling, and you are likely to hear vivid memories of teachers or librarians reading aloud, sharing literature with children. Admittedly, this is a biased sample of adults who have been positively drawn to reading. However, the power of a teacher to influence a young student is clear in the strong memories, recalled years later. In the frenetic schedule of today's schools, with every minute planned, who is sharing the pleasure of literature with young students? Where can teachers and librarians learn about children's literature so that they are prepared to share it with children and provide them with encouragement to become lifelong readers? How can teachers and librarians intelligently teach a whole language or literature‐based curriculum unless they are familiar with the literature being taught? An AAP Reading Initiative survey found “a full quarter of the teachers said they learn abut new books mainly from other teachers. Only four percent indicated that they heard about new books from librarians.” Dillingofski describes the excitement generated by the AAP Reading Initiative Teachers as Readers Project. Adults who care for children‐parents, teachers, school board members and administrators, meet at least monthly to discuss children's books that they have read. The enthusiasm generated to the book discussions results in increased interaction of adults with children's reading.

The management of children′s literature is a search for value and suitability. Effective policies in library and educational work are based firmly on knowledge of materials, and on the bibliographical and critical frame within which the materials appear and might best be selected. Boundaries, like those between quality and popular books, and between children′s and adult materials, present important challenges for selection, and implicit in this process are professional acumen and judgement. Yet also there are attitudes and systems of values, which can powerfully influence selection on grounds of morality and good taste. To guard against undue subjectivity, the knowledge frame should acknowledge the relevance of social and experiential context for all reading materials, how readers think as well as how they read, and what explicit and implicit agendas the authors have. The good professional takes all these factors on board.

BIRMINGHAM is the largest city in Great Britain, after London, and it is often called “The Second City”. It lies in the very centre of England, in Shakespeare's county of Warwickshire, 114 miles from London, 90 from Bristol, and less than 100 from Liverpool and Manchester.

CHAUCER HOUSE was opened with due ceremony on May 25th. But not by Mr. Stanley Baldwin; the decision of the Prime Minister the day before that he liked Lossiemouth more than London made Mr. Baldwin's presence at the House of Commons essential. He attended the luncheon at University College, where, we are told, he smoked his famous pipe and made a brief and delightful speech to a company limited to the officers, council and some distinguished guests, including Mrs. Carnegie herself, representatives of the Carnegie United Trust in Lord Elgin, Miss Haldane and Sir Donald MacAlister, as well as Lord Balniel (who, however, is an officer, being Chairman of the Council) and our fine old friend Lawrence Inkster; but lack of space confined the lunch and Mr. Baldwin to that distinguished but very small assembly.