TODAY MARKS the start of National Library Week, which was organized by the Book Committee and the American Library Association 39 years ago. This year's theme, "Kids Connect ( )) the Library," is particularly timely and relevant and has special meaning for the Enoch Pratt Free Library.
Until the 1870s, most public libraries denied access to anyone under 12 or 14 years old. However, service to children and youth became a primary focus of public librarianship and continues to be one of the most important services libraries offer.
More children participate in summer reading programs at the nation's libraries than play Little League baseball. In fact, national surveys show that 37 percent of all users of the nation's public libraries are under 14 years old. The findings were recently reinforced by the Pratt Library's User Survey of fall 1994, which showed that 38 percent of its users were public school students under 12 years old.
Today's library helps children to learn to love reading and more. Children need books to stretch their minds and imaginations, but they also need computers to learn the skills they will use in the 21st century.
Only one American household in three owns a computer, and there are even fewer in economically disadvantaged households. The nation's public libraries are helping to make up for the disparity by offering Internet access, online databases, CD-ROM resources, and electronic links to other organizations and institutions.
As equalizers of opportunity, public libraries have long played a significant role in helping to level the playing field for those who could not afford to purchase books and reference materials. That role continues as libraries offer free and instructive access to the latest technologies and the vast array of resources available PTC through them. This access is particularly important for children as they prepare for a future in a information-based society.
The Pratt Library, building upon its tradition of quality services for children and youth, has created a number of nationally recognized programs that serve as models for other libraries and for the future.
The Pratt's special educational services for youth include a Student Express Center for middle and high schoolers at the Central Library, where reference materials and study aids, computers and copiers are gathered in a reserved space staffed with a youth librarian.
