How to Find Children's Books in the Hardway Library as well as Reviews, Literary Analysis, and Author Information

The purpose of this guide is to assist students who are studying children's literature and in need of books, their reviews and literary criticism and analysis, and biographical information about the authors of children's books. Finding materials in the field can be challenging because books may fall into one of two classification systems; research materials are also unpredictable and can be retrieved from microfilm, bound volumes, reference materials, or the internet. Please consult a librarian if you need assistance of any kind in the process of studying children's literature.

Finding Children's Books

Children's books are shelved mostly in the Children's Collection, which is located in the old wing of the library, to the east of the circulation desk, in the room beyond the art gallery before the hall where the bathrooms are found. Some children's books for older readers may be found in the regular circulating collection of the library's second floor shelved in Library of Congress order.

The Children's Collection is shelved using the Dewey Decimal System, a classification system popular among public and school libraries. Fiction is organized without a number, in Cutter number order. A Cutter number arranges materials alphabetically first by the author's last name and then by the title of the work, making it easy to browse in this area. The Hardway Library's Children's Collection mixes reading materials for younger and older children on the shelf, rather than separating them out by reading level, as some libraries do.

Outline of the Dewey Decimal System
000 Generalities
100 Philosophy & Psychology
200 Religion
300 Social Science
400 Language
500 Natural Science & Mathematics
600 Technology & Applied Sciences
700 Arts
800 Literature
900 Geography & History


The Library Catalog

Students may find books by title, author, subject, and keyword by searching the Mountain Library Network Catalog, which is found on computers in the library and on the internet at http://catalog1.mln.lib.wv.us/

Unlike adult books, children's books are usually assigned subject headings. Some helpful headings are listed below.

To find Caldecott and Newbery MedalWinners:

Use Caldecott Award or Newbery Award (separate title entries; organized by year of award; title search)

or use caldecott or newbery (retrievals are grouped; organized by title of book; keyword search).

Techniques will be slightly different using the web version of the catalog. Use this same keyword technique to find other prize winning books, but remember that the book may have been purchased and cataloged before the award was granted. For this reason, it is recommended that lists of prize winners be consulted. See web site section for list sites.

Subject Areas Relating to the Study of Children's Literature

All of these materials are found upstairs except for the LB numbers, which are on the first floor. The Library of Congress Classification number range is provided for the student's convenience.

Censorship Z 657-659

Children--Books and Reading

Children's Literature--History and Criticism: PN 1009 (For books on the history of children's literature or its analysis and review)

Children's Literature--Bibliography: PN 1009 or Z 1037-Z 1038 (For lists of books read by or recommended for children)

Children's plays: PN 6120.A4-PN 6120.A5

Children's poetry PN 6110.C4

Language Arts (Elementary education): LB 1575.8-LB 1577

Literature--Study and Teaching (Elementary): LB 1575.5 U5 (For use of literature in the Elementary School curriculum)

Picture books: NC 965.85

Picture Books for Children: LB 1140.34.P53

Reading (Elementary): LB 1525, LB 1573

Bioographical Materials

The reference series Something About the Author is the most comprehensive source of biographical information about writers for children. It is available at Concord College. Bluefield State College has Contemporary Authors which is a good place to start for information about some children's authors, especially those who write for older children. Use the newspaper search option in Lexis-Nexis to find information about living authors who often tour different communities and are interviewed by local reporters. See a librarian for help.

Review Journals

These journals will provide concise reviews of children's materials, although some of them, the Horn Book in particular, also provide feature articles that include deeper literary analysis of themes, characters, and plots. Start with the library home page and find Expanded Academic ASAP (an online index and full-text article service that is part of Infotrac) to get access to many of the following titles. Otherwise, use the links to the journal's home page.

Booklist http://www.ala.org/booklist/index.html

"...the digital counterpart of the American Library Association's Booklist magazine. Reviews nearly 4,000 books for adults, more than 2,500 titles for children, more than 500 reference books and electronic reference tools, and 1,000 other audiovisual materials. We also publish a wide variety of feature articles including author interviews, bibliographies, book-related essays by well-known writers, and a selection of columns." Access to reviews possible through search engine.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/puboff/bccb/

"One of the nation's leading children's book review journals for school and public librarians."

Website has enough online features to make it worth visiting.

Canadian Review of Materials http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/index.html

"We review Canadiana of interest to children and young adults, including publications produced in Canada, or published elsewhere but of special interest or significance to Canada, such as those having a Canadian writer, illustrator or subject. We review books, video and audio recordings and CD-ROMs." Provides biographies of Canadian writers. Back issues available online through 1995. Also provides access to CM: A Reviewing Journal of Canadian Materials for Young People (also known as Canadian Materials), which was published from 1971 to 1994 by the Canadian Library Association. This archive contains reviews, feature stories, interviews, and articles from CM.

Children's Literature http://www.childrenslit.com/

The features section offers themed reviews, information on authors and illustrators, and teaching materials.

The Horn Book Magazine http://www.hbook.com/mag.shtml

Review journal for children's literature; includes interviews with authors and literary analysis of children's books. See Infotrac for full text of articles since February 1980. Print subscription starting soon.

School Library Journal http://slj.reviewsnews.com or see Infotrac for full text of articles since March 2000

SLJ serves librarians who work with young people in school and public libraries. Most of the journal is devoted to concise book reviews. Also includes articles about managing school libraries, creating high-quality collections, and understanding how technology can assist (or hinder) learning.

Miscellaneous Web Sites

ALSC site. http://www.ala.org/alsc/librarians.links.html

The School Library Media Specialist Division of the American Library Association. Includes resources for school librarians on children and books.

Children's Book Council. http://www.cbcbooks.org/

"Children's Book Council.is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to encouraging literacy and the use and enjoyment of children's books." The Council's Members include U.S. publishers and packagers of trade books for children and young adults. Promotes children's literature at its website; features on authors, book lists, guides for teachers and parents on using children's literature.

The Children's Literature Web Guide: Internet Resources Related to Books for Children and Young Adults http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/

Highly acclaimed site; a scholar's approach to children's literature.

Children's Literature Web Guide. http://avatar.lib.usm.edu/~degrum/html/relatedsites/rs-cl-webguide.shtml

Includes links to Children's Literature Special Collections on the Web and Out of Print Booksellers Authors and Illustrators on the Web

Cooperative Children's Book Center. http://www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ccbc/

A research library devoted to children's literature found at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Has useful webpages such as Small Presses Owned and Operated by People of Color: Publishers of Children's books and Recommended Links to Children's and Young Adult Literature Resources on the World Wide. Web. Its list of annual book awards and distinctions includes less-well known awards such as the Jane Addams Peace Foundation and others.

Institute of Children's Literature. http://www.institutechildrenslit.com/rx/writers_links.shtml

This pioneer in distance education has dedicated itself to training children's books writers. Includes some free information of use to new writers and those trying to better understand the structure and technique of children's writing.

Office for Intellectual Freedom (American Library Association) http://www.ala.org/oif.html

Includes links to the Freedom to Read Foundation and the OIF Gopher menu, as well as recent news from the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom. The best place to find information about challenged and banned books.

Turnbull 9-26-02