Children, Libraries and Multimedia Resources in Italy: A Fact or a Possible Future?

Abstract

The literature which was found mainly concerned CD-Roms, website and Internet services to young users (usually, in the age range of 8-14): a gap in the literature was observed with regard to the role and opinions of library staff on presence and use of electronic resources in children’s libraries. Two research fields could be identified: 1.to analyse and to evaluate how the professional literature deals with electronic services and resources to children;2.to explore the resources offered by children’s libraries and the extent of the service and level of its funding support. An aspect you don’t have to forget is ergonomics: if we, as librarians, know the importance of encouraging children to use computers (Guidelines for children’s services), it’s important to remember that most workstations are built with adults in mind and that, for a child to use the computer in a comfortable way, adjustments need to be made. In addition, it would be interesting to make a survey of Italian web sites for children: to identify who their developers are and how and how many times libraries are quoted.