So since I’ve been working at the library, I’ve had more than a handful of students tell me that they didn’t know there was a second floor to the library. I spend the majority of my time on the second floor, particularly in the “juvie section” (although other books that are available include teaching/education, music, and art), and I’ve realized that the juvenile books are just sitting there on display the majority of the week and basically going to waste! For instance, most of the students that I do see on the second floor are not looking through or checking out juvie books, but instead they are on the computers or meeting with group members to work on a project. This is fine of course, but what if students were able to use the juvie books on the shelves and apply it to their projects or even just get ideas from one of the books for inspiration? Most students don’t realize that just because these books are located in the juvenile section doesn’t mean that they can’t use them for their individual purposes. One student I had approached and asked about this concern stated “because the juvenile books are for children only, aren’t they?”
So I’ve decided to write this blog to inform students a little bit more about the juvenile section on the second floor of the library and how these books are not all necessarily just for kids. Furthermore, these books can be just as useful for students with certain majors-particularly education, child development, nursing, biology, sociology and psychology-but can also be utilized by those students who simply would like a more simplified explanation on certain class topics, such as anatomy, astronomy, or global warming.
The IU East library offers a large range of juvenile books, including our newly marked “multicultural” books that students can read to learn about different cultures. Our juvie books range from nursery rhymes and classic favorites like the Three Little Pigs, Dr. Seuss, Clifford, or Charlotte’s Web to book series such as Twilight or Gossip Girl. Books about events such as Pearl Harbor, September 11th, and Hiroshima, and other topics such as sports, substance abuse, or anxiety and stress are also available and can be useful as introductory or supplementary aides.
For students in education, the juvie section holds many books with play and learning activities for children, as well as various teaching strategies to help teach children in various developmental stages more effectively. They may find books such as “Math Play” by Diane McGowan and Mark Schrouten helpful. Students in child development can find books such as “What’s Inside Your Tummy Mommy” by Abby Cocovini and apply it to their teaching curriculum. In addition, students in science and medicine have different health and science books available to them such as “The Human Body” by Jonathan Miller and David Pelham or “Atoms and Molecules” by Phil Roxbee Cox and Max Parsonage. In general, students in any major that work or will work with children can benefit from any of the books in our juvenile collection. For example, Frances Yates, Director of IUE Library stated:
I used to push a library cart as a volunteer at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago and that was the most worthwhile thing I’ve ever done. Reading really helped transport those kids out of their situation.
Overall, I hope this blog will give our juvie section better recognition among IU-East students and create a better understanding about the books we offer and how not only children but students as well can use these books and apply them to their particular experiences at the library.
-JL