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AIB. Attività
internazionale
Italian library services for children and young adults are mostly a part, a section, of the public library. Apart some few exceptions of public library totally devoted to children and young adult, located in Genova, Imola, Roma, Bologna, Campi Bisenzio and recently Carpi, all others are sections.
The panorama is marked by very positive data, like the strong awareness of how much important is a quality children's library for the benefit of children, parents and local community.
We can see this in new library like Biblioteca San Giovanni in
Pesaro (2001), where children have been chosen as protagonists and
active helpers of removal to new location (1). And continue in a virtual
tour among some libraries, in the new library of Montebelluna (2002)
(2), with its big proportion of spaces (mq 1.034/ 2.103 adult) and
collections (11.069 children's/31.398 adult) devoted to children. We
have'nt national standard on spaces or collection for
children and young adult, but there is a growing belief of how important
is a comfortable and easy to use arrangement, with books displayed as
more as possible by cover and by ages or themes.
We can see this at the new Biblioteca SalaBorsa in Bologna (2001), with
its continuous activities about children's readings (3), involving
children's of course but also parents and librarians. Again in
children's section of Biblioteca Vincenzo Joppi in Udine (4) and in new
children's library in Carpi (2001) (5) with their friendly description
of services and different age groups. In Modena at Biblioteca A.Delfini,
with its new project of an area for young people (6).
In Roma at Biblioteca centrale per ragazzi where we find a a special
work in progress on the web with intercultural purpose (7) and a special
web site on children's illustration (8). In Turin and Settimo Torinese,
where we find "Bibliokids... the weblibrary of children
(9)".
In Genua, at the biggest children's library of Italy, Biblioteca
Internazionale E. De Amicis (10), we find between services a permanent
multimedia workshop to support children's learning of IT and internet,
or bilingual readings (Italian-Spanish, Italian-Cinese, Italian-Arabic).
These are only some examples, but many other experiences are going on in
Italian libraries, trying to develope services during all the year: a
lot of libraries organize summer's activities, some other in winter time
are open during Saturday and Sunday, some have special internet learning
activities to bond children and grandparents and teachers, and so on.
Each one of these activities does it mean new rapport of the library
with civic administration, and civic cultural policy, management of the
personal (in charge or voluntary, or external as associations); or new
formalized rapport with school administrations.
Another aspect is active role that children's libraries try to have on
publishing market, in order to reflect the new but also the historical
development of modern children's literature -as L.Paladin in Brescia
Library "Il tigrotto" shows with a special
attention to "books that fly away",
disappeared of market (11). In front of the Italian publishing market
with a lot of very little firma beside few big, Rome Library System will
held for the second time -next November- together with Associazione
Italiana Editori, a Fair of Little and Medium Publishers (Prima Fiera
della Piccola e Media Editoria).
On active knowledge of Italian publishing a great contribute is given by
annual dossier on Italian market produced by Idest society (12). Here
there is the Special Award given by Libraries and Booksellers (a
champion) to the most borrowed and most selled children's book or serie.
We don't have official national data on children's libraries (as on
public libraries as well). Any survey has shown inequality of
distribution all over the country with more libraries on the northern
and central regions, very few public libraries in the Southern regions,
Sardinia and Sicily.
The only current instrument of knowledge and information about Italian
library services for children is given by the publication
"Annuario Andersen" (13) edited yearly by a
private enterprise of Genua. Despite some inaccuracy, this survey shows
in latest edition (2003) basic information on 1375 public libraries.
Lombardia with 438 public libraries, has highest number, followed by
Emilia Romagna, Veneto, Piemonte.
The project "Nati per leggere. NPL begins from 1999
throught partnership between Italian Libraries Association, Pediatrics
Cultural Association and Centre for children's wealth to strengthen
positive role of reading to babies to improve their emotional and
cognitive development. Involving all the community, NPL does it want to
improve children's right to be protected not only from violence but also
from absence of emotional and affective development opportunities. A
national group is devoted to internal communication through discussion
list npl-bib@aib.it (that connected 380 persons in 2002),
external communication through redaction of web site
http://www.aib.it/aib/npl.htm,
organisation of training courses for local participants and production
of bibliographic guides.
At the end of 2002 project NPL has involved 493 adhesions from all over
the country; 321 arised from public libraries, and 219 from libraries
organised in cooperative system.
NPL has been the winner in 2002 of the Award given by Ministerium for
cultural heritage and activities as the best project of reading
promotion in 2001.
The project has became a big communication tool between different
generations and subiects.
Cooperation, apart exception like NPL, is realized mostly on
regional or local basis. Some example:
In Lombardia, the library system of Milan Province has been producing
since 1989 -throught a work made together librarians and cooperation
with bookseller- two annual bibliographies "Tempo
libero" (for 11 up) and "Un libro
è" (for children), each one a selection of about 70
titles bought by participating libraries.
In Sardinia, Cagliari Provincial Centrum for librarian services have
done, for the second time, a special work about young adults readings.
In Lazio, Rome Provincial Centrum for librarian services produces
regurarly thematic -on art, sport, music- projects with exhibitions,
workshop, conference,
In Liguria, Genua Provincial Centrum for librarian services produces
thematic exhibition on children's illustration
During last years it has developed a new awareness of professional
identity of children's libraries or Sections. Places devoted to such
reflection have been specialized periodicals, national or regional
meetings promoted by Italian Libraries Association or its Regional
Section, jointly with Local Authorities.
Children's Book Fair in Bologna has became from many years a national
occasion of communication among Italian children's librarians, even
throught meetings organised by Italian Libraries Association-National
Committee on Children's Libraries. During 2002 edition it has been held
an important meeting between Italian and French children's librarians.
Comparison gave us opportunity to point out that what's makes the
difference from the adult professional identity it's that children's
librarian must have the same knowledge and trainig related to a public
library management and, more, a very good knowledge and expertise of its
contents in order to be able to promote (14). Another appointment is
usually organised for "Bibliocom", in October.
In 2002 edition we held a meeting on professional identity during which
L.Paladin -librarian teacher at Brescia Regional School- had to
recognise that "it doesn't exist anywhere in Italy a
professional formalized curriculum for children's
librarian".
Two meetings were organised at Bologna Children's Book Fair
2003. One was devoted to project "Nati per
leggere". The other "Who is afraid of bad
woolf? Censorship and libraries" pointed out how much
children's literature has been a field were censorship has been applied,
from fairy tales to Disney reductions, from '50 scholastic reductions of
famous classics to old and new absent translations.
Every Library administration, expecially throught Provincial district
which has by law the competence on training, tries to fulfil new needs
connected to personal employed.
There are a lot of private subjects working with libraries on this
field. Since 1999 the society Idest -publisher of the data base Liber of
Italian children's literature- has organized, together with Local
Authorities of Tuscany, Florence, Tuscany Section of Italian Libraries
Association, yearly national meeting devoted to focuses what is changing
in children's library identikit from the point of view of quality and
effective reading promotions (15).
Sample of local cooperation:
Copyright AIB,
2004-04; ultimo aggiornamento 2004-04-07, a cura di
Andrea Marchitelli
URL: <http://www.aib.it/aib/cen/ifla/sclrap03.htm>