We love having kids and teens in the Library. Our Youth Services staff has worked hard to make their department welcoming to kids, teens, and their caregivers. All of our staff (but especially the Youth Services staff) are ready to help kids and teens find materials they want. Ultimately, our goal is to help everyone find materials that will inspire them to read for pleasure and value learning for their whole lives. We’re pretty passionate about this part of our job.
In all of our interactions with kids, our staff has a single, universal assumption: We assume parental permission has been granted. We assume the kids we talk to have permission to be in the Library, talk to Library staff, and choose their own materials to check out.
While staff members know and love the young people who come into the Library, there is no way we know them better than their parents/guardians. My kids consider many Library staff members part of their extended family, but no one on staff would dream of restricting what my kids check out. First, because it’s not their place to do so and second, because it’s none of their business what anyone (child, teen, or adult) checks out.
We select Library materials “to meet the expressed and anticipated needs and interests of the community” as a whole and with different subsets in mind. This means not all the materials in the Library are of interest to all the members of the community, but we try to have something for everyone.
If you have concerns about the material your kids check out, I recommend you talk to your kids about them so they know your expectations when they’re choosing materials. We will always tell them “yes” because we assume you already have. Of course, we’re also happy to help you and your kids find materials that work for your family.