blast sites of temporary passions

Children and Libraries Exhibit

A new exhibition drawn from our Historical Curriculum Collection is now up in the Music and Curriculum Library, located on the second floor, east wing of UWM’s Golda Meir Library. Featured in this exhibit are books about children and libraries. Some were created with librarians, teachers, and parents in mind while others were meant specifically for children.

A book from 1912 entitled The Children’s Reading sets out to answer some common questions parents ask when it comes to their children and reading:

•  Of what value are books in the education of my children? •  How may I interest my children in home reading? •  What kind of books do children like? •  Where and how may I procure books?

These questions are still relevant today 100 years later as teachers, librarians, and guardians help to develop the relationship that children have with the library. As society, culture, and technology change, so too do our libraries, and like the books shown above, children should be encouraged to explore the library and all it has to offer.

This exhibit was curated by Special collections Senior Graduate Intern Alison Newman. Special Collections graduate-student staff curate a new mini-exhibit three to four times a year for the Music and Curriculum Library to highlight the connection between the Curriculum Library and the Historical Curriculum Collection in Special Collections. 

The Children’s Book on How to Use Books and Libraries. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1937

Let’s Go to the Library. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1957

The First Book of Public Libraries. New York: Franklin Watts, Inc., 1959