Review of Including families of children with special needs: A how-to-do-it manual for librarians. Revised Edition.
Revised by Carrie Scot Banks; by Sandra Feinberg, Barbara A. Jordan, Kathleen Deerr, Michelle Langa
(ALA: Neal-Schuman Publisher, Chicago, 2014)
Guillermina Duarte
The authors of this book provide a step-by-step guide to librarians for serving children with disabilities as well as their family members. The book is divided into three parts to provide a more comprehensive look at the importance of inclusive services for members of the community. Free from jargon, this book is a useful tool for practicing librarians who need to meet the diverse needs of children and youth with disabilities.
The first part of the book provides a detailed overview of the philosophy, legality and importance of understanding library services within the context of developmentally appropriate stages of children and young adults. Providing a clear background to the history and important benefits of inclusivity, Banks states that "In humanitarian terms, inclusion is a welcoming, a celebration of diverse abilities, and a profound respect for all contributions children can make" (p. 4). By providing a well written, easy to understand background, the authors make a strong and practical argument for the importance of inclusive services.
The second part of the book focuses on getting your library ready for more inclusive services. This includes a discussion on the physical aspects of the library, community involvement, assistive and adaptive technology, but most importantly, methods for designing library services for all children and staff training. Libraries may have great policies, programs or services, but a fundamental understanding of customer service is crucial, for it is the overall library experience that determines whether patrons choose to return or not. Banks provides an essential and easy to use guide to help staff understand and establish successful interactions with children with disabilities. Banks also provides additional background information for Universal Design and alternative methods of providing inclusive services.
The third and final part of the book focuses on developing collections and services. By providing parents the tools on how to use library resources at home, practitioners can help parents take what they have learned at the library and implement it at home. Moreover, this section provides a well-constructed guide for non-book material to use in the library such as toys and games that are usable by children with disabilities.
An easy to use manual, this how-to book provides plenty of information that any practicing librarian can actualize. Especially helpful are the available resources and references listed at the end of every chapter. Also helpful are "tip boxes" providing additional information that may not fit into the written text. These boxes located throughout the book provide details and resources, or outline supplementary information necessary to provide a context for this book. This book is highly recommended for practitioners. MLIS programs preparing future librarians for public or school institutions may also want to use this how-to book to provide guidance for understanding and serving children and youth with disabilities in general.
About the author
Guillermina Duarte
Dr. Mina Duarte works for the Chicago Public Library as a branch manager and is an adjunct faculty member at Dominican University teaching in the undegraduate LAS seminars.
Contact info: gduarte@chipublib.org or gduarte@dom.edu
© 2014 Guillermina Duarte.