The IFLA Children and Young Adults Section have been given approval by the Committee on Standards to revise the Guidelines for Children’s Library Services, last published in 2003. A Working Group has been set up to undertake this work and produce a new edition, intended to help implement high quality library services for childrenin the digital age. This Working Group is led by Dr Carolynn Rankin of Leeds Beckett University in the UK and includes members of Section CHILD Standing Committee but also of Section Public Libraries, an IBBY representative and other experts.
 
The Children and Young Adults Standing Committee has initiated this revision in order to take the opportunity to consult with the international library community and to produce an informative document that represents the state of the art in library services for children. The new Guidelines will promote and encourage the development of effective library services for children by giving guidance to the international library community about children’s needs and rights on information, literacy and reading.
 
We are seeking support from the library community in undertaking this project and will involve consultation and discussion at an international level with a range of stakeholders, including a number of IFLA sections.  The first opportunity was at IFLA WLIC Cape Town where over 170 participants attended a workshop session to help kick start the discussions.  The consultations with IFLA Sections and other key stakeholders will continue over the coming months.