Building and Evaluating Juvenile Collections in Academic Libraries

Although many college and university libraries support teacher education programs, relatively little attention has been paid to developing juvenile literature collections that support these programs. This article discusses needs of education students and characteristics of juvenile literature that academic librarians should consider when developing collections. It examines standard tools for selecting children's and young adult materials and analyzes their usefulness for building collections that support teacher preparation programs. Finally, it provides practical advice for evaluating juvenile collections and selecting materials to fill gaps in support of teacher preparation programs in mathematics, art, and other subjects.