Libraly Journal

Libraly Journal ›› 2021, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (2): 38-45.

• THEORETICAL DISCUSSION • Previous Articles     Next Articles

The Training and Education for Children’s Librarians in Pratt Institute Library School in the United States from the End of the 19th Century to the Beginning of the 20th Century

Zhang Huili   

  • Online:2021-03-04 Published:2021-03-04

Abstract: At the end of the 19th century, the Pratt Institute Library School experimented with offering a second year of specialized education for children’s librarians after the first-year regular library skill education, which became a precedent to the education for children’s librarians, provided special training for the second generation of children’s librarians in the United States, and left a direct impact on Carnegie Library Training School for Children’s Librarians in Pittsburgh. Starting from the founders’ and key practitioners’ work among children and their philosophy on the training of children’s librarians, this paper discusses the training methods, curriculum and the characteristics of the training for children’s librarians in Pratt Institute, and reveals that the training involved both learning and practices with the emphasis on the latter, and featured cooperation with kindergartens during the training. All of these were advanced at that time.