Children’s Collections                                                 
Access to great books at a young age is an important first step toward lifelong reading. Our Library provides that access with a collection that encompasses the needs and interests of young people from infancy through their teen years. Board books for babies and toddlers have the highest turnover rate of all youth materials; the average board book is checked out 16.2 times a year. With heavy use by parents who read the books aloud, and babies who chew on them, these books must be replaced often. They are the “workhorse” collection of our Library system.

As children grow, they can sample an astounding breadth of new and classic young adult fiction and juvenile and young adult non-fiction. Responding to current trends in publishing for young readers, the Library has built a collection of high quality pre-teen and teen books that range in subject matter from cooking to spirituality, tarot to learning disabilities, and that include new forms and formats of literature, from graphic novels to books on CD. The collection includes bestselling fiction for teens and written by teens, inspiring young readers and writers.

Beyond being used by young people, the Children’s Collection does double duty with adult readers who often use and borrow these titles. Sometimes the juvenile or young adult title is the newest and most current book on a topic. In branch libraries, adult and young non fiction are shelved together by subject, so any reader may choose from all books on the topic at one place. This means the children's and young adults' books get intense use, wearing out quickly and demanding constant attention. The Library Foundation helps keep this dynamic collection growing, evolving, and keeping up with the demands of all our readers.