Listservs related to Children’s Literature

Looking for expert assistance in children’s literature or a congenial group with similar interests in children’s books? Try connecting with one of the listservs listed below. Listservs provide an opportunity to interact electronically with others who share the same interests. Enjoy the camaraderie!

CCBC-NET
http://www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ccbc/ccbcnet/default.asp

CCBC-Net is an electronic forum of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to encourage “awareness and discussion of ideas and issues critical to literature for children and young adults.”

CCBC-Net members explore a wide range of topics in contemporary literature for youth, including multicultural literature, translated books, outstanding, and award-winning books, equity themes and topics, the book arts and book publishing, and more. Every month on CCBC-Net members focus on a new topic or issue, which are selected and posted in advance. The CCBC-Net Community includes librarian, teachers, university educators and students, authors, artists, editors, publishers, and other adults with an interest in literature for the young.

CHILD_LIT
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mjoseph/childlit/about.html

Created in 1993 by Michael Joseph of Rutgers University, CHILD_LIT is a forum for engaging and often spirited discussion of topics related to the theory and criticism of literature for young people. Its subscribers, at times numbering over a thousand, include librarians, K-12 teachers, college and university professors, publishers, authors, illustrators, and parents.

Child_lit correspondence dating back to August 1999 is archived and searchable online.

Fiction_L
http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html

Created by the Reader’s Service staff of the Morton Grove Public Library in December, 1995, Fiction_L is devoted to reader’s advisory topics such as book discussions, booktalks, collection development issues, booklists and bibliographies, and a wide variety of other topics of interest to librarians, book discussion leaders, and others with an interest in reader’s advisory. The discussion is not limited to fiction, but rather covers all aspects of reader’s advisory for children, young adults and adults, including non-fiction materials.

The searchable archives contain the complete record of all topics discussed on Fiction_L.

GNLIB-L
http://www.angelfire.com/comics/gnlib/

Graphic Novels in Libraries List (GNLIB-L) discusses all issues related to collecting graphic novels and comic books in libraries. Currently the list’s subscribers include public and school librarians, representatives from comic publishers, distributors, and wholesalers, elementary and secondary teachers and home school educators, and representatives from library vendors and jobbers.

ISLMANET-L
http://www.islma.org/listserv.htm

ISLMANET-L is sponsored by the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA) and the University of Illinois. This listserv is the place where school library media specialists and others interested in what is happening in school library media programs in Illinois can come together over the Internet to share ideas, resources, problems, and solutions.

Past discussions are archived and accessible online.

LM_NET
http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/

Currently hosted by the “Educator’s Reference Desk,” LM_NET is a discussion group open to school library media specialists worldwide, and to people involved with the school library media field. It is a group for practitioners helping practitioners, sharing ideas, solving problems, telling each other about new publications and up-coming conferences, asking for assistance or information, and linking schools through their library media centers.

Archives are searchable online.

PUBYAC
http://www.pubyac.org/

The name PUBYAC amalgamates the most important aspects of the discussion: PUBlic libraries, Young Adults, and Children. Hosted by the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, PUBYAC is concerned with the practical aspects of children and young adult services in public libraries, focusing on programming ideas, outreach and literacy programs for children and caregivers, censorship and policy issues, collection development, administrative considerations, puppetry, job openings, professional development and other pertinent services and issues.

Searchable archives are available online.

YALSA-BK
http://lists.ala.org/wws/info/yalsa-bk

YALSA-BK, which means “Young Adult Library Services Association Book Discussions,” invites subscribers to discuss specific titles, as well as other issues concerning young adult reading and young adult literature. Subscribers will also learn what has been nominated for Best Books for Young Adults, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults and Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and be able to discuss those books. Young adults, especially those who belong to book discussion groups, are also welcome to subscribe and to discuss books they are reading.

Uses: Discuss books for young adults
Discuss titles nominated for the YALSA lists
Discuss issues concerning young adult reading
Discuss issues concerning young adult literature

Past discussions are archived and searchable online.

To find other listservs related to children’s literature or library service to children:

Mailing Lists Related to Children’s Literature (URL: http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/%7Edkbrown/listserv.html)
Provides subscription information to a few more listservs related to children’s literature.

CataList (URL: http://www.lsoft.com/lists/listref.html)
CataList is operated by L-Soft, the company that develops listserv, and it catalogs nearly sixty thousand public listservs. You can look for listservs of interest by keyword searching.

TILE.NET – Email List Directory (URL: http://tile.net/lists/)
A reference guide to email newsletters and discussion lists. You can look for listservs by name browsing or though keyword searching.