Thursday, January 27, 2011

Where are children's apps going?

Children's publishing is changing so quickly that even the publishers can't keep up with it. At the Digital Book World conference recently, some of the leading producers of children's apps talked about their works. As reported by Calvin Reid in Publishers Weekly, their work will greatly impact libraries, although there is no mention of this in the story. Children's books are moving off the printed page and into a world of apps where the stories will be told in a combination of video, animation, audio and text. These stories, which are available on many mobile media, are already attracting many parents and children will certainly grow in appeal. From the readers' point-of-view the sound and movement that augment the text are the most important aspects of the new form. From the producers' point-of-view, the ability to update the apps and to track usage are equally attractive. Why is this so important for librarians? One reason is that libraries had better learn to compete with this competition by offering attractive books as well as apps for young children. Another, equally important reason, is that in this fast-growing field, librarians have important expertise to share. We are the specialists in what children enjoy listening to and sharing. For generations librarians have turned static books into lively experiences through storyhours. In the early 1920s when the children's book industry was gathering strength in the book world, children's librarians like Anne Carroll Moore influenced publishing trends by reviewing books and calling on publishers to meet children's needs. Where are the Anne Carroll Moores of today? Now is the time for library journals to take apps seriously and offer full reviews of the best of them. Rick Richter, one of the producers quoted in the article maintains that of the approximately 30,000 children's apps now available "about 27,000 of them are horrible". It's time for the industry to take into account the expertise of teachers and librarians as well as book publishers to develop standards for excellence in children's apps. Perhaps it is time for ALA to set up a new prize category.

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