Floriana Central Public Library's services for children : the current state and the way forward

Abstract

This study examines the library needs of children and the extent to which they are being met by the existing services at the Floriana Central Public Library, besides recommending future library services and improvements. Desk research about what foreign countries offer in the children’s library sector was also accomplished. Furthermore, current children’s library services in the Floriana library are here discussed and then the data provided by this study was used to conduct a questionnaire on the local user expectations of the children’s library service. An on-location questionnaire was conducted among children aged 0-11 years and their parents/ guardians who use the current children’s library services, where 225 users participated. A significant result showed that children’s library services are still essential to the users in this technological world. The conclusion was that the Floriana Central Public Library, as the main children’s library, should be the foremost in offering new services, events and programmes to all its users while also searching for ways to encourage new users to enrol in the library and participate in what the library offers.