Kids and Teens at the Internet Public Library:

http://www.ipl.org/

Jennifer Lau-Bond

User Services Coordinator

jenlau@umich.edu

IPL History• Begun in 1995 at the School of Information

and Library Science (now School of Information)

• Started by a group of students and professors

• An educational experiment that has continued for 11 years

IPL Consortium

June 1, 2006 the “IPL Consortium” began

• Partnership of 14 “I-Schools” to develop and maintain the IPL

• http://www.ipl.org/div/about/IPLconsortium/consortiumInfo.html

What Is the IPL?

1. A website (http://www.ipl.org/) containing:

• Collections of nearly 45,000 links• E-mail reference service

2. An educational and research laboratory for librarians

– Majority of work is student-driven

http://www.ipl.org/

Collections at the IPL• Link to free sites

• All links selected and reviewed by library science graduate students—must meet our collection policies

• Sites indexed and abstracted

• Subject collections as well as special features, exhibits, and sections for children and teens

Subject Collections

• Aimed towards adults but useful for kids/teens

• Links organized by headings

• Browse down to further sub-headings

http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/

Subject Collections

Examples:• “Social Customs, Traditions, & Folklore”

(under Social Sciences)http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/soc70.00.00/

• “Sports” (under Entertainment & Leisure)http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/ent80.00.00/

http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/

Special Features: Newspapers

• Links to online newspapers from around the world

• Includes papers in English and other languages

http://www.ipl.org/div/news/

Special Features: Newspapers

Examples:

• “Michigan” (under United States)

http://www.ipl.org/div/news/browse/US.7007520/

• “Pakistan” (under Asia)

http://www.ipl.org/div/news/browse/PK/

http://www.ipl.org/div/news/

KidSpace

• Special section for kids (13 and under)

• Similar to adult collections but reviewed for age-appropriateness

http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace

KidSpace: Subject Collections

Examples:

• “Reference”

http://www.ipl.org/kidspace/browse/ref0000

• “Reading Zone”

http://www.ipl.org/kidspace/browse/rzn0000

http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace

KidSpace: Special Features

• Compiled by IPL staff and students

• Original content and outside links

http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/features.html

KidSpace: Special Features

Examples:

• “Stately Knowledge” (about United States)

http://www.ipl.org/div/stateknow/

• “Science Fair Project Resource Guide”

http://www.ipl.org/div/projectguide/

http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/features.html

TeenSpace

• Separate section of the IPL for teenagers (13-18)

• Includes learning materials as well as interesting and entertaining sites

http://www.ipl.org/div/teen/

TeenSpaceExamples:• “Money & Work” subject categoryhttp://www.ipl.org/div/teen/browse/mw0000/

• “A+ Research and Writing”http://www.ipl.org/div/teen/aplus/

• “Poetry Wiki”http://www.ipl.org/div/teenpoet/

Reference at the IPL• Service is free to all—questions from around the

world and people of all ages

• Questions answered by trained library students and professional volunteers

• Use free sites and sometimes refer to print or subscription sources (local resources when possible)

• Questions submitted on web forms

Adult Question Form: http://www.ipl.org/div/askus/

KidSpace Question Form:http://www.ipl.org/div/ask/

Asking a Reference Question• Volunteer limitations--no medical/legal questions or

questions that need a response immediately (at least 3 days)

• We use mostly free sources, so can’t always do complex searches in print/subscription materials

• Let us know if you’re a librarian!

• See more samples of questions we’ve answered at:http://www.ipl.org/div/anniversary/timelineIntRefQuest.html And learn more about our service at:http://www.ipl.org/div/askus/refservice.html

Reviewing the Slides

These slides will be posted on IPL site at http://www.ipl.org/div/about/teachWipl.html

Look for slides titled “Kids and Teens at the IPL”

Linked from IPL homepage in left navigation bar (“Teach With The IPL”)

Have more questions about what the IPL can do for you? Contact Jennifer

Lau-Bond, User Services Coordinator, at jenlau@umich.edu