Kids and Teens at the Internet Public Library: Jennifer Lau-Bond User Services Coordinator

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 consortiumInfo.htmlhttp:// consortiumInfo.html

What Is the IPL? 1.A website ( containing: Collections of nearly 45,000 links reference service 2.An educational and research laboratory for librarians –Majority of work is student-driven

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

Subject Collections Examples: “Social Customs, Traditions, & Folklore” (under Social Sciences) / “Sports” (under Entertainment & Leisure) /

Special Features: Newspapers Links to online newspapers from around the world Includes papers in English and other languages

Special Features: Newspapers Examples: “Michigan” (under United States) 520/ “Pakistan” (under Asia)

KidSpace Special section for kids (13 and under) Similar to adult collections but reviewed for age- appropriateness

KidSpace: Subject Collections Examples: “Reference” “Reading Zone”

KidSpace: Special Features Compiled by IPL staff and students Original content and outside links

KidSpace: Special Features Examples: “Stately Knowledge” (about United States) “Science Fair Project Resource Guide”

TeenSpace Separate section of the IPL for teenagers (13-18) Includes learning materials as well as interesting and entertaining sites

TeenSpace Examples: “Money & Work” subject category “A+ Research and Writing” “Poetry Wiki”

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:

KidSpace Question Form:

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: And learn more about our service at:

Reviewing the Slides These slides will be posted on IPL site at 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