Brooklyn: “Kids’ iPads at Park Slope Library Get Cool Reception from Parents”

From DNAinfo.com:

Some Park Slope parents say a flood of new technology is distracting their children from reading books — at the library.
The Park Slope branch wowed readers with 20,000 new books when it reopened in September, but its collection of iPads and children’s computers hasn’t been sitting well with some parents, who say their kids are already drowning in a sea of screens.
Head librarian Stephanie Brueckel said she got a flurry of negative feedback about the iPads, which were the first in the Brooklyn public library system devoted specifically to children. After one of the shiny new devices was stolen just weeks after the branch’s reopening, Brueckel pulled the remaining iPads out of the children’s section and stashed them behind closed doors.
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Megan Nicolay, a member of the recently formed Friends of Park Slope Library, said she understands concerns about children getting too much screen time. The topic came up recently in a parenting class she took, and pediatricians have warned against letting very young children spend too much time in front of screens.
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“Libraries historically have been a place to house books, but more importantly, in my opinion, they’re places for learning,” Nicolay said. “The shape of learning is changing, so it seems responsible to offer a mix of sources, from books to iPads to computers, because kids are going to need all of those tools.”

Much More in the Complete Article
Additional Coverage via Gothamist: “Park Slope Parents Say Library Has Too Much Technology”

Filed under: Libraries, Public Libraries, School Libraries