New home for the Center for Children’s Books

Sara Schwebel
Sara L. Schwebel, Professor and Director of the Center for Children's Books
Suzan Alteri
Suzan Alteri, Assistant Director of the Center for Children's Books

Support the Center for Children's Books during Orange & Blue Week, the crowdfunding campaign being held at the University of Illinois from March 3-9.

The Center for Children's Books (CCB) at the iSchool is a crossroads for critical inquiry, professional training, and educational outreach related to youth-focused resources, literature, and librarianship. The Center houses a non-circulating research collection of children’s and young adult books, with emphasis placed on books published within the last two years. Last year, the CCB moved to a new home in the iSchool building at 501 East Daniel Street. Formerly housed in the basement, the Center relocated upstairs to a large space on the second floor. Professor and Director Sara L. Schwebel and Assistant Director Suzan Alteri discuss what was involved in the move and describe their new, colorful quarters. 

Why did the CCB move to a new location?

Schwebel: Historically, children's rooms in public libraries were placed in the basement. Many see this space as less-than-desirable and therefore a reflection of attitudes that devalued children. When the iSchool had the opportunity to rethink space usage, the youth services faculty met to talk about shared vision. The desire to move out of the basement came across loud and clear. Our new location is bright, sunny, and easy to find. It also provides a better, drier environment for our books. We look forward to welcoming visitors!

What was involved in the move?

Alteri: The move was quite a process. The Center has always been staffed by a fabulous group of graduate assistants who have helped in all our activities, and this was no exception. The GAs worked with Gennye Varvel at the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library (SSHEL) in the Main Library to pull books from the Center's historical collection and transfer them to SSHEL—and if warranted, the Rare Book and Manuscript Library. This was a monumental task and took the better part of two years. Next, we had to brainstorm and design the new location on the second floor. After getting input from youth services faculty, the CCB staff thought carefully about who would use the collection and what would most benefit iSchool students, faculty, and staff. Once we had a blueprint, we worked with Tad Schroeder [assistant director of facilities] to order new furniture that fit our mission. It was fun to see the second-floor space come together, and now we're just so excited to share it with people.

Tell me about the new location.

Alteri: It's very welcoming to all ages. We have a child-friendly activity station and bright, soft seating. We have three large rotating displays for new books, and most of our furniture is modular, so the layout lends itself to creativity and collaboration. We have 1,795 different books for ages 0-18, mostly from 2022 onward. It's a great place to come and look at all the newly published books to include in classrooms and libraries.

inside the Center for Children's Books with colorful furniture and carpet and bookcases.


What do you like best about your new home?

Schwebel: It is bright and cheery—and located near the offices of faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral students who work in children's literature and youth services librarianship. This new location facilitates planned and spontaneous conversation about books, young readers, and the wonderful things that transpire when they are brought together.

Alteri: It's fun and colorful. When I walk into the space, I just feel lighter and happier. Seeing all these great books makes me smile.

What makes the CCB unique?

Alteri: The Center has such a rich and storied history that can be explored through special exhibits on our website. If you visit the Center, you can also look at the original card catalog from the University of Chicago. We've grown in such new and exciting ways, and we have unique relationships with book reviewing through The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books as well as scholarship on diverse youth literature through the Research on Diversity in Youth Literature.  

The Center is open for reader's advisory or if visitors just want to browse and hang out. The Center's hours are 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and 3:00-6:00 p.m. Tuesday.

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