Though children live in a time with a boom of children libraries and related technologies,products,and services,phenomena of ignoring children's rights and voices still threat children's decent library experience and their perceptions of library services. Nowadays,adult patrons satisfaction evaluation to library service is a routine to improve library service. However,there is not any one for children library service. Thus,we advocate that let the children be their libraries evaluation subjects. This proposition is justified in three points. First,theoretical feasibility. Discourses on children have changed from “deficient child” to “beyond the hegemony of adulthood”. It then is possible to reconsider children's moral and political existence apart from adulthood. In developmental psychology,there was a tendency of revaluing the child in child development. In developmental psychology researches,children's roles changed from “closely observed” to “participants”. Children are seen as sense makers and active social actors nowadays. In other related areas like education and social research,children's researches are changed from “study on children” to “study by children”. Second,practical feasibility. As a reflection of children discourses change,policies change as well. Internationally,changing from the saying of “children must be protected” in the Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Children,the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child identified the right to express views and feelings,and be heard as one of four general principles,along with the right to survival and development,the right to non-discrimination and the primacy of the best interests of the child. In ALSC Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries, description of librarian competencies changes from “able to match patrons with materials appropriate to their interests and ability” to “ensures that all children have full access to library materials,resources,and services”. Additionally,children-centered thinking is penetrating into children's products and services and children's perspective evaluations and researches increase. Third,methodology feasibility. Along with the changing of children's research paradigm,traditional social research methods,such as interview,auto-photography,survey are adopted to conduct children researches. In order to research with preschool children and disabled children,Clark and Statham developed the “mosaic approach” with young children,to facilitate the listening process. This multi-method approach seeks to create knowledge by combining a variety of visual and participatory methods. These also give children power to evaluate their libraries. After justifying the feasibility,we emphasize the importance of letting children be their libraries evaluation subjects. Theoretical values include:guaranteeing children's right of making sound,constructing discourses of centering children's perspective in practice and academic,realizing the library profession's missions of education,community improvement and social harmony. Practical values includes:first,improving children's enrollment of library affaires,i.e. “Every child should be familiar and comfortable with the local library and possess the skills to seek their way around libraries in general.” Second,advancing and practicing Law of the People's Republic of China on the protection of public cultural services. 1 tab. 69 refs. |