An Evaluation of Cotsen Children's Library
Analysis done by Ash Cook
Embedded Files
ABOUT COTSEN CHILDREN'S LIBRARY
ABOUT COTSEN CHILDREN'S LIBRARY
The Cotsen Children's Library at Princeton University is a collection of illustrated children's books, manuscripts, original art and prints, and educational toys from the 15th century to the present. They have an in-person space where they run programs, and they also have digital exhibitions and resources for people who are not near Princeton.
Audience
The audience of this site seems to be educators, parents, and researchers. Parents are able to look through the site and programs to see if they would like to bring their children to the location. Educators may look through the classroom programs and online exhibitions to decide if they would like to bring these teachings to their classroom. Researchers may use this website or reach out to the curator to assist in research surrounding the history of children's literature.
The Trustees of Princeton University. (2024) About us. Cotsen Children's Library. https://cotsen.princeton.edu/about-us
PROGRAMS
PROGRAMS
In-Person Children's Programs
Bookscape Babies is for ages 0-2. Get active, social, and build your vocab.
Tiger Tales is for ages 3-5. Enjoy an interactive story time and a fun craft to take-home.
Special events are occasional and based on varying topics.
The Trustees of Princeton University. (2024) Youth Programs. Cotsen Children's Library. https://cotsen.princeton.edu/youth-programs
Writing Contest
Cotsen hosts an annual writing challenge for youth ages 9-16. After a topic is chosen, participants will write 350 words for a chance to win $50.
The Trustees of Princeton University. (2024) 350 for 50. Cotsen Children's Library. https://cotsen.princeton.edu/youth-programs/350-50
BiblioFiles
The BiblioFiles, ranging from 2009-2024, are recorded interviews with a variety of authors. They talk about their books and answer questions. The interviews are available to listen to, and transcripts are also available.
The Trustees of Princeton University. (2024) The BiblioFiles. Cotsen Children's Library. https://cotsen.princeton.edu/youth-programs/bibliofiles
Online Resources
One of the main resources they provide is access to a handful of online escape rooms. These can help teach different topics as well as problem solving skills. A couple of the escape rooms are Stranded Inside a Submarine and The Search for Gold.
The Trustees of Princeton University. (2024) Virtual Resources. Cotsen Children's Library. https://cotsen.princeton.edu/youth-programs/virtual-resources
Program Evaluation
I believe that the Cotsen Children's Library could benefit from more programs. Bookscape Babies and Tiger Tales are both only once a week, and there are no regular programs for children older than five. With there being an annual writing challenge for children ages 9-16, I would expect them to also have programs or spaces for older children and teens available at the library. I believe they have some good online resources, but there could be benefit from some things such as videos of children's programs or other digital programs for children who are not located nearby.
SPOTLIGHT ON BOOKSCAPE
SPOTLIGHT ON BOOKSCAPE
Bookscape is a space for children to read, play and explore. The space includes a puppet theater, a towering bonsai tree to explore inside, and a fireplace to sit next to and read. Children may look at any of the books, play on their own, or attend one of the in-person programs that take place in this space.
The environment is colorful, playful, and inviting. This makes it a great spot to bring children whether they are already book lovers or are hesitant.
The Trustees of Princeton University. (2024) Children's Gallery. Cotsen Children's Library. https://cotsen.princeton.edu/about-us/childrens-gallery
There are eight different online exhibitions available to view and explore. For each topic, there are pictures to view and information to read so that readers may better understand the material. For more thorough information, please follow this link:
Creepy Crawlies
This exhibition initially was initially displayed in 2004. It shows different insects and other creatures such as snails and spiders.
Beatrix Potter
This collection celebrates Lloyd Cotsen's Beatrix Potter collection; it was mounted in 2004. Beatrix Potter, author and illustrator, had books featuring fun anthropomorphized animals.
Water Babies
This collection from 2001 captures the sensations of being in the water, with illustrations from works such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Baber en famille.
Père Castor
This collection from 2008 celebrates modernist books for children of the last century.
The Trustees of Princeton University. (2024) Children's Gallery. Cotsen Children's Library. https://cotsen.princeton.edu/online-exhibitions
TREASURED HOLDINGS
TREASURED HOLDINGS
Cotsen Children's Library has a major historical collection of rare items from the 15th century to the present. These books, manuscripts, toys, and artwork are from over thirty different languages, with important holdings in languages such as English, Chinese, Dutch, German, Japanese, Latin, and more.
Some of the main holdings are as follows:
an early-Coptic Christian schoolbook
medieval manuscripts
two scrapbooks assembled by Hans Christian Anderson
drawings by Edward Lear, who is famous for popularizing limericks
many picture letters from Beatrix Potter
early fairy tales from Charles Perrault, Madame d'Aulnoy, and the brothers Grimm
Soviet constructivist children's books
Beyond these items, there is still so much rarity in the collection.
Princeton University Library. (2024). Cotsen Children's Library: Digitized resources from the holdings. https://dpul.princeton.edu/cotsen
The Trustees of Princeton University. (2024) Our Collection. Cotsen Children's Library.https://cotsen.princeton.edu/research-collection/our-collection
CATALOGUE PROJECT
CATALOGUE PROJECT
The catologue project is a multi-book catalogue of the collection at Cotsen. At its current state, 20,802 entries were published on collection items from the 16th century and after. The catolgues are available for purchase, and some pieces are available to look at online.
Oak Knoll. (2024). A catalogue of cotsen children's library: Comprehensive Index. https://www.oakknoll.com/pages/books/136109/catalogue-of-the-cotsen-childrens-library-comprehensive-index-a
The Trustees of Princeton University. (2024) Catalogue Project. Cotsen Children's Library.https://cotsen.princeton.edu/research-collection/catalogue-project
Cotsen materials do not circulate due to their historical value, but they can be consulted inside the library. ALl of the collection's holdings can be searched through the online catalogue, as well. All researchers are welcome to the special collections reading rooms after submitting an online request for consult.
Fellowships may be available; researchers can apply through the Department of Special Collections. (Link above)
Visiting the curatorial blog can show researchers about collection highlights, curatorial events, and exhibitions. (Link above)
EASE OF USE
EASE OF USE
The site has a good ease of use. Some main positive features include:
headings are descriptive, making it easy to navigate
a search bar enables searching for specific information on the site
nested menus are easy to navigate
the website is responsive to different screen dimensions
The holdings are also easy to search through.
good organization through headings and tags
pictures are downloadable for later access
ACCESSIBILITY
ACCESSIBILITY
Looking through a document recommended by the ADA on what is necessary for digital accessibility, it looks like Cotsen has many of the necessities covered. The website is able to be navigated through the keyboard, headings and titles are descriptive and nested properly, and links are descriptive.
Through inspecting the source code for the website, I was unable to decipher if images have alt tags, which is critical for accessibility.
Other important features it exhibits are that it does not time out, tab order is logical, there is no flashing, and the site would be functional and understandable without CSS.
At the bottom of the page, there is a link to get accessibility help. This doesn't provide any immediate help but does enable to viewer to be able to contact Information Technology at Princeton.
18F. (n.d.) Checklist. https://guides.18f.gov/accessibility/checklist/
The Trustees of Princeton University. (2024) About us. Cotsen Children's Library. https://cotsen.princeton.edu/about-us
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