Breaking down the barriers.

Reports on the first comprehensive national study, funded by the Arts Council of England and the University of Wales Aberystwyth Research Fund, to investigate the provision of European modern language books for children in UK public libraries. The aims were: to investigate the nature of European modern language book and non book publishing for children; to examine the relationship between the publishing of European language and translated materials; to explore the supply of these materials by bookshops and library suppliers and to examine library collections; and to produce an evaluative bibliographic listing of materials currently available for use by teachers. The survey had the effect of creating a greater awareness among young people's librarians about the issues surrounding foreign language materials and their place in children's collections. Results show clearly that a low priority is given to these materials by local authorities and this is reflected in the size, nature and accessibility of their library holdings and frag mentary nature of their services. Whilst many local authorities expressed the opinion that there was little demand for this material, that perception was seen to be conditional. The UK's partnership within the European Union was not seen to be a highly prioritized motive for the provision of European modern language library materials. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]