Since I sent out a call for interest in a curated collection of apps by librarians, I’ve had a number of people contact me offering their time, services and enthusiasm.  Yay! There is a need and an interest for this. If you’d like to be involved in this discussion, comment below, Tweet me or use my contact form.

The conversation has already started. Except…. what do we DO with it? What exactly will we build? What kind of tool will be useful to librarians, preschool teachers and parents that hasn’t been created already? It can’t JUST be reviews; what would librarians bring to a project like this? What is the vision for this project? How do we manage the scope? Let’s start by thinking big.  What if we could create a “catalogue” of kids educational and book based apps? There are a few models for services that we could look at; WorldCat, BWI TitleTales or LOC. But what I think we’re really talking about is GoodReads or Novelist for kids apps.

How do we choose what apps to include, or is the goal to try to record EVERYTHING? Is there any point in putting all this effort into recording digital objects that could be non-existent any time? Do we limit the time/effort we put on apps produced by smaller, indie app developers (as opposed to Random House or OceanHouse Media, for example)? How can we create something that will be useful for any library to use? Can we partner with a professional organization for endorsement and offer access to the database through that organization’s website, or as an app in itself? (Big ideas, I know- I specialize in big ideas)

What I would be really jazzed about is a field that we can use to include information about how the app could be used in a library program. What if we could include apps that can be used in “traditional” storytimes like ECRR2, Mother Goose on the Loose or Parent Child Mother Goose Program? (we’d need permission to do this explicitly, of course)

Let’s talk about this tool! Let’s build something for the children’s library community as a whole!