Access versus circulation for kindergarten students

The problem identified in this research was the conflict between the open access principles of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the restrictive policies librarians tend to set. The purpose of the study was to discover the circulation policies for kindergarteners and to investigate the librarians\u27 rationale for these policies. A descriptive study was utilized in this study, with a survey being emailed to each public school elementary librarian in the Grant Wood Area Education Agency. Quantitative analysis allowed the researcher to discover the precise circulation policies in use. Responses were tallied and percentages were formulated from the data gathered in the surveys. While the research found that many librarians believe in free and open access to books, the research also found that a substantial number of librarians allow kindergarteners to check out only one book at a time. Many kindergarteners were also restricted from visiting the library often and were restricted in their book selection. There appears to be a disconnect between AASL access goals and actual circulation policies