How did we get here?: An examination of the collection of contemporary Caribbean juvenile literature in the children's library of the national library of Trinidad and Tobago and Trinidadian children's responses to selected titles

This study investigates the West Indian Juvenile collection of Caribbean children's literature housed at the Port of Spain Children's Library of the National Library of Trinidad and Tobago to determine its characteristics and contents, and to elicit the responses of a group of children, aged 11 to 13, to selected works from the collection. A variety of qualitative data collection techniques were employed including document analysis, direct observation, interviews with staff, and focus group discussions with student participants. Through collection analysis, ethnographic content analysis and interview analysis, patterns in the literature and the responses received were extracted in an effort to construct and offer a 'holistic' view of the state of the literature and its influence, and suggest clear implications for its future development and use with children in and out of libraries throughout the region.