Christmas may be over but many of us (and our patrons) are still trying to make sense of the toy recalls.
Here are some informative resources that I’ve found in my own search for safe toys. If you have any suggestions please let me know.
First things first, since we have this terrific set of databases just begging to be used- I visited the AVL (of course). Using EBSCO’s MasterFILE Premier and Academic Search Premier I found a plethora of helpful articles. My initial search phrase was “toy safety.” EBSCO conveniently list suggestions on the left to aid ma in my search. The variety of results came from Scholastic News, Business Week, USA Today and others.
As it turns out, this was a pretty great place for me to start in order to gain a footing with such a controversial and heated topic.
I also checked out another great resource, the Internet.
The Consumer Product Safety Commision posts recent list of recalls and has product safety news.
There are also civic minded organisations answering the call. Check out these websites:
www.healthytoys.org-A consumer action guide to toxic chemicals in toys. Developed by The Ecology Center based in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the Washington Toxics Coalition.
ToyInfo.org - is provided by the Toy Industry Association, Inc. One of the goals of the site is to answer consumer questions about toy safety and recalls.
ConsumerReports.Org - provides articles and ratings fro a variety of products.
This list is small and only the beginning. The Internet and databases are amass with differing opinions and concerns regarding toy safety. I hope this helps you with your search.
