by Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski
In Part One, the reasons for serving children with special needs in a storytime setting were highlighted. This week I will cover some elements of the Rhythm and Rhyme Storytime for Children with Special Needs and their Families which make the programming distinctive.
Relaxed Rules: Due to developmental differences of [...]

Want to make your storytimes more interactive, inclusive and interesting?
Enrich your storytime programs with sign language! Susan Kusel, Youth Services Librarian at Arlington County Central Library, VA will help the Preschool Discussion Group explore this topic at ALA Annual/Chicago. She will do a short presentation on sign language and its use in storytimes. [...]

 I know first-hand that the last thing any public librarian wants to think about during the craziness of Summer Reading programs is planning the next big thing, but according to YA consultant Tasha Squires, now is precisely the time to start thinking about any collaborations you may wish to have with your School Library counterparts.    [...]

As a member of the ALSC Liaison with National Organizations Serving Children and Youth Committee, I am writing to tell you about two organizations of possible interest to ALSC members:
1. The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI). NBCDI’s mission is to improve and advance the quality of life for Black children and their families through [...]

by Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski
With budgetary and staffing issues currently facing libraries, children’s programming managers and staff may wonder, “Why begin a new storytime program for children with special needs and their families?” The answer: to provide support for a vastly underserved area of our population. Efforts to provide special needs programming are [...]

Through November 8, 2010, The Art Institute of Chicago is highlighting 17 books that have received a Caldecott Medal or Honor Award between 2006 and 2009 in its Ryan Education Center and Gallery 10. The award-winning artists included are Bryan Collier, Marla Frazee, Beth Krommes, David McLimans, Jon J. Muth, Kadir Nelson, Beckie Prange, Marjorie [...]

We’ve visited schools, contacted neighborhood organizations, spread flyers throughout our branch and the community– all in the hope of spreading the word about the library Summer Reading Club.  And somehow, I think we don’t need to worry about poor turn-out this summer.
Although there are many valuable reasons we offer Summer Reading Club – to introduce [...]

If you are attending ALA in Chicago next month and you like to write, please consider sharing your experiences with the readers of the ALSC Blog. To express your interest, please send an email to alscblog@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Teresa Walls
Manager, ALSC Blog

The AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School/Public Library Cooperation is updating its clearinghouse of information about school/public library cooperative activities. The list of programs submitted in 2004 is located on the ALSC Web site –> Initiatives –> Partnerships –> Clearinghouse of School/Public Library Cooperative Programs.
Please submit your successful school/public library partnership. Your partnership story will be [...]

Summer reading lists have been distributed. The shelves have been read. The inventory is almost done. “You’re so lucky!” I hear from colleagues who like the sound of having July and August “off”.
So what happens to a school librarian in the summer time?
Summer is the time to plan, research and tweak the [...]