A look back at the first half of the year on the ALSC Blog

Twice a year, we take a look back at the ALSC Blog to see how it’s being used. It’s time!

From January through June of this year, use of the ALSC Blog has continued to increase:

• the number of sessions is up 8.31% (115,541 in 2014 vs 106,678 in 2013)
• the number of users is up 11.90% (83,750 in 2014 vs. 74,841 in 2013)
• the number of pageviews is up 13.69% (182,325 in 2014 vs 160,365 in 2013)

The five most popular posts published in the first six months of 2014 were:

1. The Snow Queen, Frozen and Feminist Critique by Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla
2. Gravity Science: A STEM Program for Preschoolers by Amy Koester
3. Eggs Away! Egg Drop Science for School-Age Children by Amy Koester
4. Your Librarians Are Reading, Too by Abby Johnson
5. It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane!… It’s a Superhero Training Academy! by the School-Age Programs and Services committee

We love to see conversations start in the comments. The posts with the most comments in the first 6 months of the year were:

1. Unconventional Preparations for Storytime by Katie Salo
2. Program in a Post — Torn Paper Landscapes by Heather Acerro
3. Dream Book-to-Film Adaptations by Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla
4. Engaging the Smartphone Generation by guest blogger, Kris Lill
5. Is Science Funny? by Lisa Taylor
6. Early Literacy Tips with Some Pizazz by guest blogger, Angela Bronson
7. Mind Full or Mindful? by guest blogger, Jill Eisele
8. Preschool Shadow Science by Amy Koester
9. Getting Ready for Tablet Time by Angela Reynolds
10. Summer Reading — One for All and All for One by Lisa Taylor

It is always fun to see which posts readers are motivated to share with friends and colleagues via twitter. The five most “tweeted” posts in the first 6 months of 2014 were:

1. Notable Children’s Books Discussion List — Summer 2014 by Mary Voors
2. Notable Children’s Books — 2014 Discussion List by Mary Voors
3. Other KidLit Awards from #alamw14 by Angie Manfredi
4. Making without a Makerspace by ALSC Children and Technology committee
5. How Juvenile Books Portray the Prison Experience by guest blogger, Kate Todd

Such a great first six months! Let’s see what the rest of the year brings!