If our previous posts haven’t already enticed you to sign up for the ALSC Institute in Cincinnati this September, the inclusion of two “Big Ideas” sessions should seal the deal! New this year, the Big Ideas sessions will kick off Thursday’s and Saturday’s activities with top-of-mind topics discussed by industry leaders.
In the Big Ideas session “A is for Advocacy,” a veritable who’s-who of children’s literature scholars will present their perspectives and action steps to bring diverse literature front and center in libraries and classrooms. The panel discussion runs from 11 am-12 pm on Thursday, September 27, and features four speakers: Edith Campbell is an Assistant Education Librarian at the Cunningham Memorial Library at Indiana State University, and blogs at CrazyQuiltEdi; Patricia E. Enciso is Professor of Literacy, Literature, and Equity Studies at Ohio State University, and the author of numerous publications; Jamie Campbell Naidoo is a Ph.D. and Foster-EBSCO Endowed Professor at the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies, and ALSC Vice President/President-Elect; and Sarah Park Dahlen is an Associate Professor in the Master of Library and Information Science Program at St. Catherine University, and an Editor-in-Chief of the journal Research on Diversity in Youth Literature. This session will be a perfect way to kick-start the Institute as we all learn ways to embrace diversity and inclusion in our library service to children. Can’t make it to the Institute? Don’t worry! The session will be recorded and posted for all on ALSC’s website after the Institute, thanks to generous sponsorship from ALSC’s Carole D. Fiore Leadership Fund.
The fun continues on Saturday, September 29, from 7:30-8:30 am. The Big Ideas session “Building Baby’s Brain with Books” features Dr. John S. Hutton from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Kathleen Moore from Dayton Metro Library. Hutton serves as “spokes-doctor” for the Read Aloud 15 MINUTES national campaign and works closely with the Reach Out and Read and Imagination Library programs. He is also the author of 27 children’s books, many with health-promoting themes and benefiting non-profit groups, which have been distributed to over 2 million families to date. Moore has spearheaded community partnership early literacy initiatives such as Passport to Kindergarten, a professional development opportunity for teachers of high-need children that also provides enrichment opportunities for those students and their families, and Love Them Out Loud, a partnership with doctor’s offices and WIC clinics that gets a custom-written book and early literacy information into the hands of new parents. Join us for this session to learn about local and national efforts to spread the word about the importance of reading aloud to children from birth. So what are you waiting for? Early bird registration ends on June 29 – sign up now!