I work in an urban environment, nestled tightly into a downtown grid, separated from many communities where families live. We face an assortment of barriers, most notably parking expenses and easy public transit access, that limit the availability of our kids area for those families who live in our service area.
Barriers to access such as these are well known to many of you, I am sure, and they amplify the need to reach out into surrounding communities. This outreach is a part of our daily lives. And, hey, it’s also library advocacy!
We meet families where they are. Through our programming we highlight the importance of early learning for families and community partners. We’re building relationships with stakeholders who gain a better understanding of our role in their lives and develop support for the library in the communities we serve.
Although there are many ways we program throughout our communities, I wish today, to touch on storytimes as a vital outreach tool. I visit a variety of unusual spaces to read and sing with young children. Over the years I’ve facilitated early learning storytimes in grocery stores, hospitals, art galleries, city parks, housing communities, farmers markets, family shelters, and most recently, a seasonal ice rink.
During my preparation for storytime at our local ice rink, I was asked to write about storytime for a local news outlet.They asked me to detail the relevance of storytime in a child’s life and explain why it’s a good idea in an unusual setting. This request started me thinking about how we articulate the what and why of storytime to our community stakeholders and how it relates to library advocacy.
At the start, our partners wanted to host a charming family activity that would excite their Wednesday morning crowd. After discussions about early learning, they began to realize that when we read, talk, sing, and play with a child, we stimulate the growth of a child’s brain and develop connections that become the building blocks for reading. They loved it. Articulating the value of storytime generates buy-in focused on the importance of reading, singing, playing, and talking with children. Their support for our programs grew. They felt invested and begin to look for other ways to involve the library in their programming and activities.
Explaining storytime comes naturally to us. Presenting its value to stakeholders is essential and there are tools for this advocacy.
The Libraries Transform campaign speaks to the impact we make every day with easily accessible information. These flyers and information portals can be added easily to our interactions. They help us explain the why of what we’re bringing to the collaboration.
Alternately, the University of Washington’s VIEWS2 project provides the language needed to advocate for library storytimes inside and outside our libraries. They offer training tips and resources that can help us bring our A game when we show up on site at an ice rink or a grocery store. This helps us show the what of storytime as we’re conducting it.
These and other resources back us up and help us tell our story to new stakeholders. Get at ‘em! I hope y’all get outside and develop collaborative initiatives that generate buy-in with your community partners that better express the impact and importance of what we do!
Nate Halsan is the co-chair of the ALSC Advocacy and Legislation Committee. He is a Youth Services Librarian with the Sacramento Public Library in Sacramento, California.
This post addresses the following ALSC Core Competency: V. Outreach and Advocacy.