Gary Paulsen gave a great after-lunch talk today. He wasn’t afraid to tell it as it is, which gave his speech a rare honesty. It felt somewhat like sitting around a camp fire, listening to an old friend tell his life story. I love Paulsen’s books. They have a spirit of adventure and connectedness to natural surroundings that very few books– especially children’s books– have today. That same spirit came through in Paulsen’s presentation. Thank you, Mr. Paulsen, for sharing your humor and your wisdom with us today.
Author: Angela Eck
Angela is the Youth Services Coordinator at Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN.
Early Literacy at #ALSC2012
The 2012 ALSC Institute has been full of great, enlightening sessions so far. Yesterday, Sarah Mackey gave a wonderful presentation about the Ready to Read Corps at Columbus Metropolitan Library. She and her coworkers have been taking early literacy training directly to parents, in the places they frequent, such as beauty salons, nail salons, laundromats, social service agencies, and even their homes! The parents have been especially receptive to these at-home meetings, treating them as early literacy parties. Plus, these parents get fun early literacy kits to use with their children at home. This is just one example of the wonderful innovations fellow librarians have to share at the ALSC Institute 2012. It’s so uplifting to hear how librarians are making a difference in families’ lives.