Now is the time to get lost in a good book (or a few thousand of them)! Applications for the Bechtel Fellowship are now being accepted.
Author: Guest Contributor
Bryan Collier’s Lecture “Dreamwalker” Is Now Available for Viewing
The 2023 Children’s Literature Lecture Award featuring Bryan Collier has been posted to the ALSC website and is now available for viewing by members. Collier’s lecture entitled “Dreamwalker” is an insightful and fascinating presentation of how an illustrator’s skill creates picture books that can be read visually and with words. It was AH-MAZING! As an illustrator and author Collier offers firsthand details about creating picture books that will enrich those of us who evaluate them, use them, and love them.
Sharing Services: CAL Seeks SRP Best Practices Articles, Photos
It’s hard to believe that summer has already come and gone! While fall brings a new set of programs, services, and problems to solve, it’s important to make space and time to reflect on the whirlwind of summer reading and learning. What challenges did you overcome, what successes and joys did you find, and what are you hoping to carry forward into 2024? These are all important questions to sit with, and now is the perfect opportunity to share your reflections on the lessons you’ve learned with others! Children and Libraries (CAL), the journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, is seeking articles and photos from Summer Reading Programs for the Spring 2024 issue. In particular, the journal is looking for “Best Practices” pieces around summer reading and learning. These pieces are typically 1,500 words or less and detail a successful (or not-so-successful) children’s program. Effective best practice…
Too Many Toys: Recovering Library Programming and Play Spaces
Have you ever looked around the library and wondered where all the toys came from? Or who was going to clean them up? Did it make you want to cry? Or maybe kick and scream and have a bit of tantrum? I’ve been there, and I’m guessing you have, too. Whether you’re looking at a public floor play space or programming toys, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Supporting play in libraries often means giving children and caregivers access to many toys and activities. Open-ended toys provide more learning opportunities, but often means more loose parts. If you’re like me, you’ve probably seen something that would be just perfect for your program or space and purchased it. But when does it become too many toys? Can you recover? Let me tell you what my library did.
Libraries and Librarians Supporting Nursing Families
This month is the 13th annual National Breastfeeding Month! The campaign helps celebrate the many and varying reasons why this act is so important while focusing the conversation on the babies and families in our communities. Librarians can be crucial in creating a welcoming environment of awareness and support for mothers and lactating parents.
Meet Sharon Verbeten – Editorial Director of Children and Libraries
Sharon Verbeten, Director of Youth Services at the Manitowoc Public Library, has been at the helm of the Children and Libraries journal as its Editorial Director since the journal’s start twenty-one years ago. Over the past two decades, Sharon has curated a quarterly publication of best practices and scholarly articles that has long been a venue for Association for Library Service to Children members to build community and share resources in youth librarianship. In a recent interview with ALSC’s CAL committee member Sarah Simpson, Sharon shared her background and what inspires her as CAL’s Editorial Director.
2024 Pura Belpré Input Wanted
The 2024 Pura Belpré Awards Committee is asking ALSC, REFORMA, and YALSA members to submit titles for consideration. Three Pura Belpré awards are presented annually: one to a Latino author of an outstanding book for youth ages 0 to 14, one to a Latino author of an outstanding book for young adults ages 12 to 18, and one to a Latino illustrator for creating an outstanding illustrated book for youth ages 0 to 18. Each of these must be an original work that portrays, affirms, and celebrates Latino cultural experiences.
Take it Outside: Nature-Based Engagement
Plenty of librarians are familiar with the research linking literacy to whole body, whole brain learning, but lots of library activities happen inside the building. We may find ourselves reminding people to walk more often than encouraging the kind of rugged adventuring that builds large motor skills and coordination. Since public libraries don’t always have abundant green spaces that invite learning and outdoor exploration, here are some simple ways to make the most out of small spaces that encourage nature-based engagement and outdoor fun.