The 2024 National Día Program Registry is now open, and ALSC invites libraries, schools, and community organizations to register their upcoming programs. By using the national registry, program planners help build a searchable database that showcases all types and sizes of programs that highlight El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) and Diversity In Action. The Día Program Registry is a great way for planners to share diversity programming ideas and best practices with colleagues across the country. A searchable Día program map and data table are available for browsing. Use this form to enter your programs. Why Celebrate Día? Día is a nationally recognized initiative that emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It is a daily commitment to linking children and their families to diverse books, languages, and cultures. Día Programming The four common goals of…
Author: Laura Schulte-Cooper
The Latest ALSC News
Happy Fall to all! It’s a busy time of year, and there is lots of ALSC news and resources to share.
More about the Bechtel Fellowship!
Are you familiar with ALSC’s Bechtel Fellowship? (Maybe you saw yesterday’s blog post?) The grant provides up to $7,500 to a children’s librarian to spend up to four weeks reading and studying at the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature (University of Florida, Gainesville), which contains a special collection of 130,000 volumes of children’s literature published mostly before 1950. Now, if your response to that is, “Nirvana!,” then maybe it’s time for you to seriously consider applying for the Fellowship. Is the Bechtel for Me? I know; it’s a big commitment. You may not be ready to take the plunge just yet. But this post provides food for thought if you’re contemplating this opportunity and even if you’re not quite there yet! Christina H. Dorr, 2010 Bechtel Fellowship recipient, shared her experience recently for the ALSC Blog. In a sidebar to Charmette Kendrick’s (2007 recipient) Children and Libraries (CAL) article,…
Silent Censorship in a New Era of Book Challenges: Your Stories Wanted
United for Libraries defines silent censorship as “…librarian choices to not purchase new materials, to weed ones already available to patrons, or to not sponsor a program for fear of a challenge from the community.” As this type of censorship is “silent,” it likely occurs way more often than we are aware. What are some real-life examples of silent censorship? What pressures are library workers and educators serving youth struggling with in their day-to-day operations? What tips, techniques, and proactive practices can help fellow practitioners avoid the pitfalls of this censorship and confidently provide the resources that vulnerable users may need? Share Your Experience For an upcoming article in Children and Libraries (CAL), Sharon Verbeten, CAL editor, is soliciting submissions from ALSC members and ALSC Blog readers on the topic of silent censorship. Your comments, examples, and anecdotes related to silent censorship and experiences in your public or school libraries…
Happening around ALSC
Spring is a busy time in ALSC as we prepare for the ALA Annual Conference, which marks the culmination of the awards year as we honor our book and media winners. ALSC also hosts education programs; membership, discussion group, and meet-up meetings, the Charlemae Hill Rollins President’s Program (Leading with Your Hands and Your Heart: A Conversation about Leading from Wherever You Are), and more at the June conference. Advance registration prices runs through June 16 if you haven’t registered yet. And, hurry, if you are planning to attend the Newbery-Caldecott-Legacy Banquet on Sunday, June 25, tickets are close to selling out. (And, by the way, Judy Blume is headlining the conference’s opening session on June 23!) ALSC webinars in June ALSC also is presenting two webinars in June, a two-part series on Trauma Informed Supervision for Library Leaders. Part one, Understanding Trauma Informed Supervision, will be held on Wednesday,…
Summer Reading Lists Are Here!
The 2023 ALSC Summer Reading Lists are here! Compiled by the Quicklists Consulting Committee, the lists are full of engaging and award-winning book titles to keep children reading throughout the summer. For young digital media fans, the committee also recommends a range of apps, podcasts, and websites to help kids discover and develop their interests. This year’s lists have a clean, straightforward design, making them easy to download and print for the children, parents, and caregivers in your library and community. Find the FREE lists on the ALSC website. More reading lists These annual summer favorites are the newest addition to ALSC’s recommended reading resources, which also include the Día and Graphic Novels booklists. The 2023 Dia lists feature lots of engaging stories that represent and celebrate diverse cultures and backgrounds. Revised in 2022, the Graphic Novels lists include titles that have popular appeal and are well-reviewed.
Rita Williams-Garcia to Host ALSC Lecture
In case you missed it, award-winning author Rita Williams-Garcia will deliver the 2024 Children’s Literature Lecture. And, the application to host the event is open! The annual Children’s Literature Lecture features an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children’s literature. Library schools, college/university departments of education, and children’s library systems are eligible to host lecture. ALSC annually administers the lecture award. About Rita Williams-Garcia Rita Williams-Garcia is a New York Times best-selling author of novels for young adults and middle graders. With an interest in writing from a very young age, Williams-Garcia sold her first story to Highlights Magazine at 14. Her books have received numerous awards, including the Coretta Scott King Award, Newbery Honor Book, and the Scott O’Dell Prize for Historical Fiction. Her 2017 novel Clayton Byrd Goes Underground was a National Book Award finalist and won the NAACP Image Award for Youth/Teen Literature. She served on…
Enjoying The Last Word
ALSC’s journal Children and Libraries (CAL) offers scholarly articles, practical pieces on library programming and services, and interviews with award-winning authors and illustrators, among other content. But, did you know that CAL also has a feature called “The Last Word?” A short and sweet feature on the last page of the issue, The Last Word, over the years, has highlighted upbeat, human interest essays that celebrate the spirit of childhood, reading and libraries. And, who can’t use some lightheartedness right now? Take a little quiet time to curl up with your favorite beverage and phone, tablet or laptop to enjoy these short stories from the front, which have populated the very back of Children and Libraries. The Path to Poetry The Last Word: Pitching Poetry by Laura Purdie Salas According to children’s author and poet Laura Purdie Salas, poetry gives so much to readers. Its powerful language builds better readers…