Author: LSSPCC

Blogger Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers committee

Beyond GLBT Book Month: Don’t Forget GLBTQ Families After June’s Over

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Crayons in rainbow order

For the last three years, June is GLBT Book Month has been observed by the American Library Association. Libraries of all types from across the country have participated through promoting gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and other queer-related literature to people of all ages. In its short history with ALA, GLBT Book Month has already had a large effect in getting GLBTQ books into the hands of our communities. GLBT Book Month is a great time to fill a librarian’s quiver with arrows they can use all year long. Many wonderful people in the LIS community put together book lists and ideas that can be used throughout June to highlight these resources. But don’t just sequester these ideas in the back of your mind and pack up all the rainbows when July 1 rolls around! Taking a moment to focus on a specific kind of literature is good. In the midst…

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Blogger Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers committee

Ojibwe Board Book and Programs – Celebrating Language and Culture

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Got a great idea for a service or program that will reach the under-served in your community? Library Service to Special Population Children and their Caregivers Committee wants you! Here is one of our “Light the Way” grant recipients reporting on their library’s project.  We hope their story will inspire you to submit innovative and meaningful proposals that will reach populations that may not otherwise have access to programming or services.   Hannah Buckland, Director of Library Services at Leech Lake Tribal College submitted the following summary: The ALSC/Candlewick Press “Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved” grant has made a substantial impact at the Bezhigoogahbow Library where staff work to develop early literacy outreach services through their Agindaasodaa! Youth Services Program.  Included in the new initiative are: weekly story times, outreach to Leech Lake Head Starts, distribution of children’s books to local family organizations, and the creation of a…

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Blogger Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers committee

Everybody Move It!

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Chances are, you already incorporate physical games and movement activities into your programming for all ages.  But have you thought about strategies to make these program elements accessible for everyone?  Keep in mind that physical disabilities don’t always present themselves visibly, so whether you think you’ve got individuals in your community who would benefit from accommodations or not, best practice involves erring on the side of inclusion.  The great news is that making adjustments doesn’t require re-planning tried and true programs. For some expert advice on offering inclusive physical movement activities, I often look to physical education teachers.  Both in-person and online sources can offer information, ideas, and insight.  Reach out to a physical education teacher in your area, or check out one of these online sources for tips as you plan your next program: Let’s Play Together! A fun and simple guide to conduct inclusive games for all This…

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Blogger Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers committee

Play Café: Storytime & Special Populations

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Have you ever prepped for a storytime and no one has shown up? Have you tried a new flyer, a new day, a new time — and still no traction? You read blog posts with tips for crowd control and think, Must be nice… I feel you, friend. In the Oakland Public Library system, some branches regularly pack the room while others sing “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” to, well, crickets. But we know there are toddlers in the neighborhood — strollers are everywhere.  A David and Lucile Packard Foundation study told us that caregivers in our community are looking for the things storytime can provide: networking and community building, early literacy support, all in a safe, free environment. Clearly our message wasn’t working. So we made some changes. We stopped saying “Storytime,” which is meaningful in some communities but was insider jargon in ours. We renamed it “Play Café,” a…

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Blogger Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers committee

Housing Community Outreach

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My library is currently serving 16 Child Care Centers on a bimonthly basis and are hoping to start reaching our children and their families in a new way. We are working on a program where we provide storytimes, early literacy workshops and play programs at a housing community in our service area. We would ideally  provide a small collection of gift and donation books that can be used by the community I reached out to a fellow librarian who has done some community based outreach to ask a few questions. Me: Describe your program including population served and services provided. Cammy: STAR (Summertime Access to Reading) was created by School Board Chairwoman, Carrie Coyner. Little Free Libraries (LFL) were planted all over the county and filled with books to insure that children within neighborhoods have constant access to books. Each LFL also had community events through the summer. My library…

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Blogger Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers committee

The ALSC/Candlewick Press “Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved” Grant is now open!

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For many public libraries, grants are a vital revenue stream. And when funding is limited, grants become highly competitive. Every library and even every grant writer has their own strategy. I encourage everyone to try their hand at grant writing, even if you’ve never written one before. As the facilitator of your program, you are best equipped to tell that program’s story, and convey your library’s need.

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