In the weeks leading up to the Drag Story Hour at my former branch, I was equal parts excited and worried. I had been wanting to host a Drag Story Hour for a long time because these special storytimes encompass some of the best parts of children’s programs in libraries: having fun, encouraging creativity, and celebrating diversity through stories. And I was certain that it would be popular with the families who came to that branch.
Author: School-Age Programs and Services Committee
Virtual Program – AB Kids
AB Kids is a virtual storytime series hosted each fall at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Nicole Cooke, the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair for the School of Information Science and the team from the South Carolina Center for Community Literacy work together to bring families and school age children, The Augusta Baker Storytelling Experience: Inclusion Programming for Children of All Ages (AB Kids). This series is part of the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair programming at the University of South Carolina. Named in honor of Augusta Braxton Baker, a beloved children’s librarian and storyteller who made South Carolina her home after a 37-year career at the New York Public Library. The first African American Coordinator of Children’s Services within the NY Public Library system, she worked tirelessly throughout her career to diversify the genre of children’s literature and to make books for children and young adults more reflective of the…
Summer’s Over… Now What?!?: Tips for Planning for a Year of Library Programming
As a school librarian member of ALSC, I have a programming hiatus thanks to our summer break. I enjoy the break and time off to refresh and renew. As the new school year approaches, though, I am beginning to look ahead to programming for this year. This will be my sixth year in the library but only my second year as a full-time school librarian, and I know that thinking about a year of programming can be daunting. So, for this ALSC SAPS blog, I thought I’d offer a few tips for my fellow librarians who are similarly in the planning stages for a year of programming! My first tip is for those of my fellow librarians who are also relatively new to this profession: Remember that you don’t have to do it all all at once! When I began work as a librarian, I had So. Many. Ideas! …
Facilitating STEAM Programming Through Exploratory Play
STEAM programming can feel like an expert and expensive challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. Anyone can be the conduit for exploratory play by simply modeling what that looks like.
Where in the USA is Ms. Amber?
Today, we are officially beginning our road trip across the United States with the first stop– Washington, D.C. I’m doing what I can to help teach American and World history in a fun way, from cup stacking to line dancing, sharing my love for history as I go.
Tuning Up Bike Month Programming
May is Bike Month, so it’s a great time to tune up your bike and your library’s bike-related programming. Between circulating bikes, riding book bikes to outreach events, and offering bike repair workshops or stations, opportunities abound for connecting communities with alternative transportation. Libraries also offer books, of course! These resources and activities can help build a strong cycling community in Bike Month and beyond.
Bring Kids All Together Now—With Collaborative Bulletin Boards
Collaborative bulletin boards are great for summer reading programs. They keep kids busy during the school break with much less effort than putting together a structured program. And they fit perfectly with this summer’s CSLP theme
Reflective Practice in Children’s Services
Setting aside just fifteen minutes a week for reflective writing has made a huge difference for me, from planning more successful programs to making better use of my time to feeling more motivated and joyful at work. This post will show you how to do it and how it will improve your programs.