This fall a few colleagues and I presented at the Virginia Library Association’s Conference on building technology into library services for youth. We wanted to feature some of the ways public libraries have found methods of incorporating technology into their repertoire. As the new year kicks off in a week, many librarians will be making goals for the new year and plans for the summer months and Summer Reading/Learning.
Category: Blogger Digital Content Task Force
Emoji Book Love
Sometimes laughter can be soothing to the soul, and this past week my fellow children’s librarians and I used Bitmojis to lighten up our lives.
New Screentime Guidelines from the AAP 2016
The big news that rounded out the week was the recent media guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Perhaps not so much of a surprise, the recommendation for no screentime before the age of 2 years-old was adjusted.
Nintendo for the Win
If your library circulates video games you may also have a collection that gives DVDs a run for their money. Over the past few years we have witnessed a growing increase in the circulation of kid’s, teen, and adult games. Nearing the end of the library’s fiscal year I glanced at the top circulating games in the Children’s Library and wasn’t surprised to see that Mario dominated the list.
#SnapSeptember and Snapchat in the Library
I will try to keep this post short, although it might take a little more than 10 seconds to read through!
App Round Up 2015
As the year rounds out this week, it’s time to reflect on some of the most noteworthy apps from 2015. The week after the holidays is a high traffic time in libraries for new tablet owners wanting ebook assistance and app recommendations. One of the most thorough previews for the year was The Guardian’s 10 Children’s App Trends for 2015. A thoughtful piece for parents on what’s on the horizon for storytelling, music creation, and 3D printing apps for kids. The annual KAPi (Kids at Play Interactive) Awards honor the best in interactive media for children. The winners for 2016 will be announced in late December and honored in January. The app winners are broken down into Best Children’s App for Pre-readers and Best Children’s App for Older Children. One app to own is Crazy Gears from the developer Seven Academy who came out with last year’s Busy Shapes. Both…
Easy Access: Making eBooks a Breeze
Have you noticed a spike in eBook circulation this summer? At our library we have hopes and dreams of seeing an increase in our eCirculation, not solely during an intense reading period, but throughout the school year. There is no question that an increase wouldn’t just be dependent on patrons having knowledge of the library’s eCollection, but also their access and ease of use, both for parents and kids. In the spring the teen department and children’s library decided to debut an e-Reading Room through Overdrive. The purpose of the offering is to provide youth with a safe and kid-friendly environment in which to browse the library’s eCollection. Bringing increased exposure to our digital collection is one of our continued goals in the department, both for kids and teens, but making it a lot easier to search and download may be a lot more difficult than simply creating a virtual…
Hot Dogs, get your Hot Dogs
Galactic Hot Dogs, that is! Cosmoe’s Weiner Getaway is the first book in a three part series written by Max Brallier and published by Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. The book has taken off on Funbrain.com, a popular gaming website for children that has been a launch pad for some of the biggest blockbuster hits in children’s book publishing. Jeff Kinney’s ever popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid got its start there as a free book in 2004 and now has over 150 million copies in print. Other titles such as Rachel Renee Russell’s Dork Diaries series, Lincoln Pierce’s Big Nate and Brandon Mull’s best-selling fantasy series The Beyonders all of gaining wider audiences due to their popularity on Funbrain and its sister site Poptropica. Galactic Hot Dogs seems to be destined for the same success. More than six million children have read the book on Funbrain since…