Hello ALSC Blog Readers! Monday, December 21st marks the first day of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. With our shortest day and longest night of the solstice coming up, I thought a post highlighting Storytime books for a hibernation theme would be timely. Here are a few recommendations published in 2020. Please comment below with your favorite hibernation titles for Storytime!
Category: Blogger Gretchen Schulz
Engaging Resources for Online Programs Pt. 3
Hello ALSC Blog Readers! In this post, I will expand on my previous two posts where I shared and discussed online resources that have helped in my library’s continued dedication to provide programming via Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. While I have to admit, programming on Zoom started out shaky, I feel more in a groove these days and hope you all are feeling that way too! Please leave a comment with engaging resources you have come across; we need each other’s ideas and expertise now more than ever.
Engaging Resources for Online Programs Pt. 2
Welcome to Part 2 of Engaging Resources for Online Programs. (You can find the first post on ALSC Blog from September 24, 2020 here.)
Engaging Resources for Online Programs
Hello Fall! As we continue #libraraining through the pandemic, I hope this post gives you some ideas and resources to help you along the way.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, as my Executive Director reminded us in her daily e-mail to our staff this week. As such, I thought it would be a good time for us as professionals to pause and check in to our mental health.
Reaching Tweens During COVID-19 At Your Public Library
When my public library first asked me to pitch ideas for online programming from home, I felt frozen. I literally did not even have different colored construction paper or Crayola markers in my apartment to make my own flannel stories. I felt like the worst children’s librarian on the planet. (We also do not have color ink for our printer–so that was out of the question, too.) Awesomely, my boss came to the rescue and helped us get some supplies delivered to our homes. Once I had a tripod for my iPhone, I felt much more prepared and was able to let my creativity kick in.
Winter Tree Art: A Tween & Teen Collaboration
Tweens and Teens at the Library At my library, we have recently been having the discussion of how to help bridge the gap when a child graduates from the Children’s Department and enters life as a teen in the library. We have a fairly stead and regular crowd of tweens in the Children’s Department, but they do not always continue to use the library once they become a teen. As the Tween Librarian, my main programming focus is 9-12 year olds. My Teen Librarian colleagues create programs for ages 12-19. A few months ago, my colleague had the idea of partnering with the Teen Department to have programs for tweens in their programming room. It was a great idea, and one we were able to execute this week!
Designing a Programming Space
Ever been tasked with designing a programming space? When I accepted my current position as Tween Librarian in September of 2017, I was given such a task. My boss gave me the job to head a committee and launch a STEAM space for kids. She wanted to re-purpose one of the four Storytime rooms we had. Where do you begin when designing such a space? I had no idea. Luckily, I happened to get an e-mail from Library Journal advertising their Maker Workshop online course. My boss let me sign up for it, and it was able to lead me in the right direction. The most helpful piece of advice the course offered, is one I could have easily overlooked. Instead, I took it to heart. They said to make a Mission Statement. I will never forget the positive and creative vibes that flowed in the room as we (the…