The name (at least for the moment) of the ALSC committee I co-chair is Library Services to Underserved Children and their Caregivers. It’s a mouthful and in the two years I’ve been part of the committee, the word in there I’ve thought about most is Underserved. But lately, it’s that last word that really has me thinking: Caregivers. Recently, one of my LIS students shared that she was writing her capstone about the benefits adults get (or don’t) from parent-child programs in libraries. I assumed she meant the benefits as a caregiver: being a child’s first teacher, how to model behaviors, those kinds of things. But as we talked more about her ideas, what she actually meant were the benefits for the adult participants as people. This was, I am embarrassed to admit, a bit of a surprise to me. I assumed if an adult wanted their own needs met…
Category: Blogger Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers committee
Reflections from ALA Annual 2026: Supporting Youth Impacted by Carceral Systems
I just returned from ALA Annual 2026, and what a whirlwind it was! It was wonderful to reconnect with old friends, meet new colleagues, and come away inspired by the incredible work happening in libraries across the country.
Beyond the A: Creating Space for Pacific Islander Cultures & Stories during AANHPI Heritage Month
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month is a longstanding celebration in schools, libraries, and communities across the country. While Asian cultures are often prominently featured during this month, Pacific Islander cultures can sometimes receive less visibility. Elevating Pacific Islander stories, traditions, and voices is an important way to create a more inclusive celebration and deepen understanding of the rich diversity represented within AANHPI communities.
Kreyòl, Community, Connection: Reimagining Outreach for Haitian Families
Migration from Haiti to the United States is driven by a complex mix of systemic “push” factors, with nearly half of the nation’s Haitian immigrant population settling in Florida (Finnegan, 2023). For many Haitian families, the transition involves navigating urgent physiological needs before shifting toward “settling in,” a process that includes mastering English, securing childcare, and accessing healthcare (Finnegan, 2023). As we honor Haitian American Heritage Month this May, the City of North Miami Public Library highlights a model that centers these families through intentional, culturally responsive service. Building Trust with the Family Unit Many Haitian families harbor a deep-seated distrust of government entities due to historical experiences in Haiti. Libraries can overcome this by acting as intermediaries, transferring trust from established community partners to the library itself (Finnegan, 2023). North Miami strengthens these bonds by: Intergenerational Support and Accessibility In the Haitian diaspora, school-aged children often acquire English quickly…
Story Times with Medically Fragile Kids and Teens
Janine Petrovits is a Children’s Librarian Trainee at Queens Library Bay Terrace in New York City and an MLS student at the Queens College School of Information Studies. For more than a year, she has been conducting story time for residential patients at St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children. St. Mary’s serves young people ages 0 to 24 years with medical complexity and special healthcare needs. The kids and teens who attend Janine’s story times are mostly nonverbal, with severely limited mobility and responses. Janine, a childhood cancer survivor who had already gained experience doing story times in the library, volunteered when St. Mary’s contacted the library looking for someone to do programming in the hospital. She shares, “I know very much what it’s like to spend long periods of time at a hospital. I did not ever live at a hospital like these children do. They live there But…
100 Library Cards in One Hour: Meeting Families Where They Are (Literally)
It was 5:45pm on a warm August evening. Four of us from the Mountain View Public Library were seated behind long folding tables in front of our bookmobile van, a mobile billboard for the library. On this night, there was no bookmobile service planned, but we watched with anticipation as families started filtering through the main gate of Castro Elementary School. Their first stop was a backpack station, where each child chose a backpack full of school supplies donated by the local Community Services Agency. Some stopped at tables advertising other social services, and a few stopped by our library tables. Most continued on to their child’s classroom for their teacher’s Back-to-School Night presentation. I had been working with the school on this event for weeks. The new principal wanted to promote both the bookmobile service at the school and the library itself. He was a huge fan, and a…
Supporting the Supporters: How Libraries Can Serve Caregivers Under Stress
Libraries have long recognized their role in supporting children, especially those from underserved communities. Yet behind every child who enters the library is often a caregiver navigating stress that may be invisible but deeply felt. Parents, grandparents, foster parents, and caregivers may be balancing economic hardship, systemic inequities, disability, trauma, language barriers, or social isolation all while trying to support a child’s growth and well-being.
Serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing Patrons
Explore the free and accessible information that organizations have gathered to support our work with these underserved communities.