With summer just a few weeks away, our focus is on our upcoming summer reading program for children. How can we best ensure children are engaged and actively involved in our program? This year we are trying a few new ideas to encourage participation for our younger readers. A Little Recognition This year we are returning to offering certificates for children who have reached a certain milestone of participation within our club. Our Community Relations Department is creating these certificates for children to receive after they have read for twelve hours during the summer, in addition to receiving a free book for reaching this mark. Do you use certificates as a way to recognize participation in summer reading? Write it On the Wall To tie in to our superhero theme this summer, our Community Relations Department is creating a super reader banner for each of our eight locations. For those…
Category: Blogger Meg Smith
Winning Traits
Skill in presenting programs, an understanding of child development, and a love for working with young people are all traits required for staff working in youth services. There are other important traits which outstanding youth services staff must possess. When the time comes to replace a member of this department, what skills, characteristics and strengths do you seek? What do you admire in your colleagues? It is true that youth services staff must have the special ability to connect with young people and their caregivers, but there are other characteristics that are necessary for staff to be the best team players they can be and for them to have the most positive impact on the team. A positive mind set, a strong work ethic, and problem-solving abilities are qualities that make staff excel. For a positive mindset to truly make an impact in the workplace, it must be all encompassing…
Dreaming of Spring
The weather outside is frightful. In southern North Carolina, we have dealt this week with an ice storm and power outages. While this winter weather in no way compares to the months and months of freezing temperatures and blizzards in the Northeast and Midwest, it is safe to say that many of us all over the country are sick and tired of winter by this time of year. We long for warmer temperatures and blooming flowers. We long for spring. At work we are also anticipating the change in seasons as we prepare for all of the special programs we offer during the next few months. What special events or services are rolled out during the springtime at your libraries? Spring in many ways allows us the time to finish our last minute plans for our busy summer reading program. We promote our summer reading schedule to the schools in…
Interview with Author E.K. Johnston
E.K. Johnston has set her fictional world on fire in THE STORY OF OWEN: DRAGON SLAYER OF TRONDHEIM. Receiving recognition as a finalist for the 2015 William C. Morris Award, the author discusses the relationship between libraries and young readers. She gives us a glimpse into her latest novel, PRAIRIE FIRE, scheduled to be released next month. I received a complimentary copy of THE STORY OF OWEN before participating in this interview as part of a blog tour. THE STORY OF OWEN has broad appeal for readers with varying interests. How do you briefly summarize this book for the audience not familiar with these characters and their adventures? I usually tell people that THE STORY OF OWEN is about a dragon slayer from Southwestern Ontario, who moves from Hamilton to a small town called Trondheim, and has to adjust to slaying dragons in a rural environment. You know, passing algebra. Getting…
A New Year Brings New Possibilities for Summer Reading
Ringing in the New Year often means a time of personal reflection, but it can also be a perfect time to create professional goals and to strengthen our work objectives. While it may be months away, one of my library system’s 2015 goals is to review our current summer reading program and to consider some new ideas for this club. Administrative and youth services staff have collaborated on how to best see these ideas through to fruition. For us, the year 2015 is all about impact. How can we ensure our summer reading program makes the most powerful difference in our community? Focus on the Journey, Not Only the Destination Our traditional summer reading program has focused on specific reading milestones that children must reach to receive individual prizes. In 2015, we will consider our summer reading program to be more of a journey instead of a destination. Once children…
October Means Fall Leaves, Halloween, and Summer Reading?
We often think of autumn as a time with cooler weather, changing leaves, and upcoming holidays on the horizon. This October our thoughts are not only on all the fun fall has to offer, but the opportunities the upcoming summer season can provide. Our library staff is currently assessing our summer reading services and evaluating the reasons behind why we do what we do. During this autumn, we will examine many of the logistical aspects of our summer reading plans to ensure we offer the very best program for children and their families. What plans does your library have to alter your reading program once summer rolls around? What’s In a Name? For many years, our Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center in North Carolina has referred to our months of summer reading programming as our summer reading club, or more informally as SRC. During the summer, we offer many special…
Interview with Author Dori Hillestad Butler
Ghosts add spooky suspense in this new mystery series, The Haunted Library, written by Edgar Award author Dori Hillestad Butler and illustrated by Aurore Damant. In this interview, Dori Hillestad Butler shares the role libraries have played in shaping her work and the background behind these haunting books for young readers. I received a complimentary copy of the first two books in this series before this interview. As children’s librarians, we often share just a little bit of detail about books with audiences to get them interested in checking out material. What information would you share with children interested in learning more about The Haunted Library series? It’s a series about a ghost boy named Kaz and a “solid” girl named Claire who work together to solve ghostly mysteries. Each book is a stand-alone mystery, but as the series goes on Kaz and Claire are also trying to find Kaz’s missing family. Kaz was separated from his family when their…
Youth Services Basics: Cross-Training by Building Confidence
Are staffers outside of youth services ever responsible for staffing your children’s desk in a programming pinch? Would employees outside of your department feel comfortable and confident in providing this service or would they feel stunned like a deer caught in the headlights? At our community branch library, information services staff members also staff our children’s services desk, and we receive a great number of children’s reference questions at our adult information services desk. Staff members outside of youth services must be familiar with the needs of children and those that work with them. Being cross-trained to provide customer service to customers of all ages is a necessity, but how do we ensure that staffers receive the training necessary to handle the unique needs of our young customers? My colleague recently presented training for library staff outside of youth services. Not meant as a substitute for advanced youth services training…