Category: Programming Skills

Blogger Annaliese Melvin

Discussing Body Safety with Children

| Anna Melvin|Leave a comment
Logo for the Erin Levitas Foundation with a red flower on the left, and black text on the right that reads "Erin Levitas Foundation." Each leaf of the flower has a different word in white typeface. The words read: change, heal, educate, respect, listen.

In the fall of last year, ALSC blogger Eleanor Howell-Shryock highlighted ways that she models consent in her story time at the library. As she mentioned in her post, this practice comes from the desire to help children learn bodily autonomy and to foster a culture that prevents sexual violence. After reading her article, I also thought about additional ways that the library might support caregivers in having these conversations outside of the library. This is when a local partnership began to take root.

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Administrative and Management Skills

Lose Weight: Streamline Supplies for Sustainable Success

| Jaime Eastman|1 Comment
Yellow script reads Lose Weight. On the right, a scale stands unbalanced. On the left, a cup holds office supplies. Underneath, black text reads Streamline Supplies for Sustainable Success.

This year, I’m viewing “traditional” New Year’s resolutions through a library lens. So far, we’ve explored ways to exercise more, live life to the fullest, and eat healthier. This month, we’re focusing on the resolution to lose weight. While I can’t give you tips to drop a few extra pounds, I can offer considerations to streamline your supply processes and procedures. This may help save time and sanity, letting you focus on what matters.

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Blogger Eleanor Howell-Shryock

Better with Bingo: Meeting Outcomes Through Game Play

| Eleanor Howell-Shryock|Leave a comment

Bingo nights are a sure-fire programming hit! Highly adaptable to themes, literacy tie-ins, and intergenerational fun, these nights are popular and potent for supporting larger library outcomes. Types of Bingo If you want to keep it to the basics, you can play with a standard board with numbers. Add some fun by changing the winning outcome. You can play until players get a bingo, a blackout, borders, and more. If you have the time to dip your toes into theming and literacy connections, you can adapt the board yourself or buy premade sets. 

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Blogger ALSC Membership Committee

The Storytime Speech: Setting Expectations for Adults

| ALSC Membership Committee|Leave a comment

When it comes to storytime, who is your target audience? Oftentimes we focus so much on the children in front of us that we might forget to engage with the adults bringing them to our programs. Storytime is a performative experience for librarians in which we create a fun and exciting environment that encourages early literacy, but the greater overarching purpose is to teach caregivers by modeling behavior that they can practice at home with the children that they care for. Regardless of whether a caregiver is an immediate family member, a nanny, or some other relation, it’s important that they all leave storytime with thoughts reminiscent of, “Hey, I can do this with my child, too!” There are a few ALSC Blog posts that provide helpful tips for engaging adults in storytime, and there are some I’ve learned over the years as well. Here’s a list of some recommended…

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Blogger Jaime Eastman

Eat Healthier: Nourishing Curiosity with Library Programming

| Jaime Eastman|1 Comment
Orange text reads Eat Healthier. An outline of a pile of fruit is on the left side of the text, with an outline of a bag of vegetables on the right side. Underneath, black text reads nourishing curiosity with library programming.

This year, I’m viewing “traditional” New Year’s resolutions through a library lens. In February, we focused on creating movement-friendly library programs. In March, we explored living life to the fullest with messy play and learning. This month, we’re focusing on the resolution to eat healthier. While libraries may also have opportunities to feed bodies, the work I’m focusing on is feeding minds and growing a child’s natural curiosity.

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Blogger Program Coordinating Committee

Early Literacy Alternatives on Days of Library Holiday Closures

| Guest Contributor|Leave a comment

Your holiday off at your library workplace does not have to be a bummer for local families. Consider suggesting alternative activities such as local parks, scavenger hunts, museums, zoo, and discovery centers. For example, the St. Louis Zoo is always free and is open on all holidays expect Christmas and New Years Day.

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Blogger Early Childhood Programs and Services committee

Building bridges of understanding: Outstanding International Books to share in storytime

| Early Childhood Programs and Services committee|Leave a comment

Each year USBBY, the US section of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People), selects Outstanding International Books (OIB) – books originating or first published in a country other than the US. This list is a natural extension of USBBY’s mission – to build bridges of understanding through children’s and young adult books. As a member of the OIB committee and ALSC’s Early Childhood and Preschool Services committee, I’m excited to highlight some that are perfect for sharing in storytime.

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