I love words, I love stories, I love books. But Gary Paulsen’s author luncheon left me speechless, but in all the best ways possible. I laughed until I snorted; then I laughed until I cried, then I just cried. Hands down, the best author experience I’ve ever had. I could sit here and weep, but I don’t want to misspell anything. The emotional response I had was one of the greatest, of my life. Gary Paulsen gets us, more than I think we get us. We being Children’s Librarians. I will always be able to say that I heard Gary Paulsen speak, I have a signed book, and I will never forget this opportunity, first hand, to peek into the world of a master storyteller like Gary Paulsen. Thank you Gary for sharing your story.
Category: Institute 2012
#ALSC12 Taking Early Literacy to the Streets
The Ready to Read Corps at Columbus Metropolitan Library strives to make a real difference in the Columbus community by reaching outside the library walls to bring early literacy information to at-risk families. Sarah Mackie took us on their journey, from realizing that the need existed (nearly 50% of Columbus area kindergarten students were assessed as not being ready for kindergarten in 2005), to doing the necessary research, to partnering with community organizations, to getting grants to start their program. Staff in the Ready to Read Corps literally take to the streets, bringing early literacy information to churches, shelters, laundromats, and even knocking on doors to meet families who might benefit from a series of one-on-one or group early literacy classes and a free early literacy kit. Although they now have a large-scale operation with 15 staff members dedicated to this cause, the ideas Sarah shared with us could be…
#ALSC12 We hear from Gary Paulsen
Where to even begin with Gary Paulsen’s author talk at the ALSC Institute? I don’t dare try to transcribe it; he’s (ahem!) salty in his language. But what a talk. Mr. Paulsen spoke of his lonely and hopeless childhood (“I’m one of the kids who fell through the cracks. You didn’t want me in your house. You definitely didn’t want me to meet your daughter later.”), his salvation from illiteracy by a librarian at age 13, the U.S. Army and the many adjectives for “maggot” wielded by his drill instructor, getting lost in downtown Anchorage with a dog team and asking for directions to the Iditarod, dogs and horses he has known and loved, why there should be hunting seasons for lawyers, heart doctors, and stockbrokers… and much, much more. He broke our hearts and made us die with laughter and stirred us to keep to our calling: “We are…
#ALSC12 Shake Shimmy and Dace: Using Music with Preschoolers
Kate Schiavi of Louiseville Free Public LIbrary packed so much great info (and so much fun!) into this program! We learned a bit about music theory and “musicality” development in early childhood, the link between music and literacy, and how music supports multiple intelligences. Kate shared something that should motivate us all to include music in our children’s programs: research shows that “if musicality is not nurtured, it begins to diminish around the ages of 5-9, and music listening becomes passive. Some studies show it begins to decline as early as 24months as many parents begin to sing less to their children.” What a loss for children, to lose the music that’s born into their souls! Next we learned ways to build music into our programs, from how to choose great books that lend themselves to music, to great artists and songs to try, to awesome props and activities and…
#ALSC12 Graphically speaking
Erin Reilly-Sanders created a strong argument for applying what we know about picturebooks to understanding graphic novels, since they are both sequential art. She also shared the term “graphica,” which can be used instead of “graphic novel” to clarify that graphic novels are not always novels, but this is a format. Applying the concepts about comics/graphic novels from Scott McCloud, Gene Yang, and others, we were treated to discussions with hands-on samplings of how the art works in picturebooks such as Olivia, and graphic novels such as A.L.I.E.E.E.N. Of course I anticipated that her presentation would be terrific, because I knew Erin as a student at my institution, Miami University, when she immersed herself in the study of architecture and also children’s literature– a unique melding of structure and form that shows in Erin’s in-depth perspectives. ~Brenda Dales
#ALSC12 Why You Should Go!
This is my first time attending the #ALSC12 Institute and I am really enjoying it and learning a lot. For those who might wonder whether or not they should attend in the future, I thought I’d put together a list of 5 reasons to do so! 1. Quality, specialized program content–because it’s ALSC, every program has been something I could apply to my job as a Children’s Librarian or pass along to another person at my library. The lovely people at this conference are thinking about and serving children every day just like I am! 2. Endless inspiration from your cohorts–as a programming librarian, the sparks of ideas that are shared at conferences like this are priceless. I now have a whole list of little notes with program ideas, people to look for, and resources to read later, all gleaned from listening to fellow conference attendees in sessions and in…
#ALSC12 Planning for Excellence: Developing Best Practices for Youth Services
Listening to this information-packed session presented by Celia Huffman, Youth Services Manager at the Cuyahoga County Public Library. So far this idea stands out to me the most: children’s librarians are educators, and as such, we need to be aware of child development and learning theories. She recommends we all read “The Public Children’s Librarian as Educator” by Elizabeth Danley, in the March/April 2003 issue of Public Libraries. Will do, Celia!
#ALSC12: Using Music with Preschoolers
I think my favorite takeaway from this session on using music with preschoolers in programs is the idea that made-up words, sounds, and noises are a really good thing to incorporate in the songs and books you use. Sometimes we can get focused so much on vocabulary that musicality of language gets overlooked or overruled, but the playing around with sounds that comes with “musical” language is really beneficial to pre-readers. Grab those books with silly made-up words, and choose music that inspires children to come up with their own sounds! All the nonsense can be so much fun.