Pursuing excellence for library service to children
Liz McChesney and Sue Abrahamson began their session on Learning Beyond: The Urgency of Summer and the ALSC Toolkit for Summer and OST Programming with an out-of-box ice breaker. They had us open our phones and share a picture with someone we didn’t know. I shared this photo of my loveable and frustrating beagle, Dan.
Play is the work of children. What kind of work do we want the children we serve to do? What kind of play opportunities do we want to create?
What did your library do during during COVID-19 lockdowns? How did your services shift as infection rates, building closures, mask mandates, and patron safety shifted? And most importantly, what effect did this have on your staff and the children you serve? With the help of Samantha Eichelberger and Rosana M. Santana from Schaumburg Township District Library (IL) and Sarah Koncos, Glenside Public Library (IL), we gathered to consider these questions and more at “Pivot! Adapting Programming for School-Aged Children in a Changing World”. After hearing about how these libraries tackled the many challenges of the early pandemic with their school-age services, much of this program was devoted to small-group discussions of our own libraries’ responses. Now, I have to make a confession – I didn’t work in libraries until the summer of 2021. I didn’t experience the abrupt and unexpectedly long building closures, nor did I contribute to any of…
Dr. Nicole A. Cooke, Augusta Baker Chair at the University of South Carolina, opened today’s events at #alsc22 with a powerful message, “Let this Radicalize You: Lighting up Our LIS future.” She challenged us to look inside our libraries — do our actions match our words? Does our library staff represent the community we serve?
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” – Fred Rogers What an amazing session this afternoon at #alsc22 on “True Play” presented by Carissa Christner and Holly Storck-Post from Madison Public Library. They led us on a play exploration to begin with: can you recall a favorite memory of play from your childhood? Stop and think for a moment. Did adults tell you how to play? True Play is deep and uninterrupted engagement in the activity of one’s own choice. Sounds simple doesn’t it?? And indeed, simplicity is a key factor. They reviewed the history of play at their library, from play literacy (themed type activities), playful activities in storytime (though still adult designed), and talked about the importance of play. Did you know that for young children movement…
Presenters Carissa Christner, Madison Public Library, and Holly Storck-Post from Madison Public Library led a discussion about true play to a packed room this afternoon. Carissa Christner defined true play as deep and uninterrupted engagement in the activity of one’s own choice. The presenters then led the audience through a presentation of how they implemented true play spaces at their branches and the opportunities and challenges that cropped up during the development and implementation phases.
Or can you? An hour after landing in Kansas City for #ALSC22, I was already on my way to the Central branch of the Kansas City Public Library system. I loved it so much that I came back the next day to watch storytime and catch up on work email before the opening session!
The first full day of ALSC Institute is underway, and I started my morning off with yoga! Leigh Ramey, Youth Services Consultant for the South Carolina State Library presented a wonderfully interactive session on Yoga Programs for Youth. Participants were invited to try yoga poses, games and mindfulness practices, all adaptable to differing skill levels from preschoolers and caregivers up to tween and teens.