The Week of the Young Child aims to focus attention on the importance of the early childhood stage, recognize the value of early childhood programs, and community services that support young children and their families.
Category: Displays
Summer Reading Crunch Time Décor!
Summer Reading Crunch Time! By now, you should have a pretty good idea of what your SRP program for 2023 looks like. You’ve got your performers lined up, got your giveaway items and prizes. However, let’s say you are like me and are biting off that proverbial chew of decorating the children’s section. I am in the lucky position of having two whole small branch libraries that I get to help decorate for summer reading; that was sarcasm. That aside, it occurred to me to write a bit about the creative process. My painting students are frequently treated to it, so I thought of you, the audience at home. It’s Always a Process and Frequently Involves Cardboard This process gives a few options and rely on just a few factors. Here’s a flowchart for you to guide you! If you dawdle and or procrastinate, here is what your creative process…
Thanksgiving Books Without the Myth
Thanksgiving books are probably the most sought-after holiday books in my library. As a white librarian who strives to do less harm, Thanksgiving books give me pause. Children are still being taught the Thanksgiving myth, while some people consider Thanksgiving a day of mourning. We serve all of them as members of our community. How can we fulfill the demand for books while avoiding harmful stereotypes and misinformation?
LGBT History Month at Your Library
Did you know that October is LGBT History Month? High school teacher Rodney Wilson, the first openly gay K-12 teacher in Missouri, started this annual observance in 1994. Why October? It’s a month schools are in session, the first national march for gay and lesbian rights was held in October 1979, and National Coming Out Day has been held on October 11 since 1988. (Source: https://lgbthistorymonth.com/ ) Celebrate this significant month by displaying or featuring books about LGBT history. Not sure where to start? Read on for suggestions!
Inclusive Back to School Books
I know that much of the country is not in back to school mode yet, but in Southern Indiana our students started back to school last week. And as families have geared up, our back to school books have been flying off the shelves. I’ve been keeping a close eye on this display to fill it back up. And I always try to make it as inclusive as possible. Keep this in mind as you’re building yours. Consider some of the books below to make your display more inclusive!
Summer Reading Planning at Washington County Public Library System
It has been a long two years for libraries, and summer reading programs were no exception. We spent two summers creating passive programs in what felt like countless grab-and-go bags. This year, we are excited to host our first in-person summer reading program since 2019, but we also began our planning process feeling a little daunted: how could we best create a show-stopping 2022 program after two pared-down years?
Earth Day STEM Day!
Earth Day is April 22nd this year. However, I want to point out that April is also National Humor Month. I am making a large sacrifice here to bring you a post about introducing your youngest library patrons to citizen science instead of something rib tickling, side splitting or otherwise thigh slap worthy. So, here we go. No funny stuff. And just as an aside, please slap only your own thighs as to do otherwise is considered harassment and is actually frowned upon in many workplaces. A Trilogy of Cunning Plans For your consideration, three cunning plans to expose yourself and small children to STEM this Earth Day: Citizen Science, STARnet’s STEAM initiative, SciStarter, and Seed Libraries. For those of you counting along at home, that makes four (4), making this a poorly named overview of what’s to come. Actually, I think there’s five…oh, well. Citizen Science So, what exactly…
Collection Development at the End of the Fiscal Year
How do you wind down collection development as you reach the end of your fiscal year? Ours just ended, so I wanted to share some of the activities and strategies we use for getting through this last bit of the purchasing year.