Our educational and hybrid strategy for Tails and Tales Summer reading is more important than ever this year as librarians are looking to create programs that combine technology, print resources and personal interaction to offer multiple access points for kids to enjoy educational, fun and safe activities through their local library. And, while we all want summer reading to be a huge success, it goes without saying that planning during a pandemic is quite a challenge!
Category: Guest Blogger
Final Call for Children’s Literature Lecture Award Nominations
The Children’s Literature Lecture Award Committee is seeking suggestions for our 2023 honoree. The lecturer may be an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children’s literature, of any country, who shall prepare a paper considered to be a significant contribution to the field of children’s literature. The lecture will be given in April or May of 2023 at a site to be chosen next year. ALSC members are welcome to send suggestions to the committee for consideration. Please send your proposed lecturer(s), with supporting rationale for each recommendation. The nomination form is available online and the deadline for submissions is July 31. Recent past lecturers include Pat Mora, Maurice Sendak, Dr. Debbie Reese, Andrea Davis Pinkney, and Peter Sis. The complete list of past lecturers is on the ALSC website. The 2023 lecturer will be announced at the 2022 ALA LibLearnX next January in San Antonio. For more details…
ALSC Competencies for Librarians Serving Children
Maybe you are a new children’s librarian starting their first job, maybe you are approaching retirement, or maybe you are somewhere in between. Regardless of where you are in your library journey, at some point you have likely asked yourself some version of these questions: What do I do in this job? What is the role of a children’s librarian? How can I improve my work? Discover answers to all of these questions in the ALSC Competencies.
#Newbery and #Caldecott Virtual Banquet at #alaac2021
Usually, on this night, I am dressed up and sitting with a group of librarians to celebrate the #Newbery and #Caldecott Awards. This year, I still wanted it to be special. So, I treated my family to Yogurtland. I wore my “This Is How I Roll” t- shirt featuring a book truck. And, I got to visit the homes of amazingly talented authors and illustrators and listen to their inspiring words from my living room. I loved every minute of it. I encourage you to watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPOrSDaxsaE There are so many favorite moments, but a few highlights… In her Caldecott acceptance speech, illustrator Michaela Goade was truly an inspiration as the first indigenous/BIPOC woman to win a Caldecott. I want to listen to her speech over and over from her beautiful description of her home in Alaska to her discussion of her illustrations for “We Are Water Protectors”…
Poster Sessions for Children’s Services at #ALAAC21
I have always loved to take a little bit of time to peruse the poster sessions at in person ALA Annual Conferences. Most of the presenters are from the academic world and usually have nothing to do with my job as a children’s librarian in a public library. However, I still like talking to people who are passionate about their work. There is usually something I can learn and use in work as a public librarian. Once in a while the subject relates directly to serving children. So, I explored the virtual poster sessions this year. While I missed being able to ask questions, it was still fun to see how excited the presenters are about their work. Here are a few projects that can be useful to us working in children’s services. “A Bibliography of Children’s Literature to Celebrate Multilingualism and Facilitate Translanguaging Pedagogies” by Grace Enriquez, Ed.D. and…
At #ALAAC21, Beanstack Offers Connection between School and Public Libraries
Attendees at past, in-person ALA conferences know that one of the best ways to learn about new programs or software offerings is by walking the exhibit hall floor. You may not have arrived that day looking for a new summer reading incentive program or a unique tool to facilitate community engagement, but the vendors are there to show you exactly that!
Celebrate Global Stories at 2021 Virtual ALA Annual Conference #alaac21
Eileen Robinson from Reycraft Publishing (beginning in 2019) has been focusing on authors with diverse voices. In a Zoom webinar at the 2021 Virtual ALA Annual Conference, Robinson spoke with Luther Tsai, the author of the Magic Mirror Time Travel Series. In this series, geared toward children ages 8-12, the settings are from historical times that are underrepresented. “Jump into history and mystery,” says Tsai. Because that is what characters Marko and Miranda do when they use a Chinese magic mirror to travel back into history. The historical time periods that they travel to are mostly in Asia. But stay tuned, more books are coming with new locations. Robinson mentioned that the books include meeting new people, friendships, and on building up one’s vocabulary. At the end of the session, Robinson and Tsai explained activities to do with children that center around Tsai’s books. One craft children could do is…
Diversity in Children’s Literature and in Your Library #ALAAC21
ALA Annual Conference has tremendous featured speakers, and we’ve all enjoyed hearing from the stars like Stanley Tucci and Nikole Hannah-Jones, but the real learning often takes place in the quieter sessions. Over the last few days, I’ve benefited from multiple sessions that focus on diversity in children’s literature and our responsibility to diversify our collections.