ALSC Blog

Spring is a busy time in ALSC as we prepare for the ALA Annual Conference, which marks the culmination of the awards year as we honor our book and media winners. ALSC also hosts education programs; membership, discussion group, and meet-up meetings, the Charlemae Hill Rollins President’s Program (Leading with Your Hands and Your Heart: A Conversation about Leading from Wherever You Are), and more at the June conference. Advance registration prices runs through June 16 if you haven’t registered yet. And, hurry, if you are planning to attend the Newbery-Caldecott-Legacy Banquet on Sunday, June 25, tickets are close to selling out. (And, by the way, Judy Blume is headlining the conference’s opening session on June 23!) ALSC webinars in June ALSC also is presenting two webinars in June, a two-part series on Trauma Informed Supervision for Library Leaders. Part one, Understanding Trauma Informed Supervision, will be held on Wednesday,…

Blogger Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Big Ticket Library Purchases

May 23, 2023May 26, 2023| Emily Mroczek-Bayci|Leave a comment

A lot of libraries around me have gotten renovations, and it’s always fun to check out what a library adds. In fact I’m pretty sure every library worker finds themselves lurking around local libraries while on vacation to see what they might have. Some items I see are totally unique while others are becoming more common. Here are some “big ticket items” that have been surfacing in more libraries around the country.

Blogger Early Childhood Programs and Services committee

The Changing Face of Summer Reading

May 22, 2023May 18, 2023| Early Childhood Programs and Services committee|Leave a comment

Spring is in the air here in Washington, D.C. and I find myself thinking ahead to the upcoming summer months. We will be starting our annual Summer Reading Challenge soon. At my library, this is geared towards people of all ages though it is more popular with the children. In past years, we have had game boards with different activities for each age range including our youngest patrons ages birth to five. Some of these activities are as simple as reciting your ABC’s. Older preschoolers have had the opportunity to practice writing. These activities seem geared towards early literacy which we know is very important for emerging readers. In addition, we often have special guest performers who get the children further excited. Past visitors have included science programs as well as storytellers. We also have had the Washington Nationals, our local baseball team, as one of our sponsors. This has…

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Connecting to New Communities

May 21, 2023May 21, 2023| ALSC Managing Children’s Services Committee|Leave a comment

Like many people, I recently moved. Not only did I move where I lived, I also changed where I work. I made the move from a really big city library to a small rural library.

Blogger Early & Family Literacy committee

So Much Early Lit Research, So Little Time

May 20, 2023May 17, 2023| Early and Family Literacy committee|Leave a comment

Writing a grant to fund a playspace at your library? Want to share research-based early tips with parents? Making a presentation to your library board about the importance of early literacy programs? The Early and Family Literacy Committee will soon be releasing a Toolkit to help you! Inside you’ll find oodles of studies (full text if available) that justify the vital work you do every day! But first, we need your help with a few key questions…

Blogger Maria Trivisonno

FamilySpace at the Library

May 19, 2023May 17, 2023| Maria Trivisonno|Leave a comment

Several years ago, before the COVID-19 outbreak, Invest in Children, a community wide public/private partnership administered by the Cuyahoga County Office of Early Childhood, and the United Way of Greater Cleveland came to the two largest library systems in Northeast Ohio (Cleveland Public Library (CPL) and Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL)—the largest suburban system for which I work) with an idea. Although delayed thanks to the pandemic, the first FamilySpace location opened in September 2022 at CCPL’s Garfield Heights Branch, and three other locations (two in each system total) followed. The response has been positive, to say the least.

Guest Blogger

Programming: It’s not (always) about the numbers

May 18, 2023May 16, 2023| Guest Contributor|Leave a comment

As a children’s librarian, my mantra has always been, it’s not about the numbers, it’s about the program. I have held book clubs with one child for weeks. But sometimes we forget our own mantra, and it’s not a bad thing to promote your program. (I ended the book group with one child after 6 weeks.) Somehow I imagine the Dragnet music playing while I say that this is one story from the annals of Library Science and Marketing Math.

Blogger Amy Steinbauer

Manager Mistakes:

May 17, 2023May 17, 2023| Amy Steinbauer|1 Comment

Management Mistakes and tips to solve them

and some tips to try to solve them. In my system, a lot of children’s librarians become managers. It makes a lot of sense, as children’s librarians are constantly juggling multiple priorities, have to deal with a high level of work, and are invested and passionate about library work. In fact, I think children’s librarians make great managers for all those reasons (but maybe I am biased)! If you are thinking of becoming a manager or are just starting out in management, check out these classic management mistakes and learn how to avoid them.