Pursuing excellence for library service to children
We are children’s librarians. We can step in front of a group of 200 elementary school children gathered in a multi-purpose room and act out Pizza Man without reservation. We lead hoards of preschoolers in A Tooty Ta Ta. We don yoga clothes and bend our bodies for Stretchy Storytime. We might not be the best singers or crafters, but we happily conduct these programs for our beloved library patrons in house.
Over the last five years, there has been an increased awareness of the importance of digital resources and accessibility. In 2015, the New York Public Library began loaning hotspots, and just this past December, Library Journal published an article about how to better promote digital resources because many patrons are unaware they exist. As many libraries across the country have shut their physical doors in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, these e-resources have become even more vital, as has the concept of family literacy. One of the main questions this raises is how can we best continue to serve children and families at this time? In addition to promoting digital resources like e-books, a vast number of children’s librarians have begun doing virtual storytimes through their library’s social media accounts. In order to determine how effective these practices are, we can turn to O’Connor’s 2017 study Sociocultural Early Literacy Practices…
The effects of screen time on children’s development hit the news once again in November 2019, when the results of a Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) study were published in JAMA Pediatrics and covered in the media.
Last month, I highlighted twelve books readers who enjoyed Raina Telgemeier should read. This author is outrageously liked, but another equally popular series I can’t seem to keep on my shelf is the Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey. Readers who like Dog Man are typically just starting in chapter books or are reluctant readers. They generally enjoy books that are fast-paced, funny, and have some illustrations. Usually, they have already read Captain Underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Big Nate, and it is often difficult to find other books these young patrons will enjoy. If you are running out of suggestions, this post is for you!
Over the past five years, Too Small to Fail, the early childhood initiative of the Clinton Foundation, has been leading a partnership with the LaundryCares Foundation to transform laundromats across the country into playful, literacy-rich environments for children and families.
The word “intentionality” has taken on greater meaning within the world of library service to the very young in recent years, following the publication of Project VIEWS2 and Supercharged Storytimes: An Early Literacy Planning and Assessment Guide.[1] Storytime presenters are thinking more about how they want to support early literacy development through their programming in the materials they select and-more crucially—the way that they use those materials and engage with children and families throughout the storytime experience. Another critical domain of school readiness, however, remains less well understood: physical development. Most storytimes in 2019 incorporate movement to some degree. However, that movement is typically used for the purpose of “getting the wiggles out” so that children are having fun and can become settled for the next reading or rhyming portion of the program. When we understand a few basic principles of physical development, we can begin to apply the same…
Sonia Sotomayor entered to a standing ovation to which she replied, “My favorite people! I love librarians” because librarians open the world to children and give them opportunities they otherwise could not have. Early in the discussion, she came down off the stage and wandered through the audience hugging and shaking hands with adoring fans! She said so many inspiring things, here are a few of my favorite quotes and details: She is “living proof of how libraries can affect people for life.” She loved going through the old library card catalogs! Her first chapter books were “Nancy Drew.” In 6th grade, “Lord of the Flies” really affected her-she wanted to become a lawyer so she could help people see that laws serve us as a community Laws help us make sacrifices for the greater good Our greatest obstacle in life is fear. “Most important skill for librarians is…
As a ukulele teacher, I have witnessed the power of this little instrument to change lives, and I’m thrilled to see more and more ukuleles popping up in libraries.