There are so many unique roads to librarianship. I know children’s librarians who are former teachers…along with some who are former lawyers. One colleague did a stint as an archeologist. I, myself, was a television producer (long story!). And some librarians continue to do cool jobs while being a librarian. I’m friends with more than a few crafters extraordinaire, for example.
Tag: children’s librarians
Do What You Do Best: Advice from a Child Welfare Expert
I’ve spent the last few months trying to educate myself on Childhood Trauma, ACES, and how to become a trauma informed library. The task is daunting! The learning curve is steep, the information is abundant and there are so many children in need of care. I was beginning to despair. Then an old friend of mine from high school (shout out to the Shaler Area Titans!), Dr. Lisa Schelbe posted her new book, The Handbook on Child Welfare Practice, on Facebook. Dr. Schelbe is an associate professor in the College of Social Work at Florida State University. Her areas of expertise are child welfare and child maltreatment prevention, among others. I knew I had a resource that could help me focus; she literally wrote the book on the subject! I reached out to Dr. Schelbe, and we had an amazing conversation about what practical steps we can take as children’s…
What is the future of children’s librarianship? #covid19 #childrenslibrarian
What is the future of children’s librarianship? #Covid19 has instituted a (valid) fear among many people about job security, a change in job duties, and an all-together new approach to “normal.” This was my first year on the committee for my library’s Summer Reading Program and in a weeks time we revamped it to something that has never been done before. Kids were given all their logs and prizes in one kit, instead of having multiple pick-ups. Hunts for the mysterious “Sasquatch” were done online and we did not have our helpful teen volunteers. However, we had comparable numbers of participants to year past. And that wasn’t the only unusual aspect of summer reading this year. In a time when our shelvers are usually full to the brim with work, they were asking for extra projects. At hours when the library is usually louder than a playground, it was silent….
You know you’re a children’s librarian when …
You know you’re a children’s librarian when … …you clean out your office desk for the final time and your personal possessions consist of a teddy bear, a tambourine, frog and duck finger puppets, a ukulele, a storytime bell, and similar treasures. 🙂 What’s your most curious programming possession? (Next month: thoughts on moving to a new library!) Photo credit: L Taylor
Every Child Ready to… Talk Read Sing!: Partnership in Action
Talking is Teaching: Talk Read Sing, a campaign of Too Small to Fail, offers libraries tools for high-exposure partnerships in early literacy, and a clear alignment with Every Child Ready to Read through its targeted parent engagement strategies to close the 30 million word gap. As an advertising campaign to parents, it works on the evidence that organized drives to change behavior are most effective when they use “nudges” to remind people to make small changes in their daily routines. The campaign asks communities to organize its trusted messengers (us!) to work together, putting that consistent message “Talk Read Sing” in front of parents throughout their day, and throughout their city. And it gives us plenty of tools to do it. Oakland CA was the kickoff city for Talk Read Sing last summer. Billboards on freeways and bus shelters still invite parents, in English and Spanish, to talk with their…