When Jella Lepman initiated the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), she did so for the purpose of creating a dynamic venue for the international exchange of ideas around children’s literature and literacy. Just a day ago, I returned from the 36th IBBY International Congress in Athens, Greece where ALSC Executive Director Aimee Strittmatter and I engaged with librarians, book creators, researchers, and educators from around the globe. With a theme of “East Meets West Around Children’s Books and Fairy Tales,” the congress was an amazing opportunity to learn about numerous children’s books and literacy programs from colleagues in Asia, Europe, and beyond. Día @ IBBY During the three-day conference, we shared a poster about ALSC’s Día initiative, describing the benefits for libraries and classrooms, numerous success stories, and plethora of online programming resources and book lists. The poster, which focused on promoting diversity, inclusion, and advocacy with Día,…
Tag: Core Competencies
Did You Know This is Advocacy
At the recent Midwinter Meetings in Boston, new ALSC Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries were officially announced. The changes reflect the way members of ALSC are accomplishing our work. One of those changes is the creating of a new Outreach and Advocacy section. We are very excited that advocacy has been highlighted in this way! Advocacy is definitely a core part of the services librarians have the opportunity to provide to children and their families every day. As the Advocacy & Legislation Committee discussed our work for the upcoming year, we hit upon the idea of highlighting how librarians might be engaging in advocacy without even knowing it. In fact, as we were discussing our advocacy stories, one of our members said, “I don’t have an advocacy story,” and then went on to talk about her after-school programs in her school library, staying open so children have…
The Competencies Awaken
Now that you’ve seen the new ALSC Competencies, do you need a refresh? 1. Commitment to Client Group. Because everyone deserves excellent library services. 2. Reference and User Services. Considering context and format of delivery, along with the information itself. 3. Programming Skills. Sometimes you need backup to keep it fresh. 4. Knowledge, Curation, and Management of Materials. When’s the last time you really looked at your collection? 5. Outreach and Advocacy. Saying it in a way they will hear it. 6. Administrative and Management Skills. (It can take a while to refine the art.) 7. Professionalism and Professional Development. This is just the beginning. Even when it seems like the middle. Just remember, let the Competencies guide you. Because the library: This post comes from the ALSC Education Committee. Images are not the property of ALSC; shared as commentary under fair use guidelines.
Core Competencies in Comics
What’s new in the ALSC Competencies? The Education Committee asked Lisa Nowlain to just show you. Original illustration by Lisa Nowlain, 2015
Participate in the Next ALSC Community Forum
The ALSC Board of Directors and ALSC President Andrew Medlar will be hosting an ALSC Community Forum live chat on the freshly updated ALSC Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries. Join us to discover how these recommended professional standards, newly revised to reflect our ever-evolving field while honoring our best traditions, can support you and your colleagues in providing the best service possible to the kids in your community. This event will be co-hosted by the ALSC Education Committee. ALSC’s next forum will be held on Monday, November 9, 2015 at: 2pm Eastern 1pm Central 12pm Mountain 11am Pacific Members are invited to logon to learn more about the revised competencies and to discuss their implications on the field. Accessing the Forum ALSC Community Forums take place on Adobe Connect. A few days prior to the event, ALSC members will receive an email with a URL link to…