Tag: libraries

Blogger Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee

A Paws-itively Amazing Partnership

| Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee|Leave a comment

While many library systems across the country, including JPL, have implemented “Reading with Rover” programs, JPL has partnered with JPAWS to create programming and services that make a “Paw-sitive difference” for two-legged and four-legged patrons. I recently had the opportunity to talk to Jessica Styons, Director of JPL, and Michelle D. Brignac-Carr, Director of JPAWS, to learn about some of the “fur-real” amazing programming that are a real “treat” and that prove, through partnerships, anything is “paws-ible.”

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Blogger Children and Technology Committee

Real Talk About Kids and Technology

| ALSC Children and Technology committee|1 Comment

The recent article “Real Talk About Kids and Technology” (Psychology Today Jan 2024), explored the use of technology by age group. Their research supports the ALSC Core Competency I Commitment to Client Group – Understands theories of infant, child, and adolescent learning, literacy development and brain development, and their implications for library service. Psychology Today’s research found “48 percent of parents with children under the age of 5 say their children interact with tablet computers and 55 percent with smartphones.” This increased with the age of the child “with 80 percent of children between 5 and 11 interacting with tablet computers and 63 percent in that age group interacting with smartphones.” In the teen and tween group, half of teens reported “spending at least 4 hours daily on social media like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (now X). Older teens spend more time online than younger teens, ranging from 4…

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Blogger Early Childhood Programs and Services committee

Focusing on Pronouns @ Baby Storytime

| Early Childhood Programs and Services committee|1 Comment

Hello! My name is Katelyn Martens-Rodriguez and I use she/her pronouns. I’m a children’s librarian for Washington County Library at the Park Grove Library in Cottage Grove, MN. This is my first ALSC blog post and I’m excited to share how I address pronouns at baby storytime! Baby storytimes are the ideal place to foster conversations with grown-ups so they are more likely to talk with their babies (or toddlers) about the same content at home. Pronouns are often an important part of someone’s identity. Therefore, I find it important to talk about pronouns at storytimes regularly and focus on them specifically a few times a year.  For baby storytime, I like to use The Pronoun Book and integrate the three most oftenly used pronouns in the songs and rhymes.  These pronouns include:  The main rhyme I like to pair with this text is Little Mousie Brown. I encourage grown-ups…

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ALA Annual 2019

This Recap Does Not Give Justice to Justice Sotomayor at #ALAac19

| Soline Holmes|Leave a comment

  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…

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Blogger Nicole Martin

Roller Girl Rocks

| Nicole Martin|Leave a comment

I just got around to reading Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson (Penguin/Dial Books for Young Readers, 2015) and boy, was it awesome! This great graphic novel for middle-grade readers follows twelve-year old Astrid, who is inspired to join a summer youth roller derby camp after her mother takes her to a Rose City Rollers derby match. Astrid immediately falls in love with the sport and aspires to be like the rad roller ladies, whose colored hair, witty names, and rainbow socks absolutely scream cool. Unfortunately, Astrid’s best friend Nicole doesn’t seem quite so impressed by the roller derby. Soon after Astrid discovers that her bestie will be spending her summer at ballet camp with one of her not-so-favorite people, Rachel. So begins Astrid’s summer of growth as she learns that sometimes friendships change and that skating is not quite as easy as it looks. The story felt very authentic to me, capturing the sort of girl drama that can blossom between friends, especially…

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Blogger School-Age Programs and Service Committee

Fall programming for kindergarteners to tweens!

| School-Age Programs and Services Committee|Leave a comment

Building a Mystery (not the Sarah McLachlan song) Have you ever attended one of those murder mystery programs for adults? Now you can make one for your tweens and teens at the library. To run a good murder mystery program at your library you need to put your creative librarian hat on and let your imagination run wild. It is easy to spend money on a pre made mystery kit, but if you have the time, make your own. Create the mystery setting in your library, have a librarian go missing and set the crime scene. Caution tape and a duct tape outline of the body make for great props. Perhaps the librarian was found under a crack in the floor, or downstairs under a stack of books. Make sure evidence is planted and there is an estimate time of death. Identify what staff member will be the victim and…

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Call to Action

Take action with #VLLD 15, and let your voice be heard!

| Dan Bostrom|Leave a comment

As most of us can’t physically travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in National Library Legislative Day (NLLD), ALSC’s Advocacy and Legislation Committee has developed resources so you can contact Congressional leaders from home! Check out these easy-to-use resources for taking action from your library community during the week of May 4-8, 2015. Contact Your U.S. Senators and Representatives  Talking Points to Use with Legislators  Letter to Congress Template  Sample VLLD 15 Tweets

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