Pursuing excellence for library service to children
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.
Indoor Playground? Early Learning Area? Playland? Seventh Circle of the Underworld? Play areas for the youngest library patrons are most common in public libraries, although some school libraries have them as well. They range from the simple: an area rug with a train table or puppet theater and some puzzles; to the elaborate: dedicated themed spaces, with corporate sponsors, that are changed out on a quarterly basis. With our recently completed remodel and expansion my library created a new, dedicated, larger space for creative play. It has quickly become one of the most popular spots in the library. There are busy times where we have upwards of 40 people (children and caregivers) in the space at once. Mornings are usually the most hectic. It can be quite lively at times. (Okay, maybe raucous is a more accurate descriptor.) Located in the youth services department, it offers an engaging,…
Stuffed Animals in the Library: 😀 or 😝 Many of us have stuffed animals in our public spaces. However, no one talks about the “yuck” factor. If you do a quick search of the ALSC Blog archives, you will come up with 14 blog posts mentioning stuffed animals. Most posts featured ways to use stuffed animals in programming. In one post, the Intellectual Freedom Committee discussed the negative factors of commercially “branded” stuffed animals. So, last month, I posed the question, Stuffed animals in the library: Love ’em? or Hate ’em? The choices were narrow: Love ’em! Imagination, creativity, cooperative play! They spark them all! Hate ’em! Dust, germs, seeds of disagreement! They carry them all! One hundred twenty-five of you were kind enough to offer your opinion. And the winner was: Love ’em! (58%, 72 votes) Hate ’em! (42%, 53 votes) …