Every program, every time. We know it. Numbers are a big deal. But also, even with a click counter in hand I’m not a machine. And kids of all ages, like crowds, move pretty quickly and can be hard to tally. Libraries need good data for meaningful reports, but it’s not just about the numbers. Good data also hides in the stories, and I love finding ways to collect a good story (or ten). That’s the fun part of data. That’s the data can be kind of inspiring. Image created using Canva Yes, inspiring! I think of data as a programming librarian’s best friend. Why? Because it helps me understand what ..read more

Have you ever wondered about the internal workings of ALSC? How are ALSC strategic priorities developed? What the heck does a Fiscal Officer do? Who can serve as a “New to ALSC Board Member”?  What are the responsibilities of Vice President/President Elect? What is the time commitment of ALSC board members?  Image created by Peter Blenski, Member, ALSC Nominating Committee The ALSC Nominating Committee wants to help you get answers! We will be hosting a Community Forum on Wednesday, June 5, 2024 at Noon CST on Zoom to learn more about ALSC leadership roles, the nomination process, an ..read more

Diversity Insights from ALSC’s EDI Committee Co-Chairs Mai Takihashi and Ayn Reyes Frazee We are Ayn Reyes Frazee and Mai Takahashi, co-chairs of the newly formed Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee for ALSC, we recently had the opportunity to record a podcast with the Oregon Library Association’s EDI & Antiracism Committee OVERDUE: Weeding Out Oppression in Libraries podcast. The conversation delved deep into the heart of our new committee’s mission, the challenges we’re facing, and the inspiring motivations that keep us moving forward. We’re excited to share more about our n ..read more

Whether you are a school librarian getting ready for the end of the year or a public librarian gearing up for summer reading, late spring is a busy time in children’s services. Passive programs are a great way to keep kids and families engaged when you have more things on your to-do list than hours in the day.  Reader’s Advisory – Flipped When Chloe Foulk started working at the Edmondson branch of Enoch Pratt Free Libraries in Baltimore, Maryland, she wanted to get to know the kids in the community and to become familiar with the library’s children’s collection. So she came up with a way ..read more

Over the next few months, the Early and Family Literacy Committee will write about one of the ECRR early literacy practices and discuss the science of reading research that supports the development of that practice and the skills it engenders. Today’s practice is reading! Since the topic is so broad, we are focusing on how wordless books support ESL students. We also include a reminder that many of the strategies that work for ESL students also support young children acquiring foundational language skills along with some tips on how you can use them in library programming. Reading, a gate ..read more

Over the next few months, the Early and Family Literacy Committee will write about one of the ECRR early literacy practices and discuss the science of reading research that supports the development of that practice and the skills it engenders. Today’s practice is play!  As mentioned in last month’s committee blog post, the Science of Reading is becoming more popular as a framework for teaching kids to read.  Rather than being a specific step-by-step plan, it brings together key elements that, when used as a whole, successfully prepares kids to read.  We want to relate the 5 ..read more

I’m lucky enough to co-present storytime at my location on Fridays. We’ve been examining our storytime routine and doing some deep thinking on how we are integrating the five early literacy practices of sing, talk, read, write, and play. We determined we needed to find a way to better incorporate PLAY into our storytime. But how would we do this and where to put it?  We like to incorporate a variety of inclusive movement activities. Therefore, we decided on a rotation of three activities – parade, follow the leader, and dance. We’ve placed this play time strategically between both books a ..read more

The ALSC Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee is updating the ALSC “Everyday Advocacy” webpage. The page includes resources on how ALSC members can advocate for themselves and for children on the importance of library services for our youngest patrons. A new addition will be information on working with legislators, an especially important group as we face a record number of book and program challenges, and states creating legislation that either supports or opposes intellectual freedom. As we communicate with our local, state, and federal legislators, we need to keep in mind that clarity of ..read more

Last year, my library (Cuyahoga County Public Library-CCPL) had the opportunity to participate in an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant that had been awarded to the Family Place Libraries in partnership with the Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology (OET) and Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy (GI) at Penn State University. Our charge? To give constructive feedback on the Smithsonian’s Talk with Me Toolkits so that they could be updated and made more useful to families.  Four libraries participated in the grant: CCPL, Middle Country Public Library, Hills ..read more

Art and Earth Day? I mean, they’re not even in the same Dewey Decimal Classification categories! One is in the 700s (art) and the other is generally in the 300s (Social Sciences, anyone?) But stay with me. I recently found a picture book called How to Spot an Artist. It is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E, and yet philosophical and deep–adults and children will love this encouraging book that lets you know that art and artists exist any and everywhere. You never know, you might be an artist, dear library friend. Read more: What Does Earth Day Have to do with Art? I also found a book about collage and another b ..read more