2012 World Maker Faire NY. Andrew Kelly, Reuters.

This weekend, thousands of educators, parents, and kids of all ages will join the crowd of DIY enthusiasts flocking to New York City’s 4th annual World Maker Faire New York to see more than 650 makers present original projects celebrating such areas as technology, education, science, arts, crafts, engineering, and sustainability. The family-friendly festival of invention and creativity—what its organizers at Maker Media call “the greatest show (and tell) on earth”—will also be offering a one-day  immersive “How to Make a Maker Space” workshop ahead of the main event.

“There’s a lot of magic and discovery and exploration to be found just walking around each corner, finding what’s there, and engaging in it,” Sherry Huss, vice present of Maker Media, tells School Library Journal ahead of the event. “We encourage people to come with an open mind and see as much as they can see.”

A production of Maker Media’s Make magazine, the NYC faire—September 21 and 22 at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) in Flushing Meadows, Queens—is modeled after the group’s original faire, now in its 15th year, the last eight of which were located in the Bay Area.

2012 World Maker Faire NY. Andrew Kelly, Reuters.

NYC attendees this year will have their pick of three zones of activity offering seven different “stages” or presentation areas, both inside the Hall of Science and out, tailored for how-to demonstrations, discussions, hands-on learning workshops, interviews, and play from individual makers—adults, teens, and children—chosen by Maker Media for their creativity, invention, and resourcefulness.

2012 World Maker Faire NY. Andrew Kelly, Reuters.

Activities range from tried and true “making” projects (soldering, model vehicle building, arts and crafts, and science play) for younger children to the exploration of emerging technologies and advanced projects in design, robotics, or sustainability for teens and adults. Attendees can learn the latest in electronics, 3-D printing, and science/engineering activities and their practical applications for sharing with kids and teens, or explore more creative angles with kinetic sculptures, LEDs, and projection art.

2012 World Maker Faire NY. Andrew Kelly, Reuters.

For the first time ever this year, a stage devoted to 3-D printing will debut, featuring 34 sessions on the present and future of digital fabrication, materials, and making, while the stage devoted to electronics will showcase experts and innovators behind all leading micro-controller and robotics platforms. Another stage, devoted to innovation, will offer deeper research and high-level perspectives from best-selling authors, educators, designers, historians, and maker entrepreneurs.

2012 World Maker Faire NY. Andrew Kelly, Reuters.

About 30 percent of exhibits are specifically designed for children, Maker Media’s marketing director, Bridgette Vanderlaan, estimates, including the Young Makers Pavilion, sponsored by information technology provider Cognizant. During the weekend, young makers who participate in Cognizant’s Making the Future after-school and summer programs will conduct workshops, with their instructors, for other children in the pavilion as part of the company’s continuing initiative to provide hands-on learning opportunities that inspire kids in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and the arts.

In addition to the two large NYC and Bay Area World Maker Faire events, there are 80 other smaller events—“mini Maker Faires”—being planned and organized for 2013–2013 around the world, Vanderlaan says.

Vanderlaan confirms that in May, about 120,000 people attended the World Maker Faire in the Bay Area (with more than 900 makers present and more than 60,000 projects either offered or completed by attendees), while at least 70,000 attendees are expected this weekend in NYC. Vanderlaan also notes that more than half of Maker Faire’s attendees typically participate in demos and hands-on projects.

2012 World Maker Faire NY. Andrew Kelly, Reuters.

Specifically for educators and other community leaders, Maker Media is offering the “How to Make a Makerspace Workshop” all day Friday, September 20. At press time, Vanderlaan says, there are still a few seats available for this unique, immersive event, which is being co-sponsored by Artisan’s Asylum. The takeaways include creating a business model, the permitting/insurance process, building community, and the challenges of incorporating education into one’s mission.

Tickets for World Maker Faire New York, which range in price from about $10 to $35, can be purchased at the event or online in advance. If you can’t attend in person, you can view the live stream, or follow the event and NYSCI on Twitter. You can tweet about the event via #MakerFaire.

A few months ago, Henkes joined School Library Journal as opening keynote speaker at our annual Day of Dialog (DoD), in which he told the children’s librarians, publishers, and children’s book authors and illustrators in attendance that he was a lifelong book lover and, in fact, “built by books.”

SLJ is happy to be sponsoring another event featuring the author, an exclusive webcast live from Bank Street College of Education in New York City next week, on September 17, 2013. As we look forward to hearing him speak and answer questions from kids, parents, and teachers, SLJ sat down with Henkes for an in-depth chat about his career so far, his creative process, and his next projects.

Can you tell us more about your lifelong relationship with books?
From the very beginning, I grew up in a house that didn’t have very many children’s books, but going to the library was very important to my mother, and we went to the library the same way you’d go to the grocery store or to school. So it was part of life. And I grew up loving books.

You’ve spoken before about the importance of sharing books with children. Can you tell us more about your experiences reading aloud to your kids?
I had a large collection of children’s books, and when I became a parent I was, I think, at the very beginning very stingy with my books because they were in perfect condition, and I knew what happened to the books my kids “read.” But the same person inside me knew that that’s what books are for. And I think it has been wonderful to watch my kids grow up with books. I’m sure I’ve made many mistakes as a parent but every day, [reading aloud to them] was one thing that I think was so right, and it exposed them to a lot. I think it broadened their horizons. I think it made them more empathetic.

How did you choose which books to read aloud to your kids?
Some were things that I wanted to read, that I remembered loving and I wanted to share it with them. They also read independently, but sometimes they would have something that they would want me to read aloud as well, and they would decide what they wanted. We chose them in different ways.

What were your favorite books growing up?
I loved Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry. I loved Beverly Cleary’s books. I went through a phrase where I really loved Garth Williams illustrations, so the head children’s librarian at the Racine [WI] public library would show me books that he had illustrated. Those books were favorites. What else did I love? I went through different phases as I suppose all kids do, but I loved Charlotte’s Web—how could one not? And I remember the Henry Reed books—they aren’t very much around now, but I remember loving those. I read them to my kids! They’re still loved.

What about books of your colleagues that you newly discovered as a parent?
You know I read Harry Potter aloud. It was fun! It was! My son was also a huge Redwall fan. One book that they both really loved was James Marshall’s Rats on the Roof. It was a huge, huge favorite. I read aloud Kate DiCamillio’s The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, that was fun. And I read Vera Williams’s Scooter aloud when they were a big younger, and that was a big hit.

How do you create your characters’ unique voices and personalities?
I think about my characters long before I begin writing, and I really try to get a very clear picture in my mind who they are—how old they are, what they like. I try to create that whole family. And then when I feel pretty confident about them, I will jot things down, not writing the story yet but really just writing down facts about the character so by the time that I do begin writing, I’m pretty certain who they are. And if I begin too soon for me, I’ll quickly find it out.

Do you make scrapbooks or storyboards?
I have notebooks and folders. I often will have a notebook and I’ll make little tabs for the characters and write down my facts about the different characters in their section, and add to it and refer to it. And sometimes I don’t use a  lot of it. It’s not in the book per se, but it’s still helps me know who they are. Sometimes I will write down what a character’s favorite color is or favorite food, and it won’t end up being in the book, but it helped me create him or her.

So, in a way, you are conducting research for your characters?
Someone once asked me about the way kids were taught to write in schools—prewriting, etc.—and at first I thought I don’t do any of that, but then I realized that I do all of it. I just do it differently. I don’t think of it as prewriting, my notebooks about characters.

[But ] with Billy Miller, in the third section, it was based on a restaurant my kids loved when they were little that I hadn’t been to in years, so I went one day by myself for lunch, with my notebook. So that was research! But when I hear the word research, I think of it differently.

Your notebooks sound like they would make a great kit lit exhibit!
I did an exhibit at the CCBC with my novel Protecting Marie, and I had the notebooks, and I even had a few handwritten paragraphs and how they morphed into the finished book. It was nice for me to go back and organize it. And again the thing that was most surprising to me was that there was so much of it. It was the first time I looked at it, I suppose, in a more academic way.

What inspired you to write The Year of Billy Miller?
 The last novel I had written was Junonia, and it was about a 10-year-old girl, and I really had spent a lot of time with her, and so I thought I wanted to spend time with a boy. I had just finished doing the three “Penny” books, beginning readers, and even though they were longer than picture books, there was a lot of art, [so]  I really wanted to do a novel or a chapter book. And because Junonia was set on an island and she was an only child, I wanted something different. I knew from the start there would be at least a sibling. That book was a away from home, so I wanted it to be a book at home—wherever, whatever home was—and so that’s sort of the way I began this book.

 So you wanted a more domestic, familiar book?
Yeah! And those are the kinds of books I’m drawn to anyway. All of my books—even one that took place on an island—I still think of them as pretty small, domestic stories. The one thing that is sort of funny to look at is the list, when I’m trying to come up with names. I had pages of names! I wanted him to have sort of a common name. I loved the internal rhyme. It just sounded right.

Is there a lot of you in the character?
I volunteered in my kids’ first- and second-grade classrooms once a week. I think all of the characters have a piece of me in them, but I was really trying to remember that and channel that experience, when my son was 7 and my daughter was 3. I really made an effort to stay in Billy’s head. It’s in the third person, limited, but I wanted to remember he’s a 7-year-old boy. I wanted the prose to reflect that.

He does have a great vocabulary.
Yeah! But I think reading to one’s kids allows him to have that. One thing I would love when I read aloud [was] when my kids would ask, ‘What does that mean?’ It would open the door to not only what a dictionary is, but [for them] to try to guess what it means. And that was wonderful.

But for Billy Miller, I tried really hard to not dwell on descriptions that Billy wouldn’t, and I love describing things, and I really had to hold back. I think I’m an artist first, and I love describing things, but I really had to watch myself. I had to cut as I went.

Do you think you will write a Billy  sequel?
I’m thinking about it…he’s still in my head. But I don’t know yet! I have a couple thoughts, but for me, one of the greatest joys about working on a novel is creating the characters, the family, the setting. And to have it already be done sort of takes away one of my greatest pleasures. There is something so satisfying about creating that whole new world.

Which is easier to do, a picture book or a novel? What’s your process like?
If I’m working on a novel and I’m getting towards the end, I sometimes think, ‘Oh I wish I was working on a picture book. They’re so much more fun and they’re easier!’ And then, if I’m working on a picture book and I have to redo a picture four times and I’m not loving it, I’ll think ‘Oh a novel is so much easier. It’s just words, and I can write in a coffee shop and I can go anywhere.’ [laughs]

I do like them both, but there are days when I think the other is easier or more fun. With a picture book, I always get to the point where I think the words are perfect before I do any kind of drawing. I don’t even let myself sketch anything until I have the words.

Do you have a favorite character or characters from your books?
I have to say that I do. I love Lilly, and I think she lends herself to story quite well. I’ve gone back to her a couple of times, and that’s been nice. Right now, [maybe] because it’s still really fresh, I do have a soft spot in my heart for Billy Miller. I do like him.

The book has been getting nice reviews so far.
Yeah, it’s been really nice! And I think it’s interesting because one never knows. I think some of the books of my own that I love most sell the least. It’s funny how that works. I don’t understand it.

I have a fondness for Junonia, I think in part it’s because it’s set on Sanibel Island, and we’ve gone there every year since my son was 6 months old, so it’s really become a part of what my family does. I wrote a lot of it during the winter, and it was really wonderful. Every day I could escape to this sunny blue warm world; I really remember that very vividly. I’d have to go out and shovel, but I could come back in and be on the beach. It was nice.

What can you tell us about your next project?
I have a picture book written called Waiting for Spring that my wife, Laura Dronzek, is going to illustrate. We’ve collaborated twice before, on my books Birds and Oh!
And I’ve just written the words for a picture book that I am illustrating myself.

How intense is the collaboration with Laura? Do you brainstorm together?
No! I try not to really say much of anything, to let it go. Laura can do with it what she wants. I really want it to be hers as much as its mine. It is [hard] at the very beginning, but once it’s gone—as long as I have something else to work on—then it’s great! I do like to just focus on one thing. And now that I have my thing to work on, it’s time.

You are known for your many animal characters, especially mice, but each one is its own unique person, its own mouse.
[laughs] Yes! I hope.

Can you tell us more about how those came about?
The first four books that I did had humans as the characters fairly realistically rendered, and the fifth was Bailey Goes Camping. My texts were starting to become more humorous, and I thought I could better tap the humor in the words by drawing more loosely and using animal characters. I tried rabbits for Bailey Goes Camping, and I liked it.

The next book I wrote was A Weekend with Wendell, and I wanted to try something else. And I sketched several different animals and I thought, ‘Oh! Mice would be fun!’ And I had such a good time with Wendell that the next book I wrote was Sheila Rae the Brave, and I wrote Wendell into the story. And Sheila Rae the Brave was really the first book of mine that had a bigger sales bump than the other ones, and I really had a good time doing it, so I kept doing it. But it wasn’t anything that I planned.

If someone would have told me some 30 years ago, ‘When you’re 52, that you’re going to have 13 books with mice,’ I would have [denied it]. It just happened, it did! [laughs]

My career just happened very slowly and steadily. I was young when I began, too, so I’ve had a lot of time to grow. But I think it would be really difficult to have the first book be a smashing success. I’m really grateful for the slow steady way things progressed.

Attend the Kevin Henkes LIVE webcast event on September 17 for a chance to win one of 25 signed copies of his new book The Year of Billy Miller, courtesy of HarperCollins.
It’s not too late to register! Click the link below to sign up:

“The point of ‘Stories for All’ is to say to the publishing industry that there really is a strong market out there for books about and by people from every conceivable culture on the planet. There really is, and we represent a big segment of that,” Zimmer says.

“First Book serves the kids and families in the lowest 30 percent of the socioeconomic strata in the U.S. and Canada, and that’s about 45 percent of American kids,” Zimmer notes. “And what that means is that if we really build this market, we actually by volume will dwarf the regular retail market—and that changes everything. Then the publishers have a strong market that they can step into with content that addresses a much broader cultural array of kids. So that’s what this is about.”

The nonprofit group—which has provided more than 100 million new books and resources to schools and programs in under-served communities in the U.S. and Canada since 1992—in March purchased $1 million worth of titles from HarperCollins and Lee & Low Books featuring a diverse array of characters and cultures, the first phase of the project.

A complicated problem
“Part of the problem with the lack of diversity part of it is kids from those cultures don’t get to see themselves,” Zimmer explains. “The other part is that white kids who are growing up with lots of books in more affluent families are getting a very skewed version of the world. We’re doing them a disservice, because they’re stepping out without understanding the full spectrum of what the world looks like, and we are ill-preparing everybody. This market problem is a tragedy on both sides.”

First Book chose the two publishers—one major publisher and one smaller publisher—out of 26 bids, “a stunningly positive response” to the group’s mandate for “a high degree of diversity and a real deal—the lowest prices—to get as many books into kids’ hands as possible,” Zimmer says. “It showed me that the industry desperately wants to reach every kid who is waiting for books and they want to reach them in the most powerful way that they can, with books that are relevant and books that are as low a price point as they can possibly get to. Because they really, really stepped up on this.”

Zimmer adds, “There’s something unique about publishing and book people…[they] deeply love books and reading, and that’s a big deal, because it means that you’ve got people on both sides of the table who fundamentally want the same thing. If you called Detroit and you said to the auto makers, ‘We’re going to spend a half a million dollars and we want solar vehicles’—well, you probably wouldn’t even get a return phone call. But the publishers already so much want to be part of the solution, and I think we tapped a nerve. They were deliriously happy to find a solid opportunity to sell books that they love, that reflect the diversity that they know as well as everyone is part of the American culture. They stepped up, and they stepped up with enormous enthusiasm.”

As a result of that first phase, the group was able to purchase 255,350 culturally diverse books, adding more than 700 titles to the First Book Marketplace available to those serving kids in need.

“We’re delighted,” Zimmer says. “We’ve gotten responses from major partners like Reading is Fundamental—they made a big purchase through First Book because the diversity was so great—and small rural places that have Native American kids, and cultures that hardly ever get to see themselves in books. Suddenly it was available in a way that hit the two big blockages for books for kids. One is price, and the second one is relevancy, and with this we knocked them both out.”

An innovative solution
Indeed, the reaction from small nonprofit groups sourcing from First Book has been very positive.

“I love the books from First Book!” says Susan Jaye-Kaplan, president and co-founder of Link to Libraries, which distributes thousands of new books to needy kids in Western Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, and New York through a variety of innovative programs.

“The Stories for All Project” is helping Link to Libraries meet a desperate need for more diverse stories, Jaye-Kaplan tells SLJ. “We have a melting pot society, especially here,” Jaye-Kaplan says of her community. “We give books in seven languages. We have a lot of Latino and Somali children, and that’s why we like this particular group of books. It’s very important for us that we give books that are about these boys and girls and their families and their experiences, and books that talk to them and not at them. We want very much to give them books that give them reasons to want to read.”

She adds, “This particular collection of books, the minute I saw it I knew it was something I had to have because it’s talking to every child that we’re involved with. It is so relevant to who we are here, and the books are beautiful, and the graphics are breathtaking. They are so engaging and so gorgeous.”

Those sentiments are shared by Julia Rogers of the Children’s Literacy Foundation, a non-profit that serves low-income and rural children in Vermont and New Hampshire. “’The Stories for All Project’ is allowing us to purchase books that speak directly to many of our families,” she tells SLJ. “I’m thrilled to be able to bring more multicultural titles to our events—especially ones that serve the growing refugee population in northern Vermont and southern New Hampshire. Children will react to a book differently when they identify with the main characters. It’s wonderful to see a child connect with a story on a deeper level. That’s exactly the kind of relationship we’re trying to build between children and books.”

Adds Amanda Wilkinson, senior program director at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte (NC), “We are excited about the initiative to get books that represent a greater diversity into our kids’ hands….Our goal is to get kids reading on grade level, and we need lots of books to accomplish this.”

Her group’s Y Readers program, a collaboration with three local school districts, serves K–3 students reading below grade level both after school and during a six-week summer camp. This past summer, the program served 492 students, of which 27 percent were English language learners, 41 percent were African American, and 42 percent were Latino.

“I think it is important that students are immersed in books and resources that represent who they are,” Wilkinson says. “It is powerful when a student reads books with characters that look like them or when the characters have similar experiences. We support the diversity initiative and would love to see even more books suitable for K–3 students in the collection.”

So what’s next for First Book? In June, the group unveiled at the Clinton Global Initiative America the planned next phase of the project, a “Commitment to Action” that includes outreach to 30,000 new schools and programs, special collections of diverse and multicultural titles, matching grants for educators, and an influential council of authors to help inspire new books and stories.

“This is a jump for us. We were thrilled to make that commitment and we take it very seriously,” Zimmer says. She also notes that the commitment is actually just the tip of the iceberg.

Advocacy in action
Though First Book hasn’t traditionally taken on an advocacy role, “what we’re realizing as we grow—we represent 65,000 classrooms and programs and we’re growing by more than 2,000 classrooms and programs a month—is we’re gaining this huge momentum,” Zimmer says.

“We can actually step into a role that will bridge the gap between the audience of kids that we represent and the traditional publishing audience that is out there that walks into bookstores. When we were smaller, we were not at the point where we swung a big enough stick and understood our own market as well as we do now. But we are in a much stronger position. We’ve almost doubled in size in just two year, and we’ve built in very strong feedback loops, so we’re talking to our constituents almost all the time, so that we can say to them ‘What do you want? What do you need?’”

However, Zimmer is quick to point out that the large numbers of programs that First Book serves is actually only about 4 percent of the population eligible to sign up for First Book’s free resources.

“All of those heroic librarians who are trying with resources that have been cut out from underneath them to meet the needs of the students that are coming in to their schools—tell them to sign up with us, because that will make it happen faster,” Zimmer says.

“This is about growing that network so they are talking to us and we know what they need—what languages, what cultures, age levels. That is critical. So help us spread the word: if you are a teacher or you are a librarian and you are working in a Title I or a Title I-eligible school or you have a special program that does outreach work with kids who are in need, sign up. Tell us what you need. Because I promise you, we will stand on our heads to make it happen.”

In the meantime, First Book will continue to push kid lit publishers to diversify their offerings. “There will be some creative, innovative strategies to say to the publishers ‘You know what? Go find some new authors. We know they’re out there,’” Zimmer says. “There are a lot of brilliant people from a lot of places all over the world, and they want to tell their stories, and we’re going to be…sending out the word to really inspire a whole group of new authors to start telling their wonderful stories.”

Zimmer also hints at some additional exciting developments coming down the pike, the details of which First Book is keeping under wraps for the moment. “There will be another announcement late this month,” she teases. “It’s an exciting move for us, and you’ll understand why it’s important to diversity.”

Follett

“We implemented the process for removing the older Follett Digital Reader and TextFlow Reader apps and activating the new Follett Enlight app,” says Britten Follett, the company’s communications manager. “Currently the Follett Enlight app is appearing in GooglePlay, however we are waiting on the Apple Store to refresh in order for the Follett Enlight app to appear [there].”

Although some school librarians had expressed dismay this week—on Twitter and elsewhere on social media—after encountering problems accessing the new app, Follett confirms that the app is live on both online stores. Those having trouble locating it on iTunes, she notes, can use this direct link:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/follett-enlight-k-12-edition/id692783324?mt=8

Enlight is designed to provide schools with universal access to “quality K–12 econtent in a consistent virtual learning space that promotes critical thinking skills through reading, studying, and note taking,” the company says. Enlight also allows students to add notes and highlights to ebooks, and gives students access to chosen dictionaries based on reading levels.  Beyond Enlight, the new release of FollettShelf includes two new modules designed to connect econtent to all parts of a school district:  FollettShelf Classroom Connections, and FollettShelf District Manager.

“On the heels of new partnerships with Random House and Hachette Book Group, this latest release…gives schools access to thousands of popular ebook titles for K–12 students in a classroom-ready reading environment,” adds Tom Schenck, Follett School Solutions’ president, COO.

The union—the United Federation of Teachers (UFT)—and the New York Library Association (NYLA) both say they strongly oppose the DOE’s  variance request, which, if the state approved it, would allow NYC schools “to provide equivalent library services to students at secondary schools in alternative ways,” according to a copy of the request obtained by School Library Journal.

“’Equivalent library services’ is really slippery. It’s the most dangerous action a district could take,” says librarian Sara Kelly Johns, NYLA’s president-elect. ”It is not equitable,” she tells SLJ. “We can’t set aside the requirements for school librarians. Not as policy.”

Tom Dunn, director of communications for NYSED, confirms that the state received the DOE’s request, but says the state would not comment until it had prepared its response to the city.

Rumors in recent weeks that the DOE’s request might be forthcoming have spurred NYC library advocates to rally around this issue, according to Alison Gendar, a media rep for UFT. Gendar shared with SLJ a weekly bulletin to city principals, dated mid-June, in which Richard Hasenyager, the city DOE’s director of library services, asked principals to provide information that would help the city department put together its waiver/variance request to the state.

The DOE’s request to NYSED. (Image links to PDF of full document.)

Hasenyager declined to speak to SLJ  for this article, but Gendar notes that the UFT, upon seeing the principals’ bulletin, was initially “surprised that the DOE would seek to institutionalize” its chronic librarian understaffing rather than attempt to strategize solutions to the situation.

The UFT has been waiting for months for a response from State Commissioner Dr. John King on the second of its petitions, which it filed late last year in hopes that the state would be able to enforce the city’s compliance with Commissioner’s Regulation 91.2. The rule stipulates that all NYC secondary schools must employ at least a part-time certified school library media specialist, and schools with more than 700 students must employ a full-time media specialist. According to the UFT, city officials admit that more than half of the city’s secondary schools are in violation of this mandate.

One of the biggest challenges in enforcing Regulation 91.2, Gendar says, is that the Commissioner typically issues his decision after the end of the school year, making it moot. This time around, however, “we are considering our legal options to make the Commissioner rule in time for it to be meaningful,” Gendar says. “We have to wait for the state to come back with some kind of decision and then…that will clear the roadway for going to the (state) Supreme Court with this.”

In the meantime, NYLA is joining forces with other advocacy groups—including Urban Librarians Unite (ULU), the Alliance for a Quality Education (AQE), and Make the Road New York—in endorsing a planned local rally for parents and community members tomorrow, August 21, at 10 a.m. The event, organized by New Yorkers for Great Public Schools, will be a parental “Read In” on the steps of NYC’s Department of Education headquarters. In addition, NYLA has prepared its own opposition statement [PDF] addressed directly to Commissioner King, while Christian Zabriskie, ULU founder—and 2012 Library Journal  Mover & Shaker—has created a MoveOn.org petition for the cause, also addressed to Dr. King. And AQE has created its own petition to drum up more opposition among local advocates.

On the national level, the American Association of School Librarians, the American Library Association’s school library division, is standing by to offer support, according to its president, Gail Dickinson. Dickinson adds that she wonders how NYC teachers will meet the new Common Core State Standards without librarians. “[It] will be extremely difficult,” she tells SLJ. “Because of technology, we can take students to higher levels of digitally literacy than we ever could before, and they can search out so much more information, but along with that, the need for them to be able to filter that information—make judgments about that information—to create new knowledge is astounding.”

She adds, “Without school librarians, I worry about the digital divide between those students who arrive at college having had a school librarian who [taught] them the skills that they need, and those college freshman who have not had access to those skills. I suspect we’ll see them floundering.”

NYLA’s Sara Kelly Johns agrees. In NYC, she notes, “there’s not equitable access to librarians who can provide high quality research working collaboratively with teachers to meet the resource and instructional needs of students. [There’s] not an equitable approach to developing college and career ready students in every school. Students know how to search but not to research. It’s just not fair. NYC students deserve and need a certified librarian in every school. NYC has work to do.”

The hearing, “E-Rate 2.0: Connecting Every Child to the Transformative Power of Technology,” aimed to address issues on strengthening the program that provides discounted Internet access and telecommunications services to U.S. schools and libraries,  in response to the Obama Administration ‘s directive last month to fund access to broadband to nearly all students within the next five years.

“I’m old enough to remember when it took 20 minutes to establish a dial-up connection. Clearly we are in a different place today. So are our libraries,” Lord told the committee [PDF], which oversees the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), who administers E-Rate.

“In 1998, I could not have envisioned the programs libraries offer today. For instance, we are using interactive videoconferencing technology to connect rural Mainers with volunteer attorneys. One library serving a population of about 1,200 hosted elementary students to view a real-time program on flight from the Smithsonian. This would not have been possible even five years ago.”

Lord also cautioned the committee, however, that simply connecting libraries and schools is not enough to serve our students and families today. “We need high-speed, reliable connections like the one at the Omaha Public Library that ensured one patron could Skype into three interviews with Boeing before being offered a job,” she said. “We also need upload capabilities that rival download speeds for small businesses to upload large packets of information into the cloud.”

The hearing comes just ahead of a decision from the FCC on its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to modernize the E-rate program.

Says Barbara Stripling, American Library Association (ALA) president, “Whether you are a school librarian—as both Linda Lord and I have been—or a public librarian, you know that your Internet infrastructure can either enable or stifle innovation for our nation’s 55 million K12 students, more than 1.5 million home-school students and millions more pursuing their GED or distance learning.We simply cannot allow inadequate bandwidth to be the limiting factor for what our students and our nation can achieve. E-rate is fundamental to meeting this challenge.”

According to a 2013 Pew Internet Project report, the availability of computers and Internet access now rivals book lending and reference expertise as vital library services. Seventy-seven percent of Americans say free access to computers and the Internet is a “very important” service of libraries, compared with 80 percent who say borrowing books and access to reference librarians are “very important” services.

From top, created by: Mellie Ryan; BGM;
and Hilde Kuyper.

As Johnson hoped, hundreds of visual responses poured in from fans—ranging from the intriguing to the hilarious—some of which were later hosted in a slideshow by The Huffington Post. “I was surprised at how many people appear to be good at Photoshop, and how quickly they could generate so many high-quality images. But I wasn’t surprised at the general wish to do so,” Johnson tells School Library Journal. “Once you look at the subject, it just starts to open up, like a weird flower.”

Johnson’s favorite overall response, she says, is from Jennifer Lynn Barnes, YA author and professor of psychology and YA literature. “This discussion led to her writing these amazing scientific pieces about gender, and how that might relate to some books become ‘big books,’” she says. “Finally, the science!”

Johnson was also pleased to see teachers and librarians getting in on the action, inviting their students to participate in the challenge and sparking additional discussion. “I was thrilled,” she says. “The Number One place for this to go is into the library and the classroom. It’s nice that there was a hullaballoo online, but there are always hullabaloos online, and they’re forgotten a week later. Teachers and librarians are the critical torchbearers for this.”

Johnson’s notion to raise the issue with fans struck her after yet another female author friend’s new book was assigned a decidedly “girly” cover by its publisher—and was promptly categorized as “chick lit” by reviewers despite its content, a pervasive and common occurrence for YA authors, Johnson says. “I was just looking at the radically different response it was getting to a similar book just released, one written by a guy,” she says. “What surprised me was the number of people who said, ‘Whoa. I never noticed that before.’ I’m glad it got around.”

Created by: Kuelthador; Miller; Mellie Ryan; and Brandy.
(All credits from left to right, top to bottom.)

What also surprised Johnson, she says, is the storm of media coverage that followed—especially in the UK—along with intense online discussion as fans and other bloggers who wanted to weigh in on these issues of publishing, culture, and gender sought to be heard. At the beginning, “I definitely didn’t think I was launching anything,” Johnson says. “It started with a simple tweet about the gendered nature of book covers. But it only takes one shot to start a battle, so it all kicked off.”

Did media outlets understand the type of conversation she was hoping to inspire, or did they miss the mark? “Some did, some didn’t,” Johnson says. “Strangely, the coverage really took off in England. It was all over the place there—The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Daily Mail. Even Jacqueline Wilson chimed in, which was amazing,” Johnson says.

Created by: Stephen Denes; Book Revels; slodwick; and Electric Sheep Comix.

“The problem was, a lot had headlines that basically said, ‘Look at these trashy girly chick lit covers!’ Which misses the entire and extremely subtle and prickly point of how we define ‘girly’—and why ‘girly’ also seems to lead to the default assumption that said books are light, breezy, and trashy, often of generally poor quality.”

This is the heart of the issue, Johnson notes.

“The term “chick lit” drives me absolutely insane, as it has no real, identifiable meaning except books by women, for women,” she explains.

“I’ve never seen ‘chick lit’ used in a positive critical light. It’s invariably something seen as lesser than literature. It’s wrong. The label gets slapped on things pretty indiscriminately. The only common factor is that the books are by and for women. Period. Easiest case in point: Jane Austen. I’ve seen so many people call Jane Austen ‘chick lit.’ It goes on and on.”

Created by: Hannah; Emily Rosenfield; Miller; and Monica.

But there are no easy solutions for solving the dilemma, Johnson admits. “This is a bigger and more complex problem,” Johnson says, noting that “publishers really just want to get the books out there. I can’t fault them for that.”

She adds, “Selling books is hard, and people are only trying their best to keep books in the marketplace. It just also happens to be true that some of the decisions made about how to present and package work end up influencing how we value certain stories over others.”

Created by: Rosianna; Gillian Berry; Autumn; and Ardawling.

This realization led Johnson to start putting together an “action plan” to help keep the conversation going. “Many teachers and librarians got into it right away, and their students started making amazing covers instantly,” Johnson says. “The kids got it within seconds. That was excellent to see.”

Johnson currently is considering creating a downloadable Coverflip lesson plan for educators, because, going forward, these teachers and librarians [will] “be the ones coming up with the solutions, not me,” she says. “But I’d be thrilled to have some of those discussions.”

The report, “The Impact of Digital Tools on Student Writing and How Writing Is Taught in Schools” find that 78 percent of the 2,462 advanced placement (AP) and National Writing Project (NWP) teachers surveyed by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project say digital tools such as the Internet, social media, and cell phones “encourage student creativity and personal expression.”  In addition, 96 percent say digital technologies “allow students to share their work with a wider and more varied audience” and 79 percent agree that these tools “encourage greater collaboration among students.”

According to teachers, students’ exposure to a broader audience for their work and more feedback from peers encourages greater student investment in what they write and in the writing process as a whole.

“These results challenge in many ways the notion that students’ writing skills are being undermined by their increasing engagement with digital tools and platforms,” says Kristen Purcell, associate director for research at the Pew Internet Project. “Teachers do have concerns that digital tools are blurring the lines between formal and informal writing and see writing skills that need improvement, but they also see the benefit of students having more people respond to their writing and the increased opportunities for expression these digital tools offer.”

Half of these surveyed teachers say digital tools make it easier to teach writing, with just 18 percent saying digital tools make the process more difficult.  In particular, teachers value interactive platforms, which allow them to work alongside a student on a piece of writing and allow students to edit and view each other’s work. Among this group of teachers:

The “creep” of informal grammar and style into “formal” writing, as well as students’ impatience with the writing process and their difficulty navigating the complex issues of plagiarism, citation and fair use, are still a concern. Specifically:

Reflecting these latter concerns, a majority of these teachers spend class time “discussing with students the concepts of citation and plagiarism” (88 percent) and  “discussing with students the concepts of fair use and copyright” (75 percent).

Interestingly, while the survey includes teachers of all subjects, English/language arts teachers in the sample consistently express more positive views of the impact of digital tools on student writing and the potential of these tools to help them teach writing. Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of English/language arts teachers surveyed say digital tools make teaching writing easier, compared with 32 percent of math teachers, 38 percent of science teachers, and 45 percent of history/social studies teachers.

English teachers are the most likely to use collaborative online platforms with their students, and are more likely than teachers of other subjects to say digital tools increase the likelihood students will revise and edit their work. They are the least likely of all teachers to say digital tools make students careless in their writing or undermine grammatical and spelling skills.

“Teachers, writing teachers especially, do not view good writing and the use of digital tools as being at war with each other,” adds Judy Buchanan, deputy director of the National Writing Project and a co-author of the report. “When educators have opportunities to integrate new technologies into teaching and learning, they are the most optimistic about the impact of digital tools on student writing and their value in teaching the art of writing. They gave countless examples of the creative ways they use emerging digital tools to impart writing skills to today’s students.”

These findings emerge from an online survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project in collaboration with the College Board and the National Writing Project. It is a non-probability sample of 2,462 middle and high school teachers currently teaching in the U.S. and its territories, conducted between March 7 and April 23, 2012. Some 1,750 of the teachers are drawn from a sample of advanced placement (AP) high school teachers, while the remaining 712 are from a sample of National Writing Project teachers.

An acclaimed artist in many mediums, Meade is perhaps best known for her intricate woodblock prints, and among children’s librarians for her more than 30 picture books. These include Hush! A Thai Lullaby (Melanie Kroupa/Orchard Books, 1996), written by Mingfong Ho, which was named a Caldecott Honor book in 1997; and John Willy and Freddy McGee (Marshall Cavendish, 1998),  for which she was named an honoree for the Charlotte Zolotow Award for Creative Writing.

“Holly Meade was so special. [Her] warmth and wonderful spirit permeated her whole being—and her art,” Melanie Kroupa tells School Library Journal. “With her own special way of viewing the world she created a style all her own: unpretentious and full of life. In illustrations that reflect her own elegant simplicity, Holly allowed us to step into a story and see the world in a fresh way….The books we did together remain some of my very favorites:  Hush! A Thai Lullaby, Boss of the Plains by Laurie Carlson, and Goose’s Story by Cari Best [an SLJ Star Book in 2002], to name a few. Each is distinctive in its own way thanks to Holly’s vision and illustrations. Her woodcuts of recent years are truly wonderful—so alive and fresh!”

Meade was born in Winchester, Mass., on September 14, 1956.  She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1978, and went on to explore a variety of artistic mediums in her work, such as drawing, collage, printmaking, basket making, and fabric design. Though she enjoyed a career as an independent artist, beginning in 1992, she also brought much to the world of children’s books, which she called “the other focus of my work life.” She added woodblock printing to her many talents in 2002, after a workshop with printmaker Hester Stinnett at the Haystack Mountain School.

Her woodblock printing techniques are featured in many of her more recent picture books—such as David Elliott’s series that includes On the Farm (Candlewick, 2008), In the Wild (2010) and In the Sea (2012)—as well as in her stand-alone art works, which can be viewed online via her own Reach Road Gallery site.

Numerous online tributes and memorials have already begun to appear this week from colleagues and friends who have since learned of her death, including one from Curious City, the children’s book consulting company founded by Kirsten Cappy, urging friends and fans to donate copies of her picture books to the Maine Children’s Cancer Center Program (MCCP) in Meade’s honor. “It is utterly heartbreaking to think there will not be another children’s book illustrated by Holly Meade,” Cappy says.

Notes Julie Danielson, co-creator of the Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast book blog, “Holly’s work was simply beautiful….may her legacy live on in her exceptional illustration work.”

Meade is survived by her father, Russell Meade; brother, Jeffrey Meade; sister, Andrea Lawson; daughter, Jenny Smick; son, Noah Smick and his wife, Micki; and grandson, Nathan Smick.

During the reception, attendees previewed the museum’s special exhibit on the history of the Caldecott Medal, “Play, Pretend, and Dream: Caldecott Medal and Honor Books, 2010–2013,” and had books signed by featured Caldecott artists. The exhibition includes original illustrations from 16 books that have won the medal or an honor award in the past four years, including Jon Klassen’s This Is Not My Hat, Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett (illustrated by Jon Klassen), Peter Brown’s Creepy Carrots!, and Chris Raschka’s A Ball for Daisy. (Visitors to Chicago can view the works through December 1, 2013.)

On Friday, Selznick, 2008 Caldecott Medalist for The Invention of Hugo Cabret and 2002 Honoree for The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, opened the preconference by hilariously donning the sparkly shirt he wore when he accepted his own Caldecott and acknowledging Zelinsky, three-time Caldecott Honoree and 1998 Medalist for Rapunzel, in the crowd.

Selznick, who designed the logo for the Caldecott anniversary celebration, spoke about the importance of the medal and shared a little of its history and trivia, from its conception in 1921 by bookseller Frederic G. Melcher and on into the modern era. (For example, 1964 winner Maurice Sendak loved Randolph Caldecott’s Baby Bunting, especially its closing illustration, Selznick noted.)

Selznick also acknowledged that there are authors and illustrators that have never been recognized by Caldecott. In closing, Selznick went on to share more memories of his friend and mentor Sendak and the ways Sendak inspired his own work, and called Where the Wild Things Are one of the most important Caldecott winners. He closed with a reading of that iconic and beloved work.

Attendees learned about the process of creating an award-winning picture book in a series of panels: “Matching Words and Pictures,” which featured Erin and Phillip Stead and Neal Porter; “Choosing a Medium and a Style,” featuring Chris Raschka and Lee Wade; and “Preparing Art for Production,” featuring Jerry Pinkney and Patti Ann Harris. Attendees were shown early sketches of completed works (such as Raschka’s little books, in which he creates mock-ups of the earliest drafts of his picture books), and learned more about the revision and design processes.

At lunch, Leonard Marcus moderated a panel on Caldecott honorees featuring Melissa Sweet, Pamela Zagarensky, Peter Brown, and Kadir Nelson. The author/illustrators debated the future of picture books and talked about the various ways that technology might change the field in the future. Attendees also had a chance to discuss in small groups a list of books that each had been pre-assigned in advance, one Caldecott-winning book from each decade.

In the afternoon, Art Institute staff helped facilitate the breakout sessions for further discussion. The topics were varied: “Art and Stories,” ” The Caldecott Medal and Social Issues,” “Caldecott Medal Artists at the Art Institute: A Closer Look,” “Caldecott Books for Older Readers,” “How Did They Do That?,” “Look to Learn; Learn to Look,” “Multi-Layered Meanings,” “Randolph Caldecott and Caldecott Medal History,” “Serving on the Caldecott Committee,” “Style and Media,” “Watching Dry Paint!,” and “Weston Woods and the Caldecott Winners.”

The day wrapped with Zelinsky’s engaging and funny presentation, in which he challenged librarians to look toward the future of the field, especially in light of technology’s many distractions. What could “interactive” picture books look like? Might we see a day when famous picture books, even Where the Wild Things Are, will be adapted for each reader? (Maybe not. After all, “Paul, the king of all wild things…” doesn’t quite have the same resonance as “King Max.”)

Additional reporting by Rocco Staino, contributing editor.

Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy

“We love the ALA awards and they always generate a lot of conversation….We wanted to try to generate that type of conversation around books that support best early literacy practices,” says 2013 Library Journal Mover & Shaker Melissa Zymboly Depper, children’s and family services librarian at the Arapahoe Library District and co-founder of CLEL.

Since 2008, CLEL has brought together staff from more than a dozen Colorado public libraries to work with the Colorado State Library on strategies that strengthen children’s literacy statewide.

A 10-member CLEL selection committee will choose one title in each of five categories representing an early literacy practice: Read, Write, Sing, Talk, and Play. Winning titles will demonstrate content or themes related to one of the practices, and encourage interaction between adults and children.

CLEL’s 2014 CLEL Bell Awards selection committee.

The announcement of the winners will be accompanied by support materials from CLEL that describe how each picture book title fosters early literacy development. The materials will also include ways that parents, caregivers, and librarians can extend the reading experience with children through shared activities appropriate for home, childcare settings, and library storytimes.

“CLEL is all about supporting library staff who need strategies to help advocate for early literacy, and who want more training around early literacy skills and practices. The Bell Awards are designed to be a celebration of wonderful books for families, to be a tool for advocacy and to be a vehicle for training,” Depper, a member of the inaugural selection committee, tells School Library Journal.

Suggestions for picture book honorees will be accepted online through November 15, 2013. The group is also encouraging discussion on its blog, its Facebook page, and via Twitter. And in the fall, CLEL will debut a free webinar about the Bell Awards to inspire even more participation.

“Getting the conversation going about how books really can make a difference in encouraging parents and caregivers to increase their early literacy interactions seems like a win-win to me,” says Carol Edwards, co-manager of children and family services at Denver Public Library, CLEL member, and a member of the inaugural Bell Awards selection committee. “It’s a win for the professionals who introduce new books and encourage best practices, and it’s a win for the child who benefits from more singing, talking, writing, reading, and playing.”

The 2014 selection committee meeting discuss nominees for the Bell Awards.

CLEL has been building some buzz for the event through library listservs and social media, with nominations already beginning to appear, Edwards tells SLJ, noting that the national response from librarians so far has been surprising but very welcome. “I thought that only a few of us in Colorado would even be aware of it for several years!” she admits.

Adds Depper, “We’re seeing the power of our great library online communities and national personal professional networks.” Member of the Bell Awards selection committee will be in attendance at ALA Chicago at the end of this week in order to inspire even more librarians from around the country to nominate their top picture book titles of the year and then join the discussion online.

“My hope is we build a list of books that are really useful to parents and caregivers of young children. That these books show a respect for the development of literacy and inspire librarians, teachers, and parents to creatively interact with children to nurture their learning,” Edwards says. “It is also my hope that publishers see how their books are used by libraries and children to foster literacy—and that they continue to offer talented writers and illustrators a platform for sharing their wonderful ideas.”

The report, “Younger Americans’ Library Habits and Expectations,” also finds that younger Americans—despite being heavy technology users overall—still believe, as do older adults, that print books should have a central place at libraries, with few young adult responders (only 23 percent) strongly supporting moving books out of public areas to create room for things such as technology centers, meeting rooms, and cultural events.

The report finds that—while nearly all of those surveyed aged 16–29 are actively online in their lives and are more likely than older patrons to use libraries’ computer and internet connections, access library websites, and use a library’s research databases—75 percent of young adults have read a printed book in the past year, compared with 64 percent for older adults.

Younger adults are also more likely than older adults to use libraries as quiet study spaces, and are just as likely as older adults to have visited libraries, borrowed print books, and browsed the stacks.

When it comes to new library services, young adults are more interested than older adults in technology-driven features, such as apps, for accessing library materials and for navigating library spaces, and in “Redbox”-style kiosks around town for convenient access to library materials. However, the report also shows that Americans under age 30 are strong supporters of traditional library services.

“Younger Americans’ reading habits and library use are still anchored by the printed page,” says Kathryn Zickuhr, research analyst at Pew’s nonprofit Internet & American Life Project and a co-author of the report. “Some of this stems from the demands of school or work, yet some likely lies in their current personal  preferences. And this group’s priorities and expectations for libraries likewise reflect a mix of traditional and technological services.”

Other major findings of the report:
• 85 percent of 16–17 year-olds read at least one print book in the past year, making them significantly more likely to have read a book in this format than any other age group.

• 60 percent of younger patrons say they go to the library to sit and read, study, or watch or listen to media, while only 45 percent of library visitors age 30 and older do this.

• 67 percent of younger Americans say they would be interested in a digital media lab for creating and uploading digital content; 27 percent say they would be “very likely” to use such a resource.

• 44 percent of library visitors under age 30 have used a library’s computers, internet, or a public WI-FI network, compared with just 27 percent of those age 30 and older.

When queried about what library services and resources are “very important” to offer:
• 80 percent of young Americans name librarians to help people find information they need
• 76 percent name research resources such as free databases
• 75 percent name free access to computers and the Internet
• 75 percent name books for people to borrow
• 72 percent name quiet study spaces
• 72 percent name programs and classes for children and teens
• 71 percent name job or career resources

“I’m a little obsessed with Doctor Who,” Winner tells School Library Journal, “so I turned my library office door into the TARDIS for Halloween and dressed up as the 11th doctor.”

Teacher librarian, blogger, and gamer Matthew C. Winner, media specialist at Longfellow Elementary School in Columbia, MD, is having the year of his life. Thanks to his innovative ideas and boundless enthusiasm for student learning and engagement, Maryland’s 2012 Outstanding User of Technology Educator can also claim a few more distinctions these days: 2013 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, White House “Champion of Change,” and published author. Ahead of ISTE’s annual conference in San Antonio—at which he will accept yet another honor, ISTE’s SIGMS (Special Interest Group for Media Specialists) annual Technology Innovation Award—Winner sat down with SLJ for an in-depth conversation.

For the past six years, Longfellow’s approximately 450 students (from PreK–5) have met with Winner about once a week for classes that include everything from book selection to digital literacy skill-building to math gaming on the Wii to Skype sessions with other schools. Those efforts have garnered Winner a reputation among students as a provider of unique interactive experiences in the library and—he hopes—created a generation of lifelong library lovers and users.

In our twelfth and final follow-up interview with the school and youth services librarians named as Movers & Shakers this year, Winner shares with SLJ his inspirations and passions for the profession, his thoughts on the state of school libraries, and his exciting plans for the future.

You were a teacher before becoming a librarian; how were you called to library science?
I taught 4th grade at Waverly Elementary for 2 years. In that time, I most treasured DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) because we stopped all instruction and shared a read-aloud together. I carefully selected what book to read—often from whatever new children’s literature had the biggest buzz—and it became a time in our day that the students would not allow to be interrupted. In my first year of teaching I began work on my Masters in School Library Media…Waverly’s [librarian] is amazing and was definitely the inspiration for me pursuing a career in school library.

A kindergartener takes library time with the Wii, one of many game-based learning activities that Winner introduced at Longfellow.

What are your top books for kids? For educators? Just for yourself?
Picture books: Anything my 3-year-old and I select from the “New Books” shelf at our public library. Recent favorites include Bob Shea’s Cheetah Can’t Lose, Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd, Night Lights by Nicholas Blechman, and The Boy and the Airplane by Mark Pett.

Chapter books: here’s what we’ve read with BookBirds (our quarterly book club for students in grades 3–5 and their parents). Otherwise, my wife and I enjoy reading aloud to one another at night and we’re currently reading Rebecca Stead’s Liar and Spy.

Graphic novels for kids:  Hilda and the Bird Parade by Luke Pearson, and A Wrinkle in Time: the Graphic Novel adapted by Hope Larson.

Video games and gamification: Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal, Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell, The Gamification of Learning and Instruction by Karl M. Kapp, and Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan.

Adult books: I’m currently reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn with my ears (audio book) and it is amazing. I’m also rereading Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game in excitement for the movie release.

You’ve made a big push in your school for game-based learning. Can you tell us more?
I’ve been playing video games my whole life. Atari games like River Raid and Adventure are still deeply imprinted in my memory. It’s probably fair to say that each year of my life can be marked in some way by a personal video game milestone, whether it was getting my first issue of Nintendo Power, pretending to be Mega Man with my elementary school friends on the playground, or beating the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the first time. I started using the Nintendo Wii in our library two years ago, when our school purchased two to be used as part of our positive behavior incentive system. I was considering it as an educational tool and something just clicked. I realized there were an endless number of math applications with which the students could connect and that the Wii could be used as an instructional tool. From there it was a bit of a whirlwind of writing math lessons using the Wii, and meeting my colleague Meghan Hearn, [a math support teacher in another Maryland county.]

After Skype announces free video conferencing for educators, Winner conducts a three-way Skype session with colleagues Erin Broderick (@Librarybrods) and Laura Delia (@ldelia) to read aloud a picture book together in honor of World Read Aloud Day.

Your Wii lesson plans have engaged students, parents, and the community—and led to another interesting development. Can you tell us about your upcoming project?
Our Wii Family Competition was designed to offer a night of gaming which encouraged family cooperation and togetherness. I modeled the event after a Wii Math Night thrown by Meghan Hearn. Her evening incorporated stations in which students got to participate in various Wii games while station volunteers facilitated math conversations.

I started seeing all of these connections to Common Core Math Standards when playing WiiSports, WiiSports Resort, and Wii Fit. What started out as a way to support [positive behavior] in our school quickly turned into an experience in which I felt compelled to explore the educational implications of what the Wii had to offer. There are a ton of math concepts inherent to WiiSports games which most players take for granted, so I started looking at what math concepts are being covered at each grade level and then considered which games could be used to support those standards.

If I taught or supported a math standard using the Wii during a Library Media class, then kids could continue practicing that same skill on their Wii at home. Meg was also trying similar things at her school. We very rapidly began to compare notes and consider larger implications for all of our work. So, [now] Meg and I are writing a book for ISTE (expected publication in October 2013) on using the Wii in the general math classroom. It marks the first time in my career where I was able to combine two passions (teaching and gaming) together to create something totally new and original.

Winner’s International Dot Day map marks concurrent celebrations at other schools.

Your student programming isn’t limited to educational gaming, though. Can you tell us more about your other learning activities, both online and offline?
At the end of the 2011–2012 school year I embraced Skype in the Classroom and ended up expanding my PLC tenfold through activities such as Poem in Your Pocket Day, Read for the Record, National Book Day and others. At the start of this year several members of my PLC including John Schumacher (LJ Mover & Shaker 2011) were gearing up to participate in International Dot Day, a celebration inspired by Peter Reynolds’ The Dot, encouraging kids to “make your mark and see where it takes you.”

I knew this would be an awesome opportunity to connect with other classrooms via Skype to share projects and make friends and so I set about creating a plan that would allow me to organize all of these connections. It quickly became apparent that the infrastructure I was developing could benefit many others. I launched a “Be a Connector” project via Skype in the Classroom which allowed others from around the world to connect classrooms to celebrate Dot Day. I then built a GoogleDoc to host “Want Ads” of those who were seeking classes to which they could connect as well as a place for teachers to post their Dot Day schedules and organize connections. Over 50 educators from across the globe became members of and edited the Google Doc. The Skype in the Classroom project page had 40-plus members interested from nearly every continent.

I think it’s really important for the students to have the experience of working, connecting, and collaborating with other students.

Mail pours in to Winner’s school in celebration of International Dot Day.

Do you partner with the public library near you?
I’m blessed to teach in a county with a phenomenal partnership between Howard County Library and our Howard County schools. [It] is something truly amazing and I’m proud to work with our HCL friends every chance I get. I think it’s also a great bridge for our students to see and, through the partnership, our students have gotten to experience some truly awesome events.

What’s it like to hear back from kids you have taught (and their parents)?
It’s the very best feeling in the world. My wife is also a teacher in the county and our house is situated in between our two schools. We run into our students and families all the time. It is an absolute honor to remain in the lives of my students and I consider myself very lucky. I started teaching 4th grade in 2004, so those students actually just graduated from high school. I’m looking forward to running into them now and seeing which are pursuing careers in teaching or (even better) library media sciences! I’m so proud of each and every one of them.

A class of Winner’s students at Longfellow wave gifted paper airplanes during a Skype session with its sister school, after reading I’m Here by Peter Reynolds. Each paper airplane included a personalized and encouraging message from sister school students.

Library Journal called you a “Tech Leader.” Is that how you view yourself?
I’ve always seen myself as an unresting advocate for my students, pushing [for] the very best of myself in my profession and working to innovate in our library classroom while ensuring that our work is student-centered, authentic, and meaningful.

But I don’t view myself as a tech leader, though technology is a central part of my instruction. We use technology when it’s the right tool. I incorporate games into my instruction because video games are a language in which many of my students are fluent, as am I. Gaming is a connection we share. But I try to let the students and their interests lead my instruction as much as possible. In that sense, they are the real tech leaders. I’m just harnessing their powers in the name of good instruction.

What do you think are the biggest challenges now for school libraries?
I see school librarians losing their jobs locally (and across the country) and it just makes me want to scream. There has never been a more important time to advocate for school libraries. In this way, I’m really glad I’ve had so many opportunities to speak with friends, family, colleagues, and the local news about Movers & Shakers. It’s provided the opportunity to talk about school libraries and what really cool things are going on in libraries all across the county.

I feel optimistic about our future. Our work and influence is all over the Common Core and school librarians are proving to be leaders and innovators in our information rich, technology-driven world. It’s a very good time to be a teacher librarian.

Winner’s bulletin board display for Poem In Your Pocket Day.

What do you think school libraries will and should look like going forward?
I operate as if my job could get cut any day now. It keeps me vocal and my program transparent to all of those who may be watching. Advocacy may be the single most important aspect of my job and it’s a banner I’m proud to wave. I need my students to be able to communicate what they’ve learned about using information in Library Media. I need our school families to understand what goes on in Library Media every day and what aspects of the library media program are serving the communities various needs. I need my colleagues to step out of their comfort zones, feel confident in the work they’re doing, and advocate for our profession, whether at the school, district, state, or national level.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
I don’t foresee myself leaving the school library any time soon, unless it’s to start a career in writing books for children. I have a couple of developed manuscripts for picture books as well as some ideas outlined for novels or graphic novels. I would love to see if my ideas are worth publishing and would love even more to see a child reading a book that I authored. (Wouldn’t any of us, really?)

What are the best professional development experiences you have ever had?
Being a part of the Level Up Book Club is hands-down my absolute favorite and best professional development experience. Jennifer LaGarde [Mover & Shaker 2012] and I set out to create a book club for professionals to learn more about gamification and game-based learning.The twist was that the online book club itself was run on the principles of gamification, which is to say that it ran like a game…complete with opportunities to level up, achieve epic wins, compete against opponents, and quest with guild members. We hoped to reboot [it] this summer but unfortunately both Jennifer and I are at different stages of our careers and the time we have to give to [it] now would not be sufficient or what [it] deserves. We both hope we’ll be able to revive [it] in the future, though.

Winner’s 3rd graders at Longellow used their media skills to design this infographic for an Earth Pals collaboration, which won the ISTE SIGMS Technology Innovation award.

What is next for you and why?
The idea I’ve had going on the back burner for some time now is to start an ed podcast version of my Busy Librarian blog. I listen to podcasts constantly and I think it would be awesome to create something as conversation as the Nerdist podcast, as interesting as Radiolab, and as fun as Comedy Bang Bang. I envision a weekly chat with someone in education (someone different each week) in which we carry on a conversation about ed trends, swap stories, and inspire others.

Being a teacher librarian grants me the curriculum flexibility to try bold things, take giant risks, and venture off the beaten path. Now in my 8th year of teaching, my experience has brought me to a point where I can seek change and make change through the projects and activities I develop for my students. It’s a very good life.

While ISTE applauds Obama for ConnectEd, which sets a goal of broadband access for nearly all U.S. students within the next five years, the organization stresses the same issue raised by the American Library Assocation: that E-Rate has been woefully underfunded since its inception.

ISTE also notes that the discrepancy between what schools and libraries need and what can be funded with E-Rate’s current budget has only grown wider over the years as technology has advanced.

“We forget that it was only in 2010 that the iPad has burst onto the scene. Our view of technology has shifted as it has become more ubiquitous in our lives, so access is critically important. Times have changed. Technology has changed,” ISTE CEO Brian Lewis says. “The issue of not only equity of access but efficiency of access and speed of access and functionality of access—these issues have evolved over the years, so the notion of what the president is doing makes sense.”

However, “the second half of the conversation is the resources,” Lewis says.

For 2013, school and libraries have requested nearly $5 billion from the E-Rate program—although the available funds in the program total only about half of that amount.

“If we’re going to set expectations on schools, and we recognize that educational technology is there to support learning, and we believe that there needs to be equity of access to high-speed internet, and we know that’s a critical tool…how do we as a society [do this],” Lewis says, “but by the same token…turn a blind eye to the $2.5 billion dollar demand that exceeds resources currently?”

Ultimately, it’s about political will, and that begins with the president, Lewis says, dismissing recent criticisms that Obama’s initiative does not go far enough because it lacks specific legislative directives for funding. “I think what the president is trying to do is…to push this issue, to shine a light on it, to share best practices, and call attention to the broader [concerns],” Lewis explains. “He can’t by the stroke of a pen raise the money to meet that $2.5-billion-dollar gap, but he’s doing all he can to call attention to the need in the way that he has authority [to do].”

The duty is now on others, Lewis says, to fully commit to equipping students with what they need at the same time they are demanding that schools be held accountable for meeting learning objectives. “It’s like telling a student, ‘we want you to go get an “A” on this test, but we’re not going to provide you with any resource materials, electronic or otherwise, to help you prepare for that test.’ It’s the same thing.”

Still, Lewis says ISTE is mindful of E-Rates many successes since the program was introduced in 1996. “The good news has been what E-Rate has accomplished over the years, in terms of providing equitable opportunities for each and every student,” he says.

Adds Lewis, “One of the things we know is that every district is different, and every formula needs to be tweaked—whether that’s the formula for pedagogy or technology or budgeting—and what’s great about what the president is doing is the administration is shining a spotlight on best practices where it is working. What can we learn from where it’s working?”

ISTE also remains hopeful of what’s to come, and plans to continue to work with the White House, the FCC, and other educational stakeholders in helping to guide the conversation at the same time it advocates for increased support in funding, Lewis says.

“It’s a combination,” Lewis says. “We want to do what the president is suggesting and support the development and promulgation of sharing of best practices and that’s great. That’s a lot of what ISTE is philosophically about—creating a space and time, virtual and real, where people share best practices. And that’s critical. But the other piece is, always, the issue of resources.

Adds Lewis, “We have to take advantage of the fact that the president made a very conscious choice to focus his attention on this issue that we all care about. Our job now is to take that opportunity and continue to work it, continue to push it, and argue successfully for the financial piece that’s necessary to finish this puzzle.”

Thus, defining the issue’s new “leverage points” in the face of ConnectEd is the organization’s next step, Lewis says, adding, “we’re still having that conversation.”

In the meantime, ISTE will be broaching the issue in full force at its annual conference and expo in San Antonio later this month, when FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and Richard Culatta, acting director of the Office of Educational Technology for the Department of Education, will both be featured speakers. ISTE is also hosting a 12-minute “speed panel” on E-Rate, plus a sponsored “Advocacy Lounge” where attendees can write to their representatives, sign White House petitions, and learn more about standing up for students’ access to resources.

“It’s the first time in a long time that that any interest in E-Rate specifically has come from the White House, and it’s all wrapped into education technology and student success, in and out of the classroom,” Marijke Visser, associate director of the ALA Program on Networks, tells SLJ. “So it’s a different focus than just the regular connectivity, which is really what E-Rate is all about. You need this kind of connectivity because you want to provide students with this ability…to do whatever they need to do, and not have the bandwith be the limiting factor. And I think that focus has now come to the fore.”

Maureen Sullivan, ALA president, agrees. “ALA is encouraged by President Obama’s announcement of the ConnectEd initiative to ensure that libraries and schools have access to robust, affordable high-capacity broadband for many years to come,” she said in a statement released Thursday. “As the digital revolution continues to unfold, libraries and schools will need substantially more powerful network capabilities. Inadequate bandwidth must not be the weak link in student success.”

Visser, who works closely with the FCC on E-Rate issues and policy, and Sullivan both note the importance of more funding for the program, which they say is dramatically oversubscribed.

“For 2013, there’s about $2.38 billion available in the fund—and schools and libraries have requested close to $5 billion. So you can see the discrepancy,” Visser tells SLJ.

Visser also notes, “The fact that the White House [recognized] that [E-Rate] is underfunded and that they’re looking for a way to infuse more money into the fund? That’s huge. That’s something that ALA has been talking about more or less from the beginning of the program [in 1996].”

Is the ALA confident that ConnectEd will finally meet the needs of U.S. schools and libraries? “We’re hopeful,” Visser says. “We were very pleased that the president actually said schools and libraries in his remarks. That’s a big plus for us, because within the E-Rate program, (school) libraries are pretty small fish; they don’t apply by themselves. They benefit because the school applies. So often with the FCC, the conversation starts with public libraries, and then we take the opportunity to talk about the good work and the relationship of the school library to the classroom setting.”

Visser also says she believes ConnectEd is on a fairly fast track. The ALA is expecting the FCC to issue a notice about the proposed new rules—which is the public forum portion of the process in which school and library stakeholders such as ALA; individual districts, schools and libraries; and even citizens are invited to comment and add questions to the public record—very soon, followed by a comment review and an eventual FCC order, Visser explains.

In the meantime, Visser’s policy team is continuing to work with ALA’s task force on E-Rate, helping to work through some issues and questions so they will be ready to add to the public discussion just as soon as the FCC calls for comment.  “It’s an active process,” she says.

“I think everybody recognizes that students need this kind of connectivity and schools and libraries need it,” Visser adds. “So we’re in a good place to move forward. And it’s exciting to think about.”

Photo credit: Robert Karatsu and Sean Guerrero.

In this 11th of a dozen planned follow-up interviews with librarians named as Library Journal Movers & Shakers this year, Perera shares with us her inspirations and passions for the profession, and some of the secrets behind Rancho Cucamonga’s recent success.

How did you get your start in library science?
While I was in college, getting my degree in English Literature, I got a part time job at my local public library. My first day was one of trial and error because my supervisor had called in sick, so I was told to work at the reference desk. It was quite the experience—I didn’t know where anything was, I didn’t know the types of questions I would get, and didn’t know how to use the computers or phone. But luck was on my side, and not only did I persevere, but I realized that this is what I wanted to do with my life. I loved working with the community and loved doing reference.

Were you a library fan as a child?
Alas, I was always that kid that was talking to her friends and eating in the library. In the 80s, that was not allowed.  So, my experience, especially during high school, was getting kicked out of the library almost daily for talking and eating candy.  Obviously, it didn’t deter me, but that is probably one reason our libraries are more like community centers than the “sssh” libraries of the 80s.

Children’s librarian Angelica Trummell hypes the audience for one of Rancho Cucamonga Library’s summer reading program kickoff performances.

What was programming like at Rancho Cucamonga before you were appointed assistant director? What were some of your early goals?
I have been at the Rancho Cucamonga Library since we opened in 1994. We have always had a wonderful slate of children’s programs which expanded when we opened our second location in 2006. We currently offer 18 weekly storytimes plus lots of special events. When we opened the Victoria Gardens location—which is part of a multi-use facility that houses a library, 536-seat performing arts theater and events space and all centrally located in a large shopping district—I wanted to develop a series of cultural programs. We offer quarterly cultural arts nights (Hispanic Heritage Night, Black History Night, Asian & Pacific Islander night, Chinese New Year, Local History Night, etc.) that bring in anywhere from 300 to 900 people. It really has become a family night out, with something for everyone—music, art, dance, crafts, games, storytelling, and more.

It has always been important to me that we offer different kinds of programs, ones that are experiential, educational, and interactive. Some of our signature events, besides the cultural arts nights, are Cookies & Carols (complete with a 150-child choir serenading the participants during the program), Star Wars Day (with about 1500 fans attending), Robot Day (where kids learn about making robots), Superhero Day (with a wide variety of superheroes in attendance), and Hello Kitty Day (to celebrate Hello Kitty’s birthday.  In all these programs, we try and create a fun, immersive experience.

Darth Vader Storytime during Rancho Cucamonga Library’s annual Star Wars Day.

What are you most proud of at Rancho Cucamonga?
There are so many things—an amazing programming lineup (which we publish in an annual calendar), the partnerships and relationships we have created over the years, a supportive community, the staff development program we have created (the Staff Innovation Fund™), and our talented and dedicated staff.  But, what I am most proud of is our National Medal award we won this year. It truly is a testament to everything I have just mentioned—programming, partnerships, and our staff.  Our library winning this award (and receiving it at the White House, from Mrs. Obama) was and is an amazing achievement.

Who do you collaborate the most with there?
Mostly, our fellow city personnel (the city manager’s office on citywide projects, the fire district and planning department on a local history program, the community services department on programming and cultural arts, the animal center on programming.  In addition, I collaborate a lot with other libraries—recently eight libraries across California who are going through our Staff Innovation Fund™ program as well as a myriad of libraries and library personnel through the California Library Association.

Families enjoy potting plants during Rancho Cucamonga Library’s annual Earth Day festival, a partnership between the library and the city’s engineering department.

Can you tell us more about the Play and Learn Islands™?
Our islands arose out of a needs assessment to determine the best use for 14,000 square feet of empty space in one of our libraries. Whereas we didn’t have the money to develop that space due to the downturn in the economy, I wanted to use the needs assessment data (significant interest in interactive exhibits) in both of our libraries. From that, the project was born.

I wanted to create interactive, multi-modal, developmentally age-appropriate exhibits for young children and their families, and pulled our children’s team together to make it happen. When we designed and built the island, it was always our intention to make them available (through a loan process) to other libraries in California, and we received grant funding to do it.

In the last two years, over 35 libraries have borrowed our island and we have orders from 30 libraries who are purchasing an island of their own. We knew that if they would be popular in our libraries, they would probably be popular in many.

Which is the most popular Island? Which is your favorite?
The popularity depends on the day and sometimes the program we are offering. Big Build is always popular with boys because they love to build anything. Discovery Dig is always popular at our outdoor events because kids can dig for fossils or sea life or Terra Cotta Warriors or buried treasure, depending on the event. I think the Healthy island is the most popular because it is a mini farmers market stand that conveys the concept of “from the field to the market to the table.” [It] is super popular right now for the Reading is So Delicious Summer Reading Club. We just finished a new island in partnership with the Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Utility: Renewable Energy. Through colored LED lights, a solar panel, inviting graphics, and toys, it teaches children about the different types of renewable energy. In the future we hope to re-create our IlluminArt island into something more mobile, where light meets art.

Children check out Rancho Cucamonga Library’s IlluminArt Play and Learn Island.

Why did you see the need for these types of interactive activities?
That is what our community really seemed to respond to when offered…we did an extensive needs assessment on interactive learning and activities four years ago and there was an overwhelming response for this. I [and my staff have] studied the value of playing and learning in a child’s life. We have tailored staff days to this topic, visited children’s museums, attended children’s museum conferences, and done quite a bit of research on the topic.

What is next for you and why?
I need to figure out how to leverage successes like the Mover & Shaker award and the National Medal to build out that second floor of the library!  The time is right for our library to expand and as the assistant library director, I need to help figure out how to make that happen.

What do you think are the big issues and challenges in children’s services right now?
I think the state of children’s services right now is promising. There are lots of challenges, of course, like providing programming and services to a changing clientele—balancing high tech and no tech opportunities, staying relevant in a constantly changing environment, competing with a wide array of private opportunities children have, developing mutually lucrative partnerships, etc.  But the children’s librarians I know are motivated and creative, and dedicated to providing quality programming and services. So I am confident we are moving in the right direction.

What do you think children’s services should look like going forward?
Based on my experience here in Rancho Cucamonga, I think children’s services should morph more into family services, providing something for the whole family and encouraging multi-generational use, programming, and services. There seems to be a disconnect sometimes between the parent and child during library programs, so having programs that appeal to the whole family encourages that ever-so-important interaction.

Children enjoy a zumba class among the stacks at Rancho Cucamonga Library during its annual Hispanic Heritage Cultural Arts Night.

What are the best professional development experiences that you have ever had?
I have been fortunate that there have been a few: developing the Staff Innovation Fund™ for my staff and now for several libraries across California (first part is training in grants, project management, marketing and branding, talking to power, and then a dedicated innovation fund to use for special projects); being the program chair for the 2011 California Library Association Conference (it really got me involved with a great organization); and having the Play and Learn Islands™ be so successful and have so many libraries wanting to buy them.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
My long-term career goal has always been to make a positive change in my profession, and hopefully through projects like the Play and Learn Islands™ and Staff Innovation Fund™, through teaching for several years at San Jose State’s MLIS program, and through my work with the California Library Association, I hope I am making steps towards that.

This year, Kellgren will appear twice in the SYNC program. Her recording of Maryrose Wood’s The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1: The Mysterious Howling (HarperAudio) will be available starting tomorrow through June 12. Later in the summer, her recording of Enchanted (Brilliance Audio) by Alethea Kontis—which was nominated for an Audie Award—will be available from August 8 to August 14.

Ahead of the first download’s release and a busy calendar of events promoting audiobooks, SLJ caught with Kellgren for a candid chat about her start in the field, the joys—and challenges—of narrating YA literature, the importance of audio in boosting kids’ literacy, and her upcoming projects. Kellgren even stopped by our New York City offices to record a few video segments for us.

How did you get started in the field of narrating audiobooks?
The first audiobook…I actually made myself for my father. I was living in England and my dad was in New York, and he had Parkinson’s disease, and it affected his ability to read. He used to be a great reader, and it was very frustrating for him. He had a detective author that he absolutely loved, Freeman Wills Crofts, who wrote a lot in the 1920s and 1930s. So I found an out-of-print book and recorded it for [him]. [It] was called The Box Office Murders. It was really silly! The first line was something like, [in heavy accent] “Little did Inspector French know when he picked up the telephone he was embarking upon one of the most sinister and dastardly episodes in his career.” It was hilarious.

At that point I was in drama school, London Academy of Music, and we’d done some audio acting training there as well as stage acting training, but doing this book suddenly reminded me how much I loved to listen to audiobooks when I was a child, a teenager and preteen. I was a voracious listener of audiobooks, and in fact audiobooks introduced me to the work of a lot of my favorite authors.

After [my father] got more and more ill, I moved back to New York and I spent a lot of time reading to him in person, and he chose actually quite a lot of young adult books that he’d loved when he was a child and a teen. And he was a very dignified man, a banker and a very serious individual, but he also always loved children’s literature. So I read him Treasure Island and a book by John Masefield called Martin Hyde: The Duke’s Messenger, which was a kind of boy’s adventure story. And as I was sitting there reading for him, I thought, ‘you know, I’d really like to try to find a job reading an audiobook.’

Can you remember some of your earliest favorite recordings?
When I was about 13 or so, I got a double cassette tape called Ages of Man; it was John Gielgud reading speeches from Shakespeare. And I loved this. I memorized all of the speeches. By listening to him reading, Shakespeare—to me, an early teenager—suddenly seemed a lot less intimidating, and a lot more approachable. Because when you have somebody who is not only such a wonderful actor as he was, but who understood the language so well and spoke it so intelligently, it gives you a huge head start yourself in understanding the language. So I started reading Shakespeare’s plays because I felt more comfortable doing so, by listening to these cassettes…. and it sort of spiraled from there.

And that happened with a lot of authors. I would first be introduced to their work on audio and then I would start reading it in print. I remember I also had—and I still listen to these things, by the way, all the time—Ralph Richardson Reads ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.’ And then I went out and read the actual long-form poem and started getting into Coleridge, and in this way, my love of reading was really stimulated and encouraged by audio. Which is why I think SYNC is so wonderful, because it gives a chance for young listeners to be exposed to the work not only of classic authors but wonderful contemporary authors, and hopefully encourages them both to listen more and to read more.

Can you tell us more about audiobooks and the SYNC program?
I think there’s an increasing awareness in how important [it is], children listening to audiobooks and the impact that has on their literacy. And speaking as someone who lived this, someone who was a child and really was encouraged to read by listening to audiobooks, I am so totally behind this idea. So programs like SYNC are a wonderful way to introduce both educators and children to audiobooks as tool to help promote reading and literacy skills in younger kids. Recently, I went on The Diane Rehm Show on NPR, and I wrote up all these children’s literacy talking points so I could use specifics, and I found this really amazing thing in Audiobooks for Youth: A Practical Guide to Sound Literature by Mary Burkey—who I know and just love, she’s a wonderful librarian—a quote that said, ‘the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.’ And that’s not only a parent reading to a child, an audiobook can also do that.

So I think the structure of SYNC is really amazing; that they have every week a classic book and a then a contemporary book, both on a similar theme. So teens who have both kinds of interests will be attracted by one or the other of those genres, hopefully. And then, hopefully, encouraged by one audiobook they’ll go for another, reaching out for an audiobook that they haven’t necessarily encountered before and maybe discover something new that they love.

What are some of your favorite titles that you’ve recorded over the years?
It’s hard to say! Recently, both of the series that are on SYNC were a huge, huge amount of fun to record. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place is just a hilariously written series. I just loved doing it. It has such a scope to be a complete ham, as I am. It has all sorts of wacky voices and animal sounds and just generalized madness. I guess it’s not in the first book, but the second book features thespian pirates and a chase through the streets of London with a parrot squawking. And I have to thank the brilliant author for this because she writes such delicious material. And Enchanted is just a beautifully written fairy tale mash-up book. It’s very magical but it’s also very funny, so it’s a lovely combination of humor and a magical element to it. [And] there are tons of others.

Another of my most favorite series is “Bloody Jack” [by Claire de Loon, Listen & Live Audio] and it’s about a little girl who dresses as a boy and joins the Royal Navy and fights pirates. It all takes place in the end of the 18^th century, and it’s just one swashbuckling adventure after another. We just finished recording Book 10, and she gets into such scrapes, you wouldn’t believe. That one is very fun, too.

What titles are on your wish list?
I’d love to do Moll Flanders! I’d love to do Vanity Fair. A lot of the books that are my favorite books, I would be completely inappropriate [as narrator]. One of my most favorite books is The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy—and that would be very hard to put on audio in the first place because there are a lot of visual elements to the book—but that’s narrated from the point of view of a man. And I also love  P.G. Wodehouse a lot, but again, most of the books are narrated from the point of view of a man. Damon Runyon I love as well, but it’s all gangsters, and male ones at that.

How do you prepare for recording a book?
The first thing I do is read the book through really carefully at home, and I’ll make a note of any words I have to look up for pronunciations, any accents that might come up in the book that I’ll need to study up on. I make notes of dialect, and also if there are any songs in the book. I can’t sing them if they’re not in the public domain, but I do a lot of books like the “Bloody Jack” series where each book will have 10 or 15 traditional sea shanties and ballads. And I will go through and find all the original music for them and sing them, or sing whatever parts of them the author has put into the book.

So you utilize your musical training?
Yes, exactly. And I think, where appropriate, it enhances the experience, to have original tunes of songs. It lends a bit of atmosphere to a book. Because I think that when an author is writing the book, they’re probably thinking of that tune, and what it evokes to a reader. So I try to give the full service if I possibly can and sing the song.

What about animal sounds or sound effects?
[laughs]. Oh, totally. Well, there are a number of websites that you can find animal sounds on. I recently discovered the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which has an amazing website for bird calls. And it is spectacular. You can search and find bird calls of zillions of different species.

So you’ll include bird calls in a book?
Where appropriate. In the most recent ‘Incorrigible Children’ book, the author had a very aggravated ostrich giving a warning cry, and she had written ‘foo, foo, foo.’ [laughs] How do I make that convincingly aggressive and menacing to the listener?

And sometimes…well, I remember one book that was all about a search for a missing artifact, and our heroes discover that inside this artifact is a rolled up scroll which contains a lost Eroica Variation of Beethoven. And the author wrote out an entire paragraph that was just, ‘dee dee dee dum, deedle deedle dee dum dum!’ So I just sat down at the piano and played. [I thought], ‘oh my god, what am I going to do?’ And I had to spend days listening to the Eroica Variations and then trying to write something that sounded very similar to that and would fit all the ‘deedle deedle dums’ that the author had written. And then kind of sing it at the end of the book. [laughs] I don’t think when authors write things out they are always thinking about the audiobook. Sometimes it’s enormous fun, but there are a lot of very challenging things in books that can take a lot of work to put into audio form.

What was that book?
A Rather Curious Engagement. I’m definitely not claiming that my version of the Eroica Variations is exactly that brilliant but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. [laughs]

You are a passionate advocate for audiobooks and literacy. Can you tell us more?
I am always delighted to be asked to appear and to talk about children’s literacy and audiobooks, and talking to librarians and educators and kids wherever I can. There are some librarians who are my heroes, who are real stars of advocacy for children’s audio, like Mary Burkey and Sharon Grover, and Lissette Hannigan, who have written books for ALA, and the people who serve on Odyssey committees. Those are the people who are the real stars.

Coming at it as a narrator, because it was so important to me as a child, I feel that if there is any way that I can share that with another child growing up now and they could get the pleasure I got from listening to audio, I feel that that’s a very worthy thing to be involved in.

There’s something about being told a story; there’s a kind of intimate experience there that you can get from no other medium, really. And just as I loved it when I was little and my dad would read to me, or when I was a little older and I was listening to all those cassette tapes, the magic of being told a story is something that can really broaden your horizons and bring you a lot of joy. So I try to get out and talk to anyone I can about that experience.

What do you like to listen to for fun?
I always, since I was a kid, listen to audiobooks. I just listened to a really beautiful one called Oddly Normal, a memoir of this New York Times reporter and his son, his son coming out as gay, and the family dynamics. And it was really a beautiful book. He read that himself and he did a beautiful job.

And every single year since it came out, I listen to this recording of Alfred Molina reading Treasure Island, for some reason! [laughs] I can’t get enough of it.

Recently I was listening to something that I love to listen to over and over, The Roald Dahl Audio Collection. It’s him reading from his own work, and I’m particularly fond of his recording of Fantastic Mr. Fox. It really is kind of a spiritual experience. If you haven’t heard it, it is too much fun for words. And my husband is actually a theater critic and we were going to see Matilda, and so I played him this, and he loved it. It’s a great recording. And I listen to early jazz and classical music and stuff like that, but there’s a lot of audiobooks in there.

What’s next for you?
At the moment, I’m working on a nine-book series, the “Elizabeth the First Mysteries.” Those are very fun books to read and I’m really enjoying recording them. [They] require a lot of research, but a lot of fun research: Elizabethan medical lore, and there was a whole book that involved Renaissance lute music, and I had to look up all sorts of old songs and then write tunes based on John Dowland.

This summer, I will be going to ALA in Chicago to be a part of the Odysseys—one of the books I read got the Odyssey Honor [Monstrous Beauty (Macmillan Audio] by Elizabeth Fama]—and then I’m also going to be in an audio festival in Kansas City, MO, called the Hear Now Festival. It’s going to feature not only audiobook narration but audio drama, and all sorts of different audio art. And I’m looking forward to have the chance to read from audiobooks and talking to people about what goes into making them.

What advice do you have for librarians seeking to boost interest in audiobooks?
I guess some people think that listening is ‘cheating’ and that if you listen to a book you are unlikely to read a book—but my experience is exactly the opposite. That listening to books makes you want to read books, and opens up worlds to you, and it’s a great tool to bring students into a knowledge of literature and a love of reading. It introduces you to literature in a way that’s like nothing else.

Librarians, SLJ editors, and author/keynote speaker Kevin Henkes enjoy the first Day of Dialog panel.

Built by Books
After a brief welcome by Rebecca Miller, School Library Journal editor-in-chief, who encouraged attendees to tweet their feedback (#SLJDOD13), Henkes was introduced by Luann Toth, managing editor of SLJ’s Book Review, with effusive praise. The modest Henkes addressed the crowd of about 250 librarians, sharing anecdotes about his family’s relationship to books, and the ways in which he encouraged his own children to become passionate readers, starting with the move of his large personal collection of picture books to the family bookshelf.

“I knew their condition would take a nosedive,” he admitted, to lots of chuckles from the audience. “But it was worth it…it helped my children to be built by books.” His efforts also included reading aloud to his children very often and for many years, which he called “something I did right.” He said giving kids access to books and simply “letting the enchantment take over” is “something librarians have always known” how to do—getting the right book to the right kid and letting it “work its wonders.”

Henkes also addressed the hot topic of gender, noting, “Boys do in fact enjoy books about girls, even if they say they don’t…a good story is a good story regardless of the gender of the protagonist.”

Henkes then treated attendees to a read-aloud from his new middle-grade novel, The Year of Billy Miller, which was enthusiastically received by the crowd.

Nonfiction author Jonah Winter, panel moderator Kathleen T. Isaacs, illustrator Thomas Gonzalez, author/illustrator Jim Arnosky, author Jennifer Berne, and author/illustrator Elisha Cooper.

Spotlight on Authors
The day’s programming then launched into a diverse nonfiction panel, “Informational Picture Books,” which featured author/illustrator Jim Arnosky, author Jennifer Berne, author/illustrator Elisha Cooper, illustrator Thomas Gonzalez, and author Jonah Winter, moderated by Kathleen T. Isaacs, author of Picturing The World: Informational Picture Books For Children (ALA, 2013).

The panelists discussed the inspirations for their books; their creative processes; voice and point of view; their thoughts on the audiences they write for; the ethics of historical and scientific accuracy in children’s nonfiction; and the difficult task of editing away extraneous details in order to craft a tight narrative for their books—even when it comes to the illustrations.

“It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup,” Arnosky said.

Authors Holly Sloan, Ayun Halliday, Gordon Korman, Linda Urban, and Josh Farrar.

Next up was a discussion of middle-grade fiction and graphic novels, “Middle School Drama and Trauma,” moderated by Caroline Ward, head of youth services at Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT. The panelists were Ayun Halliday, Josh Farrar, Gordon Korman, Holly Sloan, and Linda Urban.

The discussion began with each author naming why they are drawn to writing for this particular grade level—“it’s the past and the future right there stacked on top of a complicated now,” Urban noted—and then touched on the role of humor in their books; voice and point of view; and the marketing of tween books, which called back to the keynote in an intriguing exchange about gender appeal.

“After the Nobel Peace prize, there is no greater thing than a librarian saying your book is the go-to book for a reluctant boy,” Korman said, but he stressed, “that doesn’t necessarily speak to the girls who are finding that book on their own. It’s a good lesson to take a step back from our preconceived notions of what a girl and boy book are.” It was a sentiment that resonated with the crowd.

The authors also cited John Green as an inspiration in the field of inspiring cross-gender appeal for his books and characters, and for harnessing the power of social media, which led to a discussion among panelists of the appropriate ways to use the Internet in promoting to the middle-grade level.

YA author Holly Black surprised attendees with a dramatic reading of a poem she wrote as a tween.

Taming the Monsters
At midday, the crowd was excited to hear from luncheon speaker Holly Black, the bestselling author of contemporary fantasy novels for teens and children.

In a hilarious presentation that featured a slideshow of resources, references, and candid photos, Black spoke about the ways that her upbringing—growing up in a 100-year-old house, with a mom who liked to tell ghost stories—has influenced her writing; the inspiration for her latest book, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown (Little, Brown), a young adult vampire tale that debuts in September; and the human race’s fascinating—and complicated—relationship with monsters.

“We absorb what we’re scared of and find ways of making it harmless to us,” Black said, revealing that, as a child, she transformed some of her Barbie dolls into “good” vampires in order to protect her from the “bad” vampires. Black also highlighted for the audience some classics and out-of-print gems of vampire fiction that were among her favorite teen reads, and read aloud a poem about vampires that she had written in seventh grade, to the delight of the crowd.

Coldest Girl is the first book Black has written that features vampires, even though her fascination with the iconic characters goes back to childhood. “I didn’t know if I had anything to add to the conversation,” she noted. It was only after contributing, on request, a short story to a recent vampire anthology, that “it turned out I had all these thoughts and feelings and memories” on the subject, she explained. “I had forgotten all the things I told you about today.”

Added Black, “in our domesticated hearts is a yearning to get close to death and escape…and maybe watch others get close and not escape. We are fascinated by extremes of human behavior and our own monstrousness. Imagine how much weirder and worse it could get.”

Her latest novel aims to do just that. “What might seem glamorous from a distance is pretty horrific close up,” Black said of some of the key plot points in Coldest Girl. “It’s also about a girl like me who grew up on scary bedtime stories. Her story is my story.”

During a Q&A session immediately following her talk, Black revealed that she is halfway through writing a new YA faerie book that she’s calling The Darkest Part of the Forest; that a sequel to Doll Bones is not in the cards at the moment—“I don’t have an idea about what that would be that wouldn’t be a little bit sad, and by a little bit sad I mean really sad,” she said; and that the secret to the famed hidden library in her Massachusetts home can be found at www.hiddendoors.com.

“You, too, can have a secret anything,” she joked.

Authors Matthew Quick, Julie Berry, Adele Griffin, Elizabeth Scott, and Elizabeth Wein.

From Darkness to Light
During the afternoon, attendees experienced two panels seemingly at opposite ends of the spectrum: “Real-World Horror in YA” and “Visual Storytelling.”

SLJ blogger Karyn Silverman, high school librarian and educational technology department chair of the Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School, got things going as moderator of “Real-World Horror.” Panelists were Julie Berry, Adele Griffin, Elizabeth Scott, Matthew Quick, and Elizabeth Wein.

In an intense discussion, each author shared titles of some of the books they read as teens as well as the reasons they now write for teens, the sometimes very personal inspirations behind their most compelling and acclaimed books, and the role of such themes as hope and friendship in such dark, real-world stories. The authors also shared some of their greatest fears in life.

Author/illustrators Lizi Boyd, Oliver Jeffers, Matt Phelan, Chris Raschka, and David Wiesner.

Rounding out the day was the compelling “Visual Storytelling” panel, featuring author/illustrators Lizi Boyd, Oliver Jeffers, Matt Phelan, Chris Raschka, and David Wiesner. It was moderated by Rita Auerbach, children’s literature specialist and storyteller, who told the crowd, “we have five of the finest artists in the world for you, truly a distinguished panel.”

Each artist explained in depth the extent of their creative processes and discussed pacing, economy of word choice, variations in storytelling formats (including near-wordless books and graphic novels), conventions of the genre and ways to break them. Attendees were treated to visual examples of the artists’ most popular work and previews of their newest titles, truly a highlight of the day.

As Wiesner put it, “Everyone here, we work dramatically differently, but it’s an amazing art form and an amazing world to be a part of.”

Added Auerbach, “Explore their books further and find all sorts of wonders!”

“Having a successful summer reading program requires passion and organization skills. When you have these two things, the rest seems to fall in place,” Aguirre tells School Library Journal. “My staff can verify that I am ecstatic this time of year. This is my holiday season!”

In this tenth of a dozen planned interviews with the youth librarians named as Movers & Shakers this year, we catch up with Aguirre to learn more about her inspirations and passions, the ways in which she collaborates with her community, and her thoughts on the future of public library youth services.

How did you know library science was the right choice for you?
When I did my first storytime, I realized I had a special connection with children and an extreme compassion for their teachers, parents, and caregivers. I am one of two people in my family to go to college. (My niece just got accepted to Notre Dame. I’ve been sending her books since she was born!)  I know what it is like to struggle with learning to read at a young age and my heart is dedicated to serving the needs of the reluctant reader.

Can you tell us more about Southgate’s summer reading program?
Summer reading is a big deal! I make sure my team starts planning six months in advance and we always know what funds we have to work with. It is most important to know your community. I regularly attend meetings and constantly look for ways to partner with local organizations. I listen to what our neighbors want and need from their library. We are fortunate to have such amazing community partners. Coordinating and overseeing all that happens at our little branch takes an enormous amount of effort; I am nothing without my team. I take teamwork seriously and we must serve each other with the same dedication as we do our [patrons]. If we are not excited about summer reading, we can’t expect the public to care. I believe our neighbors view our library as their own living room—a place to relax, to accomplish tasks, or to gather with others to build community.

What books are on your all-time top lists for summer reading?
There are so many but here’s what comes to mind: anything written by Mo Willems, all of the “Fancy Nancy” books, Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, anything written by Margaret Peterson Haddix, and the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (hands down, one of my best adult book Club discussions ever. I’ve also recommended this book for parent/teen book clubs).

What are you reading right now for yourself? What new books are your favorites?
Becoming Marie Antoinette: A Novel by Juliet Grey (for our second Saturday book club), Doll Bones by Holly Black, P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia, Feel Good Food: Wholefood Recipes for Happy, Healthy Living by Tony Chiodo, Don’t Let the Republican Drive the Bus by Mo Willems (recently given to me as a gift), Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun by Joshua Glenn and Elizabeth Foy Larsen, and any cookbooks by Gordon Ramsey.

What were your programming goals when you got started at your library?
I was determined to start at least three annual programs a year. Since then, we have established annual programs for Read for the Record, Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros, Free Comic Book Day, Read Across America for Dr. Seuss’s birthday, Star Wars Reads Day, and next year we will include May the 4th Be With You.  My goal is to double attendance for all programs on an annual basis. Our Summer Reading Program is probably more elaborate than previous years and we will hold a big National Night Out party in the library parking lot for the second year running.

What are you most proud at Southgate?
My staff!

What’s it like to hear back from kids who participated in your programming?
Kids are constantly saying, ‘hey I know you, you came to my school/class/baseball summer camp.’  I always answer, ‘oh yeah, I remember you’ (with a wink of course). The goal is to make a personal connection with children. This is their library and I’m one of their local librarians. The biggest compliment is when kids come back and report how much they enjoyed a program. When they ask, ‘can we do this every week?’ we know we are successful.

Last year, the teen librarian and I hosted a mother/daughter sleepover. Their favorite part of the night was discussing Hunger Games (they all received a free copy beforehand) and playing Marco-Polo Mom in the library. When we gave them Catching Fire and Mockingjay to take home, they couldn’t believe it. Leticia told me, ‘This is better than Christmas.’

What was your reaction to being named a Mover & Shaker?
I was super shocked. This seems like an extension of the Outstanding Librarian in Literacy Award 2012 from CLA—one award lead to another for various reasons. Our branch outreach efforts have proven successful and it is a huge compliment to be recognized by my colleagues. It is a really good feeling.

You were pegged as a “Community Builder.” Is that how you view yourself, too?
This is exactly me! Community building is a way of life, not just a job. I’ve come to realize that it is our community neighbors that teach me, not the other way around. It is the public that makes me better at what I do. The most important thing is to pay attention to the needs of those that you serve. To be with each other in a nurturing and compassionate library environment is a gift.

What do you think are the biggest issues and challenges for youth library services?
The biggest challenge seems to be centered around the need to keep our youth engaged in reading. They have so many distractions: cell phones, TV, social networking, etc. We need to constantly be ready to grab their attention whenever possible.

What do you think youth services should look like going forward?
I think we need to electronically be where our youth are. Two of my librarians tweet for our library branch and it is amazing how many teens we have show up for DIY crafts. For the younger kids, I believe we need to reach the whole family whenever possible.

Youth services needs to be a strong network of community support. My goal is to have kids hear about the library from multiple sources: school, parks and recreation, summer camps, church, bus stops, festivals, entertainment parks, the bookmobile, and after-school hang-outs like parks, fast food places, or local coffee shops. We work hard at being visible within our community.

What’s your advice for librarians seeking to improve community outreach?
Start by creating a community map listing: health and human service agencies, schools and school-based programs, local government, local media, social clubs and neighborhood organizations, businesses, religious organizations, and other. I learned from Family Place training. Once you have something to look at, you can strategically start meeting people to build partnerships. It may seem overwhelming, but I focus on everything within a five mile radius first. I know that we serve 5000 kids under the age of five within [that] radius. This helps prioritize our outreach efforts. Every library community varies and you can adjust your plan accordingly.

What are the best professional development experiences that you have ever had?
Learning from my fellow staff at the Sacramento Public Library, the San Jose Public Library and the Los Gatos Public Library. I have been extremely fortunate to work with such awesome people.  From janitors to shelvers to facilities, IT, library services assistants, friends of the library, volunteers, security, acquisitions, librarians, admin and those pesky library directors (you know who you are), I always try to absorb knowledge from the experts around me. They are my best teachers!

As far as being professionally re-charged, inspired, and continually challenged, the ALA New Orleans 2011 and CLA San Jose 2012 conferences have proven invaluable. Hearing Joan Fry Williams speak at the San Francisco Public Library was also a big turning point for me.  Finally, Dr. Fisher’s library management class at San Jose State University has helped my thinking process throughout my career.  Seriously, ‘thank you’ seems somehow inadequate in expressing my gratitude.