Saint Paul (MN) public schools and the Saint Paul Public Library have teamed up to provide library cards and library resources to incoming freshmen with their Wild Cards! summer school program.
Saint Paul (MN) Schools and Public Library’s Wild Cards! Partnership
By on July 10, 2013 Leave a Comment
Youth Librarians Inspired in Chicago | ALA 2013
By on July 9, 2013 Leave a Comment
There was a spirit of optimism among attendees at the 2013 annual American Library Association (ALA) conference held recently in Chicago, especially among school media specialists and youth services librarians. Members of ALA’s three youth divisions were particularly energized and motivated by the dynamic programming and renewed advocacy efforts, they say.
Read, Play, Grow!: Enhancing early literacy at Brooklyn Public Library
By on July 8, 2013 7 Comments
Research has long supported the importance of play in early literacy, yet many parents remain mystified about how to engage with young children in fun activities, particularly at the pre-verbal stage. Enter the library.
Colorado Librarians Launch Bell Picture Book Awards Program
By on June 25, 2013 Leave a Comment
Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL), an advisory group to the Colorado State Library, is launching the Bell Picture Book Awards, with the first honorees set to be announced on February 5, 2014. The program is designed to celebrate books that foster adult-child engagement around the early literacy practices of read, write, sing, talk, and play.
Pew Study: Teens Still Love Print Media, ‘Traditional’ Library Services
By on June 25, 2013 Leave a Comment
Tech-savvy younger Americans are more likely than older adults to have read printed books in the past year, are more likely to appreciate reading in libraries, and are just as strong supporters of traditional library services as older adults, a new national report from the Pew Research Center shows. And, according to the survey of Americans ages 16–29, a majority of young adults say it is “very important” for libraries to have librarians and books for borrowing.
IMLS Says Libraries Key to Early Learning
By on June 20, 2013 Leave a Comment
The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading today unveiled a new report on the role of museums and libraries in early learning, and issued a call to action for policymakers, schools, funders, and parents to include these institutions in comprehensive early learning strategies.
Why Children’s Books Matter: Kid Lit Exhibit Opens at NYPL
By on June 19, 2013 Leave a Comment
Later this week, kid lit fans in New York will finally be able to view “The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter,” a fascinating new exhibit at the New York Public Library curated by children’s book historian Leonard S. Marcus. Marcus was given access to the library’s vast collection of artifacts, from which he culled 250 items—including the copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that belonged to Alice Liddell, the girl for whom Lewis Carroll wrote the book.
The Struggles of Summer: Volunteers and Guests | Fresh Paint
By on June 17, 2013 Leave a Comment
You’re in a room with 65 teen volunteers waiting to be trained on the Summer Reading Program. You thought of the perfect icebreaker for the group: “What is your favorite memory of the summer reading program?” Crickets… And then it hits you. They don’t have any favorite memories of a summer reading program. They don’t even know what a summer reading program is, save the fact that it’s a volunteer opportunity. Why? Because they’ve never participated in a Summer Reading Program (SRP).
ISTE Hopes ConnectEd Stirs Political Will to Fully Fund E-Rate
By on June 13, 2013 Leave a Comment
The White House’s announcement last week of the ConnectEd initiative, President Obama’s urging of the FCC to overhaul the E-Rate program, is only the first step in what must be a larger, committed effort to fully fund technology in our nation’s schools and libraries, the International Society for Technology in Education says.
ALA Hopeful, Excited by White House Push to Overhaul E-Rate Funding
By on June 7, 2013 1 Comment
The White House’s announcement Thursday that it is urging the FCC to overhaul E-Rate—the program that provides discounted Internet access and telecommunications services to U.S. schools and libraries—is an important and nearly unprecedented step forward in closing the digital divide, the American Library Association tells SLJ.
Rally for NYC Public Libraries; Christopher Awards Gala
By on May 24, 2013 Leave a Comment
NYC Councilmembers and other library supporters gathered on the steps of City Hall to protest proposed cuts to library funding. Warren St. John and Jo S. Kittinger were both presented with Christopher Awards on May 23.
NYC Kids Rally for Libraries; City Council Members Urge Full Funding
By on May 22, 2013 Leave a Comment
More than a dozen New York City Council members, the presidents of New York’s three library systems, and several hundred librarians, library staff, supporters, advocates, and children from nearby schools rallied on the steps of city hall to protest $106 million in proposed funding cuts. Council members Jimmy Van Bramer and Vincent J. Gentile also pledged to introduce legislation that would create a baseline of stable funding for the city’s public library services.
It Takes Two: Up Close with Librarians Margaux DelGuidice and Rose Luna
By on May 16, 2013 2 Comments
“[Our] library in Freeport is the heart of that community,” says 2013 Mover & Shaker Margaux DelGuidice, who shares duties with fellow honoree Rose Luna at the Freeport Memorial Library in Long Island, NY. These two powerhouses also hold full-time teacher librarian positions at two area high schools, and have devoted countless hours to professional advocacy. In our interview, they share their inspirations and passions, their best practices for constructive collaboration, and their goals for the future of libraries.
Loving Lovecraft: Nebraska Teens Host Life-Size ‘Arkham Horror’ Game
By on May 14, 2013 10 Comments
Three cheers for Miskatonic University! That’s the rallying cry of the La Vista Public Library (NE)’s teen advisory board—who, under the guidance of youth librarian and advisor Lindsey Tomsu, 2013 Mover & Shaker—turned its 2012 Teen Read Week into a massive celebration of the works of H. P. Lovecraft, complete with crafts, workshops, and a life-sized version of the complex, cooperative Arkham Horror board game based on the Cthulhu Mythos.
We’re Ready for You! Planning for Summer Reading | Fresh Paint
By on May 10, 2013 Leave a Comment
The Summer Reading Program is Loudon County Public Library’s biggest event of the year, and for the first time, residents of the Gum Spring area will have the chance to experience it at our new library. We’re hoping for a record turn-out for our 9-week program, In Your Backyard… and Beyond.
Architects of Dreams: Anythink’s Pam Sandlian Smith on the Power of Children’s Librarians
By on May 1, 2013 2 Comments
Anythink’s dynamic director explores how children’s services librarians will shape the future of libraries, libraries as places of discovery and experience, and the shift toward participatory librarianship.
Sullivan Award Goes to Kathleen Reif
By on April 29, 2013 Leave a Comment
Kathleen Reif, director of St. Mary’s County Library, Leonardtown, MD, is the 2013 recipient of Peggy Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children. The Sullivan Award, administered by the American Library Association (ALA), is presented annually to an individual in a library administrator role who has shown exceptional understanding and support of public library service to children. The award will be presented at the ALA President’s Program, Sunday, June 30, at the Annual Conference in Chicago.
Making It Work: NY Library Hosts Own ‘Project Runway’ for Kids
By on April 23, 2013 Leave a Comment
What better way to engage and inspire a group of fashion-conscious kids than by creating a design competition modeled after the hit reality show Project Runway? Thanks to the efforts of children’s librarian Frances Grossman-Goldberg—and a little help from The Weinstein Company, Mood Fabrics, and L’oreal.Paris—a group of teens and tweens at the Pomonok branch of the Queens Borough Public Library (NY) had the experiences of a lifetime this past winter.
Fresh Paint: Membership and Censorship
By on April 16, 2013 2 Comments
No matter how many school classrooms I visit, tours I lead, or new patrons I welcome into the library, I cannot help but stare in shock every time I am asked, “What is the cost of a membership?” Once I realize they aren’t asking me a reference question (the local Costco fee is $55 per household, and the nearest gym charges $83 per month) I respond, “Unless you drop a book in the bath tub or return something past its due date we will never charge you for anything—ever—at this library.”
Children’s Librarians, Architects of Dreams | SLJ’s Public Library Think Tank
By on April 9, 2013 Leave a Comment
“The power of books is profound, but power does start in the children’s room. When we connect children with books…we are introducing them to the world,” says Pam Sandlian Smith, director of Colorado’s Anythink Libraries and opening keynote speaker at our first Public Library Leadership Think Tank on Friday. Among the day’s emerging themes: dreaming big, collaboration, innovation, creating community, and believing in the power of kids (and kids’ librarians) to change the world.
