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The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is a network of more than 4,200 children’s and youth librarians, children’s literature experts, publishers, education and library school faculty members, and other adults committed to improving and ensuring the future of the nation through exemplary library service to children, their families, and others who work with children.
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By: Guest Contributor,
on 8/24/2012
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You know you should go to the ALA Annual Conference. It’s on your to-do list, right? Your professors and colleagues tell you it’s a great experience and you drool over the list of literary and library celebrities that will be appearing. But then you think, it will be so expensive! There’s the airfare, the hotel, not to mention juggling school, work, and all the other things in our busy lives.
Well, I’m here to tell you to do it! The benefits of the conference are well worth the time and energy. There’s nothing like seeing how the ideas and theories in our textbooks are applied by real people in the real library world.
The ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim was my first. I was excited, yet intimidated. So many people, sessions, booths, venues! I felt completely overwhelmed. Luckily, I happened upon a mentor who took me under her wing and guided me through the conference. Although my mentor experience was informal, ALA and the New Members Round Table (NMRT) also provide a formal mentor program.
If you have the opportunity to chat with your mentor before you get to the conference, do it! If I hadn’t talked with my mentor before the conference I wouldn’t have known to bring my resume to be reviewed at the ALA Job Placement Center, nor would I have attended the Newbery Caldecott Banquet or the Coretta Scott King Awards Breakfast, both unforgettable experiences. Ask your mentor any questions you can think of about preparing for the conference, even if they seem trivial. For instance, I learned from my mentor that the USPS generally has a booth in the exhibit hall and that it’s much easier to just ship all those ARCs and nifty book bags back home instead of stuffing them into a suitcase.
Prior to attending the conference, I was pretty intimidated by ALA and ALSC. They seemed like huge, impersonal national organizations. Going to the conference and getting to meet members in person has really humanized the organizations for me. I learned that members truly want library science students to get involved. They want to help us figure things out by answering our questions.
Although I feel that I am just starting out, I now see that my fresh ideas and energy are welcomed and valued by ALA and ALSC. So I hope to see you at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, you know I’ll be there with bells on.
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Our guest blogger today is Amy Seto Musser. Amy lives in Seattle, WA and is currently earning her MLS online with Texas Woman’s University. She looks forward to becoming a children’s librarian in a public library and drawing on her theatre experience to develop interactive programming for kids. You can follow Amy online on her blog: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/
If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.
I cannot tell you the number of times I have seen an adaptation of Peter Pan. I know as a young girl I watched my VHS tapes of Mary Martin in the 1960 musical adaptation over and over again. Just last night I watched the 2011 Sy-Fy/BBC miniseries Neverland.
Why do we love Peter Pan so much? Why has a successful play first staged in 1904 held such a grip on our collective imaginations for more than 100 years? We love Peter so much there is even a film about his creator, J.M. Barrie, the man who scripted Peter’s adventures in Neverland and then turned them into a beloved novel in 1911.
The secret to i
ts longevity is in the very first line of the novel. “All children, except one, grow up.” The story of the boy who can’t grow up speaks to the child in all of us. For children, the existence of Peter and Neverland seems like a truth. As Tony Diterlizzi says in his introduction to the Puffin Classics edition, “…you will know exactly all the wondrous things that J.M. Barrie writes about. That’s because almost all children know how to fly, know that fairies are real, and know that Peter will rescue them when they need rescuing.” For adults and not-quite children, the book can evoke powerful memories of blissful, stress-free days of childhood adventures.
As noted above, adaptations, re-imaginings, and new origin stories are abundant. Neverland appears to be the most recent film adaptation. Currently streaming on Netflix, I didn’t adore this version of Peter. He was a little too angst-y, and I missed the cheeky, brash Peter from the novel. For a better live-action Peter, I recommend the Disney-and-Barrie-Estate authorized 2003 live-action version, starring Jeremy Sumpter. Peter, on the verge of puberty, is not quite sure what to do with his feelings (angst!) but still has the laugh and swagger that the part requires. And Jason Isaac’s Hook is sublime.
As I mentioned above, I’m a huge fan of the Mary Martin version of the musical. In our library, we can barely keep Dave Barry’s Peter and the Starcatchers on our shelves, and critics seemed to like the stage adaptation of Barry’s novel so much that it’s being turned into (you guessed it!) a movie. And
By: smdillon,
on 8/22/2012
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I was unable to attend the pre-conference at ALA Annual in Anaheim, but I did end up getting the resource Growing Schools: Librarians as Professional Developers. This is an inspiring work that outlines several school librarians’ forays into the world of being leaders in professional development at their institutions. Different topics and avenues into professional development are explored ranging from lesson study, to action research, to information management. (Click on the link above to get a preview of the table of contents).
While each and every chapter would not work for me in my own institution, each was an inspiring look into capital “C” change. Many school librarians can identify with the idea of wanting to help teachers, yet not making that connection. Growing Schools gives librarians tips and insights, as well as overviews of entire programs, in how to make those connections, and get administrators and teachers in schools to view librarians as leaders and go-to specialists.
This is a must read for all school librarians.
By: Dan Rude,
on 8/21/2012
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You have four more days to enter to win a Nook and a Book!
The deadline for the ALSC eBadge Contest has been extended. To allow more members to enter, the Friends of ALSC and the ALSC Membership Committee are moving the entry due date from Monday, August 20, 2012 to Friday, August 24, 2012.
Help ALSC design a new e-badge/ribbon and win a Nook and a Book! ALSC wants your help in designing a new badge that members can proudly display on their email signature lines or blogs. The contest is sponsored by the Friends of ALSC and the ALSC Membership Committee.
Submitting your entry is easy! All you need is an IDEA and a DESCRIPTION.
IDEA (there are three ways to submit your idea):
- Create your badge using construction paper, scissors, markers, glue, etc. Take a picture (JPEG or GIF)
Create your badge using software such as Adobe Illustrator, Paint, or any other design software and submit it as a file (JPEG or GIF)
Write down an idea, describing in specific detail the colors, text, and images associated with the badge, submit as a written idea
DESCRIPTION:
All entries must include a brief description (100 words or less) of why the badge represents ALSC members. This description will be used for voting.
Once you have your IDEA + DESCRPTION, using the subject “ALSC eBadge Contest,” email it to Dan Rude.
The contest is open to all ALSC personal members. Submissions must be received by 11:59 PM CST on Friday, August 24 2012. To learn more about the ALSC Design-an-eBadge Contest or to enter, please visit: http://www.ala.org/alsc/ebadge-contest.
By: Dan Rude,
on 8/19/2012
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If you aren’t already excited enough by the 75th anniversary of the Caldecott Medal, than ALSC has something for you. New Caldecott-themed webinars.
Over the next next year, ALSC will offer a four-part series of webinars focused on the Caldecott Medal. One looks at the principles for illustrating a great picture book. Another examines techniques for bringing books and children together through classroom and library programming. New webinars will be announced soon.
One of the best parts? These are free for ALSC members! Thinking about becoming an ALSC member? You could save up to $165! Registration for nonmembers is $55 for individuals and $195 for groups. Registration is limited to 95 participants.
September
The Fine Art of Children’s Book Illustration
Tuesday, September 18, 2012 from 3 – 4 pm Central
Instructor: Dilys Evans, author and artist
November
The Fine Art of Children’s Book Illustration
Thursday, November 8, 2012 from 3 – 4 pm Central
Instructor: Dilys Evans, author and artist
February
Expanding the Caldecott Experience: Programming with Caldecott Winning and Honor Books
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 from 11 am – Noon Central
Instructor: Gene Nelson, library director and past Caldecott committee member
April
Expanding the Caldecott Experience: Programming with Caldecott Winning and Honor Books
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 from 6 – 7 pm Central
Instructor: Gene Nelson, library director and past Caldecott committee membe
The Summer Reading Program at the Wichita Falls Public Library in Wichita Falls, TX came to a close at the end of July. This summer, we were fortunate to be the recipients of the ALSC/BWI Summer Reading Program Grant, which enabled the library to provide quality programs to youth of all ages in our community. Our theme this summer was Get a Clue…at the Library, and many of our programs involved a mystery aspect. Some of our mystery-themed programs included:
Murder Mystery Night: Our original plan was to have staff members perform a murder mystery play for our patrons. However, time and staffing constraints caused us to come up with a Plan B, which consisted of inviting the Actors Creating Together 4H Club to put on the murder mystery. Rather than putting on a play, we created crime scenes throughout the library, in the Youth Department, Teen Zone and Bookstore. Each costumed actor stood by their crime scene, and fifty participants walked through each scene, analyzed the evidence and interrogated the characters. This was a family program for all ages that was held in the evening and had a very positive response from patrons.
- Spy Camp: For our younger patrons, children ages 4 to 9, we held a spy camp. Over 100 patrons participated in this event, which was an hour long program that was comprised of five different stations:
- Mystery Drink Station: We had two different kinds of soda as our mystery drinks. Children got a sample of each and had to try to guess which was which.
- Laser Field Station: We set up a pretend laser field by using red yarn and crepe paper. Children had to navigate through the field without touching the lasers. This one was a big hit!
- Diffuse the Bomb Station: We played a game of hot potato by using a pretend bomb made out of a Styrofoam ball that had been painted black and a white pipe cleaner and flame-colored tissue paper for the fuse.
- Decoding Station: Young children played a game of ISPY and older children solved a code that led them to their prizes.
- Disguise Station: Children were able to pick up their take-home craft at this station. All good spies need a disguise, so we packed gallon-sized bags with craft supplies to make a paper plate mask.
- Tween/Teen DNA and Fingerprinting Workshop: Tweens and teens ages 10 to 18 were invited to participate in the DNA and Fingerprinting Workshop. Four members of the Wichita Falls Police Department came into the library to teach the teens and tweens about detective work, such as how to dust for fingerprints. Afterwards, the thirty participants put their newfound skills to the test by analyzing crime scenes that the police officers had set up in the library. They were also invited to tour the police department’s crime scene van. This program was particularly popular with the tweens. It was registration only and had a decent sized waiting list by the day of the program.
In addition to our mystery-themed programs, we also offered weekly crafts, gaming days, various performers, and, of course, storytime. This year, during our storytimes, we had sign language interpreters come in to translate during the stories so that the hearing impaired children o
One minute I was in graduate school studying public policy in Massachusetts, and the next minute I was tooling through the bush in Central Africa visiting primary schools where chickens roamed through classrooms, and school roofs blew off in the rain.
Laugh with the Moon (Random House, 2012) grew out of the incredibly eye-opening experience I had, in a country where the average life expectancy is now 54 years old. The trip changed my life, and I wanted to share my experience with young people in the United States.
Laugh with the Moon follows the journey of Clare Silver, a 13-year-old American girl whose father brings her to Malawi, Africa, because he thinks it will help her heal following the death of her mother. Clare soon finds herself surrounded by children all too familiar by loss, and slowly, they teach her how to grieve and how to cope.
Enrolled in a rural primary school, Clare is aghast at the conditions. Fifty three books 
for all the students in the school to share! No posters on the walls! Hardly any pencils or paper! Clare’s shock becomes all the more pressing when she’s asked to teach the class of standard one students—all 176 of them!
Soon, though, Clare’s friends show her how they not only manage, but also to thrive. Memory and Innocent teach her how to make alphabet letters from termite hill mud, and how children can learn to write by using sticks in the dirt. No chalk? Not a problem. Go into the bush and search for a cassava root to use instead.
Once Clare begins work in the standard one classroom, her own creativity overwhelms her initial sense of helplessness, as she makes posters from empty grain sacks, and even uses the tin roof that blew off the classroom block as a stage for her students’ play.
However, when Clare’s new friends take her on an outing to see the country, the trip goes horribly wrong. It is because of this adventure gone awry, that Clare ends up inside the local hospital where her father works. She sees for herself the empty white walls, the young patients sharing beds, and the supply closet that is empty of medicine patients desperately need.
Clare, Memory, Saidi and Agnes decide to fix up the hospital for the children inside. They mix paints from flowers they find in the bush, and create murals on bed sheets which the nurse hangs on the walls inside.
In Laugh with the Moon, African characters innovate left and right, and Clare learns to emulate their survival skills. And this ingenuity is drawn from what I witnessed firsthand during my visit to Malawi.
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Our guest blogger today is Shana Burg. Shana is the author of A Thousand Never Evers (Random House, 2008) and Laugh with the Moon (Random House, 2012). Both novels are for tween, teen, and adult readers. You can visit Shana at www.shanaburg.com, follow her on Twitter @ShanaBurgWrites or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/S
Every kid in our SRP received one of these highly coveted bags.
Our Summer Reading Program ended August 11 after 9 wild weeks. Almost all the children’s librarians at our 72 branches and Central Library reported record numbers of kids registering for the club and attending events. Was it the heat? The lack of summer school? The awesomeness of our SRP?
Now is the time to evaluate the summer, reflect on our successes and lessons learned, and start planning for next year.
Here’s how we’re evaluating our SRP:
- Counting registration numbers – While they don’t tell the whole story by a long shot, they can be quite revealing. Ours zoomed up this year, hurray! And many were first-timers, as we discovered from our surveys (see below).
- Counting minutes read and books read – We just started doing this last year. While the success of a program doesn’t necessarily hang on how many minutes were read, our administration, board of commissioners, city council, and donors sure like to hear this information. After all, we’re combating “summer slide” with every minute kids spend reading.
- Counting number of kids still participating at the end of summer – Every child, no matter how much he or she reads, is eligible to enter a drawing at the end of summer to win a trip to Disneyland. Comparing the number of prize entries to the number of registrations is fascinating and frustrating. How can we keep more kids interested and engaged all summer long?
- Surveying kids – We contribute to the California Library Association’s Summer Reading Outcomes Project, so we use the project’s survey (with some tweaks) to learn what kids think about the SRP and the library. This data is pure gold!
- Measuring the success of our outreach efforts – Each of our children’s librarians comes up with a customized plan to woo non-users to their libraries, targeting a specific group and setting goals. Were they achieved? How can we be more successful at attracting new families to our libraries?
- Surveying children’s librarians – No one can tell Youth Services more about what worked and what didn’t than the folks running the program on the front lines. We solicit information, advice and great ideas on all aspects of the SRP from our children’s librarians at the end of every summer.
We are collecting and compiling all this data now. Imagine the thousands of surveys and prize tickets piling up in the Youth Services office! And think of the juicy data we’ll get from it all.
After we compile it, we’ll create and submit reports, meet with our 2013 Children’s Summer Reading Program Committee – and start planning next year’s program, which will be (as we vow every year) LAPL’s Best Summer Reading Program Ever!
By: Megan Smith,
on 8/15/2012
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We have our future planned out, but as they say, life has a way of happening to us while we were making other plans. Just when we think we have it all figured out, our experiences have a way of surprising us. In library school we all visualized what the future would hold, but reality may have taught us some new lessons. What do you wish you learned when you started library school that you know now as a professional librarian? For me, life as a children’s librarian (and now as a branch manager) has provided me with at least three major life lessons, and I’m sure the future will only bring more.
Change Your Perspective
Changing perspective keeps energy high in the workplace.
When I began my first position as Youth Services Manager, I viewed children’s services as a department within the greater library system. In my mind, it was a critical part within library services, but it was separate and distinct from other departments. Now years, experiences, and a position later, I see youth services connected to each and every aspect of serving the public. I now understand how the influx of patrons attending children’s programming directly ties into circulation figures and our adult computer usage. Customers who visit the library first for assistance with their library accounts or their reference needs also often visit children’s services before they walk out the door. Opportunities for cross-training and collaboration with other departments helped me realize that while it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an entire library system to raise a young reader. Has your work experience changed how you view the role of youth services within your library system?
Criticize with Control
As children’s librarians and supervisors, we’re taught that evaluation is a central component of our professional work. I’ve been blessed to see staff give and receive constructive feedback that will only improve the final product or work performance. Unfortunately in our society, it’s a lot easier to tear something (or someone) apart than to provide constructive feedback that will actually improve whatever it is that we’re evaluating. If there is no thought to individual merit but simply a laundry list of criticisms, it is clear there’s a lack of critical thinking instead of constructive intent. Criticize with purpose, but most importantly, know when to stop.
Never Say Never
Being open to change leads to new ideas.
The third lesson I’ve learned is to be open to opportunities, no matter how unusual they may seem. I’m sure we’ve all known former classmates who were so confident in their specific career path when they were library school students, but their professional work has veered into a concentration they never expected. Being well-rounded is necessary, not only in library school but to make us more marketable in an uncertain job market. Being well-rounded is a necessity to thrive in our current library positions in the here and now as workloads change and responsibilities shift. I’ve learned to embrace those work assignments that initially appear outside my comfort zone. It’s those challenging (and rewarding) projects t
The ALSC Blog is looking for people interested in microblogging during the upcoming 2012 National Institute in September. Some of the topics being covered at this workshop include using technology in your programming, what’s hot in children’s spaces, using local partnerships to improve programming and working with underserved populations. If you are interested in lending your thoughts about the Institute to the blog, and letting readers know about some of the things you’re learning, contact us at alscblog@gmail.com. We’d love to have your contributions!
And, if you are interested in attending the Institute, remember that ALSC members can save up to $60 by registering before August 24th.
For years librarians have sought out bilingual books–books that included both English and another language. We continue to do so and, in fact, several recent posts on listservs have asked for potential sources for these bilingual books. They are seen as important tools in the development of literacy and are aides in learning a second language. Reading skills transfer across languages and if you can read in one language you can read in another as you learn another language. What I’m finding interesting now is the increasing availability of polyglot, or trilingual, books. Yes, we’ve had a few books in the past that include rhymes, phrases, or son
gs in multiple languages, but each entry has usually been in English and one other language. I’m curious whether the increase in polyglot books is a trend that will continue and I’m also interested in how the books are being used in storytimes and with young children.
The Little Pim book series by Julia Pinsleur Levine recently released sever
al board books with different sections of the text in English, Spanish, and French so that the child being read to can learn words in all three languages. Little Pim, the trademark panda, is featured in stories that showcase colors, feelings, animals, and numbers. Each page has some task for him, such as finding the red item or identifying the happy face, and pull tabs or flaps that reveal the answer or the correct item.
Another concept book, Counting With Cats Who Dream by C
ara Armstrong was originally going to be published only in English and French. The story features short vignettes about different cats, where they live, and what they dream about as the reader counts cats from one to ten. I was asked to read an advance copy of the book and comment on it. Part of my feedback was that the book would be even more useful for a bilingual/multicultural storytime if it were also available in Spanish. Sometimes publishers do listen and the story is now to be released in the three languages.
So how are librarians using books with multiple languages? Do they work for storytimes? Are parents who want their child to be able to speak more than one –or even two– languages finding them? What other languages will we start to see mixed in with English and Spanish? Are young children learning to count cats in multiple languages? What other titles are out there? Please share your experiences.
Enter to win at http://www.ala.org/alsc/ebadge-contest
You have one more week to enter for a chance to win a Nook and a Book!
ALSC is accepting submissions for the E-Badge/Ribbon Contest which is sponsored by the Friends of ALSC and the ALSC Membership Committee. You can enter by submitting an idea for a new badge that members can proudly display on their email signature lines or blog. Submissions must be received by Monday, August 20, 2012 at 11:59pm Central.
The contest is open to all personal members of ALSC. One entry per member. There are several ways to enter. The more creative you are the better!
- Create your badge using construction paper, scissors, markers, glue, etc. Take a picture (JPEG or GIF)
- Create your badge using software such as Adobe Illustrator, Paint, or any other design software and submit it as a file (JPEG or GIF)
- Write down an idea, describing in specific detail the colors, text, and images associated with the badge, submit as a written idea.
Once you have your idea, using the subject “ALSC eBadge Contest” email it with your 100 word-or-less description (see below) to Dan Rude, drude@ala.org. Submissions must be received by Monday, August 20 at 11:59 PM CST.
IMPORTANT: Even with a photo/design file entries must include a brief description (100 words or less) of why the badge represents ALSC members. This description will be used for voting.
Good luck!
Are you back-to-school shopping for professional development opportunities? Here are three chances to celebrate the Caldecott Award’s 75th anniversary this September.
The Fine Art of Children’s Book Illustration webinar will focus on the 10 principles for illustrating a great picture book. Following each principle there will be illustrations of images from children’s books to illuminate the principle. The artists featured include David Wiesner – winner of 3 gold Caldecott medals to Betsy Lewin the illustrator of the wildly successful “Click Clack Moo” series to a more recent Caldecott winner Brian Selznick creator of Hugo Cabret now an Oscar winning motion picture.
The ALSC Institute will be the kick-off to the Caldecott Award’s 75th anniversary celebration and will feature a very special Breakfast for Bill panel discussion to commemorate the occasion. This panel will feature past Caldecott Award winners and honorees Denise Fleming, Kevin Henkes and Eric Rohmann, as well as the director of the Mazza Museum: International Art from Picture Books, Ben Sapp. This star-studded event is sure to dazzle and inspire with additional award-winning authors and illustrators scheduled to speak at the Institute including: Peter Brown, Gary Paulsen, April Pulley Sayre, Doreen Rappaport and Bryan Collier.
The ALSC Facebook page will host monthly Q&A Facebook forums with Caldecott award winning authors and illustrators beginning in September. All you need to do is log on and join the conversation. Stay tuned for details.
For information about these events or to find more ways to celebrate the Caldecott 75th Anniversary, check out http://www.ala.org/alsc/Caldecott75
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/4268864706/sizes/m/
Yesterday, I had to say goodbye to a lot of my storytime friends because they’re going to school this fall. To help ease them into this transition and get ready for school, I made our last summer storytime all about school. With less than a week until school starts in one of our districts, I hope that the kids will remember that school means friends and teachers and happy times instead of worry.
One of my new favorite school books is “Foxy” by Emma Dodd. Emily is nervous about her first day of school and hasn’t gotten all the supplies she needs. But Foxy’s magic tail can easy provide her a pencil, right? Magic hijinks ensue and I think the ending hits the perfect note of reassurance without being overly sweet. And my parents and kids agreed with me!
Since I know many of us are facing that time of year when nervous kids and parents are appearing in droves, I thought I would share some more school books!
- Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? by Audrey Vernick
- It’s Time for Preschool by Esmé Raji Codell
- Kindergarten Diary by Antoinette Portis
- The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
- Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney
- Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins
- Mouse’s First Day of School by Lauren Thompson
- Pete the Cat: Rocking In My School Shoes by Eric Litwin
- Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton
- Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
- Wow! School! by Robert Neubecker
Did I forget your favorite? Let me know in the comments!
- Katie Salo
Youth Services Manager
Melrose Park Library
http://storytimekatie.com
Recently I held a Library Survivor Lock-in in partnership with the local RCMP detachment. The participants were aged 7-12, and we gave them several library, craft, and first-aid tasks for their teams. Building a newspaper survival hut was no problem, nor was creating a paper, tape, and pipe cleaner hat.
RCMP officer locks the doors
They passed a survival quiz, and quickly caught on to the method of splinting a broken wrist; one clever boy thought of rolling a magazine to make a splint. But when it came to looking up the author of
Treasure Island or finding the call number for First Aid books (no, it is not 911), they were in deep waters without a life jacket. If their lives depended on knowing what “alphabetical order” meant, they’d be up a creek. This shocked and saddened me to no end. Why didn’t they know how to do this? 12-year olds had no clue how to even look on the library catalogue to find a book’s author or call number. They were using Google, even though every computer had the library catalogue up. They had to leave that page and go to a browser! Filled with dismay, I began to do some quick soul-searching. You may by now realize that I do not work every day with the public, or perhaps this would not have been such a shock to me. These kids educated me. No-one has bothered to teach them library skills. No-one has asked them to use the library catalogue to find a book. No-one has taught them how to find a book once they know the call number. No-one has taught them what a call number is. We will be teaching them library skills for the rest of the summer in computer camps, you can be sure. But what about those empty libraries at their schools? The lack of school librarians and their importance is certainly clear to me, more so right now than in a long time.
I am holding out some hope for these kids. I won’t even begin to lament their reading comprehension skills, or their ability to follow directions. But I sure am glad that they will survive the zombie apocalypse, armed with newspaper, iPods, and chocolate bars.
Like a lot of good ideas, this one was on PUBYAC. We loved the idea and immediately started collecting cars, paper towel tubes and gift wrap tubes from staff. In the planning stages we fell into a donation of a big stack of slightly yellowed poster board (yes!) and stickers from the local Barnes & Noble so our costs were exactly: $0.
The auditorium was set up with two each of three different “Creation Stations”.
Creation Station: Play Mat
- Create a play mat with roads, road signs, places to park or buildings. Use your imagination!
At this station we put out the lovely posterboard, stickers, markers,and tape.
Creation Station: Race Track!
- Design a cardboard tube race track.
- Cut the tubes, tape them together or tape them to chairs to make a downhill race track.
- Decorate your cardboard tube race track with markers or stickers, if you wish.
For this station we provided tubes, scissors, tape, markers & stickers. At the end we had cardboard tube tracks running up, down and all around the room. Kids (and their grown ups) got creative and made some amazing tracks.
Creation Station: Lego®s
Use your imagination to create a:
- Garage
- Mini-vehicle
- Car wash
- Race car pit stop
- Gas station
- ??????
For this station we put out our supply of Lego®s.
Kids had access to our box of mini-vehicles so they could play and test their tracks while they created. They were welcome to take home their creations (except for the Lego®s, or course) and many did. We had sixty people attend and the program lasted for about an hour and a half. The buzz of excitement in the room was amazing; they were thrilled to create and play and have fun together. Thanks Penny & PUBYAC for the fantastic idea!
ALSC is hosting two Community Forums this week and all members are invited to attend!
At the 2012 ALA Annual Conference, the ALSC Board of Directors discussed a proposal by the Budget Committee to implement a change in the ALSC dues structure. The Board of Directors and ALSC President Carolyn Brodie would like your input. Please join them at one of two Community Forums on ALSC’s ALA Connect site. Your two opportunities to join the conversation are:
- Wednesday, August 8 at 2 PM EST (1 PM CST, 12 PM MDT, 11 AM PST)
Thursday, August 9 at 11 AM EST (10 AM CST, 9 AM CDT, 8 AM PST)
The first half of the discussion will be a Board update from the 2012 ALA Annual Conference. The second half will include a discussion of a possible change in ALSC dues structure.
Members are encouraged to attend at either of these times or both. Can’t make it to either time? Even after the Forum ends, the conversation continues on ALA Connect. ALSC will be posting other questions and a transcript from the live Forum. Whether or not you can join in the live Forum, please add your voice by leaving a comment. To read more information about the proposed changes, please check out the Budget Adjustment FAQ (log-in required).
Need help accessing the ALSC Community Forum? Visit the Community Forum section of the ALSC site for more information about getting logged on to ALA Connect. There are also links to previous ALSC Community Forums chats. Questions? Contact Dan Rude by email, drude@ala.org or by phone, 800-545-2433 ext 2164.
Log-in now to find the Community Forum chat room (log-in/password required).
And, so my year as ALSC President has begun with a month already past, can it really be August?
The weeks of July since ALA Annual Conference were very busy with an abundance of ALSC correspondence, reading post-conference committee reports, working on ALSC committee placements, creating charges for new task forces and for the new ALSC Website Advisory Committee and preparing for this week’s ALSC Community Forums. (I did manage to squeeze in a few days for Arkansas family to visit here during our Ohio heat wave. My southern relatives were very disappointed they experienced no relief from their summer heat during their days in Ohio!)
Our very busy and energetic annual conference was filled with a host of events that offered us the opportunities to connect through attending exemplary ALSC programs, meeting up on the exhibit floor and sharing dinner during our glamorous Newbery/Caldecott Banquet with the stellar speeches by Chris Raschka and Jack Gantos. We made even more connections with each other by attending ALSC 101, participating in committee meetings, chatting at parties or just running into each other on an Anaheim street.
It was indeed a great pleasure to meet with many ALSC members in Anaheim as we work together this next year and focus on this year’s theme of “Connecting Communities” that will focus in part on the goal area of “Advocacy” from our ALSC Strategic Plan. We will work on connecting through our communication and information venues, through our advocacy initiatives and through our programming.
When I had the chance to meet members, many asked great questions about our association’s work and many also expressed an interest in how to get involved in ALSC through committee work. It was rewarding and heartwarming to feel so much dedication from so many.
So, if you aren’t already serving on a committee — how do you volunteer your service to the ALSC community? Here is some information on how the ALSC committee appointment process works:
First, where do you find out more about the work and the structure of ALSC committees? Go to the ALSC Committees page to learn more about the possibilities. The page includes a link to ALSC Committees: A Guide to Participation that provides additional information.
The next step is to fill out a volunteer form which is available on the ALSC Website at www.ala.org/alsc. You’ll find the form under the “members” tab. Complete the form and make sure to note your background, note your experience in particular areas such as budget or programming. This extra information certainly helps in making a good committee match. Make sure to mark the appropriate box if you require a virtual assignment. It is also really important to clearly indicate your preferential choices (as many as you can where you have interest and/or experience) on the form, not just by priority group, but also by committee. If you’re willing to mark the box that says “I will serve wherever needed!” then that is great too!
Don’t hesitate to send your form in during any time of the year. There are unexpected vacancies that occur all during the year and new appointments are made when this happens. For example, during this past month, I made several replacement appointments. And, if you haven’t been appointed and it has been a while, please send in another form.
A great time to volunteer is February through June for the ALSC process committee appointments. Starr Latronica, our Vice-President/President-elect will make appointments to process committees (non-award committees) next spring. So certainly after the first of the year or after ALA Midwinter in Seattle, make sure to send your form for a p
By: Dan Rude,
on 7/30/2012
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Let’s get this out of the way: the Friends of ALSC and the ALSC Membership Committee are sponsoring a very cool contest for personal ALSC members. And the first prize is a Nook and a Book! Not too shabby.
To learn more about the contest, we’re offering a little FAQ that might help you refine your entry. Take a look:
What are e-badges/ribbons?
Badges are an emblem or an icon that signifies membership or status. An e-badge can be displayed on a website, on a blog, on a social networking site or in an email signature line. You might have seen badges like the one below, connected to people who were attending the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim.
The “I’m Attending” badge from the 2012 ALA Annual Conference is an example of an e-badge/ribbon.
How do I enter?
There are several ways to enter. The more creative you are the better!
- Create your badge using construction paper, scissors, markers, glue, etc. Take a picture (JPEG or GIF)
Create your badge using software such as Adobe Illustrator, Paint, or any other design software and submit it as a file (JPEG or GIF)
Write down an idea, describing in specific detail the colors, text, and images associated with the badge, submit as a written idea.
Once you have your idea, using the subject “ALSC eBadge Contest” email it with your 100 word-or-less description (see below) to Dan Rude, drude@ala.org. Submissions must be received by Monday, August 20 at 11:59 PM CST.
IMPORTANT: Even with a photo/design file entries must include a brief description (100 words or less) of why the badge represents ALSC members. This description will be used for voting.
What are you looking for?
ALSC is looking for a visual representation of ALSC. We would like a ribbon that captures our spirit, who we are, what we do, or what we stand for. It can be a slogan or an image or a combination of the two. It can be flashy or simple. Ribbons and e-badges are virtual/physical representations of a culture. YALSA has a ribbon with an image of a star and the slogan “Rock Star!” ASCLA has several ribbons, including “I Serve Youth in Custody” and “Deaf Cultures @Your Library”. What is fresh, appealing and expresses the spirit of ALSC? We want your ideas!
An “ALSC Member” ribbon with the ALSC logo already exists. With this contest we are seeking a totally new ribbon representing the themes, enthusiasm, or attitude of ALSC members. This is your chance to create the winning design!
How can I learn more?
Great question. To learn more about the ALSC Design-an-eBadge Contest or to enter, please visit: http://www.ala.org/alsc/ebadge-contest.
Remember submissions must be received by 11:59 PM CST on Monday, August 20, 2012. Good luck!
This past month, I finished my first full term as Wisconsin’s Chapter Councilor on the ALA Council. It has been a great adventure and I can hardly wait for the next two years of services as I continue my term. I have spent decades as an ALSC leader – serving on committees and as committee chair on process committees and even a time or two on an award committee. I have also spent decades as a leader in my own state association. Combining these two streams of process junkie-hood and leadership makes for a perfect preparation for Council.
When I first talked to my library colleagues both in state and nationally about my new Council service, the biggest surprise I had was how many sympathized for me and thanked me for serving in such a difficult assignment. What?!?! Were they nuts? I was looking forward to a new level of service and leadership. Was I missing something?
Happily, no. The Council of the past and the monster nightmare of people’s imaginations is not the ALA Council I serve on. There is certainly debate but the rancor is missing. People have been welcoming, have provided support and insight for me and I can say that after one year I am feeling like I am home. I am getting to know some smart, savvy caring people from all types of libraries and all library positions. I am making contacts across divisions as well and talking about the issues I care about and becoming more knowledgable about issues that matter to others. I am becoming stronger and smarter (I think!).
Just one little teeny tiny thing is missing for me. Youth colleagues and leaders from ALSC are very few and far between. I have plenty of youth peeps from YALSA and AASL but ALSC is sadly underrepresented. Where are you, my friends?
I know in the past we have had many more folks representing ALSC as at-large members. Would you like to consider joining our small but merry (and meaningful) band? It’s easy. You can submit your name to the nominations committee. You can petition for a spot on the ballot with a mere 25 signatures of ALA members which you can garner online.
It is amazing feeling to effect change on a divisional level and to work on behalf of youth librarianship and kids on that stage. It is an extraordinary feeling to do the same thing on the ALA Council level. Won’t you consider joining me there? I promise you, the water is fine….and fun!
Our guest blogger today is Marge Loch-Wouters, the Youth Services Coordinator at La Crosse (WI) Public Library. Marge is active in ALSC and blogs regularly about youth library services issues at Tiny Tips for Library Fun
If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.
We’ve been diligently sharing Mo Willems’s Elephant and Piggie books with the kids at our afterschool groups this school year and they love them and ask for them again and again. What else is there to do but offer an Elephant and Piggie program over the summer? But since the books have become so beloved in our community, we were a little wary about having overwhelming attendance at such an event, so we decided to go another way.
On Friday, June 22 (a truly random date, not one that has any particular relation to Mo Willems), we held Elephant and Piggie Day at our library. Instead of having an event with a limited number of kids for a limited amount of time, we set up stations all around the Children’s Room that we left up all day long. Families could bring children of all ages to do crafts and play games throughout the department. There was quite a bit of prep work to do, but we could do it far in advance and then the workload was relatively light on the actual day of the program. Plus, we were able to accommodate many more children than if we had held a regular library program.
Here’s what we had available for patrons:
Cardboard stand-ups for photos. We took some with our camera for the library’s Facebook page and many families also had phones or cameras to take pictures. You can also see the hats we made for Children’s Staff to wear on the day. (We got plain baseball caps at Hobby Lobby and printed out pictures on cardstock to velcro on.) My fabulous Miss T made the stand-ups and hats.
An Elephant and Piggie craft. We put out tables with all the supplies and posted the instructions on the wall and on the tables. We purchased cardstock, fun foam, and colored bags for this craft. This was also the most staff-intensive station as we had to replace craft supplies as they were used up.
An I’m -Invited-to-A-Party game. I got this idea from Mel’s Mo Willems Party and the kids loved it. Since our program was passive, we simply set out the costume boxes, instructions for the game, and the game cards that Miss T created. I think mostly kids just loved dressing up, but at least some of them played the game.
This is another game I stole from Mel!
We ran off some of the printables from Mo Willems&rs
Our library has story times for all ages, beginning with our Baby Steps (up to 18 months or so–parents “age” them out into the next story time when they are ready) all the way to our Preschool program. When I am approached by parents of toddlers about our Half Pints (18-30 months) or Toddler story times (2-3 year olds), I occasionally encounter a parent who thinks that his/her child must sit still for the entire 30-45 minute program. I am quick to reassure them that our story times for our very young patrons incorporate a good amount of movement (this depends on the “mood” and age of the overall crowd). If you have a very young group, or are looking for a story time with audience participation, try out these books for your next story time session:
As Quiet as a Mouse is a very simple story with audience participation moments on every page. Featuring a toddler boy who meets a variety of animals, the book encourages listeners to tiptoe, sneeze, clap, and roar like dinosaurs.
Here Are My Hands is perfect for young patrons who are learning the names of their body parts. Each page showcases a part and describes an activity that the narrator can do with his/her hands, feet, ears, etc.
Will You Carry Me? is the longest story in this bunch, and doesn’t offer much in the way of audience participation. I include it in this story time for several reasons: in order to get the children ready for the next appropriate age level story time, I increase the length of the stories as the semester goes on (we don’t register, but we do get a regular group with each program), and it’s such a fun and creative story about a tired boy and a mama who needs to get him home.
Finally–I know I don’t have to tell any of you about Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, but I included it in yesterday’s story time (on this theme) after not having used it in some time. It was an experience that reminded me (yet again) that familiarity is fun at this age. Oh, the squeals and ooohs that erupted when I showed the cover! I had several parents “reading” the book with me, which pleased me to no end. While I love introducing new and “new to you” books to my story time groups, reading a book together that we all love and know is just as joyous.
Do you have any favorites that offer opportunities for clapping, singing, chanting, etc? Let us know in the comments!
On Fridays, many poetry fans across the KidLitosphere take part in Poetry Friday. Here, today, I offer my first contribution to the weekly meme in honor of my favorite prop, an old brown sheet.
“Ode to an Old Brown Sheet”
You’ve been a “cocoon” from which “butterflies” spring.
“Caterpillars” crawl in, then emerge on the wing.
At the Teddy Bear Picnic you’ve been a dark cave.
There’s snoring inside; enter only if brave!
You’ve helped created theatre – a shadow play,
hiding the actors, keeping bright light at bay.
When you’re a tunnel, toddlers know what to do.
I teach over and under, but you teach them through.
And when I go visiting, pan and bags in my hand
you are my clothing; and don’t I look grand?
Perhaps you have a prop of your own that is deserving of an ode?
Have a wonderful weekend!
Each month, an ALSC member is profiled and we learn a little about their professional life and a bit about their not-so-serious side. Using just ten questions, we try to keep the profiles fun while highlighting the variety of members in our organization. This month, our candidate bravely volunteered to participate. So, without further ado, welcome to our ALSC profile, ten questions with ALSC member, Lynda Salem-Poling.
1. What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?
I’m a Youth Services Librarian in Long Beach, CA. My 14 year anniversary here in Long Beach will be in August. Before that I worked as a paraprofessional librarian at my grad school library. And before that I paged for about 6 years. (YAY, pages!)
2. How long have you been an ALA member? Why did you join ALSC? Do you belong to any other ALA divisions or roundtables?
I’ve been a member of ALA for 13 years, and an ALSC member for just as long. I joined shortly after starting as a full-time librarian so that I could access all of the resources that ALA and ALSC provide. I’m also a member of YALSA, PLA, and IFRT.
3. Elephant or Piggie or Fly Guy?
Oooo…I am Elephant AND Piggie. Both a bit shy and thoughtful and bouncy and exuberant.
4. What do you hope to accomplish in your professional career?
My dream is to serve on the Newbery Committee. I look forward to the Newbery announcement with the same fervor that some save for the Oscars.
5. What’s your favorite book to read aloud?
I love, love, love to read Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester. The louder and more off-key you sing “How many toes does a fish have?” the better, I think. I also love chanting the hunters’ march (as a matter of fact, I used to say it while I chased my daughter around when she was a toddler). I think I’m Tacky, too.
6. E-books or Print?
Depends. What am I doing? Paper books still have the feel advantage (ooo the heft and the paper) but there is something to having a book in my pocket at all times.
7. Do you have a “guilty pleasure” TV show?
I will deny this to my dying day, but I love (and miss now that my daughter’s too old and my son’s too young) The Backyardigans.
8. What movie monster would you hate to find under your bed?
I would feel really bad if The Blob was stuck with hiding under my bed. It would get covered with all the dust under there and might choke on the toys. It would wind up looking like a tribble. The plus side for me would be that I wouldn’t have to sweep under there anymore.
9. Eating out or eating at home?
Both. My husband and I are both foodies. We love the eating out experience, and we love to cook. My husband was a line cook for years and he’s taught me a lot about cooking.
10. Favorite part of being a Children’s Librarian?
I love helping children look for information, especially when it isn’t for school, but something that just interests them. I also love storytimes and play groups. And I love learning or creating crafts for the older kids. And I love selecting (and deselecting) books for the collection. And I love giving b
One of our most dedicated and reliable volunteers we have at our library is young man who is going into 10th Grade. He comes to the library every Saturday precisely at 9 am. He has impeccable attention to detail and is able to manage a variety of responsibilities. He is quick to shelve and is eager to take on new tasks. As the new Head of Children’s Services at my library, I was so happy to see that we had a resident of the community–someone who had used the library all throughout his life–now volunteering and making a difference at his local library. I was even more pleased when I found out that this young man is a person with special needs.
If you already have a teen volunteer program at your library to help out in the Children’s Department, consider opening it up to teens with special needs. It may not be anything you’ve considered before, but I assure you the payoff is well worth it. Here’s a few things I’ve learned along the way.
One of the first things I do after hearing about a volunteer’s interest in the library is to schedule an orientation meeting. This is a great opportunity for me to get to know the person who will be helping out at the library and learn about strengths and interests. You also want to make sure to keep track of the volunteer’s contact information, in case you should need to get in touch with him. The key here is to be sure to involve family members in this process–there isn’t anyone who knows this volunteer better, after all! During the meeting, though, I do my best to make sure I’m not having the parent speak for your volunteer. If your volunteer can interact with me in a dialogue, I prepare myself with clear and concise questions, so as to avoid any misunderstanding. Depending on the special need, it may work more smoothly to direct comments and questions to the caregiver. But I’ve noticed if I take the time to speak slowly and clearly and wait for responses, I usually have a positive interaction.
It’s also important to match the task with your volunteer’s ability. Some volunteers may enjoy for sorting things or organizing materials in numerical or alphabetical order. Others may prefer to be more active around the library and do things like cleaning, dusting shelves, or watering plants. Maybe your volunteer is interested in assisting with preparing craft materials. It’s handy to keep an on-going list of various tasks of things you need done around the department. Then, as you learn about your volunteer’s strengths and interests, you can assign duties that you think will be a good fit. This is key. As you assign a task, you are also setting up an expectation. So, be aware of the expectations you are creating and if they are within the realm of your volunteer’s abilities.
Most importantly, be friendly and flexible. Whether it is you or another staff member who is charged with coordinating volunteers, remember that simple things like saying “Hello” and “How are you?” go a long way. Even if your volunteer does not always respond to you, this shows you acknowledge and value their presence. If you’ve noticed that your volunteer needs help with sticking to a task, consider offering him a timer to use while he is working. If you see signs that your volunteer is frustrated or having a bad day, offer him the chance to take a break or assign him a different task. This is another time when having a communicative relationship with your volunteer’s parent or caregiver is crucial. That person could provide information about your volunteer’s situation to help you to see the big picture of your volunteer’s needs. Bumps in the road will inevitably arise, but being understanding and reassuring, especially when working with patrons with special needs, is an absolute must.
Teens with special needs have unique challenges as they grow into adulthood, and ma
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The ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim was my first. I was excited, yet intimidated. So many people, sessions, booths, venues! I felt completely overwhelmed. Luckily, I happened upon a mentor who took me under her wing and guided me through the conference. Although my mentor experience was informal, ALA and the New Members Round Table (NMRT) also provide a formal mentor program.
Our guest blogger today is Amy Seto Musser. Amy lives in Seattle, WA and is currently earning her MLS online with Texas Woman’s University. She looks forward to becoming a children’s librarian in a public library and drawing on her theatre experience to develop interactive programming for kids. You can follow Amy online on her blog: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/
