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Today I was in beautiful Madison WI making mischief around the concept of strategizing effective change and building balance in youth programming. And it wouldn't be November in Wisconsin without a look at the summer ahead and quenching the "hair-on-fire" fear we sometimes feel before we realize there are ways to make summer funner!
Below are links to information cited in the presentation.
Happy reading!
Summer LearningGet Ready for Endless Summer Reading.
Libraries at the Center of Summer Learning ToolkitEasing the StressSummer Library R/Evolution Pinterest Board - links to many articles and posts that help us re-think how we support kids during the summer.
It's the End (and I Don't Want to Die)Counting KidsGoing Weekly -PrizelessUnprogramming webinar and resources
Samples of Summer Learning SLP logsWeekly cards with experiential choicesPassports to adventureSummer Reading BookletsBingo CardsBuilding a Better World Program IdeasKids Give Back at Portage Public LibraryFood Donations, Adopt an Animal, Charity ChallengesPinterest Board on Build a Better World Program Ideas - Sharon Goforth
Pinterest Board on Build a Better World - Loch-Wouters
After our workshop, I hope everyone felt that we got here:
Yep, it's time once again for summer library and reading program workshops to begin. My colleague Sharon Grover and I gathered our thoughts and tips to do a keynote together for colleagues in the Indianhead Federated Library System in northwestern Wisconsin.
Sharon and I were interested in exploring the winds of change blowing around this annual ritual. From the perceived pressure of patron/staff statements of "THIS -is-how-it-is-done" and responses to change of "But-we've-always-done-it-this-way", we looked at alternatives to fear and opportunities to embrace the challenge of change.
Intentionality in our planning to meet the needs of our community is key. So too are asking questions and examining openly why we continue traditions and practices and whether they serve
our needs or true community needs. We looked at the tendency to over-program - and to become so involved in the process of the SLP we create that we suck the joy out of literacy, reading and
being with kids.
We looked at going prizeless and the interesting conundrum of teens who plan their SLPs wanting more prizes. We also explored ways to involve teens in ways other than reading including volunteering and concentrating on relationship building with them.
We shared some stories of libraries creating powerful partnerships and outreach during summer. We looked at ways to engage kids in care and to think beyond reading goals to youth engagement goals when planning our summer library programs.
Finally we talked about how advocacy wraps around all of these issues. Our ability to engage stakeholders from administrators, to coworkers to our community in promoting ongoing change and better service is within the power of each of us. A huge shout-out to ALSC and specifically Jenna Nemec-Loise were given in this portion.
The rest of the workshop was all system members shining brightly as they shared tips in a series of break-out sessions hosted by their peers: handling the rough stuff of summer; strategies to go prizeless; community power; programming for all ages; SLP promotion ideas; theater games to involve teens (wait, that one was presented by a theatrically inclined teen!), the low-down on performers and more. We all learned a ton!
Below are links that we shared:
Here is our
slidedeckAnd finally, if you want to read more from libraries around the country engaged in changing up summer library program paradigms, please stop by the
Summer Reading Revolution Pinterest Board and get inspired!
Thanks to IFLS youth consultant Leah Langby for putting together a learning day for us all!
Change is in the air with SLP. More people are getting outside the box and re-examining the worn-out paradigms of how we engage kids in the summer. These posts look at aspects of SLP and ask us to think bigger, deeper and wider - and share experiences along the continuum for change.
Our guest today is Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, a colleague at LPL who joined our team last August. Kelsey is a thoughtful, let's-work-on-this-together visionary who is active on the Friends of the CCBC board and in library work. Before she joined us here she worked in a library in a small community (pop. 5000) in WI. In this post she shares thoughts about the path to change in your SLP based on a workshop she did for librarians in our system.
What comes to your mind when you think about SLP? Yes, it’s fun and exciting, but it’s also a busy time of year, and sometimes stressful – for you, for other library staff, and sometimes even for patrons. While SLP maybe never be a smooth, stress-free zone, we can do a lot to make it easier on ourselves and everyone around us.
Let’s start by considering what we’re really trying to achieve - what YOU are really trying to achieve at your library. Promoting reading during the summer, of course. But what do you aspire to when it comes to your own SLP? Spreading the word about the importance of early literacy, and getting parents with babies to participate? Showing middle-grade readers that books can be funny and interesting? Just getting more people in the door? Being thoughtful about what YOU want to do with YOUR SLP will give you purpose, common staff goals, and direction. The Harwood Institute, currently partnering with ALA on the
Libraries Transforming Communities initiative, has a great
worksheeton thinking about aspirations. Though the worksheet has a broader community focus, it can easily be adjusted to focus on SLP.
Another important step is to simplify. Do we really need so many sheets and rules and procedures when it comes to participation? Do we really need so many prizes and incentives to get kids to read? Or can we come up with ways to keep SLP fun and fresh and literacy-focused without jumping through so many hoops? Last summer, at my previous library, we spent a lot of time thinking about how to make SLP work better for patrons and more sustainable for ourselves. We simplified procedures, reduced unnecessary elements, and cut way back on incentives. The results were that kids continued their enthusiastic participation, parents were happy to have less plastic junk, and staff had a much easier time registering participants, explaining the program, and answering questions. Streamlining made everyone happy. Making things less complicated doesn’t mean we’re taking it easy or letting our patrons down. It means we’re being realistic about what we can accomplish, and being thoughtful about sustainable practices.
Finally, let’s talk about prizes. Lots of libraries use them, and that’s okay. There is no prize-shaming here. But are there better ways for us to use incentives when it comes to SLP? I’ve recently noticed several libraries changing the way they incentivize SLP, with fantastic results. Some are thinking about ways they can incorporate altruism, with the “prize” being a Friends-funded donation to a community organization of the child’s choice. Some are giving away books as an incentive. Some are doing away with prizes altogether, focusing on recognition and activity. This past summer in La Crosse, kids could add a sticker to help cover a paper robot on the wall. Research shows that extrinsic motivation, which is the drive to do something because of an external reward, is far less effective than intrinsic motivation, which drives us to do something because we love it. Prizes tap into extrinsic motivation, and while that’s not bad, I believe we can find more effective ways to get kids engaged in literacy. Ways that remind them reading is a fantastic experience in itself.
How about you? What have you been thinking about summer reading/library program? Join our conversation in the comments, on your blog or as a guest post writer (send guest posts to me lochwouters at gmail dot com). For additional thoughtful posts, stop by the Summer Reading Revolution Pinterest board or read other posts in this series
Shaking Up SLP - Facing Down FearShaking Up SLP - QuestionsShaking Up SLP - Research-inessShaking Up SLP - Workshop Power
Change is in the air with SLP. More people are getting outside the box and re-examining the worn-out paradigms of how we engage kids in the summer. These posts look at aspects of SLP and ask us to think bigger, deeper and wider - and share experiences along the continuum for change.
Sue Abrahamson is a children's librarian at Waupaca Area Library in Wisconsin. She is a smart, compassionate librarian and leader who isn't afraid to tilt at windmills and slay a few sacred cows Here are a few she described slaying last summer: little or no SLP decorating; extending the SLP from 8 weeks to the entire summer; only books for prizes (when the staff solicited community partners for money specifically to buy books, the library received $2375!);set up an experiment-a-day to engage kids in the SLP theme; did away with bulletin boards.
In this post she shares a deeper connection to year round literacy that is the result of - and sets the stage for - outside-the-box schoolage summer reading reading success. By changing how they approach summer reading, Sue and staff have created a richer, deeper connection to the schools - one where the schools know exactly how the library supports the school's work with literacy and reading.
Good Morning Friends! Please fill your coffee cup and spend five minutes reading my story.
Waupaca, WI - January 20, 2015Today is the one day set aside in January that I spend the day (my co-worker, Jan, spent 2 hours, too) at our local elementary school reading to classes as part of their PBIS reward system. Students earn "Rascal Tickets" by working hard, doing great things, and following the "Rascal Way." They can spend their tickets in many ways, but one way is to save them up and redeem 25 tickets for the public librarian to come to read a story to their class. Teachers can sign up for Public Librarian Visits on a Google Spreadsheet that is shared with all school staff and public library personnel.
On this day, Sue read in 7 classrooms; Jan read in 3 classrooms. Sue also scheduled three sessions to meet with school personnel: The gym teacher needed help figuring out how to download ebooks from the library on her new iPad; the Reading Specialist talked about testing and the upcoming school sponsored family reading night that now has the "Every Hero" theme; and the Principal and Vice-Principal met with me to talk about RtI and the relationship they have with the public library and to give me some of their thoughts for our upcoming summit.
The Principal told me that our success first came by his
understanding of what we do at the library and how it helps his students and their families. As a new principal, (and new, too, to elementary school) he heard from bus drivers, teachers and parents about things happening at the public library. He felt he needed to understand what sort of relationship was already forged and why it was so critically important that people would be calling him about it so often.
He also commented that he thinks having a librarian with a background in education was helpful. (I worked at the school before taking the job at the library.) Repeatedly he credited my personality and enthusiasm for working together. He said that it was clear to him that my experience, my passion for helping his students and families learn together outside the school day, my involvement with the Parent Teacher Group, and that I took every opportunity that availed itself to make the school and the public library visually connected demonstrated clearly that we had
a shared vision.
The Vice-Principal spoke from the heart about how their PBIS program works to create
a culture of support for learning, not just at school but everywhere in the community. This includes everything from character development to literacy skills, helping students grow and learn their whole lives long into healthy, successful adults.
I read John Rocco's book,
Blizzard, to all the students today to introduce the "Every Hero Has a Story" theme. It was the perfect story to tell for a variety of grades. It gave us the chance to talk about what makes a person a hero. It gave students the opportunity to think of people they know who act heroically. It told the story of a 10-year-old hero who thought outside-the-box to problem-solve in a crisis situation, who put the needs of other ahead of his own, and who grew up to be an author and father who shared his personal story so others can find the hero in themselves. Hope you can read it soon!
How about you? What have you been thinking about summer reading/library program? Join our conversation in the comments, on your blog or as a guest post writer (send guest posts to me lochwouters at gmail dot com). For additional thoughtful posts, stop by the Summer Reading Revolution Pinterest board or read other posts in this series
Shaking Up SLP - QuestionsShaking Up SLP - Workshop PowerShaking Up SLP - Research-inessShaking Up SLP - Facing Down Fear
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| Participants share aspirations at the workshop |
Change is in the air with SLP. More people are getting outside the box and re-examining the worn-out paradigms of how we engage kids in the summer. These posts look at aspects of SLP and ask us to think bigger, deeper and wider - and share experiences along the continuum for change.
Today's post is from Leah Langby , the Youth Services Coordinator for the Indianhead Library System, a ten county consortium in northwestern Wisconsin. She is also a savvy, supportive and sharp-as-a-tack library advocate and leader who isn't afraid to open the door and gently offer information that leads to change. She is active in many arenas and is currently chair-elect of YSS, our WLA youth section. Check out the system blog she oversees - Keeping Up with Kids - and get it on your feeds!
Every year in the dead of winter, one of the brightest spots is getting together with youth services librarians from around the region for a face-to-face enthusiasm-and-idea-generating extravaganza, known as the Summer Library Program workshop. For years, we’ve had a great time at this workshop, laughing together, getting inspired with ideas for projects and programs and promotions. Having a roomful of youth services librarians is a definite recipe for plenty of energy and collaboration, and talking about the summer programs seems to bring out the best of that.
This year, I wanted to nudge us all along a little bit more, thinking about the Summer Library Program in the context of all of youth services, preventing burnout, and re-thinking some of the things we’ve always done. Prizes or no prizes? How much time to spend on those decorations? How can we simplify? How can we reach out to our community for collaboration, and to reach kids who might not be getting to the library? How can we make our efforts intentional and effective? I wanted to do that, but still maintain the festive, energetic, collaborative and mutually supportive atmosphere that sustains us all through the long winter months.
Some of my colleagues in the state who have been thinking about all of these SLP/youth services issues in a smart way were generous enough to come to my system to talk about some of those big issues. A HUGE shout-out to Shawn Brommer and Sue Abrahamson for gently and humorously helping us feel mighty, consider our aspirations and our strengths, and think about the “sacred cows” we could consider putting out to pasture. After a two-hour session exploring our super-hero powers with Shawn and Sue, we had several break-out sessions.
I couldn’t be more pleased and proud of the amazing librarians in our system who stepped up to the plate and hit it out of the park, presenting panels on everything from teen volunteers and programs to collaboration to outreach to stealth programs to the whys and hows of decorations and performers. Two of the breakout sessions were also hosted by a local maker-space denizen, who showed us some playful ways to interact with problem-solving with kids. I tried to provide presenters with clear expectations beforehand (this is a new development for me, and it is pretty revolutionary how well it works!). Almost all of these sessions were about the summer, but also so much more! It was amazing to tap into the skills, know-how, and experience of the people right here in our system.
I’ve had more positive feedback from this one workshop/mini-conference than about any other workshop I’ve ever had in my entire 10-year history of planning and implementing workshops (of all kinds). People were stopping by my office, nearly floating off the floor with excitement about ways they were planning to make their programs last year-round, reach out to their communities, and get more people engaged with the library and reading. Hooray! It might be that there is no going back!
Change is in the air with SLP. More people are getting outside the box and re-examining the worn-out paradigms of how we engage kids in the summer. These posts look at aspects of SLP and ask us to think bigger, deeper and wider - and share experiences along the continuum for change. In Wisconsin, we underwent a
sea-change in our reportable statistics for youth programs over the past few years.
In the past, only summer reading program attendance was recognized and counted. You did a winter reading program? Too bad. Not reportable. You did a fall or spring reading program? So sad.
But after discussions with youth librarians around the state, Youth Services and Special Needs consultant Tessa Michaelson Schmidt and her Department of Public Instruction (DPI) colleagues took a different approach - one based on what is really happening in libraries around the state and what research indicates are ways in which programs in libraries are evolving. Now we can count any reading program - summer or not (referred to as "literacy offerings").
That same discussion with frontline library youth staff and careful thought resulted in some deep thoughts and research into reading programs - summer, spring, winter or fall. Last year, DPI published an amazing document put together by Tessa -
Offering Library Reading Programs: Top Ten Tips for Librarians - that is quietly knocking the socks off librarians in our state. Reading choice?!?! No prizes?!?! Aligning the reading program with the schools' and public library's mission?!?! Oh yeah, baby!
Best of all
the links here point us to research to buttress what we are doing when we start changing how we go about evolving our summer library program. Research and writing on change ease our work in evolving library reading programs by guiding us into tested "this is why this works" and give us needed ammunition to change hearts and minds of our co-workers and management.
This document and the research links can serve us as we shake up our SLP.
How about you? What have you been thinking about summer reading/library program? Join our conversation in the comments, on your blog or as a guest post writer (send guest posts to me lochwouters at gmail dot com). For additional thoughtful posts, stop by the Summer Reading Revolution Pinterest board or read other posts in this series
Shaking Up SLP - QuestionsShaking Up SLP - Workshop PowerShaking Up SLP - School PowerShaking Up SLP - Facing Down Fear
Change is in the air with SLP. More people are getting outside the box and re-examining the worn-out paradigms of how we engage kids in the summer. This series of posts looks at aspects of SLP and ask us to think bigger, deeper and wider - and share experiences along the continuum for change.
Where are we going and how do we get where we want to be? That's a question I ask myself all the time - and most especially, in thinking about summer library programs. Two decades ago, I felt like we were on a treadmill of summer madness - how could we get off and change how we did the program to a model that was fun
and worthwhile for kids and staff?
The people I worked with joined me in asking questions and looking at the answers as well as the hopes we had. It has led to twenty years of reformatting and evolving the way we do SLP and that change has been
part of our planning in every job I've had ever since.
It starts with questions for which no one answer exists. Each library is unique in how the library and community come together. Here's a few questions and some suggestions on what you might do to guide your change process towards making SLP more meaningful at your library.
Begin (or continue) to ask questions:
Are you reaching the age groups you want?
Running registrations for storytimes or events that add to workload?
Constant programming or could you add more breaks?
Are programs generating increased use/circ by kids?
Is your registration or reading record process cumbersome?
Is what you are doing fitting in with library goals or school goals?
Are the kids focusing on reading or prizes?
How competitive do you want your program to be?
Think about what you are doing now and why you are doing it :
* it satisfies kids
*you've always done it this way
* it satisfies you
* it satisfies parents
* it works
* it doesn’t work but staff or administration REALLY like it
Think about your goals and the outcomes you want and how they can be accomplished.
For instance, if you want to:
1) Reach out to as many kids as possible?
In person contact to spread the word on SLP is vital (School promo visits/spring school visits or class visits)
Cooperate with PTOs to spread word
Get info to schools (bookmarks) prior to parent teacher conferences
Involve families (parents, preschoolers & readers in program to spread the word)
Spread the word at other community spots where kids are: child care centers, Boys and Girls's Clubs etc
2) Give the kids a fun experience
Simplify paperwork so focus is on kids who come in, not busywork
Take time for events you and kids enjoy (booktalking; programs); cut down on other unnecessary programs or requirements
Experiment with the theme and delivery – or not - of prizes or rewards
3) Get the kids reading:
Do lots of reader’s advisory special displays
Let kids review books
Do lots of “seat-to-feet” service rather than hugging the desk Create experiences that put kids and books together (books at programs for check-out; stealthy games)
4) Make the program low-stress for kids
De-emphasize or eliminate competitive aspects (most books read, etc)
Let kids read at own pace and in own interest areas
Consider library use and experiential activities within the library as an achievable outcome
Allow a break from school-year type demands
Let kids read at various levels and formats
Recognize the importance of being read to for preschooler & poor readers
5) Make the program low-stress for staff
Keep record keeping simple
Think about whether elements like oral reports; genre reading; prizes are necessary to the successful
accomplishment of encouraging kids to read in the summer
Look for ways to encourage cooperation with the community or schools to support kids & reading (mutual
booklists; beginning of school rewards; programs; Park & Rec)
6) Be creative, inventive and have fun
Recognize that libraries are more than books
Embrace the many formats (inc. digital) and ways that kids come to literacy - it isn't just about reading
Picture yourself as a promoter and less as a record keeper
Imagine yourself as marketing guru and your product as reading
Give yourself permission to innovate
Finally, learn when to say when!
It’s important to recognize when elements of your program are no longer effective and to begin planning to change
Evaluate your program:
Establish parent/child focus group to talk about summer
Talk to school colleagues for scuttlebutt on SLP
Don’t be afraidto end elements that no longer work or seek innovative solutions
How about you? What have you been thinking about summer reading/library program? Join our conversation in the comments, on your blog or as a guest post writer (send guest posts to me lochwouters at gmail dot com). For additional thoughtful posts, stop by the Summer Reading Revolution Pinterest board or read other posts in this series
Shaking Up SLP - Workshop PowerShaking Up SLP - School PowerShaking Up SLP - Research-inessShaking Up SLP - Facing Down Fear
