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Inspiration is found in isolation for some, but not for me.  I am actively seeking it!  Each summer I try to rework my curriculum, learn a new skill/technology, and read plenty of books to inform my readers advisory skills.  This summer, however, I am thinking big.

Big thinking ususally means big change.  I have learned over time that no matter how inspired I may be to make changes, it will take lots of time and effort to bring others along.  As a school librarian, my days are often dictated by the schedules of other people, teachers and administrators and what this means is that I need to be creative in implementing change.

Some of the big ideas I am thinking about have been inspired by other school librarians and movements that are afoot in the spheres of education.  From the reconfiguration of the library furniture (based on the reflections of our students) to the bigger idea of makerspaces, I am reconsidering the way that I do things.  The following are some of the links, sites and blog posts that have gotten my creative juices flowing, and I hope that they may inspire some of you as well!

Buffy Hamilton’s article plus links on makerspaces on her blog The Unquiet Librarian.

School Library Journal article, by Margaret Sullivan on Divine Design (April 1, 2011)

This blog post from Tania Sheko on the future of school libraries. (Brave New World blog)

Claire Moore’s ALSC Blog post on Kids Advisory Boards in the library.

I am wondering where you are finding inspiration these days!

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” George Bernard Shaw.

If you’ve already read the latest issue of Children & Libraries, then you are probably just as motivated and inspired as I am by all the ideas about PLAY.  If you haven’t, you should.*** The second edition of Every Child Ready to Read has brought the focus on this all-too-important topic, separating “Play” out as its own distinct pre-literacy activity.  That means for those of us coordinate children’s programs, we have now assumed the role of “facilitator of play.”  But let’s be honest, many of us have probably already taken this on before.  Many of our programs may already have playtime built into our storytime programs.  The new edition of ECRR makes it official.  I, for one, am excited to have another reason to continue playing and encouraging families to play, too.

At my previous library, I coordinated Sensory Storytime program, a one hour long program for children with special needs, and it was developed to give playtime its own special focus.  Children ages four to eight came to the library on a Saturday afternoon for 30 minutes of storytime activities, and 30 minutes of structured play activities.  After our storytime activities were completed, children and caregivers would receive a small picture card that matched one of the three stations in the room.  This program has evolved several times incorporating different play activities offered, including play-doh, puzzles, rice table, and a craft table.  Once at their station, families would then have about seven to ten minutes to experience the activities in that station.  I would give a two and one minute warning before it was time to change to the next activity, and then families would receive a new card that matched one of the other stations.

I had the opportunity to observe several special education classrooms before planning this program, which helped inform my planning process for Sensory Storytime.  What I saw in those classrooms was very similar.  Children were grouped together at small tables around the room, and each table would involve a particular activity or lesson.  Then, when the child completed the lesson, he or she checked his individual picture schedule, received a new card, and moved on to their next activity. What I took away from this learning experience was that it was crucial to make sure appropriate structure was given to playtime.  Visual cues like picture cards and large group schedules, coupled with verbal and visual warnings when transition was going to occur helped support children in their play experience.  For a child with special needs, play–and all the social expectations that come with it–may not be something that comes as naturally.  Children with special need need structure, direction, and support with transitioning to different activities in a library program.  So, setting out a pile of toys  in the middle of a large room and ‘expecting’ children to ‘go and play’ may not be the right strategy with children with special needs.

One other thing I learned: not all toys are made equal.  Having a program like Sensory Storytime invited children with various kinds of special needs into the library.  I quickly learned that I needed to adapt activities to make them accessible to everyone, and I had to offer toys and manipulatives that could be used by children with various abilities.  Some children had ability to grasp; others didn’t.  Some children could manipulate a glue stick; others couldn’t.  I always had to be cognizant of the expectation I was setting up for children whenever I put out toys or an activity, and realized that offering variety was alway

Many of us working in public libraries don’t have a background in special education.  So, it can be challenging for us to know how best to approach and communicate with a child who has autism.  That’s where a partnership with your local school district can be extremely valuable.  Special education teachers in our district have been a huge resource for me in this area.  They have shared reading materials with me. They’ve given me tips.  They even had me into their schools to observe where I could see children with special needs and their teachers interact together in a classroom setting.  Adapted from a handout created by The Joint Library and just in time for Autism Awareness Month beginning April 1st, here are some customer service tips I’ve picked up along the way for interacting with a child with autism.

Speaking to a child with autism

• Address the child first, rather than considering the caregiver an intermediary
• Make eye contact, but know that the child may not make eye contact back with you
• Speak directly, slowly, and at a normal tone of voice
• Avoid broad open-ended questions, worrdy instructions, or figurative language
• Give choices when asking a question; ex. “Would you like to read a book, play on the computer, or find a CD?”
• Be patient and give time for language and information to be processed
• Provide a non-verbal way to communicate (pen and paper, picture communication board, or sign language interpreter)

Addressing behaviors

• Rocking, quiet humming, fidgeting, pacing, wiggling are behaviors that are not intrusive to other patrons and usually can be ignored
• Destructive activities, violent tantrums, loud or inappropriate interactions with other patrons are behaviors that should not be ignored
• Redirect attention away from the situation; ex. a quiet study room can help a child calm down if he is having a hard time
• Offer reassurance to other patrons who may be near the situation; ex. “Johnny is upset and is having a difficult day today.  All of us have hard days sometimes.”

Relationship building tips

• Be empathetic and offer assistance to the caregiver
• Avoid standing too close or touching the individual — they may have sensitivity to sensory input, like touch
• Give positive reinforcement; ex. ”I like how you are putting away the books, Johnny.  Good job!”
• Find out what the child likes and see if there is a way to use this to help him enjoy his visits to the library; ex. finding books on a particular subject or helping pass out materials during a program
• Remember that a person with autism is just another person in your library — help them find what they’re looking for as you would anybody else

Did you know that autism now affects on average 1 in every 88 children?  April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day.  Celebrate this global initiative and Light It Up Blue to help bring awareness to autism.  Ch

There are many of us in youth services that cannot afford the time, the staff, or the funds to create new programs specifically for children with special needs.  At the same time, we want to be able to welcome the growing number of children with disabilities to our libraries.  The reality is that visiting a new place for the first time can be stressful for children with developmental disorders, and this anxiety may be enough to keep those children and their families at home.  What can libraries do, then, to support those with special needs who are walking through our doors for the very first time?

While I was planning my first special needs storytime, someone shared with me a link to the Libraries and Autism: We’re Connected website.  This online resource promotes “best practices and universal service for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families helping staff to improve their ability to provide excellent, inclusive, universal customer service to everyone who uses the library.”  On this website, you will find links to programming ideas, strategies that work, training videos for staff, blogs posts, and articles about serving individuals with autism in libraries.  But when I saw the template for “This is my Library” social story, I knew I had found a gem.  We as librarians are such natural storytellers, but it didn’t occur to me that telling the story of a first library visit could be so valuable to a child with special needs.

When a child makes his first visit to the library, there are new sights to see, new sounds to hear, a new layout to learn, and new faces to meet.  There is also a list of new expectations for behavior as well.  Without the proper support, a child with a developmental disorder could easily become anxious, frustrated, or upset stepping into this environment for the first time.  But with a social story, a child gains visual familiarity with an experience so that he can feel comfortable and confident before he is faced with the situation first-hand.  These stories are tools that help pre-teach the structure and routine of what a new concept or experience will be like, and are used often with children with autism or other developmental disorders.  On the Use These Resources page of the Libraries and Autism website, you will find a downloadable template for a “This is my Library” social story, which can be used to tell the story of your own individual library.  Not only is this customizable book free, it has been designed to allow libraries to easily insert their own pictures and text in order to develop a personalized “library tour.”  A quick tip: posting your library social story on your website can allow for families to upload it at their leisure and read it as many times as they want.

Beyond library tours, there are many other applications of this social story tool.  Checking out books, asking for help, or logging on to the computer are a few routines that could be taught in a library-related social story.  If you know ahead of time that a child with autism is attending one of your programs, talk with the child’s parent and ask if a social story would help support his attendance.  For those that utilize therapy dogs in a library program, having a social story called “Dog Safety” would be helpful for those that need to learn how to approach and interact with a dog.  If you are leading a book discussion, create a social story for the child called “Going to a Book Discussion.”  This social story can outline behaviors that are expected of attendees (raising your hand before speaking, one person speaks at a time, using quiet voice, etc.), as well as other activities that will take place during the program.

For a

We live in an age of super-sizing and upgrading, but in our profession, it perpetually seems as if less is more . . . or at least less is the reality.  We must constantly review our priorities when serving our youngest patrons as we’re faced with shrinking library budgets, multitasking to the extreme, and building limitations.  If you’re not able to expand your current facility, how do you maximize the space you’ve got?  A little creative planning and flexibility goes a long way.

At the Hope Mills Branch Library of the Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center (a busy community facility in close proximity to Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, NC), we’re experiencing a growth spurt.  Lots of families are stationed nearby, and our community neighborhoods expand accordingly.  Our branch, next door to a park and a hot spot on a very popular walking trail, serves as a natural destination for education and entertainment.  The increased clientele (and of course, that’s a good thing!) still brings with it a very legitimate concern as we see the reality of too many people in a building without room to grow.  With three easy and inexpensive tips, we’ve addressed our space limitations.

Define it.   Our older tweens and teens (with no room or formal department to call their own) were served by a smaller area of shelving placed immediately after our adult fiction section.  Though we utilized displays and featured standard seating nearby, we lacked the space and resources (or so we initially thought) to design a specialized seating area for those middle- schoolers and older teens no longer interested in hanging out in our Children’s Department.  We took action by simply sliding a table down to centralize adult seating.  This forced a small space to open up immediately behind teen fiction (we took it!) and added a few comfy contemporary rockers and an area rug.  Posters of interest created a few pops of color to finalize the re-purposing.  That’s all it took to create a ready-to-go Tween/Teen Space.  Defining space, in our case, didn’t have to be expensive. It can even be the organization of existing furniture by forcing space to open up with a new purpose in mind.

Think Outside the Box.  In this case, our box was our Children’s Department.  Many children enter the building while out on an errand with their mom and dad to send a fax, never stepping foot past our Children’s neon sign or sitting and reading on one of our animal chairs.  Don’t get me wrong, the fax machine serves its purpose – throngs of folks wait to send their legal documents.  It just doesn’t encourage these customers (with their accompanying tots in tow) to browse our juvenile materials.  Our Youth Services Librarian decided to meet them exactly where they are. She checked out some board books and put them in a basket near the fax machine (next to our most popular adult seating arrangement.)  The kids naturally gravitated to the books, which led to an obvious conversation starter in itself.  “Do you like that book?  I could show you and your family where more of those are.  Just follow me.”

Take it Outdoors.  The most successful branch publicity campaign doesn’t need to be expensive or monstrous in size. Too much library advertising in cramped quarters will just overwhelm and clutter when location, location, location can really drive the message home.  Our Youth Services Staff req

The program is one of many featured on ALA’s online clearinghouse for school/public library cooperation managed by the AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School/Public Library Cooperation. Visit the clearinghouse to learn more or share your own exemplary partnership!

Title of Program: Bucket of Books
Type of Program: Book Collections/Kits
Age level: Elementary/Secondary (K-12)
Description of Program: In fall 2002 the Multnomah County Library School Corps debuted a new program for educators: Bucket of Books. Each bucket contains 24-30 books plus a teacher’s guide. The teacher’s guide includes an annotated list of age-appropriate Web sites on the topic, a pathfinder for doing research on the topic at Multnomah County Library, and instructions on how to obtain additional copies of the books. Some buckets also contain an Internet scavenger hunt for students. Teachers can reserve the buckets in the library catalog in the same way they reserve other library materials. Start up funding came from the Friends of the Library. URL: www.multcolib.org/schoolcorps/bucket.html

Contact Information:
Jackie Partch
School Corps Team Leader
Multnomah County Library
205 NE Russell, Portland, OR 97212
503.988.6004
[email protected]

The program below is one of many featured on ALA’s online clearinghouse for school/public library cooperation managed by the AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School/Public Library Cooperation. Visit the clearinghouse to learn more or share your own exemplary partnership!

Title of Program: Great Library Card Adventure/Get Carded
Type of Program: Library Card Campaigns
Age level: Elementary & secondary
Description of Program:

The Great Library Card Adventure is a library card campaign for kindergarten classrooms in Multnomah County, presented by the Multnomah County Library School Corps. Although we usually run the campaign kindergarten classrooms, every few years we extend the campaign to all K-5 students. (All K-5 students are able to apply for cards during any Great Library Card Adventure campaign, but during most years, the contest is for the kindergarten classrooms only.) We want every student, faculty and staff member in the county to have a Multnomah County Library card. We send letters to school principals and library staff inviting them to join the campaign, and we send kits with posters, applications, and instructions to those who join. After returning the applications, teachers receive a drink coupon from Starbucks. Students (both those who already had cards and those who get them through the program) receive Great Library Card Adventure stickers. Kindergarten classrooms with 100% of the students signed up for library cards are entered in a drawing to win one of three collections of age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction books for their classroom. Classes with 100% of students signed up that do not win a book collection will receive a gift certificate to a local bookstore. URL: http://www.multcolib.org/schoolcorps/glca.html

Get Carded! is a library card campaign for middle and high schools students. We have done this campaign twice since 1997. We send letters to school principals and library staff inviting them to join the campaign, and we send kits with posters, applications, and instructions to those who join. School return tally sheets to us with the numbers of students who already had cards, and the applications of those who are applying. All students and teachers who participate in the program (whether they already had cards or applied them) received a card with discount offers from local businesses.

Contact Information:
Jackie Partch
School Corps Team Leader
Multnomah County Library
205 NE Russell, Portland, OR 97212
503.988.6004
[email protected]

The program presented below is one of many featured on ALA’s online clearinghouse for school/public library cooperation managed by the AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School/Public Library Cooperation. Visit the clearinghouse to learn more or share your own exemplary partnership!

Title of Program: Educator Library Cards

Type of Program: Library Cards for Educators/Schools

Age level: Elementary & Secondary

Description of Program: Multnomah County Library is committed to working with schools and educators. Library items used for educational purposes may be needed for longer than the standard three-week loan period. Educator cards allow users to check out and renew items for six weeks and to have up to 40 unfilled holds at one time. The educator card is separate from the educator’s personal library card. Educator cards are to be used only for materials for curriculum support or classroom use. (Educators must use their personal library cards for all library materials checked out for personal use.) To qualify for an educator card, an educator must live in Multnomah County Library’s free service area or have a current fee registration and teach children in childcare, kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) or homeschool education. To register for an educator library card, educators visit a library location in person and show valid identification and proof of educator status (such as a school ID badge or paycheck stub). URL: www.multcolib.org/schoolcorps/edcard.html

Contact Information for Multnomah County (OR) Library’s Educator Library Cards program:

Jackie Partch
School Corps Team Leader
Multnomah County Library
205 NE Russell, Portland, OR 97212
503.988.6004

During the 2009 Annual Conference, the American Library Association’s Council adopted the Minors and Internet Interactivity statement as part of ALA’s Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights. As stated in the introduction to the Interpretations,

Although the Articles of the Library Bill of Rights are unambiguous statements of basic principles that should govern the service of all libraries, questions do arise concerning application of these principles to specific library practices. […] These documents are policies of the American Library Association, having been adopted by the ALA Council.

Please read Minors and Internet Interactivity, which is available on the ALA Web Page (Mission & History–> Key Action Areas–> Intellectual Freedom –> Policies, Statements, Guidelines.) To provide for ease in commenting, it is also included here in its entirety:

Minors and Internet Interactivity: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights

The digital environment offers opportunities for accessing, creating, and sharing information. The rights of minors to retrieve, interact with, and create information posted on the Internet in schools and libraries are extensions of their First Amendment rights. (See also other interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights, including “Access to Digital Information, Services, and Networks,” “Free Access to Libraries for Minors,” and “Access for Children and Young Adults to Nonprint Materials.”)

Academic pursuits of minors can be strengthened with the use of interactive Web tools, allowing young people to create documents and share them online; upload pictures, videos, and graphic material; revise public documents; and add tags to online content to classify and organize information. Instances of inappropriate use of such academic tools should be addressed as individual behavior issues, not as justification for restricting or banning access to interactive technology. Schools and libraries should ensure that institutional environments offer opportunities for students to use interactive Web tools constructively in their academic pursuits, as the benefits of shared learning are well documented.

Personal interactions of minors can be enhanced by social tools available through the Internet. Social networking Web sites allow the creation of online communities that feature an open exchange of information in various forms, such as images, videos, blog posts, and discussions about common interests. Interactive Web tools help children and young adults learn about and organize social, civic, and extra-curricular activities. Many interactive sites invite users to establish online identities, share personal information, create Web content, and join social networks. Parents and guardians play a critical role in preparing their children for participation in online activity by communicating their personal family values and by monitoring their children’s use of the Internet. Parents and guardians are responsible for what their children—and only their children—access on the Internet in libraries.

The use of interactive Web tools poses two competing intellectual freedom issues—the protection of minors’ privacy and the right of free speech. Some have expressed concerns regarding what they perceive is an increased vulnerability of young people in the online environment when they use interactive sites to post personally identifiable information. In an effort to protect minors’ privacy, adults sometimes restrict access to interactive Web environments. Filters, for example, are sometimes used to restrict access by youth to interactive social networking tools, but at the same time deny minors’ rights to free expression on the Internet. Prohibiting children and young adults from using social networking sites does not teach safe behavior and leaves youth without the necessary knowledge and skills to protect their privacy or engage in responsible speech. Instead of restricting or denying access to the Internet, librarians and teachers should educate minors to participate responsibly, ethically, and safely.

The First Amendment applies to speech created by minors on interactive sites. Usage of these social networking sites in a school or library allows minors to access and create resources that fulfill their interests and needs for information, for social connection with peers, and for participation in a community of learners. Restricting expression and access to interactive Web sites because the sites provide tools for sharing information with others violates the tenets of the Library Bill of Rights. It is the responsibility of librarians and educators to monitor threats to the intellectual freedom of minors and to advocate for extending access to interactive applications on the Internet.

As defenders of intellectual freedom and the First Amendment, libraries and librarians have a responsibility to offer unrestricted access to Internet interactivity in accordance with local, state, and federal laws and to advocate for greater access where it is abridged. School and library professionals should work closely with young people to help them learn skills and attitudes that will prepare them to be responsible, effective, and productive communicators in a free society.

Adopted July 15, 2009, by the ALA Council.

by Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski

In this final installment of the series examining programs for children with special needs and their families, I share ideas on two final topics: potential partnerships and future possibilities for this specialized programming.

Partnerships

As mentioned in Part One, reaching out to community organizations affiliated with special needs is beneficial not only to attract participants but also to gain feedback in both the planning and assessment of programming. Partnerships will be influenced by proximity, quality of contacts made and their willingness to support your efforts. The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County’s partnership with the Autism Society of Mecklenburg County has resulted in invaluable information being shared about a myriad of topics ranging from a better understanding of behaviors exhibited in the Library to use of the schedule board during programs and ultimately the production of a training video to assist other library staff considering special needs programming. To locate your local chapter of the Autism Society, visit their website: www.autism-society.org

To locate potential partners, ask parents who attend your programs for ideas. Our programs are promoted on a special needs forum courtesy of one of our patrons who is a member. Check the Internet for parenting websites; for example, in our area Charlotte Parent Magazine’s website lists area support groups ranging from dysfunction of sensory integration to Down syndrome to parents of children with food allergies.

Reading the local newspaper may provide leads regarding collaborative efforts. An article highlighting the Allegro Foundation (www.allegrofoundation.net) introduced me to this local non-profit organization that provides free movement-based instruction for children with special needs. I have observed a number of their classes to gain ideas for music activities for the Rhythm and Rhyme storytime and met with the organization to discuss their philosophy and program plans. We also cross-promote at our events to reach a broader audience and support each other’s efforts.

Building a relationship with your local school district as well as private schools may also allow opportunities to promote and improve your programming. You may find schools in your area with an “autism track” or other type of specialty education. Metro School, part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, serves students with cognitive disabilities. These students range in age from 5 to 22 and have been determined to benefit from separate public school placement. Depending on the size of your local school district, you may also have an option such as Metro School. Visiting Metro School was helpful for exposure to adaptable books and other teaching tools.

Other potential partners may include state programs through universities related to developmental or special needs (e.g. TEACCH– Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped CHildren in affiliation with the University of North Carolina), early intervention services (e.g. “Together We Grow” in North Carolina) and local governmental organizations such as your county’s parks and recreation department.

Future

Because this is an area of innovation in library services, there is much potential to be developed. While I have led monthly programs at Matthews Branch Library, I aspire to gain an audience large enough to repeat the same program twice on the same Saturday. With an ideal class size being 10-12 children and their caregivers, rather than have too large of a group, the effort to repeat the class would be welcome and preferable.

I foresee a benefit in having “storytime to go kits” for Rhythm & Rhyme programs. These kits, possibly housed in a plastic container, would contain all materials necessary to provide one ready-made storytime at any location in our system, including the program plan and tips for presenters. Adapting books to utilize in programming is a wide-open realm of potential. In the simplest method, adapting books is done by placing three-dimensional objects (most typically by using Velcro for actual adherence to pages of the story) and/or picture cards into the book for the child’s enjoyment of an added hands-on visual to enhance the literary experience. Another option is removing pages from a book and placing them into a binder with Velcro picture cards that create discussion about the story. While I have yet to incorporate these items into storytime, I see possibilities for their use in the future and plan to partner with our local school district to create a small library of these materials for use in programming.

Summary

Last weekend, I took the Rhythm and Rhyme program “on the road” and presented the program at a branch about thirty miles away from Matthews. We have been attracting patrons from that distance to attend our storytime, including a family with a four-year old child with autism who lives close to this particular branch. Her mother spoke with me after class and expressed that she never thought of the library as an option for her family before she saw an article in the Charlotte Weekly about the Rhythm and Rhyme storytime this spring. She had no idea that the branch where I presented existed before she attended the recent class (and it’s only FIVE minutes from her home). While she and her daughter were participating in the program, her husband and other daughter were getting their first library cards with PLCMC. This patron has seen such positive results with her daughter from just a few months of attendance at the Rhythm and Rhyme program that she is considering registering for regular weekly storytimes. She said having a child with special needs is expensive and families of modest means will definitely benefit from this free program as a therapy option based upon the progress she has observed with her daughter.

Our patron’s comments reinforce our efforts to provide special needs programming. First, we provide this service in order to build library relationships through serving patrons who are un-served or underserved. Secondly, we provide this service to encourage families to consider participation in all library programming (while offering the accepting, nonjudgmental environment of the Rhythm and Rhyme program as an option for those who prefer it). And, of course, we provide this service to enhance the literacy and social experience of our participants and their families. I encourage any library staff with interest in this type of programming and the support of their library administration to give special needs programming an attempt. The rewards for participants, presenters and the organization will far outweigh all efforts invested.

*******
Below are the links for the other four articles of Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski’s Programming for Children with Special Needs series:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five

by Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski

Last week in Part Three, I shared program plans from past Rhythm and Rhyme storytimes for children with special needs and their families. As a result of the partnership between the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) and the Autism Society of North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County Chapter, training videos have been produced by PLCMC and are posted on the Library’s “Online Learning” webpage. This week I encourage you to view a video segment which contains in its entirety a Rhythm and Rhyme program held April 11, 2009 at Matthews Branch Library.

While watching the program, please note some things previously mentioned as aspects of this type of programming:

• The program begins with a welcome, announcements and a review of the daily schedule. Not only do I mention in the announcements that the program is not exclusionary, but I extend an invitation to all for an upcoming concert. As I review the schedule, I first introduce the presenters. I use as few words as possible when reviewing the schedule.
• We move around the room quite a bit to interact with the children, careful not to be “in their space.” It is also important to not touch the children, even reassuringly, as this may be upsetting to some participants.
• The parents are very involved. They support not only their child’s efforts but also those of the other participants. You will hear them share affirmative statements such as “good job,” “yay!” or “great!” during the class. By the middle of The Deep Blue Sea my reading turns into a group reading!
• We, as presenters, are relaxed and exhibit a sense of humor throughout the program. We smile a lot during the class—partially because we both truly enjoy the experience but also to be welcoming and reassuring.
• We may paraphrase a book as Joanne does during What Makes a Rainbow?
• When we pass out props (butterflies, bean bags, scarves) the parents sometimes enjoy receiving one as well. The parents gauge when the child returns the item—for some parents this may be something they are working on with the child outside of class so it is their lesson to teach rather than ours. If the parents do not wish to upset or insist that the child return the item, we just keep on collecting from the ones who do. We don’t push the participants to do motions in these prop songs but instead welcome their participation.
• The children may not be sitting down and they may not participate in ways in which we are accustomed with our other classes. We remain flexible, committed to our program plan and pleasant throughout. At times the noise level may be heightened, but this is okay. We do not ask the children to sit down because we don’t have expectations that they do so and we do not pass judgment regarding behaviors exhibited in class.
• If a participant in the program touches the book or flannel, we are flexible and let the parents decide when they will address the behavior with their child.
• When utilizing double visuals, one must be in tune with their partner as I am with Joanne during the reading of The Deep Blue Sea. This flannel contained many intricate flannel pieces and pacing the book accordingly was necessary.

The second video featured on this PLCMC “Online Learning” webpage shows the Rhythm and Rhyme program in action: http://www.plcmc.org/programs/special_needs/default.asp

After this taping, we changed how we set up materials for the class. For just $15 at IKEA, I purchased a canvas toy box to hold the items. This was in line with a focus group comment suggesting if the items are hidden rather than displayed, it is less distracting. Now our counter is devoid of anything other than the iPod player and I simply arrange the items in order within the box for ease of program flow.

Next week I will wrap up this blog series by sharing potential collaborations and future possibilities for this programming.

By Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski

In Parts One and Two, the reasons behind and facets of programming for children with special needs were covered. In this third entry to this blog series about special needs programming, I provide two program plans that I developed for Rhythm and Rhyme Storytimes at Matthews Branch of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County.

I find broad themes favorable in planning of programs for children with special needs. The flow of the program is enhanced through use of related materials in addition to concepts being repeated for the benefit of both participants and their families. Because of the benefit of using double visuals during the program, I would caution about a theme that is too specific and may limit opportunities to create related visual aids or flannel pieces.

As mentioned in prior posts, announcements are the same for each program. First, I thank the families for their support of our efforts and welcome any and all feedback that they may have to improve our program while also expressing that we do not have the programs to be exclusionary. If there is an upcoming event in our department, such as a concert or all ages event, I extend an invitation. Second, I express our understanding that children may be at different levels of participation and that we expect the families to come and go as they please during the program, if necessary. Finally, I explain how we book extra time at the end of the program for families and children to socialize during which time we will provide coloring sheets and puppets and blow bubbles.

Following announcements, I review our schedule for the program. In the case of the schedule shown below, I would first introduce Miss Joanne and me. Then I say, “Today we will start with a book, followed by singing, an activity, another book, an activity, puppet, an activity, a book and end with bubbles and coloring sheets.” I point to the picture on the board as I say the title. Parents have shared that short, direct instructions are better received so I stick to this as I’m reviewing the schedule.

In the following program plans, I use the same announcements, schedule board review (with adjustments for picture cards specific to the program plan) welcome song/book, closing book and program wrap-up of bubbles and classical music with coloring sheets during socialization time following the program. Repetition establishes a solid foundation around which I build the theme.

Here is a program plan related to colors:

• Announcements
• Schedule Board
• Welcome Song/Book: Rise and Shine by Raffi
  While “Rise and Shine” plays on the iPod, we turn the pages of the book Rise and Shine to share with participants.
• Song with hands-on activity: “Butterflies Flit” (The Wiggles from Yummy Yummy)
  We hand out foam butterflies on craft sticks for the children to fly around the room during the song, which we play twice for repetition and to lengthen the experience.
• Book: What Makes a Rainbow by Schwartz
• Song with bean bags: “Bean Bag on Your Head” (Judy Caplan Ginsburgh from A Flower is an Educated Weed)
  This short song (played twice for repetition) encourages placement of the beanbag on head, foot and back.
• Book with hands-on activity: Dog’s Colorful Day by Dodd
  We hand out Velcro colored dots to each of the children. (Ten colored dots are covered during the story.) As we read each page, the child who has that colored dot places it on the poster-size dog.
• Flannel: Little Red Bug
  This simple flannel is composed of a red bug outline and five black dots. The rhyme reads as follows:

Little red bug, oh so cute, here’s a black spot for your suit.

Now you go and have some fun with your spot, your very first one.

…It’s so nice to own a few, so enjoy these lovely two.

…We are very pleased to see, how you look with all three.

…You might feel that you need more, so we proudly give you four.

…Heaven, heaven sakes alive, look at you, you’re wearing five!

Here is a program plan with the theme of transportation:

Here comes___________(child’s name) down the road, down the road, down the road,

Here comes___________(child’s name) down the road, in a green car.

Here comes___________(child’s name) down the road, down the road, down the road,

Here comes___________(child’s name) down the road, in an orange truck.

A peanut sat on the railroad track; its heart was all a-flutter

The five-fifteen came rushing by—Toot! Toot! Peanut Butter!

We will drive a red car all around; we will drive a red car through the town,

Yes, we will drive a red car; yes, we will drive a red car, we will drive our red car all around.

I have also created program plans related to food, sky and clothing. To reiterate, the broader the theme, the more potential to find books and activities that allow for the double visuals and hands-on activities so important to programming for children with special needs and their families. In reviewing these program plans, I hope that you may be inspired to create a similar program plan or consider slight variations to an existing plan for adaptation into a program for children with special needs.

Next week’s blog will include a video of a Rhythm and Rhyme program presented at Matthews Branch Library in April 2009.

by Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski

In Part One, the reasons for serving children with special needs in a storytime setting were highlighted. This week I will cover some elements of the Rhythm and Rhyme Storytime for Children with Special Needs and their Families which make the programming distinctive.

Relaxed Rules: Due to developmental differences of children with special needs, I have not placed restrictions on ages of participants. We have successfully served children ranging in age from two to sixteen in the same session. Planning is geared towards preschool; I share this information with parents if they inquire about the target audience. The storytime is treated as a full family experience during which parents, siblings and therapists are welcome. During the program, we experience children moving around the room rather than sitting still, verbalizing occasionally at random and possibly needing to leave the room and return during the program. The following comment from our survey related to the program substantiates this practice: “This is a great idea! Kids can roam free and make noise without parents worrying they are bothering others.” When we pass out items for the children to use for hands-on activities, we do not insist on the children handing them back in at the end of the activity but instead allow parents guide their child’s participation and decide when their child returns props.

Setting: The setting of the room has variations from our other storytime classes. For example, we use dimmer lighting. Seating spots are important, whether a storytime rug or individual carpet squares. At one class we had an entire line of people at the back of the class near the door rather than on the storytime rug. Afterwards, I asked a Parent Advocate from the Autism Society her opinion. She told me that oftentimes parents of children on the autism spectrum prefer to be near the door in the event that they need to make a quick exit. Subsequently, we now ask that everyone join us on the carpet at the beginning of the class during announcements, expressing an understanding that they may need to temporarily leave during class. We place stuffed animals or pillows around the rug also by request of a parent from our focus group who suggested that we have “pillows for my sensory seeking child.” We have started placing all programming materials into a lightweight toy box on our front table. This is because some children were distracted if items were simply placed on a table at the front of the room. A related focus group comment: “It would be helpful if the items on the tables before a story time could be hidden so my child does not try and take them.”

Program Components: I begin each class with announcements followed by review of the daily agenda on the visual schedule or “schedule board” (see photo of an example of a schedule from a recent class). We utilize small laminated cards of Boardmaker software (a product from Mayer Johnson) pictures attached by Velcro to a large flannel board to show our schedule. Each picture card is removed and placed into the “done” envelope on the flannel board as the activity is finished. A typical schedule may include variations of the following cards: “book,” “activity,” “singing” and/or “puppet” and always ends with “blow bubbles” and “coloring.”

When planning the program, we choose books with patterns, repeating lines or easily reproduced visual options. For example, we read Dog’s Colorful Day: A Messy Story About Colors and Counting by Emma Dodd while incorporating a hands-on activity using a poster board image of Dog with Velcro dots (see photo below). Each child received a colored dot at the beginning of the story and as the book talked about the colors, they placed their dot on Dog in the appropriate spot.

We read The Deep Blue Sea: A Book of Colors by Audrey Wood while simultaneously displaying the flannel story (see photo below).

We also choose books with few, easily reproduced characters such as Night Goes By by Kate Spohn. We laminated stick figures of a star, moon, sun and clouds and acted out the story at the same time as we read the book (see photo below).

Double visuals (book/puppet, book/visuals or book/flannel simultaneously) offer options for the children to acquire literacy through multiple channels and follow a comment from our focus group: “Use as many visuals as possible.” I use repetition in our program plans—reading the same opening and closing books and following the same ending routine (bubbles during “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and classical music). Each session includes extra time buffered into the program so that families may enjoy socialization time—for some families this may be their only visits to the Library so we want it to be as welcoming and lasting as possible. We place puppets and coloring sheets out for the children’s use during this time. Also, I remain in the room to answer questions or receive feedback from participants.

Music: Because some children on the autism spectrum may have sensitivity to music, I utilize low-key or acoustic songs during the program rather than jarring options with a heavy beat or lots of movements (spinning, jumping, etc.). During each class I will plan at least one or two hands-on musical activities using props, scarves or beanbags that may be beneficial for hand-eye coordination and/or motor skills.

Allergies: It’s best to avoid use of food or wearing of perfume during the program due to allergies or other sensitivities of participants. A respondent from our focus group stated that “the library is great because it is one of the places where we don’t have to also worry about food. My child has food allergies and this is a big issue.”

Flexibility: When working with children, it is always important to possess flexibility and a sense of humor. However, it is essential for presenters to maintain an extraordinary amount of adaptability during special needs programming. It is expected that participants may not sit still or be quiet during the program. While viewing a video of our Rhythm and Rhyme Storytime for Children With Special Needs, I noticed that when a child circles behind me while I’m reading, I simply lift the book for her to pass without any modification in my reading or expression. While I didn’t think about it at the time, I realize that this flexibility becomes an innate and vital aspect of this type of programming. Please don’t assume that the children aren’t benefitting from the experience because they aren’t focused upon you at all times. It is also valuable to be aware of your non-verbal communication to assure that you are not showing frustration or impatience if the program is not going exactly as you may have planned.

Timing: I learned through the first survey that Saturday mornings work best for our families. One of the survey respondents stated “Saturday is a really great day. Dr.’s and therapy appointments would prevent us from coming during the week.” Other families have also mentioned that appointments during the week may deter their attendance. As a result, our Rhythm and Rhyme class is scheduled monthly on varying Saturdays at 10am.

Spreading the word: As suggested by a member of our focus group: “create an email distribution list of parents/families and let them know when programs will take place.” I send email reminders to my distribution list the week of the programs, knowing how busy the families are and that advance planning is not often an option. I also request email addresses of first-time participants in order to share the upcoming class dates if they express interest in these reminders.

While these elements may overwhelm at first glance, it will become a habit to incorporate these minor changes as you begin planning your story time programs for children with special needs and their families. Upon observation of our Rhythm and Rhyme program, colleagues overwhelmingly assert “we can do this, too!” and even discover benefits to incorporate into their regular storytime programs.

Part three of this blog series will include examples of program plans for our past Rhythm and Rhyme storytimes.

by Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski

With budgetary and staffing issues currently facing libraries, children’s programming managers and staff may wonder, “Why begin a new storytime program for children with special needs and their families?” The answer: to provide support for a vastly underserved area of our population. Efforts to provide special needs programming are an important aspect of library service which results in numerous rewards for families, communities and libraries.

During the summer of 2008 when two parents inquired separately about storytimes specifically geared towards children with special needs at the Matthews Branch of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC), I saw an opportunity. At the time, this type of programming was not offered at PLCMC so I scheduled a date for August 2008 to respond to the expressed interest. What I learned as a result—if two parents convey an interest in special needs programming, many parents who have not voiced their opinions also have interest in special needs programming. The first program’s response was extremely positive with 38 children and parents present, aware of the program entirely by word-of-mouth through special needs forums or email lists. Parents preferring a storytime for children with special needs may have previously shied away from coming to the library, apprehensive of other parents’ lack of understanding of their child’s behavior. The resounding positive comment we hear from participants about our “Rhythm and Rhyme Storytime for Children with Special Needs and their Families” is that they can relax and enjoy the program because they are not being judged by presenters or parents in attendance.

Here are some tips for those providing storytimes for children with special needs and their families for the first time:

• Request advanced registration for the first program and be the primary contact in order to speak with the parents about their child. I don’t recommend asking specifically about a child’s disability; instead inquire more broadly about a child’s likes and dislikes. While you will not plan the “perfect program” as a result of this communication, you will come away from the conversation with a better understanding of the children and families attending the class.
• Warmly welcome siblings, family members and family caregivers (e.g. therapists) to the event as their involvement helps create a nurturing family atmosphere.
• Decide if you think age restrictions are of value to you. I have not placed age restrictions on our programs due to developmental differences in children that physical age does not reflect. We have positively served children ranging from ages 2-16 at our storytime while for planning purposes focusing on preschool content.
• Seek Library Administration’s support to provide this service. Chances are your immediate or higher level managers will know a family with a child in the target audience. They may be able to network with their contacts to spread news of the program and will understand by speaking with families how little libraries offer specific to this population and how valuable families consider this service.
• There is a benefit to having two presenters for the program. If another staff member is not available, it may be possible to recruit a parent volunteer. We successfully utilize double visuals during the program. For example, we may read a book while showing the flannel story simultaneously or using other props (puppets, laminated visual aids) to offer the children more than one way to experience the book. We also offer opportunities for “hands-on” activities which benefit from another person assisting.
• Collect the participants’ email addresses during each program and offer to send reminders of upcoming events via email. The parents appreciate reminders because their schedules are too busy to seek out the information. I also email two local chapters of the Autism Society and they post the information on their community calendar for each of our monthly programs.
• Following the first or second program, present the parents with at minimum a survey or if possible, schedule time after the program for a limited (less than 10 question) focus group to receive input on how the program is going, what participants would suggest for improvements, etc.
• Accept that you will not please everybody and that is okay. After the first program we had one parent comment that their child responded best to presenters being in the center of the circle with the book while another parent responded to the same survey by asking that presenters be at the front of the room. Focus on manageable requests. For example, we were easily able to respond to suggestions that we have larger than standard crayons available for coloring and stuffed animals or pillows scattered throughout the room during the program.
• Book the event room for an extra ½ hour following the program so that the families may socialize. This may be the first time participants have met each other in person rather than as a “screen name.” Also, for some families this is their only visit to the library so it’s preferable not to have the experience be a rushed one. We offer puppets, coloring sheets and classical music during this time and remain available in the room to interact with the families.
• You may wish to have opening announcements at your program establishing a relaxed atmosphere. My announcements are consistently the same and placed before I review our agenda for the day using our schedule board. I remind the parents that they are free to come and go as they please during the program; that we don’t expect the children to remain seated or quiet; and that we aren’t offering the program to be exclusionary but instead all participants are welcome at all of our events.
• Reach out to community organizations related to special needs. Attending local chapter meetings of the Autism Society and the Down Syndrome Association to make contacts and receive feedback is valuable. The Parent Advocates of the Autism Society of Mecklenburg County have been instrumental in improving our programming–educating us on the creation and inclusion of the schedule board and a better understanding of autism spectrum behaviors exhibited by our participants.
• Visit websites of organizations such as the Autism Society of America (www.autism-society.org), Autism Speaks (www.autismspeaks.org) as well as the National Down Syndrome Society (www.ndss.org) to become familiar with characteristics or behaviors which may be demonstrated by children attending your program.
• When programming to children on the autism spectrum, please remember the saying–“If you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism.” Because of the range of spectrum disorder, each child’s behaviors or response will be unique. Please be understanding of these differences.
• Be flexible and accepting of your mistakes realizing that you may need to adjust mid-program to best work with your audience’s needs. Keep your sense of humor at all times to maintain a light and enjoyable program.

Part Two of this blog series will cover some specific facets of the program plan for children with special needs.

******
Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski is the Children’s Services Manager at Matthews Branch of Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

Yes, summer is almost here, a perfect time to plan how to promote your library’s research databases this fall.

As I begin my plan, I’m thinking:

• Use them myself. Keep a notebook. Share what I learn with colleagues and patrons.
• Offer classes and pathfinders for each database.
• Provide individual appointments for students, parents and teachers to demonstrate the use of the databases available, focusing on their particular topic(s) of interest.
• Partner with school media specialists and teachers in which we focus on PROCESS of research over the product, to celebrate what we learn along the way.

What research databases are available at your library? Do you currently promote their use? If so, how?

Download the podcast.

Episode 9

Episode 9: Outreach to Latino Populations

The Latinos are the fastest growing minority population in the United States. Dr. Jamie Campbell Naidoo predicts that within 20 to 30 years, they are going to be the majority. In this 24-minute podcast, ALSC member Dr. Naidoo discusses

• what led him to research and teach diversity and outreach
• the importance of intercultural literature and self-identification
• information about the Latino Children’s Literature Conference
• ¡Imagínense!, a multifaceted program combining current research and practice to assist librarians, teachers, and other educators in meeting the literacy needs of Latino children and adolescents. The Imaginense Libros blog is http://imaginenselibros.blogspot.com/.

Below is an edited transcript of the podcast:

ALSC Blog: Hello and welcome to episode 9 of the ALSC Blog Podcast. My name is Teresa Walls. I am the manager of the ALSC Blog. In today’s podcast, member Jamie Campbell Naidoo kindly spoke with me regarding library service to Latino children as well as the upcoming 2nd annual celebration of Latino Children’s literature to be held April 24 and 25, 2009, at the University of South Carolina in partnership with the University of Alabama. I will let Mr. Naidoo introduce himself.

Jamie Naidoo: My name is Jamie Naidoo. I am a assistant professor at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and I’m in the School of Library and Information Studies there. I’ve been there since August. Prior to that, I was at the University of South Carolina’ s library school. In both places, I teach diversity in library and children’s library services and young adult library services. I’ve been an elementary school librarian before and also a children’s librarian in a public library.

ALSC Blog: Let’s talk a little bit about library service to Latino children. What has led you to this particular interest?

Jamie Naidoo: It started when I was an elementary school librarian in a suburb of the Birmingham area of Alabama. The school I worked at was preK through 2. The first year I was there we had very few Latino children. I’d say maybe 20 or less. Then three years later, we had gone from the 20 to over 150, almost 160, 170. We had this huge increase all of sudden of Latino children and it was interesting to see the shift in dynamics within the school.

Most teachers didn’t speak Spanish. The current ESL [English as a Second Language] teacher didn’t speak Spanish. And nobody really knew how to educate these children since they didn’t speak English and most teachers didn’t speak Spanish. And, so they hired an ESL teacher who spoke Spanish and got two ESL aides who spoke Spanish and then another part-time ESL teacher who spoke Spanish. They started vamping up their ESL education program. I took the opportunity then to start working with the ESL teacher to help her plan programs. She wasn’t very well versed in children’s literature, so I would give her books and stuff. I remember the day I gave her a book by Gary Soto, a picture book by Gary Soto, and she came back later that day and was very excited because her Latino boys were finally connecting with a book. They were recognizing the culture that was in the book. She was excited that they were making connections with a book, which they hadn’t before.

While I was at the school, I heard a lot of negative comments about Latinos. You know, things such as “Why do they speak Mexican? Why don’t they speak English?” I had teachers who would say things like, “I can’t pronounce the name Jorge so I’ll call him George just because I can’t pronounce that name.” And, I think it was just a lot of general misunderstanding of the Latino population.

So, I realized that there needed to be a lot more education to the educators, that there is diversity in the population. And that you shouldn’t see these children as a burden but you should really be reaching out to them. I was thinking that I could not imagine leaving my country and going somewhere else where I didn’t know the language and sending my children to a school where they didn’t know the language and I didn’t know the language and hoping that they thrive and survive.

The majority of the children we had were from Mexico. The more I worked with them, I could see that the families were very motivated and very dedicated. They were the ones who would show up for parent/teacher conferences and always wanted to help in their child’s education, they just didn’t know how. And, I remember at about that time I was reading a book called, Dirty Girls Social Club which is by Alisa Valdes-Rodriquez. It’s basically like a Latino Sex in the City. I was reading that book which is a conglamoration of about five Latino women, but they were from different cultural backgrounds. One was Puerto Rican, one was Cuban, one was Mexican, one was from the Caribbean. It really hit home that wow! there is all this diversity And, here I am, someone who is interested in helping these children and I don’t really stop and think about the diversity, and I bet most other people don’t stop and think about the diversity within the Latino populations.

The more I thought about that, I was wanting to start working on my PhD, so I thought I’d focus my PhD with school library service to Latino population. But the more I thought about it, I realized that our concept of other cultures or of things that are different really begins well before we get into school. Through picture books that we read or that parents read to us, we start forming our understanding of different cultures and different things. So, I decided I should probably be focusing on picture books before I really started focusing on library service in schools, and then looking at library services in public libraries as well. All that to say, that’s why I started looking at picture books before I started looking at library services.

Currently, the majority Latino population are Mexican but that is followed by quickly by a large percentage of Puerto Ricans and Cubans and Dominicans. And it kind of goes on down from there.

When I was in South Carolina before. it was kind of a competition between South Carolina and North Carolina about who had the fastest growing Latino population because the Latino South which is Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and the Carolinas, and Tennessee, has the fastest growing Latino population. A lot are migrating from the West or emigrating in, and going to live in the South, so that’s where a high population is, in the southern states.

The term multicultural is becoming more passé. Multicultural is meaning all these different cultures. Intercultural is trying to make connections among all these many cultures, not seeing them as different separate things but really drawing connections between the cultures which is really very important, that you need to understand other cultures. And, so if you are focusing on different cultures separately but you don’t ever really talk about the importance of learning about cultures beyond your own then you aren’t making any progress. That’s the term also used more often now in children’s literature, talking about diverse populations, intercultural is being used more because it talks not just about multicultural literature here in the United States but international children’s literature from other countries too. So you are talking about cultures in the United States and in countries around the world.

ALSC Blog: O.K., then that helps also, instead of separating things out, instead of saying today’s storytime we are going to focus on this culture, to look at having services that incorporate cultures and how they are connected in one storytime perhaps, not making it…. I don’t know if I’m making sense.

Jamie Naidoo: You are making perfect sense. When I go around doing workshops and things like that, I say we shouldn’t just, during Hispanic Heritage Month, read a couple books about Mexico or about the Latino culture, have a big fiesta, break a piñata, have a couple tacos and then never talk about the Latino culture again until the following year. Too often as educators and librarians, we focus on Black History Month or Asian Heritage Month or Hispanic Heritage Month, and we separate things out into neat little boxes instead of incorporating different cultures into everyday things that we do. These children are here with us every single day not just during Black History Month, not just during Asian Heritage Month or Hispanic Heritage Month.

Self-identification is very important for children because if as a child you grow up and you never see your culture represented in the books you read or the books that librarians and teachers share with you, then you may start thinking that your culture is not important, either it’s not important enough to write about in books or it’s not important for educators to share with you. The same is true then too if your culture is represented but it is negatively represented or there is misinformation about your culture in books that teachers and librarians share then you may feel lessened or you may have a conflict in yourself. I mean, if you know that all people who are Latino aren’t from Mexico but your teacher or librarian insists that when sharing stories about Latinos that they’re always from Mexico and let’s have a taco, and you realize, “Yeah, I’m a Latino, but I’m not from Mexico and I eat things besides tacos,” you might feel a little conflict between who you really are and who librarians and teachers say you are. It’s really important that children see accurate portrayals of their culture in books that they read.

A lot of the research that I do and have started doing has been with books that have won the Belpré Award and the Americas Award which are two awards for Latino children’s literature because for a long time there weren’t books about Latinos and then the ones that did come out had stereotypes, so the Americas Award was created and the Belpré Award was created to celebrate books about the Latino cultures. Librarians assume that they are all great and wonderful. They use them without really stopping to think what’s really the content because sometimes librarians and teachers figure if something won an award it has to be a great and wonderful book. I mean, there are books that sometimes in the past may have won the Caldecott that might have been about the Latino culture but wasn’t necessarily a good positive representation of the culture. At the same time, if teachers only shared the Americas books or only shared the Belpré books, they may only represent to their children portions of the Latino culture, not the full gamut of the diversity within the Latino cultures.

ALSC Blog: I’m thinking about just introducing the books, like someone being afraid, “Oh, I don’t know if this book is an accurate portrayal.” And, at the same time, especially with talking about self-identification, a chance to talk with the children about “What do you do in your family?” or to give them a chance to talk about their experiences. Because, like you said, even within how a culture is represented in a picture book might not be necessarily how your family is, because even if you are part of that culture, your family may have its own individual nuances to it.

Jamie Naidoo: Exactly, like I’ve said before in different talks that I give, in the United States we like to compartmentalize things too much. We have the label “Asian,” the label “Latino” or “Hispanic,” the label “African American,” and we expect people to fit in nice little boxes, and they don’t. Just because you are reading a book about Latinos doesn’t mean that represents all Latinos, or a book about African-Americans represents all African Americans. So, yeah, when you’re reading a book it definitely opens an opportunity, and even if you are reading a book about families, because maybe the children don’t have a mom or dad, or they live with an extended family. So definitely, read a book and talk about the differences that children have in their own lives and how that one book can’t represent the whole culture.

ALSC Blog: Let’s talk a little bit about outreach from public libraries and school media centers. In your work are you looking at that portion of it or at this point are you mostly focusing on the literature?

Jamie Naidoo: I think you can’t focus on either one or the other. It all goes hand in hand. When I was in South Carolina, I did a study on how libraries were serving Latino children in South Carolina and just looking at their collections and programs that they offered and things like that. And then, when I was in South Carolina, I went around and talked to school librarians and children librarians about creating programs and services to the Latino community, and how you can create these programs when you don’t speak Spanish when maybe all the Latinos in your community do speak Spanish. I talk about mainly if you don’t speak Spanish and you want to reach out to your community through your school library or your public library, one of the best places to go first is to your Latino community. If you are intimidated by going to parents of Latino children that you know then look for Hispanic leaders in the community, maybe educators themselves or business owners who may have a key lead-in to the Latino community. If they can’t help you, they may know somebody who can help you reach out and plan your programs in the community or get Latinos to come to your library to partake of some of the outreach and services that you offer.

The Día program is a great way for both school libraries and public libraries to celebrate the Latino culture and reach out to the Latino community. Pat Mora started the idea of Día in the United States. ALSC has readily adopted that along with REFORMA, and now every year on April 30th, libraries around the country are celebrating Latino literature, Latino families, and Latino literacy. That’s a great way to start reaching out the Latino community, but it doesn’t have to be just April 30th. You could have Día activities throughout the whole year, but that’s one quick and easy way to think about reaching out the Latino community. There’s tons of free information online about creating Día programs. Like I said that information translates to the whole year, so teachers and librarians should not use the excuse that “That’s just something else I have to plan for and I don’t have time for that.” Well, O.K., sure, maybe you’re not creative and you don’t have time to plan programs, or extra programs as you might see it. Well, there are plenty of things to be found online that have been tried and tested. Use those instead. Take a Dia activity and include it in your weekly storytime and when you talk about other cultures.

We mentioned this earlier that sometimes libraries tend to focus on cultures on specific times of year or just on celebrations. And that’s not necessarily a negative thing, it can be a positive, especially when it comes to celebrations. You can have a Day of the Dead storytime or party and read some stories about Day of the Dead. Have children talk about some of their relatives who have passed on or have some family members come in and talk about what Day of the Dead is and create displays and things like that. One of the libraries that was in South Carolina that I worked with had a Latino parent group of mothers that were like an advisory board for the children’s department. They helped the children’s department create programs and build collections that would reach out to the Latino community. I think that was very, very important in the success of that library reaching the Latino community.

It’s very important to know about the Latino culture. Something I also tell librarians is to learn, to know just some of the things that identify the Latino culture, like they like to do things as a family, as a group, so if you plan a program it’s important to plan family programs not age specific programs. If the whole family can participate, you are more likely to have more participation. I tell my classes when I teach diversity, you can have the wonderful collections, you can plan all these wonderful programs and services, but if nobody comes, then was it successful? Why did you do all that if nobody comes? You really want to market your program and think about your community and know what your community make-up is and plan programs and services for Latinos that mirror those.

ALSC Blog: You started the Latino Children’s Literature Conference with Dr. Juila Lopez-Robertson, an education professor at the University of South Carolina’s College of Education. You had your first conference last year. What’s in store with that for the future?

Jamie Naidoo: The conference this year is April 24 and 25. We have Sonia Nieto who is a Puerto Rican children’s literature and multicultural education scholar as our academic keynote. Then we have Lulu Delacre and Lucia Gonzalez and Maya Christina Gonzalez as our authors who are coming this year. Each year we have at least two Latina or Latino authors or illustrators for children. We would like to add more each year, so this year we have three. We have some local authors who come as well. There’s storytelling and there’s breakout sessions related to library services to Latinos and then also keeping the education standpoint with educating Latinos in the classroom. We always have a component that is community outreach related to Dia. This year Lulu is doing a Dia program at one of the local schools, and we’ll be giving out free copies of one of her books.

Last year and this year it was in South Carolina, in Columbia, South Carolina. But now since I moved to University of Alabama, we didn’t want to end the conference so we decided that we would keep the conference in the South, but not just South Carolina. We’ll keep it going back and forth between South Carolina and Alabama. The third annual one will be in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, next year. Then the fourth one will go back to South Carolina, which we see as being a good thing because the Latino South incorporates, we almost have Alabama and South Carolina being on the edges, on each edge, boxing in the Latino South so it allows educators from each side of that to attend the conference that maybe they wouldn’t be able to attend at a distance especially with a lot of funding being cut for travel.

But, it’s a great and wonderful event and it is a national conference. We hope to continue to grow it each year.

ALSC Blog: You’ve just started a blog?

Jamie Naidoo: Yes. There’s a Latino literacy iniaitive called ¡Imaginense! Libros which means Just Imagine Books. It will eventually be a really dynamic website. I’ve been putting it off, putting it off, thinking once I get the time and get a webmaster then I’ll start creating this dynamic website which is going to be a virtual evaluation collection of Latino children’s books. I will have an advisory board of Latino children’s literature scholars from all across the United States. That they, along with me, will read the books and write evaluations of them. We’ll evaluate the Spanish. It will be one-stop place to go for, as a librarian, when you are thinking about purchasing books about the Latino culture in Spanish, you’ll be able to go to this website, search it, read our reviews, and know whether or not this is a good book.

So, this was going to be a dynamic website, but then I realize that I don’t need to wait until I get the website up. I went ahead and created a blogspot for it. I have some ideas up there now. Especially with Criticas ending, there is definitely a need for reviews of books about Latinos, especially children’s books.

ALSC Blog: We’ll include the URL to your blog in the transcript of this podcast. [The URL is http://imaginenselibros.blogspot.com/] Let’s go ahead and end our conversation. Do you mind sharing some final words with us?

Jamie Naidoo: I think it’s really important that people start really thinking about library service to Latinos. They are the fastest growing population in the United States. Even if you aren’t serving Latinos in your library now, you will be soon. When I do my workshops and presentations, I say you just can’t say that I don’t have any Latinos in my community now, so I don’t have to worry about it. You need to have those books in your library to teach others about the culture and foster cultural understanding. It’s important to incorporate those into the programs you have now. And be ready for when you do have a large Latino population in your community because if you don’t have Latinos now, you will. Jump on the opportunity now as opposed to waiting.

You know how something happens that makes you more aware of something and then suddenly it seems like the whole world is full of this thing?  Your best friend gets pregnant, say, and suddenly you see pregnant women everywhere, or you finally learn what jejune means and the word is suddenly popping up every day.  You wonder, “Is it just that I’m now noticing pregnant women more – or are there really a whole bunch more pregnant women roaming the streets?!”

This is how it is with graphic novels and me.  Oh, I’ve been a fan of graphic novels for all ages for at least a year now (don’t snort – I’ve always been a late-bloomer).  But suddenly it feels like graphic novels for kids are just exploding; you can’t turn a corner without bumping into some mention of them.  Whether it’s various lucky ducks attending the New York Comic Con (such as Elizabeth Bird, Sophie Brookover, and Molly Phelan) or a school librarian blogging about the huge popularity of graphic novels, it’s clear that this is a huge phenomenon.

I would be happy to sit back and let all the excitement flow around me, but there are some big issues that keep insisting on my attention.  Here are just a few:

How to catalog?  In my library system, we use a fiction, independent reader, or nonfiction Dewey number for children’s graphic novels (depending on whether it’s Coraline, Stinky, or a graphic novel on a nonfiction subject), followed by a “GN” designation, followed by a series cutter if necessary.  But the YA graphic novels are all in 740.9999.  Go figure!  And how to deal with those unending volumes in a series, some with different authors?  Our catalogers keep finding new situations for which they must cobble together solutions.

Where to shelve them?  I highly recommend pulling graphic novels together into a special collection, but not everyone agrees.  And should nonfiction graphic novels be shelved with the fiction graphic novels, or should they be with other books on the subject?  And what about those independent reader graphic novels? 

Juvenile or YA?  This is not a new question, but graphic novels complicate the issue.  Manga in particular has huge appeal for young readers, but the content is not always what some folks might call appropriate for kids 12 and under.  And many graphic novels look like they are aimed at kids, but they are actually adaptations of “classics” that teens read for school.  Will kids read them?  Will teens be offended by them? 

How to handle the flood of graphic novels?  Oh, it’s easy to deal with those wonderful one-offs or those short-series graphic novels, but what about those series that stretch off into the distance?  By the time you’ve learned about a popular series, it’s on volume 22 and the first 10 are out of print.  And now of course publishers have jumped on the bandwagon and are producing graphic novels by the hundreds.  Let’s just say that they are not all of the highest quality.  Will they have child appeal regardless?  Separating the wheat from the chaff is not always easy when there are so many new series.

It’s important to seek guidance and to work together.  In my library system, children’s librarians and catalogers are working closely to figure out the best way to guarantee good access to graphic novels.  Children’s librarians and YA librarians are coordinating efforts to make sure graphic novels are shelved in the appropriate sections of the library.  And we’re consulting sources like the Graphic Novels in Libraries listserv and the book The Librarian’s Guide to Graphic Novels for Children and Tweens by David S. Serchay (Neal-Schuman, 2008).  Searching Google for blogs on graphic novels yields many useful sources, as well.

I am ecstatic that graphic novels have come into their own.  They are a fresh and exciting new format that has an important place in every library.  Someday I hope to see a big, prestigious award just for graphic novels for youth.  And I’m happy to be a tiny part of this new groundswell that is exploring how best to evaluate, select, catalog, shelve, display, and market graphic novels.

And now I’m going to snuggle up with that stack of new graphic novels shimmering on my desk!

Graphic novels.  I swear it’s not just me.  They are popping up everywhere these days.

by Lisa Taylor
Ocean County (NJ) Library

If the inaugural session of ALSC’s new online continuing ed courses is any indication, they’re going to be a great success! In “classes” powered by the software program, Moodle, librarians gathered online to participate in Sharing Poetry with Children, Reading Instruction and Children’s Books, The Technology-Enhanced Library Professional, and in my case, The Tech Savvy Booktalker.

Recent library school graduates are likely familiar with online classes and should find the format familiar and easy to work with. Less tech-savvy librarians should take the plunge and learn the benefits of online classes. Online courses run asynchronously; participants log in and participate when it’s most convenient for them, not the instructor. It’s easy to catch up on what’s happened in class since your last login. Online courses allow us to learn new skills without leaving the library for the day and wasting time (and gas!) on travel. Of course, nothing takes the place of interaction with other librarians, and there is plenty of that available online as well.

In Nancy Keane’s Tech Savvy Booktalker class, we had high tech fun. Public and school librarians created booktalking podcasts, comic strips, music videos, movie shorts and more! We’re not experts (yet!), but we’ve discovered so many new ways to promote books and reading to media savvy kids!

When the next session of ALSC online continuing ed courses rolls around, be sure to check it out!

Brian Herzog, a librarian at the Chelmsford Public Library in Massachusetts, suggests in his blog Swiss Army Librarian that October 15 be declared “Work Like a Patron” day in libraries across the USA.  When he and a coworker had to use public terminals to collaborate on a project one day, he found that smeary screens, sticky keyboards, and several other problems made for a less-than-wonderful experience.  Therefore, on “Work Like a Patron” day, librarians would use public entrances, terminals, restrooms, drinking fountains, and even (gasp!) the circulation desk, just like our patrons, to experience the library as they do.

This is a concept that we children’s librarians should embrace, and not just on October 15 but on a regular basis.  Here’s how it would work:

Walk into the children’s area while imagining that you are a slightly bored 4^th-grader.  Not only do you not really know what book you’re looking for, you don’t really even know if you want a book.  What do you see?  Are there bright displays or posters attracting your attention and letting you know about great books or free library programs?  Are there magazines and comic books (not all torn up but in plastic protectors) right at eye-level?  Is there a super-cool graphic novel section in plain view?  Are any novels or nonfiction books displayed face-out to tantalize you?  Does a children’s librarian ask in a friendly way how he or she can help you?

On another day, pretend you’re the tired parent or caregiver of a 4-month old baby and a three-year-old.  Does your library have a changing table in the restrooms?  Is there attractive and comfortable furniture for you and your kids to snuggle up together with a book?  Are there educational toys and objects like puppets, mazes, and so on so that your toddler can play, and are they clean?  Are the board books within reach of your toddler and in good and sanitary condition?  Is the staff welcoming and friendly?  Are the parenting books easy to find?  Are there cloth books and other materials for your baby?

Now you’re a 2^nd-grader with an animal assignment or perhaps a 6^th-grader who needs to read a mystery.  Are the librarians at the information desk welcoming, helpful and knowledgeable?  Is the information desk so high that the 2^nd-grader can barely see over it?  Is the information desk extremely visible from the children’s area?  If the library doesn’t have just what you need, does the librarian make sure that you’ll be able to get it elsewhere?

And in general – is the children’s area brightly lit, attractive, comfortable, and welcoming?  Are the books orderly and neat, with plenty of titles face-out?  Are the high shelves low enough for younger patrons to reach?  Does the arrangement of the various sections – picture books, independent readers, graphic novels, chapter books, AV materials, etc – make sense?  Can kids readily find the section they need even if a librarian is not immediately available to help them?  Do kids feel welcome - or are they glared at and shushed?  Are librarians being proactive and finding kids in the stacks, rather than waiting for kids to find them at the information desk?

Looking at our libraries, and in particular our children’s areas, with the eyes of our patrons can help us improve our service tremendously.  Let’s make every day “Work Like a Patron” Day!

from an ALA press release

The next installment in the series of American Library Association (ALA) President Jim Rettig’s ALA Connections Salons will be an online discussion with Pat Scales, President of the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC). The discussion, entitled “Kid Connections” will take place from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST Friday, Oct. 17.

Online Programming for All Libraries (OPAL) Coordinator Tom Peters will begin the hour with an interview with Scales, whose association recently hosted its 2008 National Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sept. 18-20. Attendees of the institute participated in program tracks on “Technology and Children’s Services,” “Programming in the New Millennium” and “Inspiring Lifelong Reading.” After 36 years as a middle school librarian and advocate for students’ right to read, Scales is passionate about helping young people find books that are just right for them.

Following the interview, participants will be free to ask questions and engage with Scales and with one another to discuss the joys and challenges of bringing books and kids together.

The salon will take place in OPAL, a user-friendly site offering online rooms where participants can interact via voice-over-IP, text chatting, synchronized browsing and other functions. The link for the salon is http://tinyurl.com/6ncakq, and a tip sheet for users is available at http://www.opal-online.org/firsttimetips.htm.

Like its 17th and 18th Century European counterparts, the ALA Connections Salon offers a place for ALA members to gather and discuss professional topics of interest. Future salons will take place each month throughout Rettig’s presidency on from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST Fridays as follows:

2008
November 21 Political Connections
December 19 Gaming Connections

2009
February 20 ALA Connections
March 20 Next Generation Catalog Connections
April 17 Advocacy Connections
May 15 Education and Recruitment Connections
June 19 Future Connections

For more information about ALA President Jim Rettig’s initiatives, please visit http://jimrettig.org/content/initiatives/initiatives.htm .

In this book, Eliza Dresang, Melissa Gross and Leslie Edmonds Holt bring together the rationale and how-to of outcome-based planning and evaluation (OBPE). Why? From page 15:

Using outcomes provides a systematic way to find out if services are meeting or exceeding the goals set for them, what works best for the people who use services, and how to change programs and services as the kids in a community change. In addition, outcome-based evaluation helps determine how to best use available resources and get the additional resources needed to provide library service to children in the service area.

Plan what you want to evaluate. Involve the opinions of those you are serving. It only makes sense, but how many of us do it? I am struck by the three Levels of planning the authors describe in chapter 4. It’s so simple to start small, to get a feel for it, but how often do we move to the big evaluation project without stated outcomes or avoid the big planning/evaluation project because it is daunting? OBPE does not have to be scary. They write about Level 1 on page 44, “A trial run on a smaller basis sometimes clears the way for a more concerted or longer-term effort.”

Starting with Level 1 (basically a one-time program plan with stated goals/outcomes followed with an evaluation) is one way to develop evaluation skills and create a culture of evaluation. On page 55, the authors write:

After understanding the conclusions drawn from the data, the library staff should be willing to make changes that will improve success from the users’ point of view. If a library is not ready to accept evaluation results, or make changes suggested by those results, there are some things to do before launching a major OBPE project.

The authors also recommend creating formal surveys for staff to make outcome-based planning and evaluation a more natural part of the work environment. Another option mentioned is to bring in consultants.

If your library is not a culture of planning and evaluation, even if you are meeting the needs of your community, budget cuts will make (if it hasn’t already) your programs vulnerable. Grants are becoming even more competitive. Dynamic Youth Services through Outcome-Based Planning and Evaluation has made me more aware of something I knew was important but something I saw as upper management responsibility. It is my responsibility as a children’s librarian to evaluate the usefulness of the programs I plan and change them accordingly. I think I do that, but using the models provided in this book will move me beyond think to know.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services offers a guide to grant opportunities as well as sample applications, information about outcome-based evaluations, a project planning tutorial, and more.

Next I will read Super3: Information Skills for Young Learners by Michael Eisenberg. Please grab a copy of it and add your response to the next Professional Reading post. You are also encouraged to add your thoughts about any of the books I have responded to in past posts. I am always looking for professional book suggestions as well.

Thanks!
Teresa Walls

ALA Marginalia announces the Day-in-Review to be held at Salon Huron at ALA Island (179, 201, 29) at 5:00 p.m. Second Life Time/Pacific Time today (Friday, June 27), Sunday and Monday. It will begin at 4:00 p.m. Second Life/Pacific Time on Saturday, June 28.

El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) is fast approaching, on April 30th! As part of its new collaboration with ALSC, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) has organized public events to help raise awareness of Día among the general public. Spanish radio personality and Rayo author, Dra. Isabel, a popular psychologist with her own show on Univision Radio, will interview yours truly on April 30th to discuss Día, and how parents can help raise their children to become better readers. I will also mention ALSC’s Día website as a resource for parents can learn about Día events going on at their local libraries, so hopefully that will help to bring more Latino patrons into your branches! The show is national, so tune in at 1pm (EST)!  That evening, Dra. Isabel will participate in a Día event hosted by the Jackson Heights branch of the New York Public Library. Dra. Isabel will read from her children’s book “La canción de Gabriela,” which deals with the difficulties faced by immigrant children trying to adapt to a new culture. The reading will be followed by an event for adults, where she will discuss her book “Los 7 pasos para ser feliz,” so patrons can bring their entire family to the library to celebrate Día!That same day, Miami’s most famous bookstore, Books & Books  will also host a wonderful Día event organized with the help of AAP. At this event, 3rd grades from Coral Way K-8 Center, the nation’s first dual language school, will kick off the afternoon by reciting classic Spanish poems. After her reading and autograph signing, author and scholar Barbara Zurer Pearson, Ph.D., will lead a workshop on “How to Raise a Bilingual Child.” To close, students from Coral Way will perform the play “Pueblo de la mujeres” by Hermanos Alvarez Quintero.  Both of these events are a result of the new partnership established between AAP and ALSC, so I urge you to support them and help to raise aware of them.  And of course, have a great Día! 

Digitization is changing the world of literature daily. Each day I add another bookmark to a growing file of articles on topics ranging from Japan’s love of cell phone novels (in the London Times & and the NY Times) to the removal of piracy protection on audiobooks (in the NY Times & Cory Doctorow’s take on Boing-Boing.) Authors & publishers are embracing change by posting free content online, such as Neil Gaiman’s story “A Study in Emerald” available as both eBook & audiobook (read by Gaiman) on HarperCollins’ website.  

These changes have prompted many to ponder the future of the book. Random House UK’s C.E.O. Gail Rebuck presented a brilliant essay as the Stationers’ Company Annual Lecture on the evening of March10th. The address, titled “New Chapter or Last Page? Publishing Books in a Digital Age,” was made to the members of a Guild formed in 1403 for the publishing industry, a fitting group to contemplate the message. Read the whole speech here. I believe this to be a must-read for all who value the literary past and who look to the future of publishing.

Mary Burkey

http://audiobooker.blogspot.com/

reviewed by Amy Seim

Title: The First Bear

Written by: Felicity Hansen

Hardback: 32 pages

Publisher: Barefoot Books, Inc.

ISBN: 1-84148-012-6

Publication: 2000

Have you ever wondered where the first teddy bear came from? This brilliantly written
and illustrated book tells a heartwarming story of the wonderful gift that the Great Bear
in the sky gave to all of the lonely children in the world.

Great Bear always wished he could help comfort the sad children on the earth below. The
idea came to him one night while watching a crying boy who had no mother or father. “I
wonder if I could send him someone to stop him from feeling so lonely?”

Great Bear finds a small cloud and, magically, the first bear is born:

“He took it gently in his starry paws and made it into the shape of a bear. It was a
soft, golden color, with warm, brown eyes.”

The first bear is sent to live with the boy on earth. From here, the story follows an
amazing life of friendship between the boy and his bear. The full-page illustrations by
Anthony Carnabuci are simply amazing and really capture the compassion and mood of the
book.

I recommend this book for the young and young at heart. The author truly grasps the
intimate bond between a child and his bear… I should know, I still have my first bear!