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Storytime is a learning environment and we all have lessons learned — including librarians. While I am a better storytime librarian than when I started, I am still far from perfect. And I’ve learned a lot about what kinds of books and materials work best for me in storytime. But in order to do that, I had to make some mistakes.

Five Storytime Lessons Learned

Never Repeating Themes
At my first library, I never repeated storytime themes. I figured I had to get five years worth of themes since I was primarily doing an all-ages storytime and my youngest patrons would age out in five years. That led to some great creative themes, but it also meant shelving dinosaurs storytime for FIVE YEARS. And besides, repetition is great for kids.

Lack of Inclusive Books
Whoa, have I made this mistake more than once! I used to do holiday storytimes because that was what had always been done. And I stopped doing that in 2012 after realizing that I was excluding patrons from storytime. I used to love using Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox until I had a storytime friend who did not have ten fingers and ten toes. I didn’t double-check to make sure that I had non-traditional families represented until Mommy and Mama brought their child to storytime. Inclusive storytimes make everyone feel welcome.

No Recorded Music
I didn’t use recorded music in my storytimes until 2014. I have a decent singing voice and mostly sang a capella. I knew who Jim Gill was, but couldn’t sing any songs by him. Until a grandmother said to me that her grandchild really missed the music that Miss J used. Also: using recorded music frees me up to dance crazily with the kids and model that behavior for caregivers.

Using a Floor Easel in Toddler Storytime
At my current library, I used a floor easel flannelboard since that’s what I was familiar with. Big mistake. The toddlers wound up all around the board petting it and ignoring me. I switched to tabletop easel the next week to avoid the toddler swarm. Make adjustments week to week; don’t wait until the problem becomes familiar to patrons.

Not Knowing When to Stop
There are days when it’s better to just close the book. I knew that. I just couldn’t always come to terms with it. Now I am an absolute pro at saying, “Grown-ups, it seems like our little ones want to get up and move. We can do an activity now and we can read another time.” Having those speeches memorized is really helpful and makes storytime flow naturally.

I could go on (not laying down expectations, reading a book that I didn’t love, not knowing how to get caregivers involved, doing difficult product crafts, no early literacy tips, forgetting to double-check that my book is in good condition) but I feel like I’ve already laid out enough mistakes for one day.

I don’t beat myself up over any of these, by the way. It’s all part of learning. But I do constantly and continuously try to improve. Part of that is realizing that it might be time for a change for the betterment of storytime and a better user experience for my patrons.

How about you? Have you made any changes to storytime? Do you have lessons learned?

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Lessons Learned from Storytime appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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In the past few years, I feel like I’ve become an expert in circulating kits for early literacy. Since I started at my library two years ago, I’ve created thirty-nine circulating kits and have collaboratively helped seventeen more get on the shelves for our patrons. I thought I’d take some time today to highlight some of the kits.

LeapFrog Kits

I have four different kinds of LeapFrog kits on the shelf with a total of sixteen kits:

• LeapPad 2.0 (4 copies)
• LeapPad Ultra Tablets (4 copies)
• LeapFrog Junior Tag Reader (4 copies)
• LeapFrog Tag Reader (4 copies)

Each LeapPad tablet comes with cartridges in the kit and each LeapFrog reader comes with preloaded books. I do basic maintenance of these kits. As each one comes into the library, I check to make sure it’s charged or that the batteries are still in good condition. I also wipe the tablets clean of photos, art, videos, and stories to protect patron privacy.

These have circulated since the summer of 2014. I’ve had to replace one LeapPad 2.0 because it lost sound capabilities, a few cartridges (most notably the Cinderella ebook that came back in parts since the dog got a hold of it!), and a case that the zipper broke on.

Book Bundles

Book Bundles began circulating this past November. I received a Target early literacy grant (which they sadly do not offer any longer) to create these backpack kits. I have twelve kits, one each of the following themes: 123s, ABCs, Animals, Colors, Community Helpers, Feelings, My Body, Nursery Rhymes, Shapes, Time, Transportation, Weather.

Each kits has two or three books and manipulatives to go with the theme. I have puppets, puzzles, games, arts and crafts supplies, toys, CDs, and DVDs. For each item in the Book Bundle, I have written an activity guide for patrons to use with the items. A binder sits on top of the section for patrons to see what materials are inside the Book Bundles.

One of our volunteers inventories these as they are brought back. I’ve only had to replace a mesh bag with a broken zipper and tape up a page from Maisy’s Wonderful Weather Book — which is a pop-up book.

Parenting Pack

I talked a little bit about these Parenting Packs in my ALSC post on re-organizing the Parent/Teacher collection. These were also purchased with the Target grant money. I have eleven kits on the following themes: First Trip on an Airplane, Healthy Eating, New Baby in the House (2 copies), Potty Training for Boys (2 copies), Potty Training for Girls (2 copies), Starting School, Staying in the Hospital, Visiting the Doctor.

Parenting Packs are exactly like Book Bundles except that I also include parenting books and a resource guide. So far there have been no problems with the Parenting Packs and replacement items.

Tigglys & Playaway Launchpads

Tigglys are part of circulating kits in our makerspace: the Wouldshop™. We have one kit of each version (Counts, Shapes, and Words) in its own kit. These products interact with an iPad and we only circulate the product pieces; patrons must provide their own iPad. These are also inventoried by a volunteer.

Playaway Launchpads are new enough that I don’t have pictures of them processed! Our patrons have access to fourteen of these new self-contained tablets. These are the only devices that are on shelf in security cases. I don’t have much to do with these since they are an easy one-touch reset, as opposed to the LeapFrog products that can take me a while to clear private data from.

These examples aren’t the only circulating kits that my library has on the shelf. We also have three gardening kits, two Osmo kits, and a whole slew of circulating kits coming (Ozobots, Spheros, Little Bits just to name a few off the top of my head). I’m also in the planning stages to create more Book Bundles and Parenting Packs.

Is anyone else circulating kits for early literacy in their library? Do you want more specific details? Please feel free to email me at simplykatie[at]gmail[dot]com or comment with your quick questions.

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Circulating Kits for Early Literacy appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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Earlier this year, I took over the responsibility of the Parent Teacher Collection at my library. It was a natural fit since I had to keep bringing picture books to my boss and spending time together to figure out what collection a picture book like Todd Parr’s The Goodbye Book really belonged in.

I was also asked to re-organize the collection by de-Deweying and creating browseable subjects.

Instead of writing through every step, I made a quick infographic detailing my process:

Collection Facts:

• Collection has ten shelves; roughly 650 books.
• Books are a mixture of adult books and children’s materials.
• We decided on seven main subjects: Development, Health, Relationships, Safety, School, Special Needs, and Travel.
• There are sub-subjects under every main subject except Travel.
• While the collection is mostly comprised of books, it does have some DVDs and software.
• At the bottom (in the red polka dot totes) are our Parenting Packs, which are kits geared towards parents/caregivers to use during milestone events.
• Books show up in the catalog with the full call number: PARENTS DEVELOPMENT POTTY WILLEMS.

Purchasing:

• Books are purchased by the Kids & Teens staff members from the children’s non-fiction budget line.
• Generally, books that are used WITH children are shelved in the Parent Teacher Collection. Books about child psychology, parenting memoirs, and academic materials are shelved downstairs in the Adult Services collection.
• I consult with the Adult Services librarian who selects for the 600s. We have determined that we are okay with purchasing doubles of materials.

Reception:

• Every time I walk past the section, the shelves need to be straightened. This means that they’re being used!
• I’m seeing 40% more of the collection moving based on recently returned books.
• I see more browsers which is GREAT and the reason why we decided to de-Dewey the collection. Caregivers are often dealing with a difficult problem when they are looking in the Parent Teacher Collection. They might not be comfortable asking for help and may also want to get their information quickly. This project makes that possible.
• A parent thanked me for integrating the picture books and parent books. It made finding the right resources a one-stop shop for her.
• Another parent expressed gratitude that the subject she was looking for was all shelved together and easy to find.
• Half of the Parenting Packs are currently checked out.

It’s only been a few months, but I think this is one of the best things I’ve done at the library. My co-workers are probably getting tired of hearing me squee every time I see the return cart packed with Parent Teacher Collection books. (I kid — they are all incredibly supportive!)

I’m still not 100% done and I never will be. I need to continually evaluate this collection and actively seek out new materials since they aren’t always readily available in traditional review journals. We’re also preparing a new marketing campaign to help show the organization of the shelves, as well as a brochure to help parents/caregivers navigate the section.

Do you have a Parent Teacher Collection? Any tips or tricks to share? Any questions for me? Let’s talk the comments!

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Parent Teacher Collection Re-Organization appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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It began immediately after the Youth Media Awards were announced on Monday. Quiet whispers to friends and colleagues: “I was surprised by this committee’s choice” and “Why wasn’t this title selected?” and “How could that title have won?” and “My pick didn’t win and it should have!”

While I’ve often heard this kind of discussion after the announcement, I haven’t always had the words to articulate a response. But this year’s announcements for me were colored by a very new and different experience — on Friday, I had the great privilege of attending ALSC’s 2016 Morris Seminar. Here are some of the things I learned:

• Every book has faults. It’s about what book rises to the top of the pile.
• Only discuss the books on the table. You can’t talk about books from previous years.
• When you read independently, you read in a vacuum. The committee as a whole is stronger together.
• While at a group discussion, it is possible to change your mind several times in the span of a few minutes.
• No one is as widely read as the committee and no one has re-read as often as the committee.
• The committee must come to a consensus. Even committee members may not see their favorite awarded.

So, where does that leave you with your commentary? With your thoughts? With the books that you wanted to win?

Just because your favorite book didn’t win a shiny sticker doesn’t mean its days are over. Maybe that book won a different award — an invisible award — one that only you can award.

Instead of worrying about how the committee didn’t honor your choice, you honor it. You champion it. You make sure that it gets in the hands of your patrons or students and your readers. Choose it for storytime. Create a display around it. Suggest it to be the next book club book in your library or your friends group or your town. Put it on a booklist. Nominate it for your state’s reader award if you have one.

Making your difference of thoughts from the committee’s known may make you feel better, but it can take away the committee’s hard work and joy. And it doesn’t help your choice.

Take the time to make a positive contribution. Take the time to award your own choice. Award it your heart and your time and your energy. Make it the winner of your own awards.

So, what books are you going to champion? Who won your heart this year and how are you going to promote it? Let me know in the comments!

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post How the Morris Seminar Changed My View on Awards appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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I’ve written some thoughts on storytime schedules before. While I didn’t have any answers, ultimately I ended the blog with how I was willing to change my storytime schedules to benefit my patrons. This month, I made a list of the decisions the library has made after considering our patrons needs/requests. There are more than listed (especially when the library shares its two programming rooms with a variety of inside and outside groups), but these are the things that patrons frequently thank us for:

• Having a combination of both registration storytimes and drop-in storytimes. All of the events with the small circle “R” are registration. The others are drop-ins.
• Providing each age group with at least two day choices during the week. We do our best to alternate this between M/W/F and T/R because of preschool options.
• Scheduling our “on our own” preschool storytime (Junior Genius) at the same time as toddler storytime (Talented Toddlers) for parents who have kids in each age group. Parents drop off their preschooler and go with their toddler to storytime.
• Having a preschool storytime (Discovery!) in the afternoon for those who do morning preschool every day.
• Planning weekend and evening programs. (Our Monday night community outreach storytimes weren’t showing up in Evanced — I’ll have to check that in the morning.)

And my newest thank-you:

• For finally creating a “siblings welcome” storytime (Super Siblings) for parents who have a toddler and a newborn/baby. Just today I had a mom chase me down in the library to tell me how happy she is that this storytime is happening!

So, how do you balance storytime schedules? Have you or your library made changes to the storytime schedules because of specific patron requests or needs? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Storytime Schedules appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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I’ve written before about taking storytime breaks and so have some of my fabulous ALSC colleagues. We’ve just started our winter storytime break and will be off until the week after Midwinter in January. Each day I find myself explaining to another parent or caregiver that storytime is on a break.

But why take storytime breaks?

Storytime breaks serve a lot of great purposes. I have two favorites, the first being that storytime breaks give me time to brainstorm and create new things. I’ve written grants during storytime breaks, created new programs, developed new circulating materials, and re-organized collections.

This past week I had the pleasure of seeing several large scale projects completed and now available for our patrons to use.

1000 Books Display
Our 1000 Books program was launched in September (during another storytime break!) and this month saw a new advancement for this passive program. We received partnership funding from the Darien Rotary Club to fund the first 300 kids to complete the passive program. Additionally, the Darien Women’s Club helped us purchase this beautiful display. Each month we’ll feature a suggested title for kids to read who are participating in the 1000 Books program. Along with the suggested book, I’ve also created a recommendation booklist. This month’s featured book is Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera and the booklist is all about song books. I am in love with the picture frames that showcase our book. Also: the graphics and signs from our Marketing Department.

Book Bundles
I was finally able to put out our newest circulating kits: Book Bundles & Parenting Packs! These were funded by a Target early literacy grant. All of the work that went into these kits was done during storytime breaks, including purchasing all materials and developing the activity sheets/resource guides found inside each bundle or pack. Book Bundles are aimed at ages 2-6 and have books, puzzles, manipulatives, and more in twelve different topics like ABCs, 123s, Colors, and Shapes. I should also mention that all of the LeapFrog kits were developed during a storytime break in the summer of 2014.

Parent/Teacher Collection
This one, I confess, I worked on during this past storytime session. But it was finally completed and ready to roll out when our storytime break began. Our Parent/Teacher collection is now organized by subject instead of Dewey decimal/fiction. This means that all of our picture books are integrated with their subjects. This also means that hopefully families going through tough times will be able to browse for their own materials rather than ask a librarian about a sensitive subject. (Although we’re always willing to help!) I spent much of my off storytime time shifting shelves. The red totes at the bottom are the Parenting Packs I mentioned before. These are geared towards caregivers to use with children and include topics like Potty Training, Staying in the Hospital, and New Baby in the House.

So, what’s next during this storytime break? Creating a Language Learners area, purchasing new Playaway Launchpads, working on a monthly early literacy calendar for 2016, partnering with a local preschool for our first preschool fair, and of course, preparing for the next storytime session.

I leave you with this quote, one that my boss sent to me after a particularly stressful summer reading had just ended:

Think about it: Humans are the only creatures in nature that resist the pattern of ebb and flow. We want the sun to shine all night, and when it doesn’t, we create cities that never sleep. Seeking a continuous energetic and emotional high, we use everything from exciting parties to illegal chemicals. But natural ebbs — the darkness between days, the emptiness between fill-ups, the fallow time between growing seasons — are the necessary complements of upbeats. They hold a message for us. If you listen at your life’s low points, you’ll hear it, too. It’s just one simple, blessed word: Rest.
— Martha Beck

Will you join me in taking storytime breaks? What can you do for your patrons to fill the time?

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Why Take Storytime Breaks? appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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So you want to train someone to do storytime? I’m here to tell you all the secrets of storytime training.

Okay. There aren’t really any secrets. But I will tell you how my library developed and successfully implemented a storytime (and programming!) training plan. I would incredibly remiss if I didn’t mention how much of this was designed and supported by my immediate supervisor and the rest of the members of the Kids and Teens department. You know who you are — thanks!!

Storytime Training Plan (in four parts)

Training Meeting
Since we were training two staff members (who haven’t previously done storytime), my supervisor asked me to write a storytime planning guide and present it at our monthly staff meeting. I had written a similar guide when I left my previous job. I just updated it with new relevant posts to read and current library storytime procedures. I included a wide variety of blog posts for new staff to read since everyone has their own storytime style.

Observation
Then, we sent our newest co-workers out to see a storytime performed by one of our veterans! This was an awesome chance for them to see how a provider interacts with parents and caregivers and adapts to the crowd’s needs. They also had to watch my YOLO Presentation entitled Early Lit 101. These building blocks helped prepare them to write their own storytime plans for the next step.

Performing & Feedback
Here’s where we really got into the training. Each new staff member presented a storytime to four librarians. And the librarians acted the part of true children to simulate the storytime experience. That included me running around my supervisor while she was on her phone during Toddler Storytime and also involved me taking my shoe off to show my teacher in Preschool Storytime. I’d like to think that we also broke the ice and became less scary while acting like kids. Afterwards, the librarians filled out a rubric and we had a meeting with each new staff member to discuss positives and areas to work on. I’m willing to bet that a puppet was an easier audience than us though!

More Observation & Planning
And that brings me to where our new staff members are now. They are currently observing at least three more storytimes in our fall session. They are also planning (but not performing) a seven week session of any programming — storytimes or otherwise — that they would like to do. And they have assigned storytime classes for our winter storytime session.

I’m really excited to see where our newest staff members will go! They’ve already proven themselves to be incredibly up to the challenge and I am so thankful that they have been open to learning storytime — I truly work in a wonderful library.

How do you train new staff members on storytime? Do you have any tricks of the trade for storytime training? Let me know in the comments!

[Oh, and if you want to see the Quick Guide to Storytime, please shoot me an email at simplykatie (at) gmail (dot) com. Thanks!]

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Storytime Training Bootcamp Guide appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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While on vacation, I found myself in a store trying to pick out a movie that my sister, brother-in-law, and I would watch. Since I’ll watch pretty much anything once, I left them in the movie aisle arguing. I walked away only to discover The Ultimate Laurie Berkner Collection on the shelves of the store. I had tried to pre-order the CD a few months ago using our vendor and it wasn’t available. I immediately snatched up it up and tucked it in my basket. It was the best souvenir of my trip!

It took me a long time to enjoy and use children’s music. There are so many benefits to using music, but I have a half-decent voice and got through many years just singing a capella. It took starting my Music & Movement program — Shake, Shimmy, & Dance — to really start investigating recorded music.

Since I’ve passed thirty, I consider classic artists anyone that I listened to as a child. These include: Raffi, Sharon Lois & Bram, Ella Jenkins, Hap Palmer, and Greg & Steve. These are great core artists to be familiar with as you start learning about children’s music. I don’t incorporate a lot of their music into my programs because my programs tend to be a bit more high energy and my patrons prefer a more contemporary sound.

These are the fifteen artists (in no particular order) that I absolutely adore. I recommend checking out their entire catalogs and listening to them immediately. I did include my favorite album in case you’re pressed for time!

1. Jim Gill (Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Songs & Other Contagious Tunes)
2. Laurie Berkner (Best of the Laurie Berkner Band)
3. Caspar Babypants (More, Please!)
4. Elizabeth Mitchell (Sunny Day)
5. The Learning Groove (Rockin’ Red)
6. Mr. Jon & Friends (Get Your Move On)
7. Wiggleworms (Songs for Wiggleworms & Wiggleworms Love You — I can’t choose one!)
8. Joanie Leeds & the Nightlights (I’m a Rock Star!)
9. Bari Koral Family Rock Band (Rock and Roll Garden)
10. The Wiggles (Hot Poppin’ Popcorn)
11. Laura Doherty (Heartbeat)
12. Aaron Nigel Smith (Let’s Pretend)
13. Carole Peterson Stephens (Polka Dots!)
14. Dreamtree Shakers (Come On a Picnic)
15. Ralph Covert (Welcome to Ralph’s World)

And my top three tips for finding good recorded music:

• Fellow librarians. It seems like a cop-out to say that, but Ally Watkins gave me Joanie Leeds. Storytime Underground introduced me to Mr. Jon & Friends. Jennifer Wharton is the first person I saw using Elizabeth Mitchell’s Sunny Day. Ask on Twitter. Read Angie’s M&M post. Read my lists. Check out Kelsey & Heather’s blog Song Catchers’ Library which is open for contributions.
• ILL. Put titles on hold that sound interesting before investing your library’s money. I know budgets are tight. I have a fabulous library with a healthy budget, but I still want to spend our money in the wisest way that I can. I preview another library’s copy before purchasing our own. If you can’t do this, use Amazon’s song preview or check the artist’s website for YouTube clips.
• Reviews & sales. School Library Journal will often have children’s music reviews. I also use our vendor Midwest Tapes for reviews/sale ranks. In addition to their magazine, they allow me to sort by what’s selling in the area. I’m able to see if I missed a big released from a familiar artist. I’m also able to see what new artists are selling at high numbers.

So that’s my quick primer about recorded music. Did I miss anything or any favorite artist? Let me know in the comments!

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Recorded Storytime Music: A Primer appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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This post has been percolating in my brain since I heard Ms. Frizzle’s voice fly out of my mouth during a session of “Little Hands Art” (art class for 2-4 year olds) this summer. We were painting with ping pong balls and one of the kids put her hand in the paint. She immediately wanted to wash her hands and I challenged her to see what she could do with the paint on her hand. Without thought, the words “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!” came spilling out of my mouth. While my young patron didn’t know where my words came from, they gave her the courage to use her fingers to spread the paint that day.

I grew up in a golden age of PBS. And fortunately for me, I held on to PBS for far longer than my peers thanks to my little sister and my younger cousins. Though I do not have a reason to watch PBS now, I smile every time a patron asks for “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” or “Martha Speaks!” since I know these shows are just as beloved to them as mine were to me.

A brief list of small thank yous:

• Sesame Street: for giving me Big Bird and preparing me for the questions that my preschool patrons constantly ask.
• Mister Rodgers’ Neighborhood: for teaching me how cool cardigans are and for showing me *how* things happen. I still remember that crayon factory!
• Kidsongs: for singing to me the multitude of silly songs that I use constantly. Who knew that Michael Finnegan would stick around this long?
• Ghostwriter: for learning about the importance of teamwork and that words/letters/stories have great meaning.
• Wishbone: for sharing the great stories in an accessible way. You sure taught me how to spin a tale/tail!
• Zoom: for teaching me how to do activities and experiments with kids. I practiced on my “patron” — sister and cousins — all the way back in high school!

And of course…Arthur for showing me that having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card!

When I’m buying DVDs for our collection, I’m always happy to add the latest PBS show. Who knows what kind of job I’m preparing kids for today!

Do you have favorite PBS shows/memories that help you in daily library life? Are you shocked and appalled that I never watched Reading Rainbow? Let me know in the comments!

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post How PBS Inadvertently Prepared Me for Librarianship appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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Last month, I spent a lot of my post talking about staying positive and trying to focus on the good during the hard months of summer reading.

Today I want to talk about the flip-side. The panic-inducing room scheduling mistake or the smelly poop on the rug or the bone deep exhaustion from six programs in three days combined with the worst hayfever you’ve ever had…simply put: the bad moments.

My job is amazing and I am truly blessed. But I would be a liar if I said that every moment involved sunshine, rainbows, and puppies raining from the sky.

But I think that we often see the perfectly cut movie version of library life instead of the day-to-day activities from our fellow librarians. Particularly in the online arena! I try to be incredibly positive on Twitter, on my blog, and here when I’m posting for ALSC. And while I think that certainly serves a purpose, I also want to take the chance to say that it’s okay to acknowledge the moments of bad. It’s okay that not every day ends with skipping and holding hands with the world.

I hope you noticed how I said “acknowledge” there and not “cling to these moments and define your job and existence by that incident”. That’s the other important part. Once you’ve acknowledged the moment, let it go. Shake it off. You don’t have to forget it, but you do have to move past it.

Talk to a co-worker, email your friends, dance it out, take a private moment to calm down, sing loudly in your car, breathe — whatever you need to do to get past it!

Your co-workers will pull the room together in time, the poop will come out of the rug, and eventually you’ll sleep and feel better.

Friends, hang in there. Summer’s almost over and that next (good) moment is on the horizon.

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Acknowledge the Moments appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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(I couldn’t resist a good musical reference in the title. And I’m not the only one!)

Youth librarians, you know what I’m talking about! For the rest of the world, summer is this blissful time to slow down. It’s the time to take vacation and enjoy summers off of school with the kids. If it’s too hot, it’s the perfect time to stay home or hit the pool/beach. Days of ice cream trucks and cut-off shorts and sprinkles and freshly mowed grass…

In the library, it’s anything but easy. We’re wrangling teen volunteers and making sure that the programming room hasn’t hit room capacity and handing out band-aids and reuniting lost children/parents. The library’s air conditioner and the number of bodies in the department are constantly battling one another. You don’t know if two sweaters or a tank top are going to be your best bet for dressing comfortably. Is anyone coming to your program? Is everyone coming to your program? How are you going to get through this week? And next week? And this month?!

You know what is easy? To get caught up in these overwhelming feelings of frustration and worry and stress.

And I can’t say — even after nine years of summer reading — that I have magic cures or solutions for making it easier. But I think there is great strength in knowing that you’re not alone out there. You’re not alone, friends. We’re going to make it through this summer.

This summer, let’s make a plan to start focusing on the good. My favorite way is to remember the little things that turn a day around: the storytime child who brings you a daisy chain bracelet or the patron who tells you at the farmer’s market that your library is the best one around. I’m going to try to hold on to those memories when dealing with a frustration. And I hope you can too! Here are some ideas on how to do that:

• Try hanging a picture or thank-you card from a patron where you can see it. A physical reminder that we make a difference in their lives helps immensely. Even a positive quote!
• Write down the positive things overhead in the library. We have a monthly Listening Post that comes out and I love hearing positive feedback that other librarians took the time to write down.
• Go the extra mile. This morning, I had a patron who couldn’t use our touch screen computers to draw on a PDF like she wanted to. So I surprised her by printing the PDFs off. That grin is going to carry me through some bumps for sure!
• Share success stories with co-workers. Or go Twitter and use the #libraryYES hashtag to see some from around the country (and potentially the world).
• Remember to breathe through those difficult moments. This, too, shall pass.
• And if all else fails, smile and fake your way through it. Research shows that even faking a smile can improve your mood!

Fellow librarians, we’ve got this. Summer on!

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Summertime and the Livin’ Is…Easy? appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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The last time I talked about my storytime set-up, I was in my last library. Since then things have changed and I thought I would share my new set-up.

My library has a dedicated storytime space. The room can hold up to 45 people comfortably but it definitely gets hot in there with that many bodies!

I now have a long countertop that I can utilize throughout storytime, so most of my belongings are stored here, on the back wall — out of reach of toddlers!

I keep everything in the same order every week so I know where everything is without looking: CD player and CDs, bag where I store my puppets, clipboard that has my outline on it, books, song cube & parent hand-outs, bubbles, and flannelboards.

I try my very best to keep the bubbles hidden behind my flannelboard and easel, otherwise the kids would be demanding bubbles from the start of the program. But you can still see them if the kids are looking really hard!

I really like this set-up compared to my last library’s where most of my belongings were stored on my flannelboard easel’s shelf. I think that not rummaging through the shelf to find what I’m looking for makes for easier seamless transitions. The only thing I don’t like about this set-up is that I often turn my back to the group to get something. I try to keep talking while I do that so I’m still engaged with the group.

How is your storytime space set up? What do you think about it? Do you have anything you wish was different? Let me know in the comments!

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Setting Up Storytime! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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I’ve spent the week with a case of the sniffles. And not because of a cold, thank goodness! It’s our last week of our spring storytime session and it’s a mixture of emotions.

Thank Yous
This week has been full of thanks. From one of my toddlers who has finally mastered signing “thank you” in American Sign Language to the parent who thanked me for teaching her child how to say his name with our name fingerplay. And of course, there’s a lot of gratitude in our evalution sheets. The one pictures is actually from our winter session since I forgot to snap a picture earlier today.

Goodbyes
With all of that thanks comes the goodbyes. The graduates — some of which I’ve had in my toddler storytime since I started at my library a year ago. A year ago we were strangers and now we’ve both got separation anxiety as they move up to our preschoool class. And the families that are moving away, both far and near, who made sure to snap pictures with me and give me hugs at the end of their last class.

Personal Connections
The babies who have become so comfortable with me after seven weeks that they reach out to be picked up and cuddled. The toddlers who run into class full-strength at my chair to get the seat next to Miss Katie. Seeing an entire room of patrons enthusiastically participating in our goodbye rhyme because they know it by heart now.

Basically, I’m a wreck and though I know I need that break before summer reading starts, I’m already missing my weekly kiddos. I’ll just have to keep looking at pictures and counting the days until kick-off.

Do you get sentimental at the end of storytime? I can’t be the only one with watery eyes! Let all those feelings out in the comments!

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Sentimentality & Storytime appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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Friends and colleagues, it is time to get organized! Spring is here — even though the nearly half a foot of snow Chicago just received might indicate otherwise — and summer is on the horizon. Now is the time to prepare for the chaos awaiting us come June.

So here are my tips and tricks for getting some simple office supplies and storage solutions working to keep us in tip-top shape.

Closet Storage Bins + Library Hanging Bags = Felt Flannelboard Solutions
and
Hanging File Folders + Sandwich Bags = Clip Art Flannelboard Solutions

I store my flannelboards in two different ways. For the felt sets, I use six closet storage bins and library hanging bags to organize. Each bag contains all of my flannel pieces and a sheet of paper explaining the rhyme, story, song, or game to be used with the pieces. These are in alphabetical order and I allow all of my co-workers to borrow any set as long as they let me know. It takes up two shelves in my cube, but I feel it is well-used space since I have an estimated 150 flannelboards.

The second way I store flannelboards are for my clip art laminated flannelboards. I use a simpler system. I put all the pieces in a sandwich bag and write the name of the flannelboard on the outside of the bag. Afterwards, I toss them in these alphabetical hanging files. I don’t include the rhymes in these since most of these sets are my Letter Puzzles and different versions of the “If You Have…” song I use often.

Desktop Organizers + More Bins + Clipboards = Storytime Solutions

I use a simple trick to get my books organized for storytime. Desktop organizers are absolutely perfect; the ones in this picture are typical called vertical file organizers. [A very similar one to mine looks like this example from Staples.] Each slot holds a week of storytime books, flannels, and CDs. I can grab a whole slot with ease on my way to step up!

The cloth bins are where all of my personal finger puppets (in the little ones) and hand puppets (in the bottom ones) go. I got both of these sets on clearance once college organizers hit the sales rack. The little ones I’ve had for quite a few years, but the tubs at the bottom are new for this year. All of these were fairly inexpensive since I waited for sales. I like using cloth bins because it doesn’t smash the puppets down like other storage solutions might.

Clipboards! At this point, you might have figured out that I never grew out of shopping for back-to-school supplies. But clipboards make my life so much easier! I keep a clipboard for each of my three weekly storytime programs. Before the sessions starts, I print out each week’s activities and attendance sheets. I put them all on the clipboard. I’m able to have this nearby in storytime in case I blank on an activity and can immediately circle the activities that we used that week. Keeping the papers on the clipboard allows me to write anywhere and also makes sure the papers don’t get crinkled in my storytime bag.

Plastic Bins + Old Kit Bags + Small Bins = Drawer Solutions
and
Managing the In-box Solutions

Manage the little minutia by hiding it in a drawer! In here you can see I try to compartmentalize my mess. All of my little office supplies (tape, post-its, expo markers, tacky glue) lives in a small cloth bin, with easy access. The plastic bin underneath the batteries, HDMI cord and cleaning cloths contains my felt supply at work in case I need to make a back-up felt piece. The green kit bag has all the extra charging cords and cables associated with our circulating LeapFrog kits. (That’s what the batteries and cleaning cloths are for as well — part of my job maintaining that collection means cleaning and battery checking once a kit comes back.)

Now for the paper in-box. Get three bins. The top is for weekly to-do items, the middle is for items to be filed, and the bottom is for on-going projects. Right now the top bin has a muffin tin to remind me to make felt cinnamon rolls. The middle bin has some strategic planning documents and ILS training sheets. The bottom bin it contains a replacement order I have to wait to order until after our ILS change in April, an audio order catalog to go through, and my clipboards that have programs that need to be written up from this week. The hardest thing to remember about the in-box is when your week ends, it should be empty except for on-going projects. I’ve used this system for years, including when I was a manager. It is GOLD for me.

I hope you feel confident and full of new ideas about tackling organization now! If you want specific product information, please email me [simplykatie(at)gmail(dot)com] and I will send you more information. If you want to trade tips and tricks, please feel free to do so in the comments! Do you have a favorite organization technique? Or a great idea to share? Let us know!

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Spring Cleaning: Storytime Style appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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Here is a story, told in pictures, of five things I wasn’t prepared for before I became a storytime librarian:

1. That I would chose to spend so much of my free time doing things I love that happen to relate to work.

First of all, this is 100% my choice to spend my time researching beginning readers and making flannelboards. And I wouldn’t do it if it didn’t make me happy.

Working with felt and sewing finger puppets have become my favorite way to relax. Seriously, I sewed a set of five little ballerinas during last year’s Stanley Cup play-offs and it was the only way I could avoid a panic attack while cheering on my team.

2. That I would suddenly develop the talent to make anything that I needed out of craft supplies.

Do you need a musical instrument? Give me two pieces of paper, two rubber bands, and two popsicle sticks and I will give you a harmonica. Do you need a traffic light prop for storytime? Easy — one piece of foam board, three small paper plates, three recycled paperclip boxes, three sheets of felt and hot glue.

How about a Frozen costume? I made my Princess Anna costume in about an hour and a half using discounted black fabric, a few felt sheets, a spool of ribbon, a $5 tshirt, and a recycled formal dress.

3. That I would become very conscientious about germ exposure!

My weekly routine involves taking our scarves home to wash after every use. (My library is lucky enough to have about 120 scarves — more than enough for multiple classes and a single weekly wash.)

My daily routine involves washing shaker eggs and wiping down board book pages. Lately, I’ve upped the game to include spraying the room with disinfectant and wiping down all surfaces (doors, cabinets, handles, counters, etc.). It may seem like a lot of work, but I want my little ones to stay healthy!

4. That I would never stop learning or wanting to learn new skills.

The great thing about storytime is that there are always new books and songs and rhymes to explore. I love finding a new favorite read-aloud and sharing it with my storytime families.

As you might guess with the picture, my big goal this year is to learn how to play the ukulele and to feel confident enough to perform in storytime! I’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m slowly improving. I feel like I’ve finally got strumming down after a weekly practice session.

5. That I would feel such fulfillment and joy each day of work.

I have the best job in the world. I spend my days connecting preschoolers with books, dancing with toddlers, and watching babies grow up.

There is absolutely nothing better than seeing a child’s face light up when they see you and have them demand a hug. Or hearing about how a child insists on playing “Miss Katie” when they get home.

Obviously these are all pretty sweet things that I wasn’t prepared for (well, except for the germs!), but how about you? What were you unprepared for with storytime?

Let me know in the comments!

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library

http://storytimekatie.com

The post Five Things I Wasn’t Prepared For… appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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It occurred to me the other day that this spring officially marks five years since I took over storytime.

While I’m feeling very reinvigorated since starting at my library almost a year ago, I know that keeping your storytimes fresh is an integral part of avoiding librarian burnout. Here’s some tips I brainstormed to freshen up your storytimes!

• Take a break. Try to take some time off or have a co-worker cover you for a few weeks. Breaks are a great way to re-energize yourself and your storytimes.

 

• Change your routine. If you’re been using the same six songs and you’re feeling bored, chances are your storytime patrons are feeling it too.

 

• Read all of the picture books on the new shelf. Think of the ideas that might spark from new books!

 

• Learn a new skill. If you’ve never tried live music or flannelboards, now is the time to give them a whirl. (My personal goal is to learn three ukulele songs this year!)

 

• Visit another library’s storytimes. See if you can arrange a swap between a neighboring librarian and yourself to offer constructive criticism.

 

• Attend a conference or training session. Being around other librarians can often spark new ideas and thoughts.

 

• Introduce a new manipulative. Maybe it’s time to make some shaker eggs or invest in a parachute.

 

• Randomize some of your choices. Make a song or rhyme cube. Throw all of the themes you’d like to do one day into a jar and pick them out a few weeks before.

 

• Fall down a storytime rabbit hole online. Check out some new blogs. Watch a great Youtube playlist. Scour a Pinterest board.

 

• Reach out to other librarians. Host a Guerrilla Storytime for local librarians. Organize a Prop/Flannelboard Petting Zoo.

What are your favorite ways to keep storytime fresh? Let me know in the comments.

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

The post Keeping Storytime Fresh for You! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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My library recently gave me an incredible opportunity: thirty minutes of early literacy training with every staff member in our organization.

Everyone at my library is incredibly supportive of training and professional development, but not all 100 staff members are able to go to conferences or workshops regularly. Our administration staff and department heads worked together to create a “Year of Learning Opportunities” (YOLO) to give everyone the chance to learn some new skills. Six classes were chosen as mandatory sessions, including mine. Staff can sign up for additional non-mandatory classes including topics like Evanced, inter-library loan, local history, Arduinos, STEM, social media, and more.

But since my session was mandatory, I spent a lot of time thinking about what would be most beneficial for all staff to learn. Using Every Child Ready to Read’s five practices as a framework, I decided to focus on teaching everyone a few reasons why/how staff promote that practice in storytime and in the library.

To introduce “Sing”, I gave a few early literacy tips about why singing is important:

• Singing slows down language which helps young children process what you’re saying
• Each syllable/word gets a different note making it easier for children to hear individual sounds
• Songs are repetitive (chorus) and children learn best through repetition

Next, I led the group in a discussion about how the library supports that skill; here’s what we came up with for “Read”:

• Reading books in programming, like storytime (Kids&Teens)
• Signs and postings around the library (Marketing)
• Modeling reading (Kids&Teens, Adult, Circulation, and Technology Services)
• Providing multiple formats to read on (Technology & Technical Services)
• Having quotes on the wall (Building)
• Hosting book-based programming like book and play discussion groups (Adult Services)
• Providing books for check out (everyone — from Building staff who bring the boxes in to Technical Services who processes it to Admin who handles the bills to Kids&Teens/Adult recommending and finding the books to Circulation who get the books home

Last, I gave a few tips for staff to encourage that practice with young children; here’s what I said about “Talk”:

• Greet all patrons, including young children who are often overlooked
• Ask and answer questions — even if it’s an adult conversation, children are still hearing great vocabulary
• Be patient and understand that tantrums/noises are a part of communication and can be the child’s way of trying to “talk”/li>

And that was it for the formal presentation. Afterwards, I invited staff to touch and sort different kinds of early literacy tools according to the five practices to “test” their knowledge. I prefaced this “test” with the fact that each item could go in multiple practices, so there were no right or wrong answers. This was my favorite part — to hear the conversations between staff members made me feel like I had given them useful, practical knowledge.

What a gift for me!

If you’re interested in learning more, please feel free to email me [simplykatie.at.gmail.com] or to leave a comment on this post.

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

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My library is preparing to end our seven-week Fall Session and it’s time to evaluate all the components of our storytimes. I currently do two kinds of storytimes weekly. One is a drop-in family storytime where we get around 40-50 people in the room. The second is a registration toddler storytime (and I do three sessions of it) where we limit classes to 20 pairs of adults/toddlers.

Lately I’ve been thinking about handouts in storytime and what purpose they serve. Why are we making handouts? What are our patrons gaining with these small sheets of paper?

Here are some of my thoughts about the benefits of making handouts:

• Prepares the child for school. So many of our families have older siblings in school, handouts are a good way of making the youngest family members feel included and prepared for homework. I have one family who calls storytime “school” for their child and she loves getting her “assignment”.
• Gets more information home in a reviewable way. Storytime providers can include a literacy tip in the storytime, but if that’s the moment that a child decides to start banging on the floor, some adults might miss it. Literacy tips on the handout allow everyone to read it when they have a chance.
• Puts a suggested booklist in their hands and gives them the power to review the storytime provider’s choices. I can only work with/help one family at a time. But as I leave my class, they are twenty families who might want my assistance in finding materials. Including a booklist helps adults select materials on their own. It also is a great way to remember what books they wanted that might already be checked out.
• Extends the storytime activities into the home for family members who can’t be present. I have a fairly large nanny/caregiver population bringing children to storytime. By including some of the rhymes and songs we sing in the handout, family members at home can learn what their child did in storytime that day.
• Lets me have a one-on-one conversation with the children at the door. As the kids leave, I kneel down to their level and give them my handouts. This is where I can tell them something they did in storytime that I found helpful or have them tell me about their new shoes. The kids look forward to this moment and I feel like it helps cut down on the chatter in storytime. Also, this is the part where I occasionally get storytime hugs!

Of course, handouts are a great resource if you have the time to make them and if you know how. I am twice lucky because my job allows me off-desk to make handouts and that I’m pretty handy in Publisher.

But remember: handouts don’t have to be fancy! You can easily type up a booklist and print an activity sheet on the back.

Do you use handouts in storytime? Did you find them all over the library after you gave them out? (Confession: I find at least two or three of the nearly 100 I give out weekly.) Let me know in the comments!

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

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Let’s talk about naming storytime, shall we?

This post started in my head after a parent thanked me for my new preschool storytime (that I’ve named Discovery!) and let me know that her son has developed an aversion to the word storytime. She went on to explain that he loves books and stories and the library, but that “storytime” tripped him up. And I began to think about how we name our programs.

My previous library struggled with translating “storytime” into Spanish. Ultimately the official translation that was approved was “hora de cuentos” which literally translates back to English as “storyhour”. Patrons were constantly asking what kinds of activities happened in our programs. We kept getting the question: “Do you really read to them for an hour straight?” Eventually our Spanish-speaking patrons learned to see past the name of our program. But I often wonder if re-branding or re-naming would have created less confusion.

Before I started at my new library, staff had worked to re-brand all storytime classes under a name: Little University. The idea was to make patrons more aware of the early literacy components and goals in a storytime. Our patrons take Little U classes very seriously — we have a registration start date and classes have a teacher-student ratio, just like a real university. Our brand emphasizes the learning aspects of storytime in a way that’s marketable to patrons.

I know of libraries who make make their storytime names clear and easily understood for patrons: “Wonderful Ones” and “Terrific Twos”; “Walkers, Wigglers, and Crawlers” and “Lapsit”; “Family Storytime” and “On Our Own Storytime” — these storytime names use ages or development milestones or the target audience in their names.

So, what’s in a name? I think the point that I’m trying to make is that the name of your storytime program needs to make sense to your patrons. And that it isn’t necessary to have a clever name, but is necessary to have a clear name. Don’t leave patrons guessing if your program is right for them. Educate them. Reach out to them and make sure that your message is being heard.

No matter the name, a program is successful if it’s reaching your patrons and teaching them to love the library and to love learning those valuable early literacy skills.

What do you call your storytimes and why? Have any interesting name stories to share? And, of course, now is the time to have the library debate of “storytime” vs. “story time” in the comments.

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Library
http://storytimekatie.com

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If you’re anything like me, you need help remembering things from time to time. Life is far too complicated to try and make our brains keep everything organized and tidy, so we’ve got to turn to other methods.

Of course, while this can be applied to anything I’m talking in particular about storytime. There are a lot of reasons to document and track your storytimes — for your own personal use, for your yearly evaluation, to help train new staff members, to share with colleagues, and more. Here are my top five tips for documenting your storytimes:

• Start with a good plan. Since starting my new job, I’ve been in LOVE with Jbrary’s Toddler Storytime Planning Sheet. I’ve talked so much about the planning sheets that members of my Early Lit team have also switched over!
• Write up a small “How It Went” immediately after the program. On the back of my attendance sheet, you can find little notes like “I Know a Chicken = STORYTIME GOLD” and “[Child] absolutely lit up during Babies on the Bus today”. These small write-ups take very little time, but remind me of what materials I should use again.
• Take pictures. I take pictures of every flannelboard I’ve made and I took pictures of the crafts that I did. The flannelboard photos are organized on my blog and the craft photos mean I don’t have to keep containers full of example crafts. I can easily look at my flannelboard photos and remind myself of the materials I have available.
• Organize your materials. Don’t leave them all boxed up. (The exception to that is if you’re moving or changing jobs, which is when that picture was taken!) I’m proud to say that my flannelboards, puppets, and documents are now all at work where I can access them when I need to!
• Set your information free! I always remind friends and colleagues: I started my blog to keep a virtual record of my storytimes for me. So that I wouldn’t have a ridiculous paper trail and so I could access my storytimes from any computer with an Internet connection. If you haven’t thought about blogging for a personal record, now may be the time!

How do you document your storytimes? Does your library have a document/program reporting process? Any great ideas that I missed? Let me know in the comments!

- Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

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My library has a very exciting new storytime series going on this summer: Sunset Stories. This weekly evening storytime is a drop-in program taking place on the library’s lawn for all ages. But what makes this program special in my opinion is that the staff will be rotating storytime duties and all Youth Services employees were offered the chance to plan and perform their own week of Sunset Stories.

I love this for a number of reasons:

• It gives all of our staff the chance to develop their storytime skills. We have paraprofessionals, new professionals, managers, librarians, and associates all doing storytime this summer. This is furthering the development of our staff by adding another skill to their repertoire or giving them a chance to step out of their normal job responsibilities.
• It’s giving our patrons the opportunity to see a new storyteller every week. This will keep the program fresh and exciting. Additionally, it’s letting them see what a talented and varied staff we have.
• While I’m still coordinating the entire session (by making handouts and developing a few repeating elements), it’s taking the entire program off of my shoulders. I’m already doing four other storytimes a week and it’s beyond nice to be able to have help and feel supported!

I kicked off tonight’s inaugural session in our rain location and had a great time reading interactive books with the families. I hope that next week’s group and storytime performer get to enjoy the amazing summer weather I know Illinois has to offer!

Have you ever rotated a storytime series between different performers? Let me know!

- Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

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It’s no secret to those of us doing storytime programming that it requires a LOT of stuff. And if we’re not careful, that stuff can overtake our lives. I spent eight years at my last job, getting all the stuff under control and I’m about to start organizing at my new library. In today’s post, I hope to offer you a round-up of different links to help you get organized before summer reading begins!

Tips for Organizing

1. A place for everything and to everything its place. It might sound cheesy, but it’s a great tool. If the pompoms don’t have a spot in the craft closet, you’ll never find them when you need them.
2. Spend five minutes a day tidying. Don’t let things pile up!
3. Go through your materials once a year and do a solid inventory. If you haven’t used something and do not have a purpose in mind, donate or thrift it! If your paint is now chalky, throw it out!
4. Have an odds and ends container. Where else are you going to put the hula skirts from the Hide Tide In Hawaii Magic Tree House program or the extra underwear from the Captain Underpants party game?
5. Label things.
6. Keep a spreadsheet of what’s available.

Specific Materials

• An organized storytime cart since Anna doesn’t have a storytime storage area.
• Several ideas for flannelboard organization come from Lisa and Sarah and Deborah.
• Lisa gives you ideas about puppets, finger puppets, and flannelboards at her amazing storage post.
• And the area that I need to get better about organization — using Evernote as a storytime archive which Melissa wrote for the ALSC Blog.

You might be surprised to learn that I actually created my blog to serve as a searchable database of storytimes that I had done so that I didn’t have to keep a ridiculous amount of files and crafts. Now I don’t have to sift through a bunch of papers and instead just use the search box.

I hope that jump-starts your organization before summer reading starts! If you have tips to share, pictures, or questions, please leave a comment and we can all help each other out!

- Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

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Okay, fellow storytime librarians — you all know the lengthy preparations we take to ensure that our patrons attend the very best storytimes we can offer them. We choose books, songs, rhymes, and fingerplays. We make flannelboards and props. We create handouts and take-home information packets. We practice those literacy tips in the mirror until they sound natural and just roll off of our tongues.

Those are the expected practices.

But it’s time to talk about the unexpected preparations. The things you find yourself doing in the weeks, days, or minutes before your patrons get your undivided attention in your programming space. The untold stories of storytime prep.

Like planning your storytime wardrobe the night before and singing your opening song in front of the mirror so you can make sure that your clothes will move in an appropriate manner.

Or keeping a new storytime CD in your car and switching to it the minute a commercial break hits the radio waves. And letting your fellow travelers watch your awesome hand motions while stopped at a train crossing or a red light.

And packing an extra sweater to change into once “the storytime sweat” hits you. Which is always around thirty minutes after your performance is over and you’ve finished your clean-up routine.

Or running to Michael’s and being the first customer in line because you read an amazing last-minute idea the night before and you just KNOW it’s going to make your storytime ever better.

And giving up your front passenger seat for storytime outreach. And the immediate apology to guests in your car, “Hang on, let me move all my things. Sorry about the portable flannelboard.”

Or testing out new action songs for your sister’s dog. If he wags his tail and tries to jump in, surely it will work for the toddlers, right?

So, let it out! This past week, I demonstrated my storytime outfit dance for my storytime moms and not only did it make them laugh, I also think it made them realize the care and thought that I put into storytime. It made the program all the more special.

What are your unconventional storytime preparations? Do you also schedule a bathroom break ten minutes before you get started? Let me know in the comments!

- Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

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It is the eternal battle for storytime librarians. I see it on Twitter and listservs, I hear it from co-workers and neighboring libraries — how and when do you schedule your storytimes?

In an ideal world, there would be a storytime that began every fifteen minutes in every library so that any child would be able to attend regardless of their never-ending schedule of naps and feedings and preschool and Mommy & Me classes and doctor’s appointments. But we don’t live in an ideal world.

We do the very best that we can to provide for our patrons.

This past year, I added a monthly evening storytime for my patrons to work around their busy schedules. And for the first time since I started at my job, evening storytime is flourishing and gaining numbers while morning storytime is lagging.

I’ve decided to take the months of December and January off from morning storytime to try and figure out what I need to do to increase my morning attendance again.

Previously, we’ve done Tuesday or Thursday mornings at 10:00 a.m. since 2006. Should we be having storytime at 9:30 or wait until 11:00? Do I need to change my day? Is it finally time to start doing a babies/toddlers storytime in the morning and save preschool for immediately after-school?

I wish I could say that I have the answers that I know many of us are seeking. But all I can say is that I have the willingness and chance to change my habits to try and better serve my patrons.

So, tell me, have you radically changed when you schedule your storytimes? What worked? What flopped? Let me know!

- Katie Salo
Youth Services Manager
Melrose Park Library
http://storytimekatie.com

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We all know about the importance of engaging parents in storytime. We encourage them to sit with their child, to sing, to stand up and move, to pay attention while we read our books.

But engaging parents shouldn’t end in storytime! We need to engage parents at home as well.

Here’s a few ideas for how to help parents keep up literacy practice at home:

Rhyme cards, picture courtesy of the author.

• Create extension activities to send parents home with. We don’t do crafts at our Pajama Storytimes like we do in Morning Storytime. So I came up with these rhyme cards, which reenforce the rhymes we do at storytime. We’ve been adding a card in both languages every session. By the end of the year, parents will have a treasury of songs, fingerplays, and rhymes in both languages.
• For our “Explore the World” preschool science program, I’ve been sending parents and kids home with a packet of information: a simple worksheet for parents to do with their children to talk about the concepts we’ve just learned about, a booklist, and a coloring page. You can see a sample packet here, on Color Science.


A book display, image courtesy of the author.

• And the easiest of all take-homes — books! Make sure to have display space in your programming room. I love this little table because it puts the books right at the child’s hand. It’s also located right by the door which is a great reminder on the way out.

What ways do you or your library try to engage parents outside of your storytime room? Share your suggestions!

- Katie Salo
Youth Services Manager
Melrose Park Library
http://storytimekatie.com

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