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A sign in my library's Family Place play area

Is your library ready to play?

Santa Clara City Library recently received a grant administered through the California State Library to implement Family Place. The Family Place network currently consists of more than 300 libraries in 22 states, and continues to grow. Family Place is an initiative to make public libraries an inviting destination and vital community resource for children under five and their families. A component of a Family Place Library is a collection of toys, kept in a specially designed area within the children’s department that welcomes families with young children. The toys do not check out, but rather are available for play during all open hours.

Much research has been done regarding the importance of play to a child’s early development. Children learn socialization, problem solving, and spatial relations through play. Play also develops critical fine and gross motor skills, and allows children to use their imagination and exercise their creativity. The right toy can foster the six early literacy skills much as a book can. For instance, our Family Place area features an alphabet abacus that teaches letter awareness. Children build their vocabularies and narrative skills when they tell stories with our puppets or cook a meal in our play kitchen. I’ve witnessed amazingly creative play between the parents and children using Family Place. As we learned in Family Place training, simple toys do really inspire the most complex play.

Other play initiatives can be found at public libraries across the country. Rancho Cucamonga Public Library received a grant from the California State Library to build four “Play and Learn” islands. Themes of these islands include Discovery Dig, Make it Move, and Build Big. These islands can be borrowed by other California public libraries.

Many of our patrons have expressed absolute delight over the addition of toys to our children’s department. Yet I have received some not-so-favorable comments from parents who are accustomed to a more traditional library environment and are concerned that toys distract children from reading and books. I believe books and toys can go hand-in-hand when developing a young reader and will continue to advocate for play in the library, but understand that others might disagree.

Are you playing in your library? What toys have proved most popular? What have been your patrons’ reactions?

Susan Baier, Division Manager of Youth and Extension Services

Santa Clara (CA) City Library

Santa Clara City Library, with the support of the library’s Foundation and Friends, received a NEA Big Read grant and recently wrapped up a multi-week series of programs themed around Jack London’s Call of the Wild. The book has particular significance in our community, for the opening scenes take place in our city and Jack London had many friends in the Santa Clara Valley. During the Big Read, numerous books discussions on Call of the Wild were held at the library and at other historical city sites. I hoped to include kids in the community reading celebration, but wanted to choose a more accessible, age-appropriate book.

Sheep by Valerie Hobbs seemed a perfect companion piece to Call of the Wild. Both books feature a dog protagonist taken away from a comfortable existence and forced to endure harsh circumstances. Sheep was also a recipient of a California Young Reader Medal, an annual award solely determined by California children.

I hosted a book discussion open to 3rd through 6th graders on Sheep during our school district’s spring break (which also happened to be National Library Week.) Our library owns ten copies of the book, and I was pleased that every single one was checked out in the weeks leading to the program. I started the discussion by giving each child a dog sticker, and asking them to place the sticker in a column to designate their opinion of the book. As you can see by the above picture, the kids all thought Sheep merited 3 or 4 bones.
I used the California Young Reader Medal discussion guide on Sheep as a starting point. (I am unable to link to this document, but if you’re interested in it email me at sbaier at santaclaraca dot gov.) The kids had no problem keeping the discussion going, and raised interesting questions on animal cruelty and ethics.

Just for fun, we also did a dog Mad Lib. Since our book discussion was held during National Library Week, I showed the kids the poetry book Dogku and asked them to try their hand at writing a haiku about a dog or another favorite animal.

Mary Hanel, our library’s Local History Librarian, was interviewed about our Big Read program series by the NEA. You can read that interview here.

The Big Read united our community in support of literature and literacy, and I was happy to include younger readers in the initiative.

Posted by Susan Baier, Division Manager of Youth and Extension Services, Santa Clara City (CA) Library

by Susan Baier, Santa Clara City (CA) Library

Do your library kids freak for fairies – specifically, the Rainbow Magic variety? The Daisy Meadows series is wildly popular here, and we like any excuse for a party at our library. So two weeks before Christmas, we threw a Rainbow Magic Holiday Extravaganza. We targeted it to the kindergarten through fourth grade crowd, and had 50 kids in attendance.

Since it was the holiday season, I began the program by reading aloud an excerpt from Paige the Christmas Play Fairy. In this installment the mischievous goblin Jack Frost wreaks havoc in the lives of Rachel, Kirsty, and their friends, and a delightful fairy must help the girls save the day. You’re shocked, right? Let’s keep it real – these books are a tad…formulaic. But if they get kids exciting about reading and bring them into our libraries clamoring for the next book in the series, it’s a good thing – right?

(Although not all my attendees were particularly excited about fairies. When I asked how many loved the Rainbow Magic series, I was greeted with a chorus of high pitched squeals and one stone-faced boy who raised his hand to say “I’ve never heard of them before in my life.” Kid, it’s going to be a long afternoon for you then. My apologies.)

I then divided the audience into three groups so they could rotate through the three craft stations.

(1) A Rainbow Magic door hanger to color, printed on white cardstock. This craft and other printables are available at www.rainbowmagiconline.com.

(2) Pixie Dust Magic Wand – I bought jumbo Pixie Stix (remember those?), and the kids attached curling ribbon and an Ellison die star they decorated. A few of the boys used them as swords. Figuring they were punished enough by being brought against their will to a Rainbow Magic program, I let them have their fun (within reason.)

(3) Fairy Flutes – This probably isn’t something I should admit on a public forum, but I bought plastic champagne flutes for the kids to decorate. But I rebranded them as “fairy flutes,” and if any parents were scandalized they kept it to themselves. By far, this was the most popular craft. I purchased the flutes through Oriental Trading, and put out adhesive jewels and gems for the kids to use as decoration. Some of their designs were incredibly intricate and beautiful. After much consternation, I put out Sharpies because they were the only marker that would write on plastic without smearing. Permanent markers and children can prove an inauspicious combination, but I needn’t have worried. The kids were all about the blingy jewels, and the markers were barely used.

For refreshments, we served Trader Joe’s meringue cookies and called them “fairy cloud cookies.” For those of you more ambitious than I was, you could do fairy wands with pretzel rods, icing, and sprinkles.

Email me at sbaier at santaclaraca dot gov if you have further questions or would like specific links to the craft supplies I purchased.

There are countless anecdotes out in Library Land about crazy reference questions (Where can I find a photograph of a dinosaur?) and misunderstood book titles (Can I get a copy of Tequila Mockingbird by Harper Lee?) But I plead guilty to some verbal gaffes, malapropisms, and just plain confusion of my very own in the name of public service. Won’t you join me in a journey down my embarrassing memory lane?

A young girl infected with Justin Bieber Fever recently asked me, breathlessly, if we had any books on the pint-sized heartthrob. None were on the shelf, so I put some on request for her. She walked away, and my next patron asked for several items including Elizabeth George Speare’s The Sign of the Beaver.

“Yes”, I said, “the catalog does indicate we have on the shelf The Sign of the Bieber.”

Sigh. Maybe Justin should have chosen that for the title of his new autobiography instead of First Step 2 Forever?

A friend and colleague confided in me that although she loves sharing Miss Nelson is Missing with visiting classes, she’s afraid she’ll read the line “Miss Swamp was a real witch” as, well – you can figure it out. Very susceptible to the power of suggestion, I too am afraid that I’ll refer to Miss Swamp as a female dog when I read the story. So far I haven’t slipped with that story, but I did have a moment with another story that contained the line “the door slammed shut.” For some inexplicable reason, I replaced the “h” in shut with “l”. The meaning of the story was changed entirely. I tried to cover my gaffe, but some parents snickered knowingly. Busted.

But as far as comedic value, the story that gets the most laughs involves my shameful lack of sports knowledge. A boy approached the desk to ask for a book on “caca.” I looked at him a little quizzically.

“Caca?”

“Yes, caca.”

The library recently received several new “grossology” titles, so I thought I might have just the book for him. But I wanted to confirm we were on the same page, pun intended.

“So you want a book about poo, right?”

The boy looked disgusted and horrified. “No, I want a book about the soccer player Kaká!”

And that, my friends, is why we do something called a reference interview.

I’m not the only one guilty of the occasional boneheaded move, right? Share yours in the comments! After all, what’s the point of looking like a dork if you can’t laugh about it with others afterwards?

Susan Baier, Santa Clara City Library

by Susan Baier, Santa Clara (CA) City Library

Geronimo Stilton is one of those series that flies off the shelves at our library, so we decided to celebrate The Big Cheese himself during summer reading with an afternoon of “Geronimo Games.” We targeted the program to grades 1^st through 5^th, and had 135 Geronimo fans in attendance for the hour.

We were excited to learn that a Geronimo costume was available for rental through Costume Specialists for $60. The costume consisted of a suit, a jacket, two hand mitts, two fur boots, a fat pad (!), and Geronimo’s (heavy) head. The staff person selected (coerced?) to wear the costume should be of average build and height, and in good physical condition – the costume is hot and heavy! I bought our Geronimo a shower cap to wear as a barrier between her head and the costume.

 Our program began with a Mad Lib I created based on the Geronimo book A Fabumouse Vacation. The books often read like Mad Libs themselves, so converting a passage was easy. We then brought out Geronimo to the tune of Free Ride by Edgar Winter because, well – I had the CD in my car! Not exactly a relevant pop culture reference to the kids, but I got a kick out of it. Geronimo cheesed it up with the crowd during our trivia contest, where kids were selected to come on stage and test their knowledge of the books. I was impressed that I couldn’t stump them!

Geronimo then took a little cheese break while I read a passage from Wedding Crasher. I choose a chapter in which Geronimo finds himself in desperate need of a bathroom after eating trick chocolates given to him by his prankster cousin Trap. And if you’re thinking “she just had to go for the cheap toilet humor laughs, didn’t she?” – yes, that’s exactly what I did. It worked, too.

Our final activity was a newspaper scavenger hunt in honor of Geronimo’s career as a journalist, an idea I borrowed from Bucyrus Public Library. I created my own version of Geronimo’s Rodent Gazette, copied it on 11 X 17 cardstock, and asked the kids to find things like a picture of an animal to cut and paste from a stack of newspaper discards. Unfortunately, this activity wasn’t a great match for our particular event. Parents are asked to wait outside our meeting room during our school age summer programs to allow us the space to accommodate more children. We had several teen volunteers, but not enough to give all 135 kids the guidance they needed for this activity. Many kids were unfamiliar with newspapers, and seemed frustrated. We only had 20 minutes remaining in the program, and that wasn’t nearly enough time. I encouraged the kids to take the activity home along with some newspaper discards, and to ask their parents for help in finishing it. I still think it’s a great activity, but it would have worked better with a smaller crowd, more time, and additional adult guidance.

We distributed puzzles reproduced from the Geronimo Stilton website as the children left. At the end of the program, parents were invited in the room to meet Geronimo and snap pictures. 

Ideally we would have included some sort of cheese tasting, but our large crowd made that cost prohibitive. I was nervous, too, about offering food (and triggering food allergies) when children are unaccompanied by a parent. But if you have the budget and parental supervision, I think a program like this would be a fantastic way to broaden the kids’ cheese palate beyond mac-n-cheese and pizza.

If you are interested in the Mad Lib,

by Susan Baier, Santa Clara City Library

The month of May brings flowers, Cinco de Mayo,  Mothers’ Day, and Memorial Day. But I would guess that for most youth services librarians, May should be declared “National OMG  – Summer Reading Starts Next Month!” Month. That’s how I always view it, anyway. My May calendar is almost full with appointments to visit schools to promote summer reading. But as I talk with other librarians both virtually and face-to-face, I’m sensing that the traditional summer reading school visit isn’t the “must-do” task that it was in years past. Budget cuts and hiring freezes have forced libraries to reconsider many practices that used to be commonplace, and some have determined they simply don’t have the resources to send librarians off site for school outreach.

These are hard decisions for every library, and there aren’t absolute right or wrong answers. But for me, school visits are a core component of my library’s mission. I think it’s critical to get out in the community and put a face to the library building, and to position ourselves as a vital community education partner. In these budget times, we need to leverage every possible opportunity to promote our programs and services and remind stakeholders of our importance and relevance. And sadly, some children would never hear about our library or summer reading if someone didn’t personally visit their school to tell them about it. Children nagging their parents to take them to the library over the summer is behavior I encourage and condone. (Forgive me, parents.)

I’m such a firm believer in the importance of summer reading school visits that I end my library’s spring storytime session in early May to allow extra time for them. Taking a break from our seven weekly storytimes frees up staff schedules to accommodate more class and school visits. Not everyone will agree with this approach, and I know it disappoints some of our storytime families. My philosophy is that we can be many things to many people – just not always at the same time! It would be incredibly difficult to conduct the end-of-the-year school outreach we do on top of a demanding storytime schedule.  So for a few weeks prior to summer reading, our focus shifts to the school age kids. Yes, some parents grumble but they still find their way back to us in June to be greeted by refreshed, energized librarians enthused about the new storytime session. (I’m a firm believer in the value of storytime breaks, but that’s a topic for another post!)

While still keeping school visits a priority, I do look for ways to conduct them more efficiently. If the school will allow it, speaking at an assembly gives great “bang for the buck” in that you can reach hundreds of students in a short amount of time.  I remember in the past carefully counting out paper summer calendars to deliver to schools to send home with each student. Now, sending a PDF attachment of the calendar for inclusion in the school’s electronic newsletter is faster, cheaper, and greener.

Are school visits to promote summer reading still a priority for your library? Have budget cuts forced you to reevaluate them and the time they involve? Do you visit individual classes, address assemblies, or do something else? What are your best tips regarding working with schools to publicize your summer program? Please leave comments, so we can learn from one another. One size does may not fit all when it comes to libraries and children’s services, but we all benefit from hearing others’ perspectives. Here’s wishing all of us fabulous summers doing what we do best – getting kids excited about reading!

Outreach is one of my favorite aspects of my job, and I eagerly accept most invitations to staff a library information table at community events. Taking the library message outside the walls of your building and into the community is critical in these lean budget years where we need all the advocates we can get! You’ll introduce nonusers to your services and entice them to visit, and you’ll connect in new ways with your current patrons. Over the years, I’ve learned (often the hard way) about the best approaches to these outreach opportunities. These are my standard items to bring to any event:

• Bookmarks with library information
• Library giveaways like pencils, magnets, reusable bags, etc.
• Stickers for the kids (a surefire way to draw families to your table!)
• Library calendar of events/flyers for upcoming programs
• Baskets and literature holders for giveaways
• Tablecloth and banner with library name
• Scissors and tape (these always come in handy, and inevitably another exhibitor sees I have them and asks to borrow them)
• Bottled water and no-mess snacks for myself and anyone working the table with me
• Cell phone with contact numbers for event organizers and staff working the event

That’s my basic packing list, but I tailor it to the particular event. If I’m outside, I’ll make sure to have sunglasses, sunscreen, and a lightweight jacket. Wind can wreak havoc on your beautifully displayed table, so bring a paperweight to anchor down flyers. Don’t be the panicked librarian abandoning your table to retrieve summer reading program calendars soaring around the park. (Yes, I’ve been there – done that.)

If you bring a craft for the kids, think simple preassembled projects with minimal components. You’re already schlepping a ton of stuff – do you want to add glue, glitter, markers, and construction paper to the list? I made the mistake once of bringing a craft to a farmers’ market that took too long to finish. I witnessed many parents, loaded down with fresh produce, get impatient and frustrated as their kids refused to leave until the project was complete. Lesson learned. Save your cutest craft ideas for your regular library programs. Often I find a basic coloring sheet with a booklist on the flip side serves as a perfectly adequate craft for these events. Just bring a small container of crayons, and you’re good to go.

Sometimes I’ll bring candy to lure people to the library table, but again – learn from my mistakes. Chocolate + hot weather + hours outdoors = FAIL.  Hard candy is the superior choice, and it’s often cheaper.

Once you have gathered everything, how are you going to transport it? One world – wheels. I invested in a rolling suitcase designed for scrapbookers who take supplies to parties. With all of its little compartments and pockets, it’s perfect for outreach events. I also see many librarians use rolling crates that fold for easy, compact storage.

The vast majority of the people you encounter will be thrilled to see their library out in the community, and will shower you with praise. But just like working a public service desk, you might hear some not-so-positive feedback as well. You are attending the event as a representative of the library, and people will stop to share their opinions. If there is a current hot-button issue regarding your library (like a tax levy), consult your supervisor prior to the event and get some talking points. Your supervisor may advise you to refer any concerns or questions to library administration, and that’s fine – just make sure to have their business cards on hand to distribute if needed.

With a little preparation, community outreach events can generate a ton of good will and good press for your library. Don’t forget your water, your sunscreen, and most importantly – to have fun!

 Susan Baier, Division Manager of Youth and Extension Services

Santa Clara City Library