scholarly journals Creating Literacy Fairs: How Collaboration Helps Early Literacy Goals

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Janina Goodwin
Keyword(s):  
Early Literacy ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Community Partnerships ◽  
Youth Services

Early literacy, outreach, and community partnerships are three constant initiatives of many public libraries. And the Youth Services department of the Pueblo City-County (CO) Library District (PCCLD) is no exception.

scholarly journals Expanding Early Literacy Services: A Quick Bibliography of Resources

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Darcy Acord
Keyword(s):  
Early Literacy ◽  
School Readiness ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Youth Services ◽  
Educational Programming ◽  
Small Children ◽  
Early Literacy Development

Public service to families with small children has long been a traditional and respected role of public libraries. Storytimes for preschool children and collections of books for that age level have been mainstays in public library youth services since the 1940s.However, in recent years, public libraries have moved beyond their role as resource providers, becoming, in addition, centers for early literacy education. Public libraries now provide intentionally focused storytime experiences, physical space and activities that support early literacy development, educational programming and interactions for adult caregivers, and outreach programming for high-needs families to ensure school readiness for young children.

Library services and early literacy approaches in public libraries for deaf and hard of hearing children

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Bobbie Bushman
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Grounded Theory Research ◽  
Hearing Children ◽  
Theory Research

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Children's librarians are challenged to provide inclusive programming in today's public libraries. There is a current trend in public libraries to provide special needs programming for children. This dissertation focuses on library programming for deaf and hard of hearing (D/HoH) children who visit U.S. public libraries. The American Library Association (ALA) states that hearing children need to know six pre-reading skills to be ready to read; however, some of these pre-reading skills focus on singing or rhyming which is difficult for D/HoH children. Grounded theory is "a systematic, inductive, and comparative approach for conducting inquire for the purpose of constructing theory" (Bryant and Charmaz 2007). This grounded theory research studies the programs, services, and story times that are implemented and modified for D/HoH children in U.S. public libraries. This study began with sending out a recruitment script and questionnaire found in Appendix A and B, respectively, which reached nearly 500 medium to large sized U.S. public libraries. Fifteen participants volunteered to be interviewed, and eleven were interviewed. Interviews were analyzed using open and axial coding, which is typical in grounded theory. Preliminary data and a review of literature on literacy acquisition for D/HoH children suggested that D/HoH children do not progress in four of the pre-reading skills outlined in the ALA's early literacy program, Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR), in the same way that hearing children do. Phonological awareness is largely not utilized by D/HoH children in learning to read. D/HoH children are also likely to build vocabulary, develop print motivation, and approach narrative skills differently than hearing children. This grounded theory research developed the model of successful library services and modifications to D/HoH children to explain which services, early literacy instruction, staff training and programs public libraries provide to children who are D/HoH. This research project also inquires about what kinds of modifications are made to serve D/HoH children, and what the impetus was for providing library services to deaf children. The first stage of the model highlights staff attitude as being warm and welcoming, taking initiative, and not seeing D/HoH as a disability. The second stage described the impetus for providing services as encountering a D/HoH patron in the library, knowing a disabled person in a librarian's personal life, or by encountering a nearby agency that serves D/HoH. In the third stage, librarians made accommodations by being inclusive in programming, providing ASL programming, or facilitating visual phonics instruction in place of phonological awareness instruction. In the fourth and final stage, this model reported outcomes such as educating both hearing and D/HoH individuals and building a sense of community.

scholarly journals Rethinking Computational Thinking for Public Libraries' Youth Programs: Challenges and Recommendations

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-85
Author(s):  
Marissa Guidara
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Youth Programs ◽  
Youth Services ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Important Concept ◽  
Technology Services

Computational thinking has become a popular and important concept in education throughout the nation. Public libraries, with their technology services and their role as an informal learning space, have been tagged as an ideal place for computational thinking learning for children. However, the literature and research surrounding computational thinking is often vague and even misleading, presenting differing visions of what computational thinking is, what it should look like in practice, and how it might be evaluated for effectiveness. As a result, youth services librarians face many challenges in their attempts to understand, design, and evaluate computational thinking programs for their libraries. This paper explores the issues inherent in current computational thinking research and discusses the challenges they represent in designing and facilitating youth computational thinking programs in public libraries, as well as presents recommendations for best practices.

scholarly journals Public Libraries and Walkable Neighborhoods

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 1780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noah Lenstra ◽  
Jenny Carlos
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Partnerships ◽  
Local History ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Rigorous Research ◽  
Exploratory Approach ◽  
Public Librarians

Public libraries constitute a ubiquitous social infrastructure found in nearly every community in the United States and Canada. The hypothesis of this study is that public libraries can be understood as important supports of walking in neighborhoods, not only as walkable destinations, but also as providers of programs that increase walking in communities. Recent work by public health scholars has analyzed how libraries contribute to community health. This particular topic has not previously been researched. As such, a qualitative, exploratory approach guides this study. Grounded theory techniques are used in a content analysis of a corpus of 94 online articles documenting this phenomenon. Results show that across North America public librarians endeavor to support walking through programs oriented around stories, books, and local history, as well as through walking groups and community partnerships. While this exploratory study has many limitations, it does set the stage for future, more rigorous research on the contributions public libraries and public librarians make to walking in neighborhoods. The principal conclusion of this study is that additional research is needed to comprehensively understand the intersection between public librarianship and public health.

Smart Investing

2012 ◽  
pp. 95-110
Author(s):  
Paolo Melillo ◽  
J. Clay Singleton ◽  
Robert K. Prescott ◽  
Susan Bach
Keyword(s):  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Orange County ◽  
Community Partnerships ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Target Audience ◽  
Reliable Information ◽  
Community Partnership ◽  
Library System

This chapter describes the Orange County Library System’s financial literacy workshops and highlights the partnerships that made them a success. While the library system received a grant that helped get the project started, its partners brought expertise and a connection with the target audience that the library alone could not have provided. This project illustrates how community partnerships are a mutually beneficial way for public libraries to establish themselves as a resource for unbiased and reliable information. In addition to the describing the partnerships, this chapter will also focus on the ingredients believed to be the keys to success. The authors hope the experience can serve as a motivator and template for public libraries everywhere wanting to further establish themselves as information resources with community partnership assistance.

Community connections, community collections

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Gwynn
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Community Partnerships ◽  
Community Collaboration ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Youth Service ◽  
Library Community

Purpose This paper aims to explore library–community collaboration from both a theoretical and practical perspective, highlighting successful collaborative strategies and projects and illustrating important considerations for libraries that are considering community partnerships. Design/methodology/approach This paper consists of a literature review and several “capsule” case studies of projects completed at one academic library to illustrate principles that can result in successful collaborative projects. Findings Library–community collaboration presents significant benefits if the needs and priorities of all collaborating partners are taken into account. Successful projects will use the strengths of one partner to balance the weaknesses of another, will be based on shared goals, will offer credit to all partners and will result in stronger relationships for all involved. Originality/value Although library–community partnerships are not uncommon, many of these partnerships are housed in public libraries or involve only large, institutional players. This paper explores several non-traditional academic library initiatives involving youth service learning and outreach to smaller community groups that might otherwise be ignored by large university libraries.

scholarly journals Getting Ready for Play! Toy Collections in Public Libraries

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Carly Bastiansen ◽  
Jennifer Wharton
Keyword(s):  
Early Literacy ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Literacy Services

Looking for a lively way to enhance early literacy services at your library? Hoping to increase circulation, community engagement, and fun in the children’s section? Consider adding circulating toys, games, puppets, and puzzles to your children’s collection.

scholarly journals Storytime in a Box: The Cooperative Approach to Preschool Storytime Planning

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Katie Bowers ◽  
Vivian Howard ◽  
Alison Brown
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Program Planning ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Youth Services ◽  
Staff Time ◽  
Single Model ◽  
Cooperative Approach ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
Unique Program

Preschool storytimes have been a standard public library offering for more than one hundred years.1 Most public libraries offer preschool storytimes several times per week and follow a familiar pattern of read-aloud stories intermixed with sing-alongs, action songs, and finger plays, frequently connected to a weekly theme. Planning for these weekly story-time sessions can take a significant amount of staff time, as staff choose a theme and then select relevant, age-appropriate, and appealing stories, songs, and activities to fill the time slot.In multibranch library systems, this planning is often replicated at each branch, as each youth services team prepares its own unique program offerings. In search of greater efficiency, some public library systems have experimented with other models of program planning, with planning being done centrally for the entire system or by several branches partnering to work together. Is there a single model of program planning that works best and that staff prefer?

scholarly journals Research Roundup: Brain and Body Working Together

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Betsy Diamant-Cohen ◽  
Katie Scherrer
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Fine Motor Skills ◽  
Youth Services ◽  
Early Literacy Development ◽  
Working Together

Using movement in the storytime setting is not new. Most presenters know that, at minimum, movement is a great tool for helping young children “get the wiggles out” and have fun before resettling for the parts of the program that require more attention and focus.However, much like the use of songs, props, and conversation in the days before youth services staff were well-versed in the development of early literacy competencies, the use of movement in storytime is often intuitive rather than intentional. The great news is that these instincts to utilize movement are right on track! Not only does movement help children build gross and fine motor skills, emerging research indicates combining movement with early literacy practices actually boosts early literacy development as well.

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