ACLA Youth Services

A Great Opportunity for Professional Development

2012-01-25T13:11:00.000-05:00

If you're like me, you are always looking for professional development opportunities that are affordable, convenient, and applicable to your job. Look no further than Robert Morris University's Bayer Center for Non Profit Management.

I can vouch for their claim that they are a "comprehensive resource for education, consulting, coaching, research, and hands-on solutions for every aspect of nonprofit management," as I have attended and enjoyed two of their great sessions so far.

They offer courses in a wide variety of topics including leadership and management, marketing, fundraising, board governance, and technology (including Dreamweaver and web design clinics). They can even create a custom session just for you! The best part of all is the prices...most courses run about $40-$65 for a half-day session.

Believe me, it's worth the small investment. I was able to attended a private, one-on-one session with an instructor to build the Whitehall Children's Library website from scratch for only $50! Although I'm sure I've "junked up" all of the coding over the years, I think it still looks great!

So take a look at the course catalog if you're looking for opportunities outside of the library with instructors that understand the needs of nonprofits while offering new perspectives to library services.

Friends Forever

2012-01-12T22:42:00.000-05:00

I really, really like Carin Berger's 2010 title, Forever Friends, this time of year. It makes me think of Spring things and the whole wonderful year ahead. This is the story of a rabbit and a bird whose friendship lasts and lasts through Spring, Summer, and Fall. But bird flys away as Winter nears. Happily, Bird and Rabbit find that true friendship lasts no matter what the distance. This story is short enough to share with a group of preschoolers, but the subtle details and minimalist style of Berger's collages illustrations may be more appreciated by school-age children and caregivers or families. No matter who shows up for story time, the thought of flowers and bunnies and fireflies will put everyone in a happy mood...especially you!

Is there ever a time when there are too many friends around? Yes! When Ma just baked a plate of yummy cookies. Pat Hutchins classic, The Doorbell Rang, will have your audience giggling and moaning, Oh noooo! It is silly, quick, and light. I love hearing how my young patrons solve the problem of so many surprise guests (everything from cutting cookies into pieces to getting a bigger table). Most importantly this book is an excellent segue into post-story time refreshments. yum.

PROGRAM

Song
If You're Happy and You Know It...

Fingerplay or Rhyme

Five Friends
Five good friends went out to play.
It was a bright and sunny day,
One good friend said, "I can't stay."
Then there were four friends left to play.

Four good friends went out to play.
It was a bright and sunny day,
One good friend said, "I can't stay."
Then there were three friends left to play.

And so on...
From Friendship Theme

Books

Forever Friends, by Carin Berger

Elephants Cannot Dance, by Mo Willems

The Doorbell Rang, by Pat Hutchins

Activity

"Who Stole the Cookies From the Cookie Jar?" Chant

Then invite everyone to eat lots and lots of cookies!!! Make tissue paper flower bouquets to take home and share with a friend. They will remind everyone of Spring, too.

Draw Me a Story: A Century of Children's Book Illustration

2012-01-04T09:41:00.007-05:00

A new exhibit is opening at the Frick Art and Historical Center!

Draw Me a Story: A Century of Children's Book Illustration
will present a survey of drawing styles and techniques from the 19th-21st centuries. The exhibition, which runs from February 11 - May 20, 2012, will showcase 40 illustrations and 13 books.

Included in the exhibition are illustrations by Randolph Caldecott, Kate Greenaway, Maurice Sendak, Tomie dePaola, Chris Van Allsburgh, and many more.

The Frick will also open the exhibit Childhood at Clayton to complement Draw Me a Story. This exhibit includes artifacts from the museums permanent collection to examine childhood during the Gilded Age.

Both exhibits are family-friendly and include a variety of hands-on activities and programs.

Be sure to check out the website for more information!

2011-12-10T01:36:00.000-05:00

Tomie dePaola's 2011, Strega Nona's Gift, may not be his most magical Strega Nona story despite winning the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. Perhaps, Big Anthony's antics aren't quite as spontaneous, the consequences of those antics quite as hilarious, or Strega Nona just doesn't really get 'm good this time for disobeying. In any case, it is as beautifully illustrated as any of his other titles and I chose to blog about it this week because it is about more than Big Anthony and magic gone wild.

Strega Nona's Gift unravels over the course of weeks, over the course of many feast days each with their own traditions and special meaning for the community. I like this. I like that DePaola reminds (or informs) readers that this a season of many holidays, many special days, and many traditions. And, this book reminded me that even one holiday tradition--Christmas--looks, smells, and tastes very different from one community or culture to the next.

No matter what special days or traditions our library patrons will be sharing this December and January, we can create inclusive programs and story times about the winter season of generosity and sharing. And to that end, most any Strega Nona title will fit the bill...after all, what storybook character creates greater feasts for more people than our beloved Strega Nona!

Stone Soup is one of my favorite stories for this time of year. Yes, it's about soup (an obvious cold weather tie-in) but it's also about sharing and the fine things that come of being generous with each other.

Jon J. Muth's version of Stone Soup is especially lovely. "Stone Soup" is traditionally a European folktale, but Muth sets his story in China, and his watercolor scenes seem to fade in and out of a drifting mountain fog.

In addition or instead of a winter craft, wrap up your program by inviting children and families to gather around tables where you have put out all of the play dishes and food that you can gather. Young children will eagerly jump into this creative play, and older children and parents will quickly get wrapped up in the task of sorting out dishes and utensils for everyone, "making food," and pretending to enjoy the delicious food that little ones dish up.

Happy Winter Holidays to All!

Kids Working Off Fines

2011-11-30T16:30:00.006-05:00

By Reading!

Kids at the New York Public Library had the opportunity to read away their fines this summer! This article, "New York scheme for 143,000 kids to work off library fines: Reading" describes how fewer and fewer kids are coming to the library, because they have too many fines. Jack Martin, the NYPL assistant director, noted that often when kids have fines, they are too embarrassed to come to the library, and are then less likely to take advantage of any library services. At NYPL, almost 143,000 kids have lost their borrowing privileges because of excessive fines. Read Down Your Fines at NYPL allowed these kids to take $1 off of their library fines for every 15 minutes of reading. What a great summer program!

Libraries across the county have also adopted this idea. The Solano County Library in California, has this program year-round. So does the Mamroneck Public Library and the Ossining Public Library in New York! Check out what these libraries are doing -- maybe this would work for you library?

"I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read?"

2011-11-18T14:49:00.004-05:00

What do you like to read? Do you like to see yourself reflected in what you read? For the GLBTQ youth community, finding resources that reflect themselves can be difficult. Blogger Lee Wind's blog, "I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read?" is an excellect resource for these materials. The blog is composed of a collection of reviews, videos, essays, and insights to choosing and suggesting resources for queer youth.

The blog is for "teens (queer or not), for librarians, for teachers, for booksellers, for people with teens in their lives and for anyone interested in YA books with GBLTQ characters and themes." So, it is for EVERYBODY! The blog contains over 150 reviews that are organized thematically. It also won the 2011 Best GLBT Book Blog Award!

Check it out!

Family Time

2011-11-10T00:10:00.004-05:00

Thanksgiving and that long (looonnngggg) weekend of family togetherness is right around the corner. There are alot of wonderful stories about families to fill up the holiday displays or to pull out for a program, but two new titles are especially nice. All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel, by Dan Yaccarino and Blackout by John Rocco.

All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel, by Dan Yaccarino (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2011)

Brightly illustrated and clearly told, this may be the story of Yaccarino's family in New York, but it will ring true for a lot of Pittsburgh families, be they big or little, Italian or not. Yaccarino’s book does a concise and neat job of illustrating the passage of time, and showing those family relationships that can puzzle very young minds: grandparents, great-grandparents, great great grandparents?!?! Are you planning a family storytime for the holidays? All the Way to America will make a good read aloud for multiple age groups, and will spin off nicely into a “Draw your family” art activity. Is a patron working on a family tree this holiday season? Definitely recommend this book. It will be a great way to involve young family members in the project.

Blackout by John Rocco (Hyperion Book, 2011) is set in New York on a hot summer night. The power fails and a family (a whole neighborhood actually) finds themselves enjoying some simple pleasures. Told mostly through dramatic and provocative illustrations, you’ll have to picture walk through most of Blackout. But your audience probably won’t mind taking in this artwork. Blackout is a perfect tool to inspire questions about what children would do for a weekend without electricity. What would they do if the power went out over Thanksgiving? How could they cook? What would they do for fun? Children can ask grandparents and older relatives what they did during Thanksgivings of yore (What did people do before 24 hours of major league football? I can’t imagine.) z reminds us to not only turn off the distractions, but to tune into family time...time we often take for granted...and to get to know each other a little bit better. You never know, this title just might make someone’s holiday a little slower, a littler quieter, a little more memorable.

Some of 2011's Bests

2011-10-30T17:13:00.004-04:00

With the CCA 2012 shortlist coming out soon, let's look back on some great books published in 2011 for kids and teens.

Anya's Ghost, by Vera Brosgol is the story of first-generation immigrant Anya and her new friend, a ghost. It examines the problems of adjusting to a new culture and the pain and pressure of trying to fit in. Anya accidentally falls down a well and discovers a ghost who then comes home with her. Emily, the ghost, becomes Anya's confidant and friend, and begins offering Anya advice on clothing, dating, and school. A menacing turn will surprise readers and keep them engaged. This is a fast-paced story, both sardonic and touching, matched with equally impressive artwork, and a great read for young teens! Check out the book trailer below!

Okay for Now, a sequel to The Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt is a treat and a struggle. Doug Swieteck, an illiterate eighth grader moves with his family to a small town outside of New York City, where his dad takes a job in a factory. The story follows Doug as he learns to read and draw, make friends, and deal with very serious life issues. The story is tied to a parallel story about the economic role of a book of original Audubon bird prints in the town and are included as illustrations. Doug’s unfailing optimism in the face of unending conflict is heart-warming. Though Schmidt tackles too many themes for one book and ties in one too many unlikely storylines, this coming-of-age tale is exciting and sweet.

Seasonal Books: An Awesome Book of Thanks!

2011-10-30T15:56:00.004-04:00

While it's always fun to tie reading to holidays as a way of getting kids exciting, Thanksgiving is one of the most inclusive opportunities to do so. No one's excluded on the basis of religion or country of origin- and who doesn't love sitting around eating piles of amazing food?

Dallas Clayton's An Awesome Book of Thanks! celebrates the spirit of that cozy late-November day, and would be an excellent addition to storytime in the month leading up to Turkey Day. The gorgeous, vibrant illustrations accompany text detailing what the author appreciates, and the entire book is available online here:

http://veryawesomeworld.com/awesomebookofthanks/inside.html

A hardcover copy can be purchased online here:

http://store.veryawesomeworld.com/

Upcoming Online Workshops with ALSC

2011-10-26T11:15:00.000-04:00

A new batch of online classes will be getting underway in January. Find out more and register here.

Khan Academy - Great Resource to Know About

2011-10-16T14:00:00.000-04:00

Have you heard of Khan Academy? A few months ago, on my short drive into work, I heard an NPR story about a website that is possibly revolutionizing education, at least remote-education. The site's videos are all free (huzzah!) and are attracting teachers, students the content is even making its way into official math curricula.

But Khan has grown to much more than just math and is attracting an audience much larger than just kids struggling in math classes. I think it's this exact kind of resource we should be promoting on our library websites, in person to our patrons and families and eventually, in our NextGen catalog!

Here's a sample video on the Geithner Plan (which I didn't think I could really understand until I watched it!)

I Got Chills

2011-10-14T10:32:00.002-04:00

So e-content. We're all talking about it. There's even a big conversation happening in our region about increasing the econtent collection budget. Here's a short video that I think you will find inspiring about the first feature-length interactive book. It's by Al Gore and it's called Our Choice. While it's not a kids-book per se, it's definitely the direction where books are headed. At minute 2:40 the magic really happens. Wait for it. It gave me chills.

Also, for those of you who attended our recent econtent for kids workshop with Dr. Leanne Bowler and Lisa Dennis and asked for a longer session, and for those of you who didn't get a chance, at the upcoming PaLA SouthWest Chapter Fall Workshop next week will have 2 different opportunities to talk more about econtent for kids. More information here.

PA Young Reader's Choice Awards

2011-10-13T14:09:00.002-04:00

Last year, as we dove into the CCAs with excitement, we learned that the state of Pennsylvania, specifically the PSLA (Pennsylvania School Libraries Association) also offers a similar award state-wide called the PA Young Reader's Choice Award. Most of their audience seems to be in the north-east and eastern parts of the state however. Though a handful of school libraries in our area do participate. It's also broader; they have categories for YA, 6th-8th grade, 3rd-6th, and K-3rd. I'll be looking into the possibility of working together.

We are continuing with the 2nd year of the CCAs to allow kids in grades 4-7 in Allegheny County to choose their favorite book of the year and promote reading for fun with our AIU3 and Allegheny County partners. There are definitely some helpful resources on the website, including a PDF of ideas on great ways to promote a program like this. As you're speaking with your schools about this program, be sure to distinguish it from the state's program to avoid confusion.

Tucking Them In...An Autumn Storytime for Families

2011-10-10T06:00:00.029-04:00

This time of year, it is hard to find a more perfect book for story time than Denise Fleming's book, "Time to Sleep." It is such a good book in so many ways. It is simply and artfully told, attractively illustrated, and opens up dialogue about hibernation, animal homes, and signs of autumn. Whether you are looking for a book to integrate into a hibernation theme, want something to talk about on a nature walk with your child, or need a gentle bedtime book...You'll love reading "Time to Sleep," and your children will love hearing it over and over again.

Below is a very snuggly story time for children and caregivers of all ages...a lovely evening family program at the library (invite everyone to bring a favorite blanket or pillow). For parents and caregivers at home, it's an alternative to movie night. Bring out all your softest quilts and blankets, a mountain of pillows and build your own winter family nest!

PROGRAM:

Opening Rhyme

The Wide Eyed Owl

There's a wide-eyed owl,
with a pointed nose,
with two pointed ears,
and claws for his toes.
He lives high in a tree.
When he looks at you
he flaps his wings,
and says, "Whoo, Whoo, Whoo."

Use actions on each line that is appropriate.

Books

Time to Sleep, by Denise Fleming (Henry Holt, 1997)

Our Nest, by Reeve Lindbergh and illustrated by Jill McElmurry (Candlewick, 2004)

The Quilt Story, by Tony Johnston and Tomie dePaolo (Penguin Putman, 1985)

Hibernation Song
Tune: Are You Sleeping

Bear is sleeping, bear is sleeping
In the cave, in the cave.
I wonder when he'll come out,
I wonder when he'll come out
In the spring, In the spring.

Birds are flying, birds are flying
In the sky, in the sky.
I wonder when they'll come back,
I wonder when they'll come back,
In the spring, in the spring.

Closing Song or Rhyme

Where Is Bear?
(substitute any hibernating animal)
Tune: Where Is Thumbkin?

Where is bear?
Here I am.
Here I am.
How are you this winter?
Very tired, thank you.
Go to sleep.
Go to sleep.
Sshhhhhh!

All rhymes and song courtesy of Mrs. Jones Room. Thank you!

Hi! My name is Anne Lee. I am a children's author, illustrator, and children's librarian (most recently with Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh). For other programs, reviews, and art activities please visit my blog: www.artfullytold.blogspot.com or my website www.anneleestudio.com

Things that Make Children's Librarians Cry

2011-10-03T16:26:00.000-04:00

Andie Mandel at PaLA 2011

Yesterday I listened to Andrea Mandel of Marple Public Library talk about her PaLA Best Practices in Early Literacy award-winning program at the PaLA Annual Conference. Grandma, Grandpa and Me is a Family Place program for grandparents and grandchildren designed to support grandparents that are the primary or part-time care-givers of the grandkids. Mandel came up with the idea when she started seeing a lot of older faces bringing children to storytime and other programs. investigating further, she discovered that the recent census data indicated that morw and more grandchildren are being raised by their parents' parents than ever before. The program helps grandparents connect with other grandparents and professionals who can provide valuable sevices to the development, health and growth of their grandchildren. As Ms. Mandel concluded her talk, she read a letter from a thankful grandparent and as she did, she soon began to cry and so did nearly all of us in attendance. Why? Because I really believe that successful librarians truly and deeply care about those whom they serve. They are always seeking the next area of service, the next need of their community, indeed, they are always trying to anticiapte those needs, and provide pro-active care and services.
I post this for two reasons. One, I'd love to know if any of you have thought about programs specifically for grandparents. I know Susan McClellan has done a great job with this, has anyone else? Would you be willing to share your story? And two, I wanted to just say how humbled and proud I am to be a small part of a community of caring service-oriented professionals like you, who are so dedicated to working for your patrons that you are, at times, brought to tears by the stories of lives being changed at the local library.

If You Couldn't Make the eBook and Apps Conversation

2011-09-20T16:11:00.000-04:00

We had a blast! Dr. Leanne Bowler from Pitt's MLIS program and Lisa Dennis, CLP Kids' Collection Guru (and teacher herself!) shared some valuable insights and impressions about econtent for kids - ebooks, databases and apps. It was a really interesting morning and sparked some great discussions and questions. Dr. Bowler brought 5 iPads for the librarians to play around with. It was pretty cool to see first-hand some ebooks and fun games created specifically for little ones like Pat the Bunny and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

Dr. Bowler

Lynn, Colleen and Debra exploring the iPad

Debbie and Rachel having fun with the iPad

Amanda, Leanne and Suzi discussing the iPad

Lisa sharing insights on ecollection development

There really are a number of complicated issues that surround building an econtent collection like evaluation, policies and devices. Dr. Bowler shared a number of eye-opening statistics like the fact that 1/2 of the 100 top-selling apps are for kids!

There are also so many unanswered questions about how growing up with econtent will affect kids' development and literacy levels. The most important point that Leanne made was that the message coming out of libraries needs to be this: read with your kids, in whatever format you like, but read together.

Lisa shared her take on developing an ecollection for CLP. She had interesting statistics as well: in August 2010, 23 ebooks for kids were checked-out. In August 2011, 210 ebooks for kids were checked out.

I realized after we were finished, there is a real need to create a longer day dedicated to talking about econtent in Allegheny County. Maybe next spring! If you can't wait until then, School Library Journal's 2nd Annual eBook Summit is happening on October 12th. I blogged about it a few months ago.

Also, there are 2 really valuable committees in Allegheny County where we need some KidLib representation. One is the Downloadables Committee. If you're interested in being on that one, please email Sarah Beasley at CLP. The other, is the Database Committee and you can email Dustin Shilling (Northern Tier) if you'd be willing to serve on that one. Because econtent for kids is really important stuff, we need some KidLibs talking with those groups!

Star Wars Crafts Recap and GIVEAWAY!

2011-09-19T15:00:00.006-04:00

Hey yinz. Adaena Tray here from Green Tree Public Library. Our library recently offered a Star Wars Crafts program for school-age children that was such a hit, I wanted to to share it here. Also, keep reading for your chance to win supplies to host your own Star Wars Crafts.

My inspiration for this craft program was The Star Wars Craft Book by Bonnie Burton. I found the book to have several kid-friendly crafts that could be done with larger groups and using supplies most libraries already own. There are currently 13 copies of this book in the catalog, so finding one shouldn't be a problem!

The crafts that we ended up doing were the Chewbacca tissue paper holder and the Yoda stick puppet.

For the Chewbacca tissue paper holder, I asked each kid to bring in his/her own square, upright tissue box (either full or empty). First, the participants used a thick paint brush to brush a layer of tacky glue onto their box. Next, the kids adhered pre-cut rectangles of brown fur fabric to the box, wrapping it like a present and leaving an opening at the top for the tissue to pop out. Then, they glued the pre-cut bandolier across his body and cut about ten gray squares to go on this belt. They formed their own eyes, mouth, and teeth from felt squares we provided. Lastly, they glued on a pom-pom nose. Since our library only owned a handful of scissors suitable for cutting felt, I asked that each participant bring in their own set of scissors. Parents were required to stick around for this program to help with the cutting; grown-ups had just as much fun as the kids!

We also did a no-sew, stick version of the book's Yoda finger puppet. All the templates are provided in the back of the book. Our volunteers cut out a whopping 72 Yodas! Pre-assembly is a must for this craft if you are working with little ones. Children started by coloring a popsicle stick green with a regular marker. Then, they sandwiched this stick between two Yoda felt shapes, gluing it all together using tacky glue. For this craft, each child received his/her own .66 ounce mini bottle of tacky glue, which I found at Joann Fabrics. Then they added an undershirt to Yoda's robe, trimming it from a square of gray felt. The robe itself was pre-cut, so they just went ahead and glued that on too. The nose and mouth were cut out by the children from green and red felt. A set of small googly-eyes completed our stick puppet Yoda.

Our first Star Wars Crafts program filled up so fast, we offered a repeat performance a few days later. However, as I'm sure you all can relate to, we had a bunch of no-shows and now are left with a slue of unused supplies.

In the spririt of cooperation and giving, I'd like to offer these supplies to another public library. So, I'm holding a STAR WARS CRAFTS GIVEAWAY. The winner of this giveaway will receive both example crafts, 20 cute sandwich bags of Yoda parts and 20 lunch bags filled with Chewie parts (including fur that sheds - be warned!) The only additional supplies that will be needed are: tacky glue, paint brushes, tissue boxes and scissors. These bags take up a lot of space, so unfortunately they wouldn't be able to ship through delivery, meaning the winner would have to drop by GTPL to pick them up.

To participate in this giveaway, please leave a comment on this blog post that includes your name, the library where you work and a short description of the best craft and/or craft program you've ever offered! The winner will be selected via a random number generator and will be notified via email.

Use the FORCE!

Catherynne M. Valente: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

2011-09-19T14:39:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite reading experiences this summer was actually not a reading experience at all. While I was pulling vintage 1980s wallpaper off the walls of what is now my new music room, I listened to the audiobook of Catherynne M. Valente's The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.

Here's what you should know: everything about this book is remarkably endearing.

One day, a young girl named September finds herself whisked away from Omaha and into Fairyland by the Green Wind. What follows is a quest story that is full of so many unexpected and marvelous twists and turns that I hardly noticed my messy wallpaper task at all. I was completely caught up in September's new world.

Words that pop into my mind are: delightful, wonderful, joyful. But these words can be saccharine and aren't what I mean to say at all. Valente's book is filled with delight and wonder and joy in the old-fashioned, hushed sense of the words. Like a walk through the woods when the sun is slanted just right through the trees and that odd noise could be a deer, or a trick of the wind, or the strange laughter and music of an honest-to-goodness fairy circle.

Valente's Fairyland is fantasy, but it has more in common with old-fashioned Faerie stories or Tolkien than it does with the modern fantasy stories of Harry Potter and the like. It is surprising and challenging and very, very strange. Valente manages to create a sense of wonder that feels like it's from another time, and yet September is so relevant, so likable, droll, and modern, I'm certain kids of all ages and times will be able to relate.

Apparently, there are plenty of people out there who did not like this book. Well, that's why there's something for everyone, I guess. (For more on this, you can read the effervescent Betsy Bird's review and discussion of the divisive nature of Fairyland at her School Library Journal blog.) As for me, this goes into my 5-star top-ten for the year category. Hands down.

Also posted at Please Come Flying.

2011-2012 ACLA Youth Services Interns

2011-09-16T16:17:00.001-04:00

Hi! We're Caitie Morphew and Leah Picker, the new ACLA Youth Services Interns for 2011-2012. We made a short video to introduce ourselves- check it out below!

Leah is a transplant from Connecticut by way of Vassar College, and more recently, Brooklyn New York. Her favorite books as a child were The Velveteen Rabbit and Bulfinch's Mythology. She has an awesome grey tabby cat who will be assisting her in future book reviews.

Caitie is from Boulder, Colorado and a recent graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University. Her favorite books were Where the Wild Things Are, Pippi Longstocking, and Harriet the Spy. She loves to explore, geo-cache, and make crafty things.

Virtual Summer Reading Wrap-Up

2011-09-16T10:46:00.002-04:00

Since we cancelled our F2F meeting this year in light of a lot of other things going on, I collected some bits and bites about summer reading to share with you. The big ol' stat sheet of SRC 2011 isn't quite ready yet but I'll send out a blog post with a link to the wiki as soon as it is. But since we usually talk about some other issues around summer reading at this meeting, here are some great articles and musings that I've bookmarked to keep in mind as I think about SRC 2012:

I'm kicking around the idea of creating a county-wide online program booklet that would list all the cool things ya'll are doing for kids in the summer and I'd like to use something like Issu. Even if that doesn't materialize, I think it's a cool idea for libraries individually to consider for program guides.
I've been spending a lot of time researching other types of summer programs and New York/Brooklyn/Queens has a real interesting one going on.
A recent ALSC blog post by Abby Johnson from AbbyTheLibrarian highlighted some of the best posts on summer reading from around the blogosphere. Worth clicking on the links and seeing what others are doing!
Scholastic offered a national summer reading program this year. What I like about this program is the site itself, firstly. How fun, exciting and professional it looks! Very strong kid-appeal. I also love the ticker-tape on how many collective minutes have been read. How fun is that? And of course, the book covers across the top- it makes me want to dive in and start reading!
On the Jean Little Library blog there's a great post about the interesting things she does in her SRC.
Ann Arbor has a very different and expansive approach to a summer program. And as you might know, we're working with a group of libraries on a Pilot Project and are working on mixing up a program similar to this in 2012.
While this isn't a summer-specific program, I think there are a lot of takeaways from it. King County, who seems to often be on the cutting-edge of library service is at it again with a cool year-long reading program, Take Time to Read. The M Word blog wrote a great post about it here.
One of my favorite Children's Library bloggers, Eva Mitnik who blogs at Eva's Book Addiction blogged about summer reading programs and their goals, intentions and results a few months ago. She asks some hard, but vital questions that we too should be asking as we begin thinking about SRC 2012.
California Library Association has a state-wide outcomes-based approach to summer reading.

I've also gathered some best-practices/great ideas about SRC (and beyond!) from some posts I've been reading and here are some:

Share a weekly email update in the summer with library staff that shares that week's events, attendance, current registration numbers, reminders and questions that may have come up. This might get deeper staff buy-in when you ask for their help with your SRC.
Some libraries hold off on programs until a week after registration begins to allow a lot of energy to be spent on getting the word out.
Idea for a school visit: Watch back-to-back book trailers (from YouTube) and offer snacks!
Offer prizes/incentives for parents in the RTM group such as growth charts, night lights, outlet covers.
consider placing a self-checkout in the Children's Department - make it easy for families to check out stacks of books!
If you're not willing to throw Dewey out the window, try myriad displays! Studies show that when a library creates dynamic displays, upwards of 80% of circulation can arise from those spots.
In terms of collection development, get on board with the mentality of giving them what they want vs. pushing what you think they should want.
Get ruthless with your weeding! Some highly successful libraries (like Douglas County) have a policy that if it doesn't check out 7Xs a year, it's out!
Consider the bang for your buck! Do you spend hours and hours planning a 25-minute program? Take stock of what you spend your time on, especially in the summer, when time is of the essence!
Ask kids/tweens/teensto write 6-word reviews of books! Short, sweet and easy! Anythink does it!
Anyone want to share something that worked particularly well for you? Leave a comment!

Some food for thought as you recover from your summers. I look forward to seeing you all at the upcoming quarterly meetings and other special events. Find out more here.

Thinking About Giving Up Dewey?

2011-09-16T10:27:00.000-04:00

A short and sweet article about what one elementary school is doing. Red Hawk Elementary in Colorado (the same neck of the woods at the Anythink Libraries which use a system called WordThink to categorize their books) scrapped Dewey. Woa. I know some of you have done this by pulling out some collections in your children's department which I think is awesome!

Book Trailers

2011-08-23T03:00:00.000-04:00

I'm becoming more and more delighted by book trailers. These would be fantastic little items to plant on your website to get kids excited about books in a very different way. It's like someone else doing a really fun, high-tech booktalk for you! Here are few of my favorites:

And, there are schools and libraries all over who create book trailers themselves. It's become so popular that SLJ now offers The Trailee Awards! You can nominate a kid-created book trailer starting August 31st.

RC Gets a Little PopCityMedia Love

2011-08-21T16:00:00.000-04:00

A little article about RC and summer reading club.

Two Great Articles: Are Children Overbooked and Protecting Kids From Scary Stories

2011-08-19T10:48:00.000-04:00

Great article in the NYTimes about overbooked children and another one from The Boston Globe about protecting kids from scary stories (heard about this one over at Educating Alice!) Read and enjoy!

Short Survey

2011-08-15T13:26:00.003-04:00

Please take a minute (it really will onlytake a minute!) to fill out an additional survey about your library’s financial support for summer reading. I will needto hear from every district library as this will affect next year’s SRC fundingdecisions. The deadline for filling out this survey is September 9th. Thank you!

Click here to take survey

Thank you to those of you who have already filled out the SRC stats survey and for your feedback about booklists, programming and the training. If you haven't filled that survey out yet, please do so. Some of you only partially filled it out so those surveys have been deleted.

North Versailles Rocks SRC This Year

2011-08-15T08:39:00.000-04:00

Great article about Karen and Michael at North Versailles Library and their uber-cool approach to this year's Summer Reading Club!

Early Literacy and Books: Making the Connection

2011-08-12T08:25:00.001-04:00

Saroj Ghoting, a nationally recognized educator will beoffering an online course, Early Literacy and Books: Making the Connectionfrom Monday, September 12, 2011 to Saturday October 8, 2011.

This four-week course is a basic introduction to the earlyliteracy skills as set forth in the American Library Association’s EveryChild Ready to Read@your library^® initiative. Thiscourse includes research on early literacy, brain development, and relatingearly literacy skills to books for young children. This is a goodintroduction for all staff that interacts with children and theirfamilies.

This course is a prerequisite for Early LiteracyEnhanced Storytime: Reaching Parents and Caregivers, Too which theOffice of Commonwealth Libraries plans to be offer during the winter of2011-2102.

Each participant must have access to Ages and Stages (rev.ed. 2001) by Karen Miller and Bunny Fun by Sarah Weeks.

In preparation to take this course, you will learn to useMoodle. Enid Costley from the Library of Virginia will be setting upregistrants and providing assignments for the Moodle website. Beginning onAugust 22, 2011 participants will be able to access and through assignmentsthat week and the following week, August 29^th, you will learn to usethis site.

Participants not completing the Moodle course will be unableto access the online course Early Literacy and Books: Making theConnection Assignments for the course will be available Mondays onMoodle beginning September 12, 2011 and due the following Friday. Therewill be an additional two weeks following the course end on October 8, 2011 tocomplete all assignments. All course work is due on Saturday, October 22,2011.

You will receive 12 Continuing Education (CE) credits forthis course. If you have taken a course in the past from Saroj and cananswer the following questions, you don’t need this course. However, thisclass IS a prerequisite to the Early Literacy Enhanced Storytime:Reaching Parents and Caregivers, Too because Saroj refers to certainthings specifically.

Can you name and explain the six early literacy skills?Can you explain the development of each from newborn to age five and relate itto activities you do around books?

To register go to the Webjunction PA calendar of events for September 12, 2011. Space is limited and registration closes at 9:00 pmon Monday, August 15, 2011.

The New Bridgeville Library

2011-08-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

Here in Allegheny County, we have newly designed libraries popping up everywhere! The new Bridgeville Library (they even got a new website!) opened in January and I'm just now getting a little photo tour of the new facility up - you can see it was later winter when I visited, but a beautiful, clear day. Karen and David gave me a great tour of all the cool new features of the space! Here's a photo tour:

Front Entrance

Front of Building

Programming Room with TV

Looking at Library From Fireplace

Teen Area

Great Windows Line One Entire Side of the Library

Fireplace and Seating Area

Great Space for Displays

Looking at Library from Front End

Children's Area

Thank you David and Karen for a Great Visit and Tour!

The New Cooper-Siegel Library

2011-08-08T08:04:00.000-04:00

You probably haven't had a chance to get out to the brand new Cooper Siegel Library yet. It's worth heading out to see. But if you can't peel yourself away from your library, here are a few shots to give you a taste of this wonderful new space!

Front Entrance

Fun pillows and seating in the Children's Department

The Children's Department

Craft Room with Fun Colorful Floor Tiles

One Side of Double-Sided Fireplace and Seating Area

Other Side of Double-Sided Fireplace and Seating Area

Courtyard and Garden

Patio with Great Rocking Chairs Looking Out Onto The Courtyard

Great Light All Throughout the Building

Stained Glass Lion Brought Over From the Old Building

The Reference Desk

Bookshelves and Seating

Plenty of Room for Staff in the Work Room

Thank you, Susan and Melanie for the Tour!

Plenty for Boys At Your Library

2011-08-06T11:00:00.000-04:00

Last year's interns (yes, Rebekah and Lorraine have graduated and moved on..birds flying off on their own) worked hard in their last few weeks to load up our Boys and Libraries page on the Youth Services Wiki. There's quite a lot there to help you get boys in and serve them up a heap of library-joy!

August Youth Services Meeting

2011-08-04T15:26:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, we're returning to quarterly Youth Services meetings, despite other meetings and workshops that may be going on. I have to say, I'm very happy about it! I think getting together to chat is a pretty important and vital element of our professional success. And sometimes, an online survey just doesn't enable enough feedback or idea-generation.

This Tuesday's meeting was splendid! In attendance were the KidLibs:

Jill Antoline (Robinson)
Jody Wilson (South Fayette)
Megan Goode (Moon)
Beth Zovko (Moon)
Karen Verduci (Bridgeville)
Lynn Hahn (Bethel)
Karen Hathaway (Shaler)
Ing Kalchthaler (Shaler and Sewickley)
Joanna Heywood (Pleasant Hills)

Tess is very serious about good books

We met at the new(ish) Penguin Book Shop in Sewickley. The reason we met there, was because our dear sweet book-loving friend, Tess Riesmeyer, after Beginning with Books closed its doors, is now part of their staff. She (of course!) works in their children's department and offers some great programs to boot! We asked Tess to spend some time sharing (what she does best!) some new and noteworthy titles. As you know, if you've ever seen Tess speak about books, her enthusiasm is catchy! Here are the books Tess shared:

Wildwood (coming out in September) by Colin Meloy (from the band, The Decemberists.)

Panorama by Carrie Kennedy. Great for middle grades who are obsessed with mythology after reading Percy Jackson.

My Side of the Car by Kate Feiffer (Jules' daughter)

The I'm Not Scared Book by Todd Park.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. Tess' boys book club chose this book. It even has a girl hero!

Prudence Wants a Pet by Cathleen Daly. I fell immediately in love with this one.

A Boy and His Bunny and A Girl and Her Gator by Sean Bryan.

Postcards from Camp (which, as great as it is, it would be a circulation nightmare as it's one of those books that has letters in envelopes to take out and look at and read.) However, a few libraries own it.

The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee which comes out at the end of August. This is a great book for parents! Hilarious!

Otto, The Boy Who Loved Cars by Kara LaReau.

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens.

Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys. This one got several hoots of excitement from the group and I was advised to read this ASAP. Megan Goode said this is the best book she's read in a long time!

If I Stay and the sequel Where She Went by Gayle Forman.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. This one is on my nightstand right this very minute and I can't wait to dive in. Looks freaky and creepy and delicious!

Other books receommended by the KidLibs in attendance:

Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Grace by Elizabeth Scott
Sons of Liberty by Alexander Lagos (graphic novel)
Lost in the River of Grass by Ginny Rorby
I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
The End of Everything by Megan E. Abbot
10 Things We Did and Probably Shouldn't Have by Sarah Mlynowski
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green (am reading this one right now. Love!)
Rotters by Daniel Kraus
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
Carmen by Walter Dean Myers
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Countdown by Deborah Wiles
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

In addition to some great book recommendations we talked about ACLA Youth Services and how I can better support the KidLibs in our county. Great ideas were shared about best practices, trainings, workshops, and general forward-thinking inspiration. I'm on it, people! Thanks for your feedback. If you weren't at the meeting, and would like to chime in, you know where to reach me.

We talked a bit about offering 4-5 smaller, focused workshops around summer reading. That way, you can attend the meetings you're interested in, and skip the ones you're not.

It was a great meeting and get our next one on Thursday, November 16th on your calendar! Find our more info here on the wiki. Also, don't forget about Greg Pincus on 8-16 and the Children's Choice Awards meeting on 8/30!

Greg Pincus is Coming!

2011-07-12T10:52:00.002-04:00

Mid August, Tuesday the 16th, to be exact, Greg Pincus from The Happy Accident will be coming to Pittsburgh to talk to librarians, teachers, school librarians, whoever, about social media. You can find out more information about the event (and register) here. Greg messes around with all kinds of social media tools and knows the scoop on how and when to use them. The benefits are astounding! From getting to where your uses already are to having the opportunity to be cool and hip and ultimately, relevant! With so many other cool and hip organizations and activities out there, it's pretty important that libraries get with it! And this is one important and big way to do that! Join us for a lively day of discussion and discovery!

School Library Journal's eBook Summit

2011-06-28T09:10:00.001-04:00

Last year, I attended SLJ's eBook Summit and it was very eye-opening. And the next eBook Summit is coming on October 12th. Register here to get early bird information on official registration. It's cheap and you can participate from the comfort of your own desk. This is a great event to follow our own discussion on apps and ebooks for kids on September 20th. Register for that here.

Program Ideas

2011-06-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

While you're all working hard at your SRCs (hope they're all going well!) I'm catching up on my big-picture-thinking, blogs, having fun as my alter-ego, RC and adding resources to the wiki. I've been adding a few which may come in handy this summer and fall:

Interested in offering technology classes for tweens? Here's a whole page with helpful guidelines
Are you thinking of starting a book club for tweens? Here's a guide on how: part 1 and part 2
Harry Potter is Not Dead! Try a Harry Potter-Palooza
Throw a Super Hero Party
Cupcakes are where it's AT! A cupcake program for all ages
Something for the fall - try a pumpkin carving program and here's all the ins and outs
An entire wiki page dedicated to storytime ideas. I've even included a link to about 20 blogs that are themselves dedicated to storytime ideas - you'll never be stumped again!
Ever hear of matchbox shrines? Personalizing matchbooks in a really cool, funky way (this could even be adapted to whatever theme you have going!)
Boredom Busters - better known as, Passive Programs (I hate that term, personally)

Boys and Books

2011-06-21T12:49:00.000-04:00

A recent editorial by author C. Alexander London addresses the numerous studies and articles claiming that boys don’t read. London states, “When I was young, I hated reading.” Unable to connect with books, London notes that his childhood was spent in search of a good story. He attributes the stories he found on television and in video games with training him to become a good writer. As a result, he feels that teachers, parents, and librarians should stop trying to turn boys into good readers (of fiction) and embrace the legitimacy of the alternative forms of reading that they are already engaging in.

As someone who did not grow up loving books, I really appreciated London’s argument. No, I didn’t like fiction, but I was an avid consumer of thousands of oral stories and I devoured the information found in Encyclopedias and Atlases. Furthermore, I know plenty of intelligent adults who don’t read many books and have done quite well for themselves. They might read the news, magazines, or scour the web for information on subjects that appeal to them, but most only read one or two books a year.

There is no doubt that books are incredible… we’ve all read something that has changed our lives for the better. However, if teacher/parent/librarian-approved books aren’t satisfying the needs of boys today, we should at least strive to turn boys on to the joy of a good story-format independent.

-Lorraine

SUMMER READING (ate my brain) CLUB!

2011-06-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

It's day 6 of Summer Reading Club and my organization skills are starting to slip. This happens to me every year, but I'm always amazed at how fast I start to lose track of things in the midst of the crazy, busy, program packed schedule of Summer Reading Club. During my first year of full-time Summer Reading programming (five years ago), I discovered that it's important to have a backup program for when I completely forget that a group is coming into the library (or alternatively, when a group spontaneously shows up on a different day/time than scheduled).

This summer my backup program theme is traveling. This combines one of my favorite toddler / preschool storytime themes, transportation, with all the awesome books / songs about traveling to other places. As an added bonus, I get to make all sorts of fun transportation noises, and the kids really get into naming all the vehicles and machinery (and they love making the noises too!).

So, whether you like traveling by car, boat, truck, train, airplane, bike, or your own two legs, here are a couple of fun activities to add try out!

My Aunt Came Back

Pat Cummings has illustrated the traditional rhyme, My Aunt Came Back. I love using this book as a call and response chant for baby and toddler storytimes. Recently my colleague, Erin, found a great way to use this chant for older kids. As you do the call and response, you add a different motion for each place the Aunt returns from. You keep doing the motions throughout the song and eventually you are attempting to do five motions at once, which is hiliarious and quite fun!

Here's the chant, the echo is in parentheses:
My aunt came back (my aunt came back) from old Japan (from old Japan)
She brought me back (she brought me back) a painted fan (a painted fan) *Start fanning yourself*

My aunt came back (my aunt came back) from old Algiers (from old Algiers)
She brought me back (she brought me back) a pair of shears (a pair of shears) *Continue fanning motion and pretend to use scissors with one hand*

My aunt came back (my aunt came back) from Holland, too (from Holland, too)

She brought me back (she brought me back) a wooden shoe (a wooden shoe) *Continue fanning and cutting motions and start tapping your foot*

My aunt came back (my aunt came back) from the New York Fair (from the New York Fair)
She brought me back (she brought me back) a rocking chair (a rocking chair) *Continue fanning, cutting, and tapping motions and start rocking back and forth*

My aunt came back (my aunt came back) from Kalamazoo (from Kalamazoo) She brought me back (she brought me back) some gum to chew (some gum to chew) *Continue fanning, cutting, tapping, and rocking motions and start pretending to chew gum*

My aunt came back from Timbuktu (my aunt came back) from Timbuktu (from Timbuktu)

But this time (but this time) brought me, too (she brought me too)

Blue Car, Blue Car, What Do You See?
Check out the awesome felt board from the SRC manual for Blue Car, Blue Car What Do You See? (pages 108 and 125.) I had a large book of construction vehicles fall apart a few months ago and so I cut out the images and I have made my own version using the photographs from this book. The kids love this huge set of transportation props!

I hope these two storytime ideas will be helpful if Summer Reading has eaten your brain :) What fun stories/props/songs are you really excited to use this summer?

-Megan Fogt

Manager of children's services at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Squirrel Hill

CLP-Woods Run Hearts RC

2011-06-15T15:30:00.000-04:00

So CLP-Woods Run has developed a real fondness for RC and decided to launch a fun campaign: Get Caught Reading with RC and here are some pics that they've been posting on their Facebook page. What fun! Any library could do this - some smiling and reading kids and a digital camera is all you need! If you'd like an RC plushie and you haven't gotten one, let me know and I'll send him over in delivery.

Poetry is for Kids!

2011-06-09T13:53:00.000-04:00

I just read about J. Patrick Lewis, the new Children's Poet Laureate, and Julia Donaldson, the new children's laureate in the UK. This got me thinking about how much I loved poetry as a kid, especially silly writers like Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, and Jack Prelutsky. Who are some other fun poets beloved by children?

For more information about poetry for kids, check out some of these cool resources, articles and videos, available from the the Poetry Foundation. Has anyone watched the HBO documentary A Child's Garden of Poetry? It looks fantastic!

Enjoy a poem today!

-- Rebekah

"One World, Many Stories" Book Lists

2011-05-27T17:11:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that Lorraine and I created several different "One World, Many Stories" themed book lists for kids of all ages, from board books for babies to chapter books for upper elementary school readers. We hope that these lists will save you some time this summer!

If you are interested in checking out this resource, please visit the Summer Reading 2011 page on the Youth Services Wiki and click the link for SRC Book List Bookmarks. There are two different file formats - PDF for quick printing or posting and Publisher for modifying the lists as much as you want to suit your library's needs. See a sample bookmark to the right.

Also, for more inspiration, I wanted to share a list of links to other great book lists available online:

1) I highly recommend this series from ALSC called Growing Up Around the World.
2) The Cooperative Children's Book Center at UWM has a great list of Global Reading.
3) From Duluth Public Library, a list to Read Around the World.
4) I don't know who Mindy is, but she makes a great Read Around the World book list.
5) Also, this isn't a book list, but with all the recent buzz about ebooks combined with this year's summer reading theme, I wanted to remind everyone about the International Children's Digital Library. It is SUCH a valuable resource. You can even search for books by location!

-- Rebekah

Settling in

2011-05-22T23:40:00.000-04:00

While there is no doubt that RC's first week at ACLA has been busy, he wanted to make a quick video to introduce himself properly. So, without further ado...here is RC!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

As you can see, he is really settling in quite nicely. But, be sure to stay posted to see where he will be popping up this summer.

-Lorraine

5 Quick Book Recommendations

2011-05-19T12:54:00.002-04:00

I've been reading a lot of books lately, trying to collect ideas for this summer's theme, "One World, Many Stories." In today's video post, I wanted to share five good stories about diverse people and places.

If any of these sound interesting to you, check them out in the ACLA catalog:

1. Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson with illustrations by R. Gregory Christie

2. Thunder from the Sea: Adventure on Board the HMS Defender by Jeff Weigel

3. Brother William's Year: A Monk at Westminster Abbey by Jan Pancheri

4. She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story by Audrey Vernick with illustrations by Don Tate

5. The Fantastic Adventures of Baron Munchausen: Traditional and Newly Discovered Tales of Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchausen by Heinz Janish with illustrations by Aljoscha Blau and translated by Belinda Cooper

And please feel free to share your "One World, Many Stories" book recommendations here!

-- Rebekah

PaLA Best Practices Are Back and with New Categories!

2011-05-18T15:44:00.001-04:00

As we learned last year at PaLA the funding around The Annual Best Practices Awards changed and some re-working of the initiative was in order. Now, the awards are back and with some exciting new categories!

Best Practices for Young Children
Best Practices for School Age Children
Best Practices for Teens
Best Practices around the Check Up On Young Readers

Sadly, there is no longer a special conference to announce and honor the winners in Harrisburg, BUT the ceremony will still happen! Just now at a special luncheon at The Annual PaLA Conference- which this year, will be at Penn State, October 2-5, 2011. Another great reason to attend the conference! It'd be great to see more KidLibs there!

The deadline for applications is Friday, June 24th! That's soon! Get your nominations in! Find the form here.

Ever Thought of Surveying Parents about Programming?

2011-05-18T15:23:00.000-04:00

I was just reading Darien Library's blog and saw that they have a survey out for parents about their youth services programming and I thought - what a great idea! Here are some possible questions to ask:

What programs have you/your child attended in the past few months at the library? (I'd design this as a list from which responders can choose.)
How old is your child/are your children?
Are you satisfied with how we divide programs by age? (Create a list of the age-divisions of your particular programming-do you divide toddlers a certain way, school children, tweens/teens?)
What days/times work best for programs? (This is another place to offer a matrix of choices.) I'd also, if you're willing, ask about after-hours programs. Many libraries have great success with Friday night and Saturday night programs for families.
Why do you come to the library for programs? (Another spot for a list from which to choose- great way to see what the public sees as your strengths!)
What do you take away from programming at the library? (Another list from which to choose with options like literacy skills, book suggestions, mere happiness!)
What types of programs interest you most? (A list of choices here too!)
Any suggestions, changes or improvements that'd you'd like to see regarding programming? (Perhaps here's a chance for you to test out some of your own new ideas to see if people might be on the same page.)

I'm always a fan of offering a raffle prize for those who fill out the survey - gets more people to participate! And I bet a gas card would go a long way!!

Frank Cottrell Boyce: Cosmic & Millions

2011-05-16T15:40:00.000-04:00

Given my 'druthers, I prefer middle grade fiction to be laugh-out-loud hilarious. But I also want genuine, steal-your-heart characters, a thread of depth and emotion that's believable but doesn't hit you over the head, and a satisfying, sigh-worthy ending. While I'm at it, a classic case of mistaken identity doesn't hurt.

A tall order? Perhaps. But every so often, an author delivers, and that is why Frank Cottrell Boyce is my new middle grade obsession. Here are two books you really must read:

Cosmic is a story about Liam, a twelve-year-old boy who's hit a bit of a growth spurt. In fact, with the seven inches and facial hair he gained over the summer, most strangers think he's an adult. At first, this manifests itself in some funny episodes like being mistaken for a teacher and taking a sports car out for a test drive. But when Liam has a chance to take a special "thrill-ride" to outer space, that's when things get a little out of control. Cosmic is funny and clever and touching in all the best ways.

Millions (Frank Cottrell Boyce's first novel) is set in England, just seven days before the monetary system changed from pounds to Euros. Fourth-grader Damian is struggling to cope with the loss of his mother and he obsesses over the stories of Catholic saints, hoping that perhaps his mom has joined their ranks. One day, while he is in his homemade cardboard "hermitage," a bag of English pounds falls from the sky. Convinced that it is a message from God, Damian believes he must use the money for saintly purposes. His brother, Anthony, just wants to spend it. Either way, they only have seven days to figure out what to do with the cash before it becomes completely worthless. A beautiful, funny, and poignant story about brothers, family, and the true meaning of saintliness.

An interesting side note: I saw the movie version of Millions a few years ago and it turns out that Frank Cottrell Boyce actually wrote the screenplay before he wrote the book. The movie version was already in production while he was writing the novel and he says in an interview that walking around on the set helped him visualize the setting while he was writing.

Here's an interview with Frank Cottrell Boyce about Cosmic:

Also posted at Please Come Flying.

Summer Reading PR

2011-05-16T08:41:00.000-04:00

So, in addition to our super sweet RC being everywhere- I just saw 2 of the billboards this weekend - squee! We're also doing our yearly massive summer reading calendar which means if you put 'summer reading' in the description of your program, it'll show up on that big calendar (which is linked to from the new SRC website!)
You can share the link to the CafePress items with your public too!

Also - if you would be so kind as to send me links AND/OR paper copies of any of the PR, handouts, flyers, anything you've created with RC on it - that'd be great. Our grant supporters would love to see how libraries are getting on board and promoting RC!

Time to Shop!

2011-05-13T15:20:00.000-04:00

If you've never heard of Cafe Press - hold onto your seats! It's this amazing website where you can design your own promotional items and then share the link and anyone can buy them! Easy peazy, lemon squeezy! So of course, we've created some designs with RC!

Like this women's tee shirt!

Or this onesie!

Or (and I just ordered this myself!) this canvas bag!

Get your orders in now and share the link with the public!

Bribing kids to read = bad idea

2011-05-11T20:04:00.002-04:00

The School Library Journal featured an article late last year that warned parents about employing bribery as a means through which to promote reading amongst children (see here). According to a study conducted in the U.K. many adults feel that children, attracted to the allure of new technologies, are growing bored by the idea of reading analog books. This study reflects both the parents' and the teachers' belief that providing increased access to online reading options would promote a child's desire to read. While there is little doubt that the novelty of reading an ebook may entice some readers, the article clearly states that incentivizing output has little impact on achievement.

The truth of the matter, however, is that although new technologies have their allure, the emergence of specific reading behaviors are not contingent upon the format through which information is accessed. By focusing too heavily on technology, this article fails to address a fundamentally important element in the "reading achievement equation." People become successful readers because they value reading, not because they can do it with a specific tool. They are moved by their individual and collective expriences with the written word, and they shape their behaviors accordingly. As I was reading this article I kept thinking of Daniel Pennac's The Rights of the Reader and I found myself wondering: What are the reading behaviors of adults in these households? Do they unwind with a good book at the end of a long day? Why should we expect children to value reading, if we ourselves, do not? What sorts of messages are we sending about analog books if we oursleves choose not to read them? While I agree that incentive based reading programs alone fall short of creating good readers, are new technologies the key to enticing new reading audiences? Or, should libraries focus on creating communities that value the pursuit of knowledge and merely let the rest fall into place?

-Lorraine

SRC 2011 Logo

2011-05-09T10:16:00.000-04:00

So our new sweet logo is getting ready to burst onto the scene in Allegheny County. His website, his Flickr account, his Twitter feed and his Facebook page (not live yet) are all poised to go live mid-May. And I encourage you to link to any and all of those sites whenever you can! As part of all of that, we're producing a few extra things for you to use at your library to help promote him. Remember, he's going to be on 12 billboards around the county so kids are going to be coming in and asking about him! Be ready! One of the print-ready items we've created is a coloring page for little ones to put their own spin on RC. You can find it, along with all the files of the logo here on the wiki! Feel free to use RC with wild abandon!

Program About Internet Safety

2011-05-09T09:41:00.000-04:00

An email came across the listservs last week about a program around internet safety for kids, tweens and teens from the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office and it sounds like it was an excellent program and it's FREE! You can find more information about bringing someone into your library here.

A few resources to check out and be aware of:

Netsmartz Workshop from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
CommonSense Media
Netsmartz on Cyberbullying

Programming Idea

2011-05-08T16:00:00.000-04:00

Director and KidLib Extraordinaire, Adaena Tray recently shared a program they put on at Green Tree Public Library on gnomes. She was kind enough to share some of the activities and crafts from the program. Yay for gnomes! She also noted that gnomes originated in Germany so this is perfect for SRC 2011 with its One World Many Stories theme! Here are the highlights:

The program is great for children in grades K-2nd grade.
Arrange stations around the room, each about a different gnome element
Make a gnome Hershey Kiss (kids can write non-valentine messages)
Create pointy fashion hats! Glue red felt triangles to kids' party hats.
Design garden gnome habitats. Kids stick a precut block of flora foam into a styrofoam bowl, add moss or Easter grass, tape popsicle sticks to gnome foam shapes from Oriental Trading, and stick into the floral foam.
Create snack bags of 'gnome food' which consist of raisins, marshmallows and oats. You can even make a sign that reads 'Gnomes Need to Eat Too! Fill a plastic treat bag full of gnome nourishment! Marshmallows give extra fluff and whiteness to gnome beards! Oats provide energy for fighting off squirrels and other garden enemies. Raisins keep gnomes plump and happy!' Adaena even shared that one little guy at her program ate a marshmallow and then kept feeling for a beard on his chin!
Gnome bowling! Take a $5 plastic bowling set and decorate with googly eyes, felt beards and red hats.
Each kid gets a favor at the end filled with DIY gnome buttons, gnome temporary tattoos (from Oriental Trading), Gnomeo and Juliet stickers and other gnome goodies.

Secret Places for Craft/Programming Ideas

2011-05-06T10:09:00.000-04:00

I know many of you have your go-to places on and off-line for programming and craft ideas, but I thought I'd share a few that I came across recently which had some really fun stuff.

First up, is Craft Magazine's website. LOADS of projects (on their site and links) that would be perfect for older elementary students, tweens and teens (and even adults!) like cork and eraser stamping; wall terrariums; fabric scrap necklace; raincloud mobile (perfect for these rainy days we're having!) or personalized coloring book pages (made from photos!)

Next is a new book, World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Projects that promises to bring out everyone's inner geek!

And lastly, a blog that's about handmade giving with plenty of ideas on fun, sweet and happy projects and crafts!

New Programming Kits to Borrow from ACLA

2011-05-05T15:05:00.000-04:00

You spoke and we listened! Reduced hours, reduced staff, reduced budgets - we're here to help! We've created 4 programming kits for you to borrow this summer (and beyond) which contain everything you'll need to do a super-cool, kid-tested program. The kits are for programs on:

Lego Fun!
Princesses Around the World
Bounce Around the World
Fairy Tales Meet Science

Everything you'd need to know about the kits and how to reserve one is all on the wiki here.

Good news for Kindle owners!

2011-05-02T11:19:00.001-04:00

Amazon announced that they are in the process of developing Kindle Library Lending function that will allow Kindle customers to check out Kindle books from their local library later this year. Kindle Library Lending will not only provide access to Kindle library books, but will also preserve annotations or markers that users add to the text. Therefore, there is no need to fret if you don't finish a book before your checkout period expires. Your Kindle will remember right where you left off. Amazon has announced that they will be working with "OverDrive, a leading provider of digital content solutions for over 11,000 public and educational libraries in the United States, to bring a seamless library borrowing experience to Kindle customers." (see original press release for more information) The good news for Kindle owning Pittsburghers...your local library works with OverDrive too! Perhaps this is cause to start beefing up our juvenile ebook collections.
-Lorraine

Upcoming Meetings/Workshops

2011-04-30T11:05:00.000-04:00

Register for these great upcoming meetings and workshops and get them on your calendars! All the info about each event is on the wiki.

Social Networking and Youth Services (for Teen Librarians too!) with Greg Pincus
Children's Choice Awards Debriefing (if you participated last year OR if you're interested in participating next year, be here!)
SRC Wrap-Up Meeting: Feedback and decisions about SRC 2012
What's Up with Children's Apps and eBooks? Find out with Pitt Professor Leanne Bowler!

Digital Storytelling

2011-04-29T09:58:00.001-04:00

For those of you who attended this year's SRC Training last month, we had a brief introduction to digital storytelling and I heard from so many of you, that you'd like something more which is why we're planning a longer workshop on digital storytelling for this fall! Until then, you might want to check out with the Children and Technology Committee from ALSC is working on - each month, on the ALSC blog, they are going to post info and how-tos on their wiki and this month, it's all about VoiceThread.

Children's Choice Awards

2011-04-26T11:26:00.001-04:00

Two weeks ago, ACLA partnered with the AIU to host the 1st annual Allegheny County Children's Choice Awards!

About 175 kids in 4th-6th grade came from schools all over the county to spend the day at the Heinz History Center. In the morning, keynote speaker Joe Wos (cartoonist and storyteller from Pittsburgh's own Toonseum) shared his story in words and pictures about "How Bumblebee Learned to Fly."

The rest of the day was full of stories, from the Hear Me Project, to some of our favorite local storytellers, plus some great skits by the kids which were inspired by their books of choice.

At the end of the day, the moment we'd all been waiting for finally arrived. Out of all the contenders in the running, the winner of the 2011 Children's Choice Awards was announced.

And the winner is...

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan!

Second place went to Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney.

And Nature Girl by Jane Kelley clinched third!

All in all, it was a great day! And now it's almost time to start preparing for next year's Children's Choice Awards. As you read lots of good books over the next 8 months, try to pick a few titles to nominate for next year's CCA. Also think of some ways that your library might be able to partner with your local schools to enable even MORE kids throughout the county to participate next year!

-- Rebekah

Two Great Webinars

2011-04-26T09:29:00.000-04:00

Don't have time for longer conferences? Stop in for one of these upcoming webinars from ALSC:

Leveling Easy Readers: What is the best way to organize easy readers, that continually growing collection of books designed to be used during emergent literacy? Is it possible to attach levels to these books that will effectively assist parents and children in selecting appropriate titles? This webinar will consider the philosophical and practical pros and cons of leveling easy readers. Differences in the three basic leveling criteria—format, language structure and content—will be explored. Examples of leveling systems designed by other libraries will be shared. Strategies for determining the best approach for your library and community will be discussed. Starts Thursday, April 28th.
Family Programs on a Shoestring @ Your Library: Public libraries continue to lose funding and many never had much to start with. Learn how to create memorable family programs using everyday recyclable products, scrap paper, donations from patrons, freebies from local businesses, etc. Learn how networking and local business will help your library with programs that not only entertain your families but also provide a chance to educate them on other services available within their community. Family programs do not have to be expensive or take a lot of preparation time. Think simple and reduce, reuse, recycle. Starts Friday, May 13th.

The Wild World of KidApps

2011-04-26T09:23:00.000-04:00

The directors and children's librarians in our county have been asking some questions about KidApps and ebooks for kids and where libraries fit in. I just wrote a post for the ALSC Blog on iPad, iPhone and Smart Phone KidApps that addresses all of that- check it out! If you've noticed, the interns and I have been writing recently quite a bit about KidApps and ebooks for kids. Rebekah wrote about some great ebooks for the iPad and about ways children are using the iPad. We're also looking forward to an online video interview with Professor Leeanne Bowler from Pitt's MLIS program about her take on the KidApps world. We'll keep you posted!

Standardized anxiety

2011-04-19T02:28:00.000-04:00

Recent hype over the documentary entitled "Race to Nowhere" has politicians, parents and educators all chiming in on the state of affairs in public schools throughout the nation. Filmmakers posit that the country's current emphasis on standardized testing and outcome-based learning has created an educational climate which is responsible for burning students out. The film argues that swarms of anxiety riddled and unmotivated students are the actual product of public education in America today.

The following clip features the story of one Pennsylvania mother who requested that her children be allowed to opt out of this year's test. It also contains an interview by State Senator Vincent Hughes, who supports testing as the best means through which policy makers can ensure a return on the resources they allocate towards public education. I guess my only question after watching this video clip is where do libraries fit into this debate? How are we, as prominent members in the information community, helping parents and students deal with the stress of the impending testing season? Feel free to chime in a toot your own horn. I would love to hear some great examples of how you all are impacting the communities in which you work!

-Lorraine

Keep Your Eyes Open

2011-04-18T18:46:00.004-04:00

A few things coming down the pike to alert you about:

The Girl Scouts of Western PA will be offering to come to your library and put on some super cool programs this summer. More information will be coming at the end of April.
ACLA is working on creating 4 programming trunks to be used, much like the One Book Every Young Child Trunks, this summer. They'll have everything you'll need to put on a program and make the kids at your library go nuts with library-love! Again - more details coming about those at the end of the month.

Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow by Gary Golio

2011-04-18T07:11:00.005-04:00

I'm excited to team up with fellow poet and former classmate, Kelley Beeson this month. Kelley works for the Allegheny County Library Association, and she's invited me to post a monthly book review at the ACLA Youth Services blog. So once a month, I'll be posting both at ACLA and at Please Come Flying, switching back and forth between middle grade and picture book reviews. What fun!

What better way to kick off a new partnership than with some good old fashioned rock 'n roll? I teach a series of songwriting workshops for the K-5 set, and I'm always looking for good picture books about music and musicians to use during our "Seal Pup" listening time. But a book about Jimi Hendrix? Isn't that a little intense? Of course the man was a creative genius, but how do you write truthfully about someone who suffered so intensely from drug abuse and addiction and present it in a way that is suitable for kindergartners?

In Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix, Golio strikes a good balance. The text focuses on Jimi's life as a child. We see how Jimi pays attention to the sounds all around him, experiments with instruments, and finds ways to play the rainbow of sounds that exist in his head.

In this way, the book reminds me quite a bit of Before John Was a Jazz Giant, a picture book biography of John Coltrane. Both authors do a terrific job of showing how a musician can find inspiration in the world around them. In Before John Was a Jazz Giant, John gathers inspiration from "the steam engines whistling past, Cousin Mary giggling at jitterbuggers, and Bojangles tap-dancing in the picture show."

In Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow:

"With every sound, a color glowed in Jimi's mind.
Blue was the whoosh of cool water, splashing over rocks.
Orange and red, the crackling of a campfire.
Green, the rustle of a thousand leaves."

In both books, the musicians learn to bring the essence of those childhood sounds into the genius of their compositions. Golio writes:

"Like no one before him, Jimmy Hendrix taught his guitar to sing, scream, laugh, and cry. He learned to use it as an artist uses paint, creating new worlds with the colors of sounds."

What a beautiful description of the creative process!

Golio leaves Jimi's adult sadness for the end papers where it can be absorbed or not, at will. He briefly and tastefully describes the tragedy of Jimi Hendrix's death and includes some age-appropriate Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services resources for further reading "in the spirit of recognizing that addiction is a treatable disease, and that deaths like Jimi's can be prevented." I appreciate that he does not gloss over the issue, nor does he hit us over the head with it.

I will admit that while Javaka Steptoe's colorful paint-on-plywood collages are interesting and full of texture and detail, I'm not immediately drawn to the illustrations. But I will definitely be using this book in my songwriting workshops. It's a keeper.

And because I can't resist a video link, here's Jimi Hendrix himself playing Voodoo Child live in 1969.

Also posted at Please Come Flying.

Children's Book Apps and Ebooks

2011-04-15T21:27:00.001-04:00

Some of you might be wondering, "What are these book app thingys you keep talking about?" In this post I would like to share a few examples of exciting children's book apps and ebooks, plus provide some helpful resources where you can find out more.

Most of the following books are listed among the 10 noteworthy titles on The Best Children's Books on the iPad, recently published on The New York Times Gadgetwise blog (compiled by Warren Buckleitner, the guy in the video I posted last week). These are also among Kirkus Reviews Top Ten iPad Storybook Apps for 2010.

#1: The Three Little Pigs

#2: Bartleby's Book of Buttons

#3: The Peddler of Gushing Cross

For more good ideas on where to find reviews of iPad book apps, check out Monica Edinger's blog Educating Alice. For thoughts from the publishing world, check out Storytime Goes Digital, the summary of a conversation that recently took place at the Tools of Change conference. Also, Lorraine posted this link a few weeks ago, but I wanted to point out School Library Journal's great article about evaluating books apps.

The question remains... how will all this affect public libraries? What do you think?

-- Rebekah

2011-04-14T01:21:00.000-04:00

During the SRC training a few weeks ago, a number of you expressed enthusiasm about implementing some sort of service based project for the children at your libraries to participate in. Many of you have probably already gone online to check out the wonderful programs that Rebekah shared from Heifer International and Pennies for Peace (check them out here if you haven't yet!). However, after marinating on your feedback of the day's events, I couldn't help but be inspired by your enthusiasm for encouraging children to reach out to disadvantaged communities elsewhere. To be completely honest, it is impossible to disassociate libraries from notions of global solidarity. Books often serve as one of the first ways that we explore the vast world that surrounding us, and library cards are our passports.

Anyway, with all of this in mind, I wanted to provide you all with some additional resources that might help in developing a program that works well for your library. I stumbled upon this intriguing site for The FreeChild Project this week, and thought that it provided some really interesting information. The organization promotes new roles for children in society by providing resources and inspiration for aspiring young activists, artists, journalists, etc.. The FreeChild Project's vision is of a society where every young person is engaged in powerful, purposeful, and positive social change.

The site is AMAZING! It provides tons of great information on a wide array of social issues, it provides links to organizations that are working promote various initiatives, it provides resources to help children become advocates for a cause of their choosing, it has book reviews, local publications, and much much more! One of the other really great things about this site is that it provides a theoretical justification for their approach and encourages a high level of interaction amongst their user community.

If you are still looking for inspiration for your summer programing...consider checking out The FreeChild Project. You are sure to find some very interesting ideas.

-Lorraine

Early Season Pirates Tickets for SRC Promotion

2011-04-08T15:43:00.000-04:00

Each library will be receiving (via delivery next week) 2 vouchers (each good for 2 tickets) for an early season Pirates game. These vouchers are in addition to the vouchers you'll receive in June for your SRC. Feel free to use these at school visits or part of your SRC promotion.

2011-04-06T01:33:00.000-04:00

Don't miss the next installment of Black, White and Read All Over, a family lecture series held this Sunday, April 10th in the lecture hall at the Carnegie Main Library. This event is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. and will feature a talk by award-winning author Cornelia Funke. Perhaps best known for penning works of fantasy such as the Inkheart trilogy or Dragon Rider, Funke's talk will feature stories of her life and craft. It may also include a brief reading from her recently published book Reckless. This spooky adaptation of traditional fairytales looks absolutely terrifying and will definitely make it on my official Summer Reading List. Check out the book trailer below, and then go online and purchase tickets to see the author live this Sunday in Oakland.

More information here

-Lorraine

Let's talk about the iPad

2011-04-05T10:05:00.005-04:00

"Starting this year, kids will learn to read, write and count on iPads. They'll watch TV, movies and cartoons on iPads. They'll do social networking, play games, and even color in virtual coloring books."
(from "Why the iPad is the 'Children's Toy of the Year'")

You've probably heard the buzz about the intuitive nature of the iPad for toddlers, but have you actually watched any kids using this amazing device? Here is one famous example of a 2.5-year-old encountering the iPad for the first time:

Impressive, isn't it? For more thoughts, listen to the editor of the Children's Technology Review discuss some ways he believes the iPad will affect children:

If you're wondering about the dark side of kids' natural love for the iPad, read this post from a parent struggling to understand his 6-year-old's iPad addiction. I'm sure there will be more studies done as more kids get their hands on tablet computers.

For now, look for more thoughts on this blog about children's book apps and ebooks in the coming weeks!

-- Rebekah

PLA Virtual Spring Symposium

2011-04-05T10:00:00.029-04:00

Last Wednesday I attended PLA's Virtual Spring Symposium and it was fantastic! Full of ideas, inspiration, tips, tricks and shocking facts about libraries and the future of libraries and I attended from the comfort of home. The first session was a whole hour on summer reading with librarians from Brooklyn and Multnomah County in Portland.

Andrea Vaughn and Katie Odell talked about their SRC successes and their intense collaboration with their schools.

I took a ton of notes that I'll be speaking with the AIU about this summer to think about for SRC 2012. As well, the 2012 SRC Planning Team will have their work cut out for them with even more advancements to be made to get even more kids involved from Allegheny County!

The 3 big library systems in Brooklyn (Queens, NY Public and Brooklyn) all combine forces in the summer to get kids reading. One way they do this is by creating a game that kids complete for prizes. Here are screen shots of the front and back:

They have one for teens and adults too!

Kids also compete for virtual badges (kind of like girl scout and boy scout badges) for completing particular tasks that, according to Andrea, got very competitive! Every location was provided the code to create a virtual badge so they could be tailored to that branch's particular program.

So on each kid's online tracking page, they had a profile that would display all the badges they'd earned so far. Pretty neat! I wonder if eVanced would do something like this? Additionally, their software allowed kids to create avatars of themselves (similar to the ones you create with Wii.) I'll be talking with eVanced about some of these possibilities for SRC 2012.

The whole day was structured so well with simultaneous sessions where you could choose what you were most interested in (would ya'll like that kind of setup in our SRC training?) During the breaks they had polls that people answered:

(I answered that I was most excited about Ann Patchett's new book and that I liked to read in bed!)

They also shared books the presenters themselves were reading:

During lunch, author/poet Diane Ackerman was interviewed (she's one of my favorites so I was swooning over my sandwich!

In the afternoon, Michael Porter (LibraryMan) presented "Can You Library Provide the Electronic Content People Want and Need." This is where librarians all over the country were sitting in silence, shocked. It's scary thinking about how much content-delivery is changing. Like, this is what a big portion of our community is thinking:

Not always easy for libraries at the moment.

And with even DVDs eventually going away (yep!) we have to do some serious rethinking of our collections:

I don't watch as many DVDs myself. Instead I'm watching videos/movies/TV shows streaming (through Netflix and Hulu mostly) and there are so many other ways out there to do this:

But Michael provides a refreshing, encouraging point of view:

He always comes back to that equation: Libraries = content + community. Which brings me to one of the last sessions:

Where librarians discussed some strange and interesting collections and services that have revitalized their libraries. One location has a library dog who is used for all kinds of programs and services (not just for Read to Rover) and a circulating toy collection (wow!)

It was a day-well-spent in front of the computer! Here's a shot of my desk and a few of my colleagues:

Quiet Kids

2011-04-05T09:56:00.001-04:00

In my experience working with kids and teens, I've worked with plenty of kids who were shy, quiet and introverted (I even have a niece who is so painfully shy I can barely get a word out of her) and I'm not always quite sure about the best way to be with kids who aren't as talkative or gregarious as I am. Helping a shy or introverted child enjoy a program at the library is sometimes tricky too. An article I read a few weeks ago speaks to the potential power social media has in an introverted child's life. Yes, another reason to start creating opportunities for kids to participate in library services online through sites like Facebook, Twitter, blogs and GoodReads! Especially when it comes to book clubs, I know it's not easy getting kids to speak openly and honestly about the books they're reading, but sites like GoodReads and Shelfari allow a safe space for kids to share their impressions, thoughts and reactions to books while not feeling the pressure of being on the spot. You can use these sites as either a stand-alone space for kids to share book reviews, or as an expansion to a program you already offer. It might be the very thing that eases a child out of his/her shyness!

One Book Every Young Child in American Libraries

2011-04-01T11:06:00.000-04:00

One Book Every Young Child article in American Libraries. Read it!

Scholastic Warehouse Sale

2011-03-31T13:27:00.000-04:00

It's coming! May 5th-18th. This is one of the vendors where you can use your Grocery Cart money - more details here on the wiki.

SRC:Food for Thought!

2011-03-30T14:29:00.138-04:00

This year's Summer Reading theme encourages each of us to look beyond our own neighborhoods to experience more of the rich culture in the world. One really easy and delicious facet of world culture is food. Every culture has traditional foods that evoke the beauty and uniqueness of the people. Food is an access point to culture. It highlights something that all cultures share while it celebrates the individual beauty of each.

I chose to highlight bread as one type of food that appears in nearly every culture around the world. Since it is such a universal dish you can incorporate almost any culture into your bread program. I’ve compiled some resources to get you started on a similar program, but there’s no need to limit yourself to bread, there are so many food and culture topics to choose from!

Resources
Any of these books can be used to discuss an aspect of bread and culture.

Ann Morris’ beautiful and representative Bread Bread Bread is a pictorial showing just how ubiquitous bread is in much of the world. With photographs of bread (and the people who eat it) in many cultures Morris’ book sets the stage for bread as an important symbol of culture throughout the world.

Bread Bread Bread. Ann Morris, Paw Prints, 2009. Print

Tony’s Bread offers a humorous look at DePaola’s explanation of the origins of Italy’s famous fruit bread Panettone.

Tony's Bread: An Italian Folktale. DePaola, Tomie, New York: Putnam, 1989. Print.

In Everybody Bakes Bread we see the traditional aspects of family cooking here in our country. Since in America we welcome so many cultures, one trip around the neighborhood in this book allows readers to see family baking traditions from around the globe.

Everybody Bakes Bread. Dooley, Norah, and Peter J. Thornton. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books. 1996. Print.

Read about the journey from seed to loaf in Bread is for Eating. This book helps readers understand more about where their food comes from. It demystifies the origins of the plastic wrapped bread on the grocery shelf and includes a Spanish folk song in its text.
Bread Is for Eating. Gershator, David, Phillis Gershator, and Emma Shaw-Smith. New York:Holt, 1995. Print.

The tortilla factory brings the growth and harvesting of corn to life with beautiful illustrations and depicts the process creating another type of bread, the tortilla.
The Tortilla Factory. Paulsen, Gary, and Ruth W. Paulsen. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1995. Print.

Use Bread Comes to Life or its companion film to demonstrate photographic images of bread from seed to loaf.
Bread Comes to Life: A Garden of Wheat and a Loaf to Eat. Levenson, George, and Shmuel Thaler. Berkeley: Tricycle Press, 2004. Print.

Sneak in Some Science
Turn a presentation about bread into a mini science and math lesson.
Bread in a bag is a classic project great for kids and adults. Depending on your situation bread in a bag kits can be prepared ahead for families, mixed in the library during the program and baked at home. Be sure to demonstrate the process of measuring ingredients like flour, yeast and water. Take the opportunity to talk about age appropriate math concepts like fractions, ratios and proportions. For even younger children focus on sizes of measuring cups or spoons. Spend the time to emphasize the fun of kneading the dough inside the bag!
Demonstrate the qualities and behavior of yeast by proofing it in a clear container. Use the bubbling yeast to help explain the science behind why bread rises.
Use wheat berries, wheat bran, and wheat germ, obtained at your local health store to discuss the nutritional value of bread, and what nutritional elements are contained in each part of the grain, and why whole grains are important in a healthy diet.

No bread and culture presentation would be complete without a chance to taste some of the amazing flavors bread can have. Try making some of your own, pay a visit to the grocery store, or contact local restaurants. Pick up a variety of breads from different cultures to demonstrate the diversity that exists.

Have Fun!

-Brooke Askew

"The Dreamer" by Pam Muñoz Ryan & Peter Sís

2011-03-30T13:59:00.001-04:00

A story about a small Chilean boy, his wilds flights of imagination, and the mysterious voice of poetry.

When Neftaí grows up, he becomes a very famous poet — DON'T CLICK that link if you don't want to give away the ending! Be sure to check out this beautiful book so you can recommend it to kids this summer. It is perfect for the "One World, Many Stories" theme.

— Rebekah

Another mini-Sample of the SRC Training Performances

2011-03-30T12:56:00.000-04:00

KidsBurgh

2011-03-29T10:23:00.000-04:00

Recently, a new local website and newsletter has hit the scene all about Kids in Pittsburgh - Kidsburgh! A big part of this site is a name you might be familliar with, Gregg Behr who is at The Grable Foundation. As children's librarians, we know how cool Pittsburgh is for kids but there might be parents out there who don't realize all the neat things happening around our county specifically for little ones. The site offers a newsletter too which I've subscribed to and recommend you do as well! But this is really a great resource to share with the parents in your community! Get this one onto your Kids' Site pronto!

Before you buy that app...

2011-03-28T20:39:00.000-04:00

This morning on NPR, Lynn Neary reported on the development of picture book apps or interactive ebooks for children (recording here). Her story does a wonderful job of presenting multiple sides of the debate on the merits of ebooks, and even asks New York Public Librarian Elizabeth Bird to share her take on these new, interactive reading tools. After listening to the story, take a moment to read this wonderful article by Bird that was published in the January 2011 edition of the School Library Journal. Within, she provides some really useful guidelines for navigating and evaluating the large body of picture book apps that have flooded the market during the past year. It is sure to be useful as you assist your patrons in selecting the right apps for their young reader.

-Lorraine

SRC Training 2011

2011-03-24T17:31:00.000-04:00

Here are some highlights from today's SRC training!

Don't forget to check out all of the information available on the
ACLA Youth Services Wiki.

-- Rebekah

Games Around the World

2011-03-23T16:05:00.005-04:00

One World, Many Stories. It's more than just a summer reading theme--it's also a principle that children must understand in order to grow into culturally competent adults.

An excellent way to familiarize children with this concept is to play games. Why? Because games are found in every culture, and that fact ties us together as one world. However, different cultures play different games, or play the same games differently, and that testifies to our many stories.

Games / Margaret C. Hall.

Play with us : 100 games from around the world / Oriol Ripoll.

Kids around the world play! : the best fun and games from many lands / Arlette N. Braman ; illustrated by Michele Nidenoff.

Acka backa boo! : playground games from around the world / Opal Dunn ; illustrated by Susan Winter.

Games / by Godfrey Hall.

Hopscotch is a perfect example; it's found all around the world but in numerous forms. This summer, why not host a Hopscotch Around the World program at your library? This program will show children how they hop in countries such as the Netherlands, Tanzania, and Bolivia and also give them a chance to work on their gross motor skills (such as hopping, balancing, kicking, and throwing), counting, and language skills.

Ideally hopscotch is played outdoors, but if your program must be held indoors you can draw the courts on butcher paper or mark them out with masking tape on the floor. Select as many different games as you want and let your patrons try them out. You can make it competative, or play just for fun!

There are many books available in the system about hopscotch. My personal favorite is Hopscotch Around the World by Mary D. Lankford, which is complete with the history of each country's brand of hopscotch, diagrams of the courts, and step-by-step playing instructions. Here are three examples adapted from that book:

USA: Hopscotch (Potsy)

1. Draw a pattern with eight squares, number them 1-8.

2. Toss the marker (or “potsy”) into square 1, hop into box 2.

3. Hop into box 3, then jump into boxes 4 and 5 with one foot in each box.

4. Hop into box 6 and then jump into boxes 7 and 8 with one foot in each box.

5. Jump up and turn around, landing again in boxes 7 and 8.

6. Hop and jump back to box 2. Lean down and pick up the potsy from box 1.

7. Hop out of the pattern.

8. Throw the potsy into each succeeding box. Never hop into the box with the potsy in it.

9. If you complete the whole pattern without making any mistakes, you can choose a box and put your initials in it. The next players cannot jump into your initialed box.

France: Escargot

1. Decide which foot you will be hopping with. If you decide on your left foot, you must hop in and out each time on that foot.

2. Hop through the snail pattern
a. Hop only once in each space. No player may touch a line when hopping.

3. In the center “home” space you may rest on both feet.

4. After resting, turn and hop back to the beginning. Repeat the pattern 1x.

5. After you have hopped in and out twice, choose one space for your “house”. Write your initials in this space. This becomes another rest space for you. No other player may hop into your house.

The game ends when it is impossible for anyone to hop into the center space or when all of the squares have initials in them. The player who “owns” the greatest number of squares wins.

Bolivia: La Thunkuña

1. Throw the puck into lunes (Monday). Hop over that space into martes (Tuesday)

2. Using your hopping foot, kick the puck out of lunes and back behind the baseline. Then hop out of the pattern.

3. Toss the puck into martes. Hop into lunes, then into miércoles (Wednesday). Kick the puck out of the pattern, then hop out.

4. Repeat for miércoles, then for jueves (Thursday). When you throw the puck into jueves, hop into miércoles, then jump into viernes (Friday) and sábado (Saturday), with one foot in each. Then hop on one foot into domingo (Sunday), and kick the puck back behind the baseline as before.

5. Do not throw the puck into viernes or sábado. Continue the pattern, throwing the puck into domingo, and the el cielo (heaven). Jump into el mundo (world) with both feet. Turn with a leap and then kick the puck back behind the baseline.

6. Always hop over the space where the puck lands. If your puck lands in the wrong
space on any toss or kick, you lose your turn. When it’s your turn again, start where your last turn ended. The player who gets through the entire pattern first wins the game.

Happy hopping!

~Eva, CLP-Allegheny

(Mostly) True Stories

2011-03-22T22:46:00.000-04:00

Putting a new twist on traditional tales is a delicate art of sorts. There are some greats, such as Jon Scieszka's The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of "not-so-greats," that simply fail to hit the mark.

This week, I stumbled across an adorable book entitled, Hot Air:The (Mostly) True Story of the first Hot-Air Balloon Ride that I wanted to share with you all. This book, by Marjorie Priceman, depicts the potentially true tale of the brave pilots, a duck, a sheep and a rooster, of the 1783 Montgolfier hot air balloon demonstration in France. This predominately wordless text provides children with an opportunity to read the illustrations and use their imagination unveil what really (possibly) happened in that crowded hot air balloon basket so many years ago. With beautiful, Caldecott Honor winning illustrations and a whimsical subject, this book is sure to make for a fun reading experience!

-Lorraine

Looking Ahead to Children's Book Week

2011-03-16T20:48:00.002-04:00

Did you know that May 2-8 is Children's Book Week 2011? The idea that children's books can change lives has been officially celebrated since 1919! I've been missing out all these years, since I just learned about it today in blog post from School Library Journal.

This seems like a great ready-made program for any library. For inspiration, visit the website for a bunch of ideas for celebrating Children's Book Week. Plus, between March 14 and April 29, you can encourage kids to go to the website

and vote for their selections for the Children’s Book Choice Awards. There is also a children's book writing contest. Plus you can get free copies of the poster! All in all, it sounds like a great celebration to me.

-- Rebekah

2011-03-15T09:42:00.000-04:00

Summer Reader - Pennsylvania Specific Webinars (this comes to you from the latest Compendium)

Evanced Solutions offers ongoing webinars on the Summer Reader software. A selection of Pennsylvania only webinars are outlined below. Learn about new features, maintaining Summer Reader, using the software for book clubs. Archived webinars will also be available to Pennsylvania public libraries.

Pennsylvania Summer Reader training dates are now available. Please click the link associated with the date and time of your choice to register.

If you cannot attend the webinars below, recorded versions are available. Links to those recorded versions are located within the training descriptions. Evanced Solutions also offers Summer Reader 201 and 301 live training webinars open to all customers on their website.

201 Summer Reader Sessions: This session is intended for Staff Members to understand their day to day roles with in the Summer Reader Program. Administrators are encouraged to complete this class to understand the core of the Summer Reader Program before configuring the system. Recordings of this session can be found online.

301 Summer Reader Sessions: This session is intended for Administrators only. This will give detail into setting up the Summer Reader Program including authentication setup, email setup, RSS feeds, style sheets, and more. Recordings of this session will be available the first week of March and can be found here.

401 Summer Reader Sessions: This session is intended for Administrators and provides details about closing reading programs at their completion and archiving to create a "clean slate" for new programs. Recordings of this session will be posted shortly here.

401 Tuesday, March 15 - 11:00 AM -12:00 PM
301 Monday, March 21 - 11:00 AM -12:00 PM
201 Wednesday, March 23 - 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
301 Monday, March 28 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

If you have any questions about these trainings, please contact Christine Ayar Illichmann, Coordinator of Customer Experience at Evanced Solutions by phone 317-352-2188 ext 111 or by email at cillichmann(at)evancedsolutions(dot)com.

One Book Every Young Child

2011-03-15T09:34:00.001-04:00

The Pennsylvania One Book Every Young Child kickoff is near and shipments of books, buttons, family guides, stickers, posters and bookmarks have been sent to the district libraries through delivery so keep an eye out for that box. The PA OBEYC website is also up so take a look at for ideas. The author, Stephen Swinburne will be at CLP-East Liberty and CC Mellor on 3/25. The One Book trunk will also be available to borrow - sign up to get it here on the wiki.

Summer Reading Gets Branded

2011-03-14T14:22:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows how branding with logos works, right? I mean, we all know

and

Well, meet Allegheny County's new Summer Reading logo:

The 2011 Summer Reading Planning Team and a super cool ad agency, Chemistry, worked hard this fall and winter to come up with a logo that would attract the attention of parents and kids alike in a new way. Together we created RC (as in "Reading Creature") and we're hoping you'll fall in love with him as much as we have. We've made 9 file formats of RC available to you here on the wiki to encourage every library in the county to use him with wild abandon! We have secured 7 billboards around the county on which RC will appear during May and June along some of the major highways and byways. Chemistry has also helped us create a brand new Summer Reading Website where we'll feature tips and tricks for parents on how important it is for children to read during the summer as well as interactive elements like pictures, videos, booklists and weekly 'picks' (website to go live in May; I'll share the link soon.) The website will ultimately rely heavily on content contributed by kids, parents and YOU, our faithful, energetic librarians! So any pictures, stories, book reviews, videos you've got, send 'em over to me and we'll get them up on the site. I'd also love to hear any ideas you might have about posts!

Since we want RC (and ultimately the news about Summer Reading @ the Library) to be everywhere, we're kicking the PR into high gear and getting RC his own Twitter account, Flickr account, and Facebook page (all currently in-the-works.) We're also looking into getting him made into a plushie so we can do a 'Where's RC?' initiative this summer. Trust me, this guy is going to be EVERYwhere and that means families are going to be hyper-aware that our libraries are where it's at as far as reading this summer and every summer!

So please count RC in as you create PR to promote your SRC this year - it'll be great for families to see him on billboards, see him on the website and then come to your library and see him there!

Readin' and Trackin' Children's Books

2011-03-06T15:38:00.002-05:00

To hop on the coattails of Rebekah's post on why we adults should read children's books, I want to talk a little about my own reading of children's books. I keep a Shelfari account to keep track of all the children's and teen books I'm reading (vs. where I keep track of all the 'grown-up' books I read on GoodReads, which many of you are on as well!) and I tag books with a small handful of labels like starredreview, bestbooks2010, storytime, readaloud etc. And while the 'to read' shelf gets longer and longer - I happily add books anytime I see one that appeals to me or might make sense on a list I'm working on.

Shelfari and GoodReads are very similar, but for me - most of my friends and professional connections are on GoodReads so my experience there is more than just a great way to organize and track what reading, it's wonderfully social, fun and engaging! Whereas I use Shelfari mostly to track the children's books I'm reading. I know someday, when I'm back working in a library with real patrons, I'm going to rely on my Shelfari account for easy readers' advisory because, I'm not sure about you guys, but I get pretty stumped when I'm on-the-spot to find the perfect book when a mother and son are standing in front of me at the desk. It could be just me - but I feel like I suddenly can't think of any book other than Harry Potter! So I know that Shelfari would be an amazing tool when I'm back with the people.

-Kelley

Cybils

2011-03-04T16:00:00.001-05:00

Last month, Rebekah write a lovely little post on this year's finalist for the Cybils (the KidLit Blogosphere's annual children's literature awards - kind of the social network's answer to the Caldecott/Newbery) and a few weeks ago, the winners were announced. I am just now getting around to looking the winners over and there is a pretty rockin' lineup there of books kids are really gonna dig like:

Interrupting Chicken (HA! This one is a hoot!)

The Shadows: The Books of Elsewhere, Vol. 1

Meanwhile, Pick Any Path. 3856 Story Possibilities (this reminds me of the Choose Your Own Adventures from my youth but cooler!)

And The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (which is also one of our finalists for the 2011 CCAs!)

-Kelley

SRC 2011 Budget Plans

2011-03-03T08:34:00.002-05:00

As you all (should) know - this year we've asked you to fill out a Budget Plan for use of your SRC Grocery Cart money. This will help in the mass of paperwork and receipts I manage as part of this approach. The fun pre-summer shopping season is upon us and I've only received 13 plans from:

AC Free
Avalon
Bethel
Braddock
Swissvale
CLAV
Coraopolis
Hampton
Northland
Scott
Springdale
Upper St. Clair
Whitehall

Sending that plan (with the siggy of your director) is the first step in using your grocery cart money. 2nd, you need to fill out a survey monkey survey with information about what you'd like to use your money for. 3rd, I will then you the necessary info, coupons (if applicable) and a PO number. And finally, the best part, you're able to go crazy on the shopping! Remember, you can only make purchases with this budget after those first 2 steps are completed.If you have any questions - best to ask as ACLA cannot reimburse any library for money spent.

-Kelley

First Annual Children's Choice Awards

2011-03-02T18:12:00.001-05:00

Most of you know that this winter, in partnership with the AIU3, we launched the First Annual Children's Choice Awards in Allegheny County! We have 8 library/school partnerships participating:

Pleasant Hills
Moon
Avalon
Braddock
Springdale
Plum
Crafton
AC Free

The idea is that the CCAs would continue the momentum of the Summer Reading Club through the winter and into early spring and give the kids in 4th-6th grades in Allegheny County a chance to vote on what they think was the best book of the past year. After hearing from school and public librarians on the titles that they can't keep on the shelves, we narrowed the list down to 10 books from which the kids can choose:

Red Pyramid: Rick Riordan
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda: Tom Angleberger
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth: Jeff Kinney
Big Nate in a Class by Himself: Lincoln Pierce
Into the Gauntlet (10th of 39 Clues): Margaret Peterson Haddix
Cosmic: Frank Cottrell
My Life as a Book: Janet Tashjian
Scumble: Ingrid Law
Countdown: Debra Wiles
Nature Girl: Jane Kelley

It's a pretty cool lineup and each of the 8 libraries got an extra copy of each of the 10 titles for their collection. And any student who participates (which means (s)he reads 3+ titles on the list) is invited to a celebration of reading at the Heinz History Center on Tuesday, April 12th where we'll link all the reading everyone did with promoting the 2011 Summer Reading Club! Joe Wos will deliver a Keynote Conversation about the importance of stories and everyone will have a chance to get creative on a project around some of the titles. We'll also, of course, be revealing the winner of this year's Awards!

Because it's our first year, we're encouraging the participating libraries (school and public) to go crazy with how they promote this new initiative and the kinds of programs they might offer to go along with it! Here's an example of a display Megan Goode at Moon created:

We'll be collecting potential titles for NEXT year's CCAs until mid-November, so feel free to pass along a title you think we should consider! You can send suggestions to me at beesonk(at)einetwork(dot)net. And of course, we're encouraging every library to participate!

-Kelley

c4n y0u r34d 7hi5?

2011-03-01T11:29:00.000-05:00

Young adults today are using language differently, according to a recent CNN article.

Communicating through texting often requires shortening words and phrases to the bare essentials. It creates an entire new vocabulary of shorthand phrases. Do you know some of these common abbreviations?

lol ru idk wtf bbiab brb gtg idk pos aisi asl btw imo jk rofl ppl omg thx kit
(These are strung together completely nonsensically.)

For those of us who live or work with teenagers, it might be valuable to learn some of the new slang. To assist with our education, there are online slang dictionaries and other resources available, such as the Teen Chat Decoder.

Another creative way of communicating is leetspeak.

Leet, or "1337," is a code language originally used by computer savvy programmers and gamers, which is now entering the mainstream. It is becoming more common for teens to chat using this code, since its keeps parents and teachers away. If you're curious to find out more, you can practice using the Leet Translator.

Have fun codebreaking!

-- Rebekah

Eight Days: A Story of Haiti

2011-03-01T00:16:00.000-05:00

It has been just over a year since a devastating earthquake struck the island nation of Haiti,. According to recent news reports marking the anniversary of this horrific event, the country still has a long road of recovery ahead of it. Check out the following video preview of Edwidge Danticat's new book, Eight Days: A Story of Haiti, and consider exploring some of the resources listed in this website to find ways for the children at your library to participate in the continuing recovery efforts.

Get that baby a book!

2011-02-24T10:36:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how much I enjoy seeing a young couple timidly perusing the children's department for the first time with a new baby in tow. As they slowly walk down the aisles, fondling old covers and silently mouthing titles of many long-forgotten treasures, you begin to sense their anticipation of one day being able to share their favorite stories with the infant in their arms. Although these wonderful people have answered the subliminal call (of which I believe both parks and libraries emit to families with young children) to go to the library, it has been my experience that many new parents initially find reading to infants somewhat awkward. It is the librarian, who serves not only as a specialist in children's literature, but also as a counselor of sorts, who encourages parents to put aside their hesitations and pick up a book. Librarians are notorious for helping parents to understand the value of reading to their children, they provide helpful information about the sorts of expectations that are developmentally appropriate for infants, and they outfit families with amazing books to explore. This didactic interaction is crucial not only because it has the potential to make a lasting impact in the life of the child, but also because it highlights the continued importance of libraries and librarians in society.

A recent study conducted in Canada sheds new light on the linguistic development of infants and corroborates previous findings heralding the importance of implementing strong early literacy programs in libraries. Check out the study here and perhaps it will serve to invigorate your approach to infant programming.

Going Out of Print

2011-02-22T12:36:00.000-05:00

Warning: Controversial topics ahead!

I read this article about the transformation of public school libraries into "digital media centers," and I wanted to share some ideas that might be useful for public librarians to consider also.

Learning commons. The idea of the library as a "learning laboratory," in which the bookshelves are pushed to the outside of the room in order to accommodate groups of learners in flexible, central spaces. David Loertscher talks about this idea in his book The New Learning Commons.

Virtual learning commons. If library websites only offer one-way information streams, Loertscher thinks that kids will simply ignore it and use Google. He advocates for using more democratic spaces, such as wikis.

E-readers. Some schools are trying to provide Kindles for all of their students, but many questions remain about the value of e-readers. Like with many technologies, the future is both exciting and troubling.

Books. One librarian tries to bridge the technology gap by using web 2.0 tools to promote books. As a result, circulation numbers went up, especially with boys, when she used online book trailers.

Reading. Another librarian believes that we need to be more open minded in defining "what reading is." Many popular new releases tell stories across media platforms, changing the way kids interact with the text.

Just some food for thought! Please feel free to respond and share comments, questions, and ideas.

-- Rebekah

Why Adults Should Read Children's Books

2011-02-16T10:00:00.006-05:00

Did you know that kids are more likely to read if they see an adult reading? And research shows that when a kid sees an adult reading a children's book, he is even more likely to read!

There are so many reasons to encourage adults to read children's literature. It's inspiring. It's fast. It's fun! Do adults check out children's books at your library? Are there any children's books that you would especially recommend to your adult friends?

-- Rebekah

Summer Reading/eVanced Information

2011-02-15T09:42:00.000-05:00

The 2011 Early Literacy Manual is now available to download
While each Pennsylvania public library receives a copy of the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) Manual for children, teens, and adult program, a separate manual for Early Literacy has been created and is now available as a download on the CSLP website.

Sign in or join for access to the 2011 Early Literacy Manual under the "Downloads" section. Logos, PSAs (Public Service Announcements), artwork plus more is available for your use.

Pennsylvania currently has 237 members on the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) website. Become a member to discover additional resources available. Membership dues are paid by Commonwealth Libraries on behalf of the public libraries in the state.

Evanced Solutions' Summer Reader
Funding for 2011 has been budgeted. Evanced Solutions will be upgrading and adding new enhancements to the Summer Reader software on Monday, March 7, 2011 and information will be sent to all users via an e-mail newsletter.

The main changes include:

CSLP graphics for 2011 will be loaded
A mobile web interface will be available
A point-and-click style editor will be added
The ability to specify the exact prize a patron should be awarded will be available

Important information:
Please note that the upgrade will cause style sheets from previous years to NOT be compatible with the newest version of the product.

For more information, read this blog post from Evanced Solutions: The style sheets impact your saved templates.

Free webinars are also available on an ongoing basis.
Sign up here. For libraries that aren't currently using Summer Reader, please sign up here.

Remember, this software may be used all year by any group that wants to track information on more than just the Summer Reading Program. Book Clubs, Teen Advisory Reading Groups, special events involving reading materials can all make use of this software.

If your library has not used the software in the past and would like to begin using it this summer, sign up now so your staff and volunteers have a chance to try it out before summer. For more information contact Anne Kruger akruger(at)state(dot)pa(dot)us.