As libraries closed physical doors to protect the families we serve, collaborations and partnerships to meet the needs of children and families took on an even greater importance.Libraries scrambled to ramp up virtual programming, grew digital collections and resources, and built outdoor story walks, all while facing the very real concern that many families continue to lack access to these important services. The ongoing lack of equitable access, further exacerbated by the pandemic, left staff with the need to do what we do best—get creative.
Computers are a fact of life in the twenty-first century. Reading and math literacy have long been considered essential, and technological literacy is emerging as equally important to children’s (and adults’) ability to understand and engage with their world. However, just as it is crucial to learn to write as well as to read, it is crucial that children engage as programmers, as creators, and not only as consumers, of technology.
Summer 2021 will likely look much different than previous summers due to the impact of the now more than one-year-long pandemic.Here we share research about summer learning loss and overlap that with emerging studies illustrating how COVID-19 closures and remote learning have compounded learning loss, all of which disproportionately impacts Black children, indigenous children, children of color, and all children who live in poverty.
While your library may have done take-and-make programming in the past, the term has gained expanded meaning during the pandemic. Now many libraries have adopted take-and-makes as a staple of pandemic programming, bringing joy and creativity to families and librarians.
As our name suggests, the Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers (LSUCTC) committee seeks to help library staff better serve children and families who are often marginalized and overlooked by traditional library programs and services. A significant part of our committee’s work is focused on developing toolkits that provide resources and ideas for assisting a variety of these overlooked demographics, and we encourage readers to visit our toolkits here: tinyurl.com/lsuctctoolkit.
In February 2020, I was already planning the summer wall display in our children’s library room—I was planning on having a large pair of glasses with “20/20 Vision!” You know, perfect vision looking ahead to what a great year it would be!
When we think of storytime, we think of sharing a love of books with children, having a good time, and modeling early literacy behaviors for caregivers. We share early literacy tips and demonstrate activities, but we also display early literacy posters on the walls of the storytime rooms.
Since their first appearances in public libraries, drag queen storytimes (DQS) have frequently been featured in news stories and professional literature. These events feature drag performers leading various aspects of otherwise typical storytimes, including reading books, singing songs, and leading crafts and other activities with young children and their families.
Programming for school age children has experienced a radical shift in the last year due to the pandemic. Out-of-school time or “after school” has taken on a different tone as some children learn at home and some are back at school.And yet, with virtual programming libraries continue to provide a bridge between home and school. Children’s librarians are digging deeper into the well of programming ideas to provide engaging library related activities. In our first column, we offer some concrete program ideas that can be utilized throughout the year when school is in session or during summer reading programming.
Booklists created by library and education professionals can be valuable tools for librarians as they develop collections. Based upon the perceived discomfort felt by many school librarians in selecting graphic novels, this research analyzes the extent to which a population of elementary and middle school libraries’ collections in the Southeastern United States reflects the lists of recommended graphic novels annually produced by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC).
Managing Children's Services Committee: Lockdowns and Lobby Service: Partnering in Time of Pandemic