given 11/12/08 by MLA's Teen Interest Group and held at the Rosedale Branch of BCPL
attendee: Stella Fowler of Olney Library
It was a day chock full of information. We started with Reluctant Readers, talked about starting a Teen Advisory Board, explored three different types of book clubs and ended talking about Video Gaming.
I have an electronic copy of all of my notes that I would be happy to share with anyone who is interested. Just email me, and I'll send it your way. stella.fowler@montgomerycountymd.gov
I found the reluctant reader presentation extremely valuable; especially the discussion of Misconceptions About Books that Reluctant Readers like. The first being that RRs like short books only. Not true! Look at the many many teens reading the Twilight books and the Harry Potter books and the Ellen Hopkins books, all really thick books. But be careful, a book can only be popular for so long before RRs will no longer read it, and sadly, the reign of Twilight is starting to wane.
For Teen Advisory Boards, we were told to get out of the meeting room and into the YA section. Meeting rooms just aren't relevant. And you want to advertise your TAB? Place your fliers where the teens are: on the soda machines, in the bathrooms, on the computers!
The major thing that was discussed in regards to teen book clubs was: Feed Them! Food works almost every time (this applies to TABs, too)! What doesn't work: Don't start your book club in September. This is a terrible month to start and no one will come. Parent/Child book clubs work well and are safe places for teens to effectively communicate with their parents without pressure.
The video gaming portion was mostly about how to convince your library's administration that you need video gaming (we don't need to do this). But it had some good statistics such as:
Laproscopic Surgeons who are gamers make 37% fewer mistakes
It prepares teens for jobs
Gaming requires reading
It was a great time and a good way to network with other YA specialists in the state. And a good way to get pointers and ideas for other programs.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Kids Are Customers, Too 2008
KIDS ARE CUSTOMERS, TOO
October 8, 2008
Attendee: Anita Fry, Damascus Library
Turf Valley Resort was the site for the 12th Annual Kids are Customers, Too Conference presented by Maryland Library Association (MLA). I got my registration materials, coffee and visited the vendors.
Our first speaker was Gloria Bartas from Enoch Pratt. She is a children’s librarian who gave us ideas of what to do between reading the books. She used flannel boards, songs, puppets, hats, movement, colors, echo stories, non-fiction facts, element of surprise(what’s in the cardboard box that has a door), and thinking ideas with word endings. She was quite vivacious and kept moving and singing the whole time. She offered good ideas for future programs. I liked her idea for a flannel dog with BINGO spelled on it and you remove a letter section of the dog as you sing the song. I told her about my oatmeal box car for her car program.
My first breakout session was Project LEAP (Learn, Explore and Play)- presented by Jeannine Finton, Harford County Librarian. This program makes science fun and they have kits on different subjects- dead insects, magnifying viewers, microscope, chemistry lab set, antworks habitat, snap circuits, field binoculars, structures and star navigation. These kits check out to patrons and they have had special programs using them in the library. Librarians had science background and found the materials for the kits at good prices. Downfall to me is all the space the kits take up and all the items that have to be checked as they are checked in and out of the library. We’ve been there and done that. I could see teachers making more use of this idea.
Jennifer Holm was the guest author. She wrote- Our Own May Amelia, Penny from Heaven and she and her brother create the Babymouse graphic novels for kids. She writes the words and he illustrated them. She presented a powerpoint presentation of her life as a child and now as a mother of two. She was fun, perky and cute. She is too busy with her family to write another novel and she write about 2 Babymouse titles per year.
I then ate lunch and visited the vendors again.
I chose What’s in My Art Box? for my next session and it was presented by Howard County Children’s Librarians. I thought this might inspire ideas for next year’s summer reading theme, but it was a bit too sophisticated for that. They had a series on artists that they liked and then let the kids try that artist’s style of art. It took many hours to prepare and lots of supplies. I think we were all expecting a box with supplies and something to make and simple, but it was a lot more involved. They presented a powerpoint presentation that wasn’t very organized.
The 2008 Blue Crab Young Readers Awards were given next by Susan Modak- Chairperson. I have a copy of the flier with the winners.
A panel discussion of Effective School and Library Partnerships was the last event. This was interesting and some school librarians really like the public libraries and work with them. The Black-Eyed Susan awards were discussed and that involves both the schools and libraries.
I enjoyed attending this event and will use ideas for future storytimes or programs.
October 8, 2008
Attendee: Anita Fry, Damascus Library
Turf Valley Resort was the site for the 12th Annual Kids are Customers, Too Conference presented by Maryland Library Association (MLA). I got my registration materials, coffee and visited the vendors.
Our first speaker was Gloria Bartas from Enoch Pratt. She is a children’s librarian who gave us ideas of what to do between reading the books. She used flannel boards, songs, puppets, hats, movement, colors, echo stories, non-fiction facts, element of surprise(what’s in the cardboard box that has a door), and thinking ideas with word endings. She was quite vivacious and kept moving and singing the whole time. She offered good ideas for future programs. I liked her idea for a flannel dog with BINGO spelled on it and you remove a letter section of the dog as you sing the song. I told her about my oatmeal box car for her car program.
My first breakout session was Project LEAP (Learn, Explore and Play)- presented by Jeannine Finton, Harford County Librarian. This program makes science fun and they have kits on different subjects- dead insects, magnifying viewers, microscope, chemistry lab set, antworks habitat, snap circuits, field binoculars, structures and star navigation. These kits check out to patrons and they have had special programs using them in the library. Librarians had science background and found the materials for the kits at good prices. Downfall to me is all the space the kits take up and all the items that have to be checked as they are checked in and out of the library. We’ve been there and done that. I could see teachers making more use of this idea.
Jennifer Holm was the guest author. She wrote- Our Own May Amelia, Penny from Heaven and she and her brother create the Babymouse graphic novels for kids. She writes the words and he illustrated them. She presented a powerpoint presentation of her life as a child and now as a mother of two. She was fun, perky and cute. She is too busy with her family to write another novel and she write about 2 Babymouse titles per year.
I then ate lunch and visited the vendors again.
I chose What’s in My Art Box? for my next session and it was presented by Howard County Children’s Librarians. I thought this might inspire ideas for next year’s summer reading theme, but it was a bit too sophisticated for that. They had a series on artists that they liked and then let the kids try that artist’s style of art. It took many hours to prepare and lots of supplies. I think we were all expecting a box with supplies and something to make and simple, but it was a lot more involved. They presented a powerpoint presentation that wasn’t very organized.
The 2008 Blue Crab Young Readers Awards were given next by Susan Modak- Chairperson. I have a copy of the flier with the winners.
A panel discussion of Effective School and Library Partnerships was the last event. This was interesting and some school librarians really like the public libraries and work with them. The Black-Eyed Susan awards were discussed and that involves both the schools and libraries.
I enjoyed attending this event and will use ideas for future storytimes or programs.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Sept 18-20, 2008: ALSC National Instistute, Salt Lake City, UT
The 2008 ALSC National Institute took place in gorgeous Salt Lake City, UT. (The climate and landscape reminded me of where I grew up.) General sessions included all manner of “YEEEEEEEEEhah!”-ing and no lack of opportunity to talk, share, and explore. Three education tracks were offered: Technology & Children’s Services; Programming in the New Millenium; and Inspiring Lifelong Reading. I opted to go to the technology and lifelong reading sessions.
First, Thursday afternoon: Track One: Technology and Children’s Services. Beth Gallaway, aka informationgoddess29 gave two presentations this afternoon. The first, called “Web 2.0: The Interactive Web”, introduced the basics of web 2.0 technology, its uses and difficulties, and pointed out various child-friendly websites that would give kids an opportunity to participate, create, and explore. There are many websites she introduced that would be great additions to any library website kid’s page, including Face Your Manga, The Sims On Stage, and Wordle.
Galloway’s second presentation, “Help! My Library Is Turning into an Arcade!” took attendees to the land of game design as well as explained five reasons games and gaming programs should be included in library collections and calendars. Games (and video games in particular) are “the medium of choice for the millennial generation.” Gamers not only learn skills for new literacies but they reinforce traditional literacy as well. (Think instruction manuals, text messaging, fanfiction, strategy, and environmental print.) Check out Set Game for one particularly fun example of a web-based, kid-friendly game that requires kids to employ information (new literacy) and read (traditional literacy).
I recommend browsing Galloway’s ALSC bundle on Delicious. She has a ton of resources, including many articles on gaming research. Additionally, her Forms & Fliers page includes handouts on Web 2.0, gaming, DDR, and brain/behavior.
Laura Vaccarro Seeger spoke at the end of Friday’s dinner general session. She was as playful, thoughtful, and irreverent as her books suggest.
Friday: Breakfast for Bill (William H. Morris, Vice President and Director of Library Promotion and Marketing, HarperCollins, who passed away in 2003). Panel included Sharon Creech and her editor Joanna Cotler, and William Joyce and his editor Laura Geringer. Each pair was reflective and effusive, both about their professional working relationships as author/editor teams and about the kind of person Bill Morris was and the impact he’d had on their lives.
Morning Sessions: Track Two: Inspiring Lifelong Reading. These sessions began with Dr. Teri Lesane, author of Naked Reading: Uncovering What Tweens Need to Become Lifelong Readers. The story behind the title of the book is told in the introduction to Naked Reading; suffice to say it boils down to the discovery of Lesane’s then 10 year-old granddaughter reading in her closet, perched on a stool in nothing but her birthday suit. Just as no other child might think this a preferred location or ideal attire for reading, neither is there any one template to describe what all tweens need in order to become lifelong readers. Understanding this, Lesane delved into a study done by Vicky Giles and Karen Sue Gibson. They asked 26K kids (grades K-12) two questions: “What could someone do to make you WANT to read BEFORE/AFTER you read?” and “What could someone do to make you HATE to read before/after you read?” Significantly, kids want to be able to pick any book they’d like as well as to be read aloud to everyday. PDFs of Lesane’s Great Tween Books list and her presentation slides are available online. (At 39.7 MB, the presentation pdf will take a few moments to download.) An explanation of the Late Night Inspiration/T-A-R-G-E-T slides: as librarians, we possess skills that enable us to connect to books, as well as to connect kids with books. T=Trust: we know the books – especially the Good Ones. A=Access: we understand the heart of a book, make personal connections to them. R=Response: we know books evoke emotion. G=Guidance: we can show a child the right book for right now, then show them where to go from there. E-Enthusiasm: tweens sense when we liked a book. And T=Tween Appeal: we can spot books that scream “target audience.”
Three children’s lit experts (Marsha Broadway, Jim Jacobs (both of BYU), and KT Horning (CCBC director and author of From Cover to Cover)) presented their list of the Best Books of 2008 (So Far) at Books, Books, Books, the second Lifelong Reading session. Notably, Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West (by Sid Fleischman) and We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball (by Kadir Nelson) appeared on multiple lists, and both Horning and Lesane spoke very highly of Kathi Appelt’s The Underneath, Horning calling it the best book of the decade.
Christopher Paul Curtis spoke at Saturday’s luncheon general session. Noting that writing for him was an act of revelation and that the best defense was a good offense, Curtis recounted several “Adventures with Leslie” (his mom), revealing personal experiences that have gone into his books. Remember the Nazi parachuters and the matches in The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963?
Ever been speed dating? I hadn’t. I got my chance to “speed network” Friday afternoon. I wasn’t sure what to expect exactly but it turned out to be kinda fun. I met several official ALSC folks as well as the children’s librarian from the Takoma Park library! It only took traveling 2000 miles….
Instituters got to go explore the main branch of SLCPL Friday evening. The reception included a local author signing, gaming (Rock Band, for one) and library tours. I spoke with Sara Zarr for several minutes (thoughtful, intelligent, wonderful woman!) and snapped up a copy of Lesane’s Naked Reading, then managed to tag along on the tail end of a library tour. The expansive children’s area included a programming room, a well-stocked and many-cabinet-ed art room, and a wooden climbing space off of the collection shelves.
Saturday: The Institute concluded with several workshop offerings and a closing session on Graphic Novels and Manga for Kids. I attended the workshop called “Programming for English Language Learners: Outreach, Programming, and Best Practices for Serving Young Children and Their Families.” The presenters included Betsy Diamant-Cohen, Enoch Pratt Free Library; Shelley Quezada, Library Services to the Unserved, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners; Barbara Brand, Youth Services Manager, Johnson County (Kansas) Library.
Diamont-Cohen shared how to organize and present kids’ programs in languages you don’t speak. She used EPFL’s Buena Casa, Buena Brasa as the model for developing such programs. Brand covered how she developed storytimes for preschool-aged English Language Learners, as well as how new language acquisition mirrors the language development of 18 mo. – 2.5 year olds. Quezada then spoke about her work reaching out to English Language Learners and their families and how libraries can do this work in their local community. The women did a fantastic job providing handouts to cover their information. Visit the ALSC National Institute handout page for access to everything they provided.
At the closing session, Michelle Gorman, author of the collection development helper Getting Graphic: Comics for Kids, underscored the validity bestowed on graphic novels when they are given shelf space in the library. The format attracts reluctant readers and visual learners in particular. Graphic novels employ literary devices (like foreshadowing) just as any other story would, and can be used to develop language arts skills (like a larger vocabulary). Finally, the format can be easily used to create a shared reading experience and works well with ESL or ELL students who are put off by traditional picture books.
If you’re overwhelmed by the idea of attending ALA Annual or are simply looking for a focused venue to discuss all things children’s services, consider attending the next ALSC National Institute in 2010. The biannual event is well worth the trip.
First, Thursday afternoon: Track One: Technology and Children’s Services. Beth Gallaway, aka informationgoddess29 gave two presentations this afternoon. The first, called “Web 2.0: The Interactive Web”, introduced the basics of web 2.0 technology, its uses and difficulties, and pointed out various child-friendly websites that would give kids an opportunity to participate, create, and explore. There are many websites she introduced that would be great additions to any library website kid’s page, including Face Your Manga, The Sims On Stage, and Wordle.
Galloway’s second presentation, “Help! My Library Is Turning into an Arcade!” took attendees to the land of game design as well as explained five reasons games and gaming programs should be included in library collections and calendars. Games (and video games in particular) are “the medium of choice for the millennial generation.” Gamers not only learn skills for new literacies but they reinforce traditional literacy as well. (Think instruction manuals, text messaging, fanfiction, strategy, and environmental print.) Check out Set Game for one particularly fun example of a web-based, kid-friendly game that requires kids to employ information (new literacy) and read (traditional literacy).
I recommend browsing Galloway’s ALSC bundle on Delicious. She has a ton of resources, including many articles on gaming research. Additionally, her Forms & Fliers page includes handouts on Web 2.0, gaming, DDR, and brain/behavior.
Laura Vaccarro Seeger spoke at the end of Friday’s dinner general session. She was as playful, thoughtful, and irreverent as her books suggest.
Friday: Breakfast for Bill (William H. Morris, Vice President and Director of Library Promotion and Marketing, HarperCollins, who passed away in 2003). Panel included Sharon Creech and her editor Joanna Cotler, and William Joyce and his editor Laura Geringer. Each pair was reflective and effusive, both about their professional working relationships as author/editor teams and about the kind of person Bill Morris was and the impact he’d had on their lives.
Morning Sessions: Track Two: Inspiring Lifelong Reading. These sessions began with Dr. Teri Lesane, author of Naked Reading: Uncovering What Tweens Need to Become Lifelong Readers. The story behind the title of the book is told in the introduction to Naked Reading; suffice to say it boils down to the discovery of Lesane’s then 10 year-old granddaughter reading in her closet, perched on a stool in nothing but her birthday suit. Just as no other child might think this a preferred location or ideal attire for reading, neither is there any one template to describe what all tweens need in order to become lifelong readers. Understanding this, Lesane delved into a study done by Vicky Giles and Karen Sue Gibson. They asked 26K kids (grades K-12) two questions: “What could someone do to make you WANT to read BEFORE/AFTER you read?” and “What could someone do to make you HATE to read before/after you read?” Significantly, kids want to be able to pick any book they’d like as well as to be read aloud to everyday. PDFs of Lesane’s Great Tween Books list and her presentation slides are available online. (At 39.7 MB, the presentation pdf will take a few moments to download.) An explanation of the Late Night Inspiration/T-A-R-G-E-T slides: as librarians, we possess skills that enable us to connect to books, as well as to connect kids with books. T=Trust: we know the books – especially the Good Ones. A=Access: we understand the heart of a book, make personal connections to them. R=Response: we know books evoke emotion. G=Guidance: we can show a child the right book for right now, then show them where to go from there. E-Enthusiasm: tweens sense when we liked a book. And T=Tween Appeal: we can spot books that scream “target audience.”
Three children’s lit experts (Marsha Broadway, Jim Jacobs (both of BYU), and KT Horning (CCBC director and author of From Cover to Cover)) presented their list of the Best Books of 2008 (So Far) at Books, Books, Books, the second Lifelong Reading session. Notably, Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West (by Sid Fleischman) and We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball (by Kadir Nelson) appeared on multiple lists, and both Horning and Lesane spoke very highly of Kathi Appelt’s The Underneath, Horning calling it the best book of the decade.
Christopher Paul Curtis spoke at Saturday’s luncheon general session. Noting that writing for him was an act of revelation and that the best defense was a good offense, Curtis recounted several “Adventures with Leslie” (his mom), revealing personal experiences that have gone into his books. Remember the Nazi parachuters and the matches in The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963?
Ever been speed dating? I hadn’t. I got my chance to “speed network” Friday afternoon. I wasn’t sure what to expect exactly but it turned out to be kinda fun. I met several official ALSC folks as well as the children’s librarian from the Takoma Park library! It only took traveling 2000 miles….
Instituters got to go explore the main branch of SLCPL Friday evening. The reception included a local author signing, gaming (Rock Band, for one) and library tours. I spoke with Sara Zarr for several minutes (thoughtful, intelligent, wonderful woman!) and snapped up a copy of Lesane’s Naked Reading, then managed to tag along on the tail end of a library tour. The expansive children’s area included a programming room, a well-stocked and many-cabinet-ed art room, and a wooden climbing space off of the collection shelves.
Saturday: The Institute concluded with several workshop offerings and a closing session on Graphic Novels and Manga for Kids. I attended the workshop called “Programming for English Language Learners: Outreach, Programming, and Best Practices for Serving Young Children and Their Families.” The presenters included Betsy Diamant-Cohen, Enoch Pratt Free Library; Shelley Quezada, Library Services to the Unserved, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners; Barbara Brand, Youth Services Manager, Johnson County (Kansas) Library.
Diamont-Cohen shared how to organize and present kids’ programs in languages you don’t speak. She used EPFL’s Buena Casa, Buena Brasa as the model for developing such programs. Brand covered how she developed storytimes for preschool-aged English Language Learners, as well as how new language acquisition mirrors the language development of 18 mo. – 2.5 year olds. Quezada then spoke about her work reaching out to English Language Learners and their families and how libraries can do this work in their local community. The women did a fantastic job providing handouts to cover their information. Visit the ALSC National Institute handout page for access to everything they provided.
At the closing session, Michelle Gorman, author of the collection development helper Getting Graphic: Comics for Kids, underscored the validity bestowed on graphic novels when they are given shelf space in the library. The format attracts reluctant readers and visual learners in particular. Graphic novels employ literary devices (like foreshadowing) just as any other story would, and can be used to develop language arts skills (like a larger vocabulary). Finally, the format can be easily used to create a shared reading experience and works well with ESL or ELL students who are put off by traditional picture books.
If you’re overwhelmed by the idea of attending ALA Annual or are simply looking for a focused venue to discuss all things children’s services, consider attending the next ALSC National Institute in 2010. The biannual event is well worth the trip.
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