ALSC - The Association for Library Service to Children

by Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski In Part One, the reasons for serving children with special needs in a storytime setting were highlighted. This week I will cover some elements of the Rhythm and Rhyme Storytime for Children with Special Needs and their Families which make the programming distinctive...

Want to make your storytimes more interactive, inclusive and interesting? Enrich your storytime programs with sign language! Susan Kusel, Youth Services Librarian at Arlington County Central Library, VA will help the Preschool Discussion Group explore this topic at ALA Annual/Chicago...

I know first-hand that the last thing any public librarian wants to think about during the craziness of Summer Reading programs is planning the next big thing, but according to YA consultant Tasha Squires, now is precisely the time to start thinking about any collaborations you may wish to have...

As a member of the ALSC Liaison with National Organizations Serving Children and Youth Committee, I am writing to tell you about two organizations of possible interest to ALSC members: 1. The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI)...

Through November 8, 2010, The Art Institute of Chicago is highlighting 17 books that have received a Caldecott Medal or Honor Award between 2006 and 2009 in its Ryan Education Center and Gallery 10...

We’ve visited schools, contacted neighborhood organizations, spread flyers throughout our branch and the community– all in the hope of spreading the word about the library Summer Reading Club. And somehow, I think we don’t need to worry about poor turn-out this summer...

If you are attending ALA in Chicago next month and you like to write, please consider sharing your experiences with the readers of the ALSC Blog. To express your interest, please send an email to alscblog@gmail.com. Thanks! Teresa Walls Manager, ALSC Blog

The AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School/Public Library Cooperation is updating its clearinghouse of information about school/public library cooperative activities...

I know that we all struggle with following copyright but also needing music and videos to use in programs and on websites. Infopeople is offering a free webinar on this subject featuring Mary Minow, an attorney and former librarian who specializes in copyright issues...

What do Jane Botham, Henrietta Smith, Marilyn Miller, Caroline Ward, Mimi Kayden, Ginny Walter, Julie Cummins, Phyllis Van Orden, Maggie Kimmel, Peggy Sullivan, Lillian Gerhardt, Spencer Shaw, Zena Sutherland, Ginny Moore Kruse, Virginia Mathews, Carolyn Field, Augusta Baker, and Bill Morris have...

Yes, summer is almost here, a perfect time to plan how to promote your library’s research databases this fall. As I begin my plan, I’m thinking: Use them myself. Keep a notebook. Share what I learn with colleagues and patrons. Offer classes and pathfinders for each database...

Starting in October 2009, Book Links magazine will be published as a quarterly print supplement to Booklist, the book review magazine of the American Library Association. The complete press release is available here.

The Great Web Sites for Kids committee has selected 19 sites as a 2009 Great Web Site for Kids. These sites have been added to the Great Web Sites for Kids page. See the annotated list below, or go to the website: http://www.ala.org/greatsites...

Greetings Everyone, It’s almost time to launch Phase 2 of Kids! @ your library Campaign Toolkit. The ALSC public awareness committee hope that many of you can join us in Chicago at the ALA annual conference on Sunday, July 12th at 1:30-3:00 p.m. for A.R.T...

The world of online education has been making great advances behind my back! ALSC has offered online professional development courses, but I hadn’t taken advantage of any until recently when a class on the history and process of the Newbery Medal appeared...

Last year, I blogged about doing special class visits with a group of students on the autistic spectrum. At that time, I was working in New York City and got to meet the kids through my relationship with their teacher- a regular library user...

The Allen County (IN) Public Library (ACPL) has created this flier, “Follow the CAR,” to encourage adults to follow the child’s lead when talking and reading to infants and toddlers...

How about leading a letter parade at your next preschool or family storytime? You could give everyone the same letter. You could mix it up and give everyone a different letter. Maybe a vowel parade? Or only certain consonants? Or blends...

Hello everyone! Just wanted to put the word out that ALSC’s refereed publication Children and Libraries is seeking your manuscripts for possible publication in our journal (published three times a year)...

by Kimberly McCloud, M.Ed. Research the company you are applying to. I read my husband’s subscriptions of Money, Kiplinger’s, Smart Money, etc...

Check out the new and improved ILoveLibraries.org, the American Library Associaiton’s (ALA) web site for the public, designed to keep America informed about what’s happening in today’s libraries, which are found in public, school, academic, corporate and institutional settings...

During a “Watch Me Grow!” mini session developed by the Indiana Association for Child Care Resource & Referral (IACCRR), Amy Healton (Infant Toddler Specialist with Child Care Solutions) offered those words to teach toddlers sharing and turn-taking. “Mine” is learned fairly quickly...

Over four weeks in February and March, I was a member of the ALSC Online Education course, “Reading Instruction and Children’s Books,” taught by Katherine Todd, a 25-year veteran of the New York Public Library and current Emerging Technologies librarian at Manhattanville College...

I just completed the ALSC online course titled, “The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future.” I am so happy that I decided to participate in this class and I highly recommend that everyone interested in the Newbery Medal take this course when it is offered again...

Have you ever offered a program specifically featuring cookbooks and recipes? I haven’t, but today I heard a woman read from a cookbook that was compiled by her daughter’s fifth grade class...

Although not specifically designed for youth librarians, –or for libraries for that matter– the Foundation Center offers free webinars (short online training) . You must register to participate but there is no cost...

There are almost as many ways to learn to read as there are learners. And there is a method to make each one of them easier! As I discovered in the four week long ALSC course, Reading Instruction and Children’s Books, one size does not fit all for learning to read...

I was very pleased to participate in ALSC’s four week online educationcourse, Sharing Poetry with Children. The course was taught by Sylvia Vardell, SLIS professor at Texas Woman’s University, author, poetry columnist for ALA’s Book Links, and self proclaimed poetry enthusiast...

The 2009 Election Results are in. Many thanks to all of the ALSC members who participated in the elections, as candidates and as voters! These people will serve us in the following capacities: Vice-President/President-Elect Julie Corsaro, Chapel Hill, N.C. Board of Directors Cecilia P...

Legendary author Avi speaks to Booklist about Poppy and Ereth - his newest and most autobiographical book - as well as how he ended up with his famous name, how his lack of a distinctive style helps him as a writer, his thoughts on how the Newbery Award could improve, and which of his books is the...

If you are in the San Francisco area or need an excuse to go there, consider the upcoming Effie Lee Morris Lecture. The 13th lecture will feature Pat Mora speaking about Bookjoy: The Zing of Writing. The lecture will be held on Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 6:00 p.m...

The American Library Associaiton’s Public Information Office (PIO) has a great new podcast about the upcoming El día de los niños/El día de los libros on their blog, Visibility @ your library (http://www.pio.ala.org/visibility/?p=577)...