Utah State Library Youth Services

I’ve covered the six early literacy skills that make up Every Child Ready to Read. I think it is important to clearly state that these skills are designed to get children ready to read, not that children should start reading at age 3 or 4. The organization Zero to Three has some excellent research available on all subjects early childhood. On a document about early literacy, they state:

“Our current understanding of early language and literacy development has provided new ways of helping children learn to talk, read, and write. But it does not advocate ‘the teaching of reading’ to younger and younger children. Formal instruction which pushes infants and toddlers to achieve adult models of literacy (i.e., the actual reading and writing of words) is not developmentally appropriate. Early literacy theory emphasized the more natural unfolding of skills through the enjoyment of books, the importance of positive interactions between young children and adults, and the critical role of literacy-rich experiences. Formal instruction to require young children who are not developmentally ready to read is counter productive and potentially damaging to children, who may begin to associate reading and books with failure.”

As a children’s librarian, I saw fairly often parents pushing their very young children to read. There is such a pressure for children to succeed and get ahead that some parents feel like their child is behind if they aren’t ahead. It’s worth remembering, and even reminding, that literacy is a process and children will begin to read when they are ready. It’s also important to stress that the relationship the child has with the people who he or she cares about the most (including the literacy relationship) has the greatest effect on when the child begins to read and the success he or she will have. In the meantime, use and teach the six skills: Print Motivation, Vocabulary, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Letter Knowledge, and Phonological Awareness.

The Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) recently revised the Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries. The Core Competencies are recommended for all children’s librarians and other library staff whose primary duties include delivering library service to and advocating library service for children ages 0-14.

You can bookmark the page, or follow the additional link to print off a .pdf file in black and white or color for easy reference.

Core competencies are extremely important to ensure children are receiving quality, professional service from their library.

Check out Naomi Bates’ LiveBinders site about creating Book Trailers. There are trailers for teens and children, along with sources you can use to create a trailer, royalty free music, and media converters. It really is a one-stop site for Book Trailers!

Check out Weber County’s array of booklists for all ages. They have graded lists from Kindergarten to 12th Grade, a number of “If you liked…” lists and many more. Thanks to Jessica at the Southwest Branch in Roy for informing me about them!

ALSC has published their 2011 Notable Children’s Books list. There are very many great selections divided into younger, middle, and older readers. It’s a very helpful resource to check out!

Additionally, YALSA has a number of lists geared toward teens. You can check out Amazing Audiobooks, Best Fiction, Fabulous Films, Great Graphic Novels, Popular Paperbacks, and Quick Picks.

YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) has recently created “The Hub,” a blog about young adult books, what teens are reading, and how librarians can talk about what we read. There are also links to other YA blogs, podcasts, videos, and more. Check it out!

The Utah State Library maintains a great online directory of libraries in Utah and their contact information. You may already be familiar with this, but I was working in Utah libraries for a long time before I knew it was available (of course, this was before I worked here). After I discovered it, I realized that many of my colleagues didn’t know about it, either, especially when one of them suggested that we put together a directory of libraries in Utah.

We update the information regularly, so I hope everything is current. If you discover something incorrect about your own library, let us know and we’ll update it immediately.