Utah State Library Youth Services

The Association of Library Services for Children has created a book list to help celebrate 2011 El día de los niños/El día de los libros event on April 30. You can customize the list for your library, too!

The annual Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) meeting took place recently, and we decided on slogans for the children, teen, and adult programs. The overall theme, decided last year,  is “Underground”.

Children: Dig Into Reading

Teen: Beneath the Surface

Adult: Groundbreaking Reads

The slogans are determined two years early to help the people who create the Summer Reading Manuals prepare them well in advance of the actual program.

We also determined the general theme for 2014: “Science“. Of course, the slogans for Science will be determined next year.

The “Just in Time” Parenting Newsletter is a great resource provided by Utah State University and other University extension offices. Parents can sign up and receive a monthly short letter about child development. There is a new newsletter for each month from Prenatal 1 all the way to months 59-60. Each “edition” is available in English and Spanish. Click here for a full list of newsletters.

First, if anyone participated in Teen Tech Week, I’d love to have you share your experiences. Please add a comment here so everyone can view it or send me an email at mmclain at utah dot gov.

Second, a few weeks ago, a librarian shared a website with me that has a lot of nifty ideas about crafts, programs, and just keeping your kids entertained. You can visit the Angel Street Mom blog and view her ideas.

Next, if you’re looking for some good ideas for St. Patrick’s Day, try Karen Chace’s Catch the Story Bug! blog. She has a history of St. Patrick’s Day, some fairy and folk tales, and a bunch of craft ideas.

Lastly, we’re entering the final weeks of the You Are Here Teen Video Challenge. Videos are due March 26. For more information, please visit the Summer Reading Program section of the Utah State Library website. If you know any teens who are making a video, please remind them of the deadline!

The American Library Association will be releasing updated information about Every Child Ready to Read in the upcoming weeks and I thought it would be great to review Early Literacy skills before the new information is released.

There are six main Early Literacy skills that librarians can help parents develop to ensure a child’s success in reading: Print Motivation, Vocabulary, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Letter Knowledge, and Phonological Awareness. Today, more about…

Letter Knowledge: Knowing letters are different from each other, knowing their names and sounds and recognizing letters everywhere.  This skill helps children understand that words are made up of smaller parts.

• Use shapes, e.g., foam, wood, with babies.  If they become familiar with shapes, it will be easier for them to see the differences between letters.
• Find and point out letters in different places: like the car, the doctor’s office, or the store.
• Teach children about favorite letters, such as the letters in their names or in words that they especially like (e.g. dinosaur or mermaid.)
• Make letters out of different things, like your body, yarn, playdough, etc.
• Read alphabet books with children 4 and up.  Remember it’s not necessary to read the book from beginning to end.  Let the child look at the letters that are important to him.
• Point out letters and words on book jackets and in the text of the book. Make flannel or paper letters that are related to the book or storytime theme to reinforce letter knowledge.
• “Letter of the Day” will help children remember and think about a particular letter throughout the day.  Choose a letter, and during the day find and talk about things that begin with that letter.  Give a letter to children after storytime to help them remember that letter.

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 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!