This spring, I began preparing my students in my school library for this anniversary as part of a contest, the DAR Junior American Citizens Contest, that asked them to create their own art and imagery inspired by the Statue of Liberty and the path of freedom that she represents for millions. As I read a few books with my students, showed them uses of the Statue of Liberty in pop culture, and asked them what represents freedom to them today, it got me thinking about other ways libraries might be able to celebrate this anniversary. 

Here are a few ways to make this 140th birthday come to life in your library. 

Throw a Birthday Party for the Statue of Liberty

Library kids love a birthday party! Grab some balloons, coloring pages, and your favorite craft supplies and make an afternoon of it! This would be a great passive program to have build up over the month of October with a culmination on the 28th, or a one-time program inviting families to learn about the Statue of Liberty with an activity, a read-aloud, or both. Your birthday party could even include a virtual field trip.

Read a Book & Learn More

If you want to bring the anniversary into your rotation without balloons, consider picking up one of the many books on the Statue of Liberty and utilizing it for a classroom read-aloud, longer storytime or display. Some of my favorites are HER RIGHT FOOT, which also has a great Dreamscape animation of the book, EMMA’S POEM, and LET LIBERTY RISE. There are of course a lot of other more traditional non-fiction books featuring the Statue of Liberty, and for a display you could easily throw in some Ellis Island books too to expand on freedom. 

Write Your Own Pedestal Poem

Have a group of writers at your library or want to bring in some community contest opportunities? Ask your patrons or students to write a poem for a new pedestal. If a new Statue of Liberty was dedicated today, what message would you want the poem to convey with the world? This works great to bring your April poetry contest entrants back for a fall experience. You could even make your judging work a bit easier and make them haikus to really bring in a cross-cultural element. 

Bring in the French

If you have a French-speaking community or some knowledge yourself, why not use this anniversary as a chance to bring French songs, stories, or writers into your storytimes and programs? There are lots of other great examples of our French alliance throughout children’s literature, and if you have a French-speaking community near you, this could be a natural opportunity for partnership. 

Build an Interactive Picture Timeline Game

A few years ago at a professional development course, we had to build a timeline of the history of the White House through photos alone. Try doing that with the Statue of Liberty–the National Park Service has some great ones to start with, but you can also find them in the Library of Congress collection and other venues. Blow them up, laminate them, and make it either a passive activity with a little prize or utilize it as part of a larger activity. This help builds cognitive thinking skills and gameifys history coming to life.

How are you celebrating the 140th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty? Are there any other upcoming commemorative events you’re planning to utilize for library programming? 

–

Aryssa Damron is a librarian living in San Antonio, Texas. She’s been a public librarian, a school librarian, and a personal librarian to many friends and toddlers. She is an ALA Chapter Councillor and a former member of the Alex, Carnegie, and Caldecott awards committees.

The post Celebrating the 140th Birthday of the Statue of Liberty appeared first on ALSC Blog.

I joined YALSA as an undergraduate and took advantage of the asynchronous professional development opportunities available through the website. I distinctly remember watching a webinar for new library professionals where the speaker offered advice that has stuck with me ever since: “You need to have your professional development plan and goals.” It opened my eyes to the many forms PD can take—from volunteering and attending conference sessions to watching webinars, completing trainings, and reading blogs, articles, research, and books. Importantly, it highlighted the power of volunteer work as a growth opportunity. YALSA became the first professional organization I volunteered for when I was appointed to the 2014 Awards & Booklist Marketing Taskforce during grad school. It quickly turned into my primary hub for PD through its rich resources, including “Snack Breaks,” the YALS Journal, the YALSA Blog and Hub, webinars, and more.

When I started as a new public librarian, I reached out to Paige Battle, a nearby high school librarian. The first thing she asked was whether I was a YALSA member. She then invited me to serve as her Administrative Assistant while she chaired the 2015 Alex Award committee. It was an incredible opportunity that gave me behind-the-scenes experience with award committee work and sparked a collaborative partnership that continues to this day. Over the years, Paige and I collaborated on eighth-grade outreach, presented at conferences, ran a Mock Printz Book Club for teens, and worked together to ensure local youth had access to library resources. This was the first meaningful professional connection YALSA brought into my life, but it certainly wasn’t the last.

As I was hiking, I was listening to Elizabeth Acevedo’s new book, Anger is Only a Shadow. Acevedo will forever hold a special place in my heart, not only as an extraordinary writer, but because I had the privilege of serving on the 2019 Printz Award committee when The Poet X was our winner. Serving on the Printz committee was a lifelong dream, and I had no idea it would connect me with such an incredible group of people. My committee remains deeply connected through a group text where we celebrate each other’s birthdays and successes, while offering support through hard times and tough questions.

I have always deeply appreciated YALSA’s commitment to prioritizing and centering teen voices. This focus is essential in our day-to-day work with youth, and it must remain a core tenet of our professional division. It was a joy to see teens I worked with share feedback during the Best Fiction for Young Adults discussions at Midwinter in Seattle and participate in Teens’ Top Ten, writing reviews for publishers to help shape the books created for them. Even though Teens’ Top Ten is currently on pause, we will continue seeking meaningful ways to elevate teen voices within our newly reunified division.

YALSA provided one of my most significant leadership development opportunities through the Transforming Teen Services Train the Trainer project. It was here that I trained in Teen Connected Learning and computational thinking, and explored the developmental ages and stages of youth. Finding mentors in this project allowed me to share these lessons with my state’s library community, a period of immense professional growth that helped shape my skills as I transitioned from a frontline librarian to a youth services manager. This experience also instilled in me the value of computational thinking—specifically the iterative process of trial and error, failing, and adjusting. This reunification may not be perfect at first, and our steps may need readjustment as we build into the future.

Reflecting on my experience, I realize that the value I found as a YALSA member is mirrored in ALSC. As a reunified group, we have the opportunity to become an even greater network of talented professionals, sharing expertise and support. Moving forward as a division, and with your help, we will continue to be a place for professional development, networking, and community building. Together, we will foster mentorship, develop library leaders, and continue to lift up teen voices.

Though YALSA as a standalone division is ending, the true gifts of membership remain. On this final day, I wore my favorite YALSA t-shirt. Even when the concert ends, we still get to wear the merch—cherishing the memories of where we were then as we step forward to build this next exciting chapter together.

Danielle Jones
2026-2027 Vice-President/President-elect, 
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)

The post Reflections on YALSA appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Organization of Pokémon Club

In my previous posts about the program, I shared how I had different activity stations. Each session had at least three game stations, one craft station, and a watch party station. The program participants enjoyed having a variety of activities to choose from. However, in the sessions that had a smaller attendance, there would be an uneven amount of children at the stations.

This time around, I will try working with just two activity stations: trading card games and crafts. I will rotate the trading card games each week, choosing from the Battle Academy sets, Poké Catch, and Raid Battles. Some examples of crafts would be Painting Pokémon Cards and a Pokémon Creation Station. I will have a third activity ready and off to the side in case more participants attend.

Here is an example of the session formats:

Session 1

• TCG Station: Battle Academy Sets
• Craft Station: Design Your Own Pokémon Cards

Session 2

• TCG Station: Raid Battles
• Craft Station: Paint a Pokémon Card

Session 3

• TCG Station: Poké Catch
• Craft Station: Pokémon Color By Numbers Coloring Sheets

Working Our Way Up!

In my first two program seasons of Pokémon Club, I noticed that it took some children longer than others to learn how to play the game. As a result, we used the tutorials from the Battle Academy Sets for a bit longer than anticipated, but now we are ready for more intermediate and advanced play. This time around, I want to incorporate the demo decks, as well as work our way up to having a tournament some time this school year. 

For the Little Ones

At my library, there are so many toddlers that are big fans of Pokémon and their families have asked about their children being able to join. Since they are so young, they are unable to join this Pokémon Club. However, I am hosting a Pokémon Jr. program this Fall! This special one-shot program will take place at a playground across the street from my library and will include a storytime, sticker crafts, and a scavenger hunt, all for toddlers and preschoolers that love Pokémon! I will be happy to share more about this program when the time comes.

How is your Pokémon Club going and are there some changes you have made along the way?

This post addresses ALSC Core Competencies I. Commitment to Client Group, III. Programming Skills, VII. Professionalism and Professional Development. 

The post The Return of Pokémon Club! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Fortunately, the 2025 Bechtel Fellow has blogged for ALSC and shared the experience. Live vicariously through Aryssa Damron’s posts to get a feel for the depth and breadth of their collections and the power of experience:

• The Future Children’s Librarian – According to Louise Seaman Bechtel
• Before Highlights, There Was Wide Awake
• Saving Stories: My First Week at the Baldwin Library

Or, better yet, you can actively join this illustrious group of past winners.

The Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship provides a grant up to $7,500 to a qualified children’s librarian to spend up to four weeks reading and studying at the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature of the George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville. The Baldwin Library contains a special collection of 130,000 volumes of children’s literature published mostly before 1950. The fellowship is endowed in memory of Louise Seaman Bechtel and Ruth M. Baldwin.

If you find yourself interested, the form for the 2027 Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship is open. Applications and all materials are due by October 15, 2026.

Jenny Rosenoff is the current co-chair of the Professional Recognition and ScholarshipsCommittee and wrote this piece on behalf of the committee.

The post Is the Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship your next professional adventure? appeared first on ALSC Blog.

For the days I’m not sure what to read to a group or what kind of book might capture the imagination of a young reader. For the days I second guess my plans. What to do? Turns out in challenging times, I turn to unicorns. The question led me into a rainbow sprinkle spiral I’m excited to share.

Board Books (age 1-3)

I Can Spy a Unicorn by Kathryn Selbert is perfect for counting, color, and visual recognition skills. A great choice for read alouds with a touch of magic.

The Little Unicorn Who Lost Their Magic by Jedda Robaard is a delightful story bound to inspire curious readers. This lift-the-flap board book for interactive storytimes.

Picture Books (age 3-6)
First Day of Unicorn School by Jess (Fink) Hernandez, Mariano Epelbaum (Illustrator). Ready to learn how to unicorn like a pro? Not everything (or everyone) is what it seems at Unicorn School!

Nerdycorn by Andrew Root, Erin Kraan (Illustrator). Some unicorns love science more than glitter. Who knew?

A Believer’s Guide to Unicorns by Jenni Desmond (author-illustrator) brings these enchanting creatures to life, blending storytelling and discovery.

Chapter Books (age 5-8)
Unicorn Diaries by author and illustrator Rebecca Elliott. Every unicorn at Sparklemore Academy has a special gift to discover, and what a delight to visit this vibrant world.

Unicornia by Ana Punset, Diana Vicedo (illustrator). Yes, unicorns are real, and so is magic! I’m excited and readers will be too.

Middle Grade (age 8-12)

Phobe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson is a graphic novel series nearly anyone will love featuring the unlikely friendship between a girl and a magical creature.

Pegasus vs Unicorn by A. J. Sautter is part of the Mythical Matchups series, and provides a classic nonfiction showdown approach to evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of two imaginary creatures. A great compare and contrast act of imagination ensues.

Young Adult (12-16)

Just because someone’s a teen doesn’t mean they don’t want to escape into a fantasy world full of magical creatures! Bruce Coville’s Unicorn Chronicles is just such a book series. Set in a parallel univere, readers will be transported.

Check out Kary Henry’s ALSC post for more magical creatures story and craft tips. Embrace the sparkle! Unicorn books are crowd pleasers. Unicorns are magic and so is children’s librarianship.

This post addresses ALSC Core Competencies I. Commitment to Client Group, IV. Collection Knowledge and Management

cover images courtesy of Odd Dot MacMillan and Capstone Press

The post Once Upon a Unicorn appeared first on ALSC Blog.

But, like in most professions, there are some things you can’t be taught as a Children’s Librarian until you’re out in the “real world”–or, in this case, the Children’s Department of the public library. Here are five things I’ve learned in my hands-on experience in the field of Children’s Librarianship that I didn’t learn in my virtual classroom.

1. Stickers and stamps are the ultimate form of currency!

Kids love to leave the library with a little “prize”. In both public libraries I’ve worked in, stickers and stamps have been mostly used as rewards for monthly scavenger hunts in the Children’s Department. At my current library, we use “goodbye stamps” when kids are ready to leave the library for the day. Older kids genuinely get excited about picking out what stamp they’d like on their hand that day, while for younger children, the ritual can help them transition from the library to whatever comes next in their day. When doing outreach I almost always end classroom visits by letting each child pick a sticker, and sometimes I will even do this at the end of programs too.

2. You will become a crafting expert

There are some days when you will have paint all over your hands, glue and glitter everywhere, and a million paper scraps from all the things you’ve needed to cut out. Even if crafting isn’t your niche, there are countless free online resources for everything from Cricut tutorials to age-appropriate craft inspiration. Kids really do love to create, and whenever I give them freedom to do so I’m always amazed to see where their imaginations take them.

3. It’s imperative to stay up to date on youth pop culture.

This won’t just make you the “hip” or “cool” Children’s Librarian. Youth pop-culture seems to find its
way into nearly every aspect of your job–from reader’s advisory, programming, to even smaller details
like the coloring pages you print for the room or the prizes you choose for Summer Reading Club.
Knowing what’s popular in media, entertainment, and everyday trends helps you better understand the
population you serve. And when working with youth in this digital-age, there is always something new to
keep you on your toes!

4. Finding your own rhythm for storytime is like riding a bicycle…

Much like learning to ride a bicycle without training wheels, finding your rhythm for storytime is a
process of trial and error. But once you get the hang of it, it starts to feel almost like muscle memory.
Eventually you develop your own formula: your favorite read-alouds, the order you like to do your finger
plays, or whether you prefer using egg shakers, colored scarves, or bubble machine for an added flair.
Before you even realize it, storytime becomes second nature.

5. Some successes can be measured in smiles.

This isn’t to say numbers and data aren’t important. Metrics are a necessary and useful tool, especially in
public libraries. But there are some successes in a Children’s Department that can’t be measured by
circulation statistics, a door counter, or in monthly program attendance. Sometimes success is the child
who is so eager to show you the art project they’re made or the LEGO creation they’ve built. Sometimes
it’s a grown-up telling you that their child lines up all their stuffed animals and dolls at home and tries to
imitate your storytime. Sometimes it’s the excitement on students’ faces during a classroom visit because
they recognize you from their previous library visits. It looks a little different for every Children’s
Librarian, but it’s in these moments that you truly recognize the reach and impact of your worth.

These lessons may not be ones that always make their way into the classroom during library school–but they become some of the most rewarding parts of being a Children’s Librarian.

What are some unexpected lessons you’ve learned on the job that were never covered in library school?

Our guest contributor today is Isabella Ragona (she/her/hers). Isabella is a Children’s Librarian at the South Country Library in Bellport, NY. She is a graduate of Stony Brook University and the University at Buffalo. Her professional interests include children’s programming, early literacy, diverse and inclusive collections, and intellectual freedom. Outside of the library, Isabella can usually be found reading, crafting, attending a rock concert, or taking a dance class.

Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALS

If you are interested in submitting a guest post, please read and fill out our Guest Blogging Interest Form. We would love to hear from you!

The post 5 Things Library School Didn’t Teach Me appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Current Events: Screen-Free Experiences

Across the United States, we are seeing initiatives for more screen-free experiences, from schools enacting cell phone policies and a push for reducing time on school-issued Chromebooks and other devices. Parents and families are concerned about the amount of time children spend using devices and the negative consequences on executive functioning are becoming more apparent. 

Given this context, in my opinion, we should ask ourselves: just because a digital option is available, should it be used? This is not an anti-tech opinion, rather bringing awareness to a larger issue and the role that the library plays within it. In the context of Summer Reading, our choice of tracking method is in part for patron experience and part for data collection on library staff members. Below are a few positives of each method to help discern an appropriate choice for your library. 

Positives of Physical Logs

This can look like a paper reading log, a Bingo board, or other physical tracking system. It could be writing titles, coloring in spaces to track hours read, and more.

• Offers a hands-on, tactile experience.
• Helps to build fine motor skills for holding a pencil and other writing tools.
• May help to practice number/letter recognition through writing.
• Offers a screen free, “unplugged” experience.
• Reduces digital divide amongst patrons who may not have a device to record.

Positives of Digital Logs

This can look like using a platform like Beanstack, Google Forms, or another kind of technology-based digital tracking system. 

• Convenient for families to track their reading on their devices. 
• No need to hold onto physical reading logs, which could be especially helpful for larger families with multiple children.  
• Some digital platforms offer badges to gamify reading for motivation. 
• On the staff end, there are less discrepancies for human error with data collection.
• Builds familiarity with technology tools in our digital world.

Takeaways

Ultimately, every library community will have a different perspective and need. Both physical and digital tracking methods are useful and fulfill different needs for patrons and library staff. What are you seeing in your community?

Joannie Lauria is the Youth Services Consultant at the Suffolk Cooperative Library System in New York.

The post Paper or Pixels: Methods to Track Summer Reading appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Your stories, successes, lessons learned, research, and practical strategies can help fellow children’s and teen library practitioners bolster their work. Whether you have developed an engaging early-literacy initiative, a teen leadership program, or an innovative community partnership, your experience can inspire and spark ideas for your colleagues.

Strengthening Library Service to Children and Teens

Education programs are 60 minutes in length and an effective way to examine emerging trends, share strategies, present original research, and highlight programs that are shaping the future of library service to children and teens.

If your project is smaller in scope, a poster session might be the perfect fit for you. Poster presentations are 90 minutes and allow presenters to informally discuss their poster and work with interested attendees.

Complete details about both formats, program and poster, along with submission guidance resources are available on the proposals webpage.

Submit Your Proposal

Proposal submissions are due September 21, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. And notifications will be made in December. Also, accepted program and poster presenters are eligible for a special registration discount.

Your work matters—share what is helping children and teens create, connect, and thrive in your library.

Laura Schulte-Cooper (she/her/hers) is Senior Program Officer for Communications in the ALSC office.
Image courtesy of ALA.

The post Call for Program and Poster Proposals – 2027 ALA appeared first on ALSC Blog.

I am approaching the end of my second year as Children’s Librarian, and I am so proud of the work that my coworkers and I have put in over the past few years. The library is warm, colorful and inviting, and our circulation and program numbers reflect that work. But most importantly (in my opinion), the feedback from our community has been positive, and encouraging. I am fulfilled and proud, but, boy, am I tired.

How do you balance the desire to do all the things for your community when there is such a need, with the necessity of sustainability? How do you provide resources to so many people with vastly different needs without making yourself miserable?

Small and rural libraries often operate with limited resources and a small staff. That staff has to become experts on “whatever needs doing.” There usually isn’t a designated person for marketing, tech-support, or programming. Combining that fact with the shift in libraries across the country becoming community hubs, and the push for more third places, in my opinion creates the perfect environment for burnout to run rampant amongst small-town library workers.

If you are like me, and weren’t familiar with the term ”third place”, the University of Chicago English Language Institute published a blog post that was a great jumping-off point for me to do more research about the importance of shared, public spaces. Essentially, the “first place” is home, and the “second place” is work or school. The “third place” can be any public place that individuals visit voluntarily and that encourages a sense of community.

While libraries are not the only shared space in most towns, rural and smaller communities face the challenge of having fewer shared spaces than larger cities. While many libraries share the same struggles, for smaller libraries, it has been a harder transition from the quiet, academic settings we have come to expect. Libraries want to be everything to everyone, but one person’s ideal library experience can be the complete opposite of someone else’s. How do you have a shared space where everyone feels welcome and respected?

This has been a huge struggle in our library over the past year. Like many libraries, we have intentionally moved away from the traditional “shh” mentality and worked to create a space that feels comfortable, welcoming, and accessible to everyone. However, as our library has become more comfortable and inviting, we have also seen a significant increase in behaviors that make it difficult for staff to accomplish their work. These behaviors can also be disruptive and disrespectful to other patrons.

I want patrons to be able to read in a peaceful environment, but I also want kids to be able to play computer games with their buddies. I want preteens and teens to hang out here after school instead of getting into trouble, but not at the expense of a college student losing a quiet place to study. I love when younger kids utilize everything there is to offer in the Children’s Area, but I am not free childcare for unattended kiddos.

Fellow librarians, please know the irony is not lost on me that in trying to create a safe and welcoming space for everyone, I may have helped create an atmosphere that has become less welcoming for others. It is difficult for me not to feel personally responsible for many of the challenges our library is facing. After all, I have been pushing for this environment.

So, again, how do you find a balance?

I guess I will let you know when I figure it out.

“Wow, what helpful advice!” you think to yourself, staring at your overflowing inbox and stacks of books waiting to be cataloged. I may not have the fix-all answer, but I will share a few things I am still learning:

• A welcoming space does not mean a space without boundaries or rules.
• Recognizing that adjusting our expectations does not mean we have failed.
• Finally, ask for help and support

We are reaching out to the people of the Lake Region by hosting a Community Dialogue about the ongoing issues we are seeing in hopes of finding tangible solutions that everyone can support. Our library needs and deserves the community’s support.

My senior superlative was Most Likely to Trip on Her Gown at Graduation so clearly, balance has never been my strong suit. I may not be graceful, but I am trying to give myself–and the patrons whose behavior has contributed to these challenges–a little grace. I have faith that we will stretch through these growing pains and successfully expand to meet the needs of all our patrons with the help and backing of our community. That, my fellow tired librarians, is at least a place to start.

(All photos courtesy of Samantha Bischof)

Today’s guest contributor is Samantha Bischof. Samantha is the Children’s Librarian at Lake Region Public Library in Devils Lake, ND. When she’s not working, she’s chauffeuring her two kids around, tending to her small jungle of houseplants, picking up pretty rocks, or reading—duh.

Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

If you are interested in submitting a guest post, please read and fill out our Guest Blogging Interest Form. We would love to hear from you!

The post Balancing Act: Third Space VS Burnout in Libraries appeared first on ALSC Blog.

I found your backstory and education so interesting, and it felt fundamental to how your career has turned out. Would you be willing to share your story of how it all started?

When I was a teenager I worked at an arts camp for children and teens with special needs. It was THE BEST part of my teen years. When I moved to Chicago, at 20, to go to college I was asked if I might be interested in leading weekly play groups for families with young children with special needs for a therapeutic play program in one of the Chicago suburbs.

The women who ran that program, which was called Lekotek (Swedish for “Play Library”), envisioned a weekly developmental play group that would include children with special needs, Birth thru 8 years old, as well as parents, grandparents and typically developing siblings. Many of the children that attended had some pretty significant delays, and although the program was not specifically a music program, I shared a lot of musical games as part of the content. I shared songs that I knew from the arts camp as well as songs that I learned from children’s records and folk records…that I borrowed from the library!

After a year of leading Saturday morning play groups for this program, I was asked to lead weekly play groups for another therapeutic program in a different suburb. This program was a speech and language clinic that served, primarily, children on the autism spectrum. It is important to note that I was studying education at the time and had no musical training. I led the playgroups by simply singing songs and finger plays and, at times, playing other people’s recorded songs on a cassette-playing boom box!

But I was learning to play the banjo at the time. I was taking lessons on finger picking and, after practicing, would spend time strumming some of the songs that I was singing at the play groups. Soon I started making up some of my own simple musical games that I could use in my play groups. At some point I was asked by preschools and elementary schools if I could visit for concerts. These kept me busy, but I did not really enjoy them because they were different from my play groups, where the children and adults all gathered together and worked together towards the goal of developmental play.

I expected that, upon graduation, I might pursue some further studies that would, perhaps, allow me to become a therapist of some kind. But my mentors at graduate school encouraged me to continue doing what I was doing, leading the play groups and trying to structure my concerts in a way that would make them more like my play groups: joyful, but purposeful. I led the weekly play groups for 20 years for various therapeutic, developmental and educational agencies, I led more and more concerts, and began recording the songs that I created through my play groups. And I published a couple of musical books. At some point I realized that it had become “a career!”

When did you realize that you “made it” as a performer?

I love this work and I appreciate every opportunity to share my songs and books with young children and families. But I don’t really think of it as “performing.” And I don’t ever really think that I have “made it!” I approach my concerts in the same way that I approached my family play groups for all of those years. I don’t really “perform” my songs. My goal is to get everyone – children, parents, grandparents and other caring adults – joining in and playing together.

I do lead some concerts in theaters around the country, and those are wonderful opportunities. But my favorite spots to lead concerts are in library meeting rooms. Most families gather on the floor together and sing and dance and play together. These concerts are like bigger versions of my family play groups.

In my work, I end up in some pretty unconventional spaces. For the past couple of years, a community group in Burlington, Iowa has invited me to lead concerts in a shopping mall. I typically refuse to lead concerts in shopping malls, but most of the stores in this mall are closed. This past year we used an abandoned store to carry out a follow-up literacy project after my concert. No typical person would consider this an example of “making it” as a performer. But I love it, and I suspect that librarians, who lead story times in some unconventional spaces, will understand my enthusiasm for those events.

You kept stressing “the words are the motions” during your workshop, meaning what you say, sing, or do in a performance should keep kids engaged. Why is interaction so important as a performer?

This is something that applies most to folks who do programming, such as librarians who lead story time programs or preschool teachers who are leading a circle time. I developed a style of writing songs that combined word play and rhymes in the context of active movement games. Not every song of mine is like that, but the songs of mine that people like best are those songs, like “Hands are for Clapping” and “Jump Up, Turn Around.”

I don’t believe that every song should be like that. A song like “Baby Beluga” is so sweet and I love it, just as it is. When preschool teachers share that song in a circle time, however, they end up adding motions to the words to keep the children engaged with the song. But a hand motion for “a whale” can get tricky for young children in general, and certainly for children with special needs.

So my song “Spin Again” is about a game in which we all spin. I am not asking children to pretend that they are spinning tops or on a merry-go-round because frankly, most of the children that I was working with at the time weren’t very good at pretending and a “pretend game” would have left them out. But they loved sensory play like spinning. In my own way I was honoring their abilities by writing a song that met their special needs.  We might say this is “honoring their neurodiversity”, but this was 30 years ago. But I ended up with a song that works well for ALL children.

One of the key takeaways from your workshop was a kind of “show, don’t tell” philosophy. That demonstrating early literacy skills within a performance is more beneficial than stating them. Can you elaborate on that and explain your rationale?

I began doing this work before I had even graduated from college, so I wouldn’t have had the knowledge or inclination to tell adults why it was important for them to be involved and engaged during the program. In graduate school I also had the opportunity to visit and study programs that did a wonderful job of intentionally creating environments that helped young children sustain focus while providing opportunities for them to learn.

Unfortunately (and I am embarrassed to admit this) I did go through a phase after graduate school where I became a little “preachy” about HOW and WHY the adults needed to interact with their children at my concerts. And, interestingly, my clients seemed to like it! The preachier I was, the more serious it seemed. This did not last long because one of my favorite professors from graduate school attended a concert and told me that she thought I was “more successful when, instead of TELLING people WHAT to do, you just got them doing it.”

I knew exactly what she was saying and the “preachy” phase did not last long. I returned to the lessons that I learned, in my 20s, about family support and put that together with what I learned in graduate school about environments. I started thinking more about how I could achieve my goals about family engagement by working, more purposefully, to make that happen. All without saying it.

It’s clear that you love performing, whether it’s for a room of librarians or a group of children. Whether the turnout is a huge concert or just a small classroom. How do you adjust your approach, and how do you make sure everyone stays engaged?

I love to share my songs and books, but I really don’t think of it as a “performance.” My goal is to get everyone, the children and the caring adults with them, joining in. Of course there are different strategies for a concert hall with 600 seats, or a library meeting room, or a school cafeteria. And that is what I think about when I arrive at a venue. What is my strategy for THIS room? And what is my back-up plan?

I visited a program in Arizona last year and the host had reserved a LARGE auditorium. Probably 600 seats. But I immediately noticed that the lobby was also large and carpeted and would make a great space for a concert of up to 150 people. At a certain point it was clear that attendance was going to be about 100, so we quickly moved a portable PA system into the lobby and had a GREAT concert right there, in that space.

The Daniel Boone Regional Library in Columbia, MO invited me to lead a concert earlier this year at a big, beautiful theater in town. I was all set up and, as families arrived at the theater, I stood in the lobby with my banjo and greeted everyone. I was thrilled that so many people showed up, on a rainy night, and I wanted to convey that. And I think everyone is more prepared to sing along if they have already met me! Greeting everyone also allows me to see how many toddlers, preschoolers, or school-agers are there. Because I adjust my concerts a bit, depending on who is attending. I think most “performers” would have been in the dressing room until the last moment, unaware that it was raining outside.

Mental health and workload are real concerns right now among librarians, and public service workers in general. Between your library workshop and your evening concert, you basically did two high energy shows back-to-back. What helps you recenter and keep showing up for a community like this, and do you have any advice for anyone dealing with burnout?

As a child I spent LOTS of time at the branch library in my hometown of Rockford, Illinois. In 5th and 6th grade I repeatedly checked out all of the books on magic and magicians that were on the shelves and the librarian taught me how to order more books from the main library. And, in high school, the library even hired me to do a few magic shows!  The librarian also created a “neighborhood newspaper” so that a couple of friends and I, who were there almost every day after school, would stay busy writing and reading. She didn’t have to do that extra work, but she did. I am so thankful for having that community space and the caring staff available to me as a child.

When I am at my best, my approach to work reflects that appreciation. At my last training workshop, there were some people that had driven hours to be there. Others had worked that morning and made their way there for the afternoon. And LOTS of those people use my songs in story time! I wanted the workshop to reflect my appreciation for all of that. And that same day, I led a concert for families. Again, folks had worked all day and brought their children to the library and I wanted to honor that. The way that I can best honor that is by bringing my best energy to the event and get everyone singing and dancing and playing together.

Earlier I used the expression “when I am at my best.” None of us are always at “our best.” On those days or at those times within a day when I am not “at my best,” I try to take a private moment -in my car, anywhere – and acknowledge to myself how I am feeling, but remind myself that it is not fair to my clients or the children and families to have that be reflected in my work. I think that I am, in general, a kind, caring and conscientious person. But sometimes I need to remind myself that I can and should be kind, caring and conscientious even if I am feeling challenged on that day.

You come across as an extroverted person and a natural performer. What would you say to someone that wants to incorporate some of your style, but is perhaps more introverted or doesn’t have that natural flair?

I spend A LOT of time thinking and working with my band members and other collaborators about how those songs and books can convey. So if someone is more introverted than I am – which is almost everyone – they can use a song of mine, like “Silly Dance Contest” as a resource to bring silly energy to the program. You can say something like, “I think it is time to play a song by a very silly man named Jim Gill. I am excited to see how silly everyone can dance and how EXTRA silly everyone can freeze!” During the song, that person should dance a bit to the music, but does not need to be the silliest dancer in the room. The recording will provide the musical energy and if the children and families are encouraged, the game will be about THEM, not the story time leader!

The same is true with my book, “A Soup Opera.” The accompanying soundtrack provides energizing orchestration and the silly voices. With encouragement, the children and families will soon be joining in. Honestly, I think it is best if folks develop their own style of how to lead programming and, if they care to, use my songs and books to bring some silly energy every now and then. I am honored when folks put my songs and books to use in that way!

Reach Jim at jimgill.com.  Find his music on Spotify, Amazon, and all other major music streaming services. You can find our 2008 Jim Gill interview here.

Peter Blenski has been a children’s librarian in the Milwaukee and Waukesha area for over a decade.  He runs the popular library blog, Lego Librarian, where he talks about library programming and marketing.  In 2021, he served on the 100th Newbery Award Selection Committee, which gave the award to “The Last Cuentista” by Donna Barba Higuera.  He recently served on the 2026 Geisel Award Selection Committee, which gave the award to “Stop That Mop!” by Jonathan Fenske. 

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