Brainstorming with coworker and fellow ALSC blogger Elisabeth Gattullo, we began sketching out ideas for the non-fiction section about a year ago. Our goal was to address a problem our patrons had been complaining about forever: how to easily find non-fiction books  for elementary-aged children. We have recognized for quite some time that the traditional Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) was not child-friendly. And frankly, not too parent-friendly, either. We researched how other libraries had reorganized their non-fiction for children, visited a few wonderful libraries and spoke to some truly passionate, innovative librarians who had ditched Dewey. I was incredibly inspired by the librarians at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in Manhattan who developed a Dewey-alternative system called Metis.

Although we seriously considered ditching Dewey completely, we ultimately decided on a hybrid model. We wanted to make our collection accessible and inviting for children and their grown-ups. We wanted our patrons to enjoy browsing non-fiction books in the same way they love browsing through fiction. We also knew that we needed to retain strong findability for users searching for a specific subject or title. This hybrid classification system enables us to refine and adapt DDC in ways that make sense for elementary-aged children. We can group like subjects together (Yes! Animals and pets CAN be shelved side by side!) and address Dewey’s antiquated tendencies to be Euro-centric and misogynistic. We opted to keep the DDC shelf addresses, thereby preserving the one thing Dewey does right: locating specific items in a physical location nearby similar items. For our community of library users, this hybrid compromise was the right decision.

We settled on nine distinct sections:

• Animals
• Create
• Facts
• Fun
• Self
• Sports
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
• Then & Now
• Traditions

(There are also sections for Kids Poetry and Kids Bios, which had previously been separate collections.)

Infamous nuclear disasters: History (Then & Now) or Science (STEM)? These are the types of questions we ask for each title.

Each section is colored-coded; a small matte color label adorns each spine at the base, clearly identifying its designation. Each of the above sections has the location built into its call number. For example, the call number for the book Penguins by Lynn M. Stone is Kids Animals 598.47 Stone. The “Kids” prefix indicates the general area in the Children’s Library. “Animals” further specifies the section within the Kids collections. The DDC number gives it a precise shelf location. All of this is further aided by the color-coding on the spine labels and signage which enable better findability and browsability.

Since we will be open to the public and the collection will be actively used during this project, we had to plan carefully for the retro-fitting and conversion process. We purposefully chose to do the majority of the work during June and July, when our non-fiction circulation is typically at its lowest. This will enable us to physically retro-fit and scan the vast majority of the books in our collection. We are going through each shelf systematically, handling each and every title and making a decision about which of the nine sections it should live. Once that decision is made (for tough cases we put it to a quick committee vote) we apply the new labels and then scan the barcode into the appropriate record set in our ILS (we use Polaris.) After that each book is placed back on the shelf in traditional DDC order. Once the entire collection is labeled and scanned, we will move the books into their new color-coded groupings.

By the start of the new school year, our more friendly, child-centric non-fiction collection will be complete. We anticipate a strong increase in circulation and general use. Ultimately, we anticipate seeing happy children browsing and searching in the stacks, expanding their knowledge and discovering wonderful new titles.

Feel free to pose questions in the comments section below- this is a work-in-progress and we are happy to share our successes as well as our failures! Learn & grow!

So you’ve landed your dream job—congratulations! It won’t be long before you discover that there will be dozens of projects and materials vying for your funds. Here’s a handy tip sheet that may help you get started:

1.      Set your priorities—and make sure to consider the administration’s priorities for the department as well.

2.      You should have separate budgets for collection development and programming.

3.      Depending on your organization’s structure, supplies, equipment, and continuing education/travel may or may not be included in your budget. Ask whether you have a copying and printing budget.

4.      Once you know what your budget encompasses, you can start planning.

a.       What kinds of programs does your department offer or do you want to offer? Do you have materials (such as flannel boards, a CD player, etc.) for use in those programs?

b.      What do you need for your summer reading program? Does your state participate in the Collaborative Summer Library Program? If so, you can purchase professional full-color materials that will please your patrons and save you time and money.

5.      Keep track of everything you order/spend. A spreadsheet is easily created and can be as basic or detailed as desired. I suggest that you include the following:

a.       Date ordered

b.      Purchase order number

c.       Supplier name

d.      Estimated amount

e.       Invoice number

f.        Actual total cost

g.       Notes (this can include type of item ordered, number of items ordered, etc.)

The above information will enable you to track purchases and reference delivery/non-delivery

6.      For a collection development budget, you may want a separate spreadsheet that is divided into separate pages for each area of the collection. For example, your 2013 collection development spreadsheet might have separate pages for chapter books, picture books, audio books, DVDs, music CDs, ebooks, nonfiction by Dewey, games, and magazines. Each of those pages could then have columns set up as described above.

a.       Are your materials processed in-house? If not, ask what the unit cost for processing is, and include that on your spreadsheet pages, either as a separate column or added into the estimated amount.

b.      Will you need to devote some of your budget to replacement parts (primarily for audio books, especially read-along picture books)? Decide whether that is a separate budget item or comes out of the specific collection area.

c.       If you’ve never ordered materials before, inquire about whether your library purchases from specific vendors, such as Baker & Taylor or Ingram Book Company. They may also purchase directly from publishers or have a purchasing agreement with Amazon. If so, inquire about discounts and shipping costs; these will affect your expenditures.

d.      Check into whether your library belongs to a state or local cooperative that may afford you group pricing and/or discounts.

7.      Review your predecessor’s budget records. Do they make sense to you? Is there anything missing? You may not need to start from scratch but instead tweak the structure accordingly.

8.      Learn all that you can from your library’s financial manager/CFO. The CFO can provide you with their expectations, i.e., what they need from you for their records, and advice about what purchases and expenses belong in your budget.

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Our guest blogger today is Kate Capps, who wrote this piece as a member of the Managing Children’s Services Committee. Kate is a Children’s Librarian & School Liaison at the Olathe Indian Creek Branch Library in Olathe, Kansas.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.

First, we talked about the science. I had a bunch of the library’s books involving parachutes on display, and I opened the program by asking the children what they knew about parachutes. I filled in their concept knowledge with a few facts from the library resources, then I showed a terrific short video on the science of parachutes from the Boston Museum of Science. After the video, the children and I debriefed about what they had seen and learned and what they could apply to the hands-on portion of our program.

Next came the hands-on STEM work. I had set out a variety of basic materials for the children to experiment with as they created their own parachutes:

• trash bags and 11″x17″ pieces of paper for the canopy
• different weights of yarn for the lines
• scissors and hole punches for construction
• tape for connecting pieces
• paper clips for the basic bottom load weight for the parachute
• magnets for optional additional load weight
• markers in case anyone felt like decorating their paper chutes

With all of the supplies up for grabs, the kids got to work building their parachutes. I walked from table to table asking questions about their engineering decisions: what size and shape canopy? how many lines, and where are they connected to the canopy? should the canopy have a vent, and if so, how big and what shape? The room was pretty evenly split, with half the children working diligently on a single chute while the other half made a few prototypes each. When all was said and done, the children spent about 25 minutes building their chutes. Note: Depending on the age of your participants and the number of accompanying caregivers, you might budget more time for children who may need assistance.

We ended by testing our parachutes. I had set up a ladder behind the program room partition before the children arrived, and when it came time to test our parachutes, I dropped them from the top of the ladder. We all observed how the parachutes worked when dropped with just a paper clip for the load, then again with the addition of a heavier magnet. I was pleased to hear the children hypothesizing about why one shape or size seemed to be more consistent than another and how a vent in the canopy meant a straighter descent. I heard a number of kids say they would make modifications and drop their chutes from the top of the stairs at home. Note: Turns out that parachutes can get snagged on watches, so you may want to take yours off before testing the chutes.

Kids checked out books on parachutes and military paratroopers after the program. They also got to take home their parachutes, which meant ample possibilities for extending the STEM learning outside of the program and the library. That’s always a goal I have for my STEM programs for any age: for children to engage in the topic in the library, but to also maintain an interest in the topic and experiment with it afterward. I would count myself successful with this program.

Have you ever made and/or dropped parachutes with children in your library? Sound off in the comments. I’ll be particularly jealous if you have a multi-story building and are able to drop parachutes from a higher floor!

I look for meaningful books to recommend to parents and caregivers that incorporate the practices into family activities.  Recently published titles, written by experienced educators and designers, offer a wide variety of collaborative activities and ideas to keep everyone learning and having fun throughout the childhood years.  Suggesting titles such as my favorites below gives our patrons ideas to implement at home, and deepens their understanding of our early literacy messages.

In addition to being rich resources for patrons, these books are wonderful titles for us to consult as we create literacy-based, interactive family events and programs for our libraries.  Further, they provide early literacy talking points with examples of how to bring talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing into our patrons’ daily lives with children.

To get the most from these books, be sure to visit the author’s websites and blogs, follow them on Pinterest, YouTube or Facebook, subscribe to their blog posts, and continue to benefit your library customers through their inspiration!

Show Me a Story: 40 Craft Projects and Activities to Spark Children’s Storytelling by Emily K. Neuburger North Adams, MA: Storey Pub., 2012

Neuburger is a teacher, freelance children’s craft designer and blogger at red bird crafts [art + story] and the Family Fun magazine blog, Everyday Fun.  In her book, she describes a wide variety of activities to develop children’s storytelling skills that everyone can enjoy throughout the grade school years. Included with her descriptions and uses for each project are engaging color photographs of the final products, and multiple suggestions for how to involve children individually and in groups.  I want to try her cut and tell storytelling and story stone ideas with our library families and caregivers!

Side by Side: 20 Collaborative Projects for Crafting with Your Kids by Tsia Carson with photographs by Meredith Heuer. Boston, MA: Roost, 2012

Tsia Carson teaches design at Yale University and Rhode Island School of Design, and is the founder and editor-in-chief of SuperNaturale, an alternative crafts website.  Her book offers highly imaginative projects such as a Giant Newspaper Snowflake, Child Drawing Embroidery, and a Living Willow Teepee that would be a year-round setting for early literacy activities planted right outside your Children’s Department.  She provides detailed materials lists and directions, and Heuer’s photographs capture the projects beautifully.

The Write Start: A Guide to Nurturing Writing at Every Stage, from Scribbling to Forming Letters and Writing Stories by Jennifer Hallissy. Boston, MA: Trumpeter Books, 2010

Hallissy is a pediatric occupational therapist with over eleven years of experience and a private practice in Port Washington, N.Y., a contributing writer for FamilyFun Magazine magazine, and blogger about children’s writing development at {the write start}.  Her book is an informative resource for parents, caregivers, and library Children’s Departments because, in addition to the 52 writing activities it contains, she discusses how writing supports children’s overall neurological development, reading and learning skills, and ultimate professional and personal success.  This is my go-to resource for talking about the importance of encouraging children to write, beginning with their first scribbles at about 1-year-old.

Playful Learning: Develop Your Child’s Sense of Joy and Wonder by Mariah Bruehl. Boston, MA: Trumpeter Books, 2011

Bruehl is a classroom teacher, curriculum developer, and founder of the award-winning website, Playful Learning  where she offers an abundance of online classes for families at the Playful Learning Ecademy.  The combination of these resources from Bruehl will keep you up at night exploring her ideas for what to do next with your youngest library patrons.  I value her book in my work because she describes the developmental stages of learning to read for children ages three to eight, and her many suggested activities support each stage, as well as children’s writing, math, science, and social skills. She suggests specific age appropriate children’s books to inspire each activity, as well as enriching websites to extend the learning and fun.  Learn how to make twig or clothbound books here, and create a library program!

What are your favorite resources to inspire daily early literacy moments for your patrons?

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Our guest blogger today is Laura Baldassari-Hackstaff.  Laura has her Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Denver, and is a Youth Librarian at Douglas County Libraries in Colorado.

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

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.

The 2014 ALA Annual Conference is scheduled for June 26 – July 1, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nev., and the 2014 ALSC National Institute is scheduled for September 18 – 20, 2014 in Oakland, Calif. The same proposal form is being used for both conferences, but in the application you are able to select which conference for which you would like to apply. Be part of these exciting professional development opportunities by submitting your program today!

I have been pondering a change in the organization of the book collections at my library since attending the I Want A Truck Book! session at ALA Annual last year and reading Tali Balas Kaplan’s Done with Dewey blog post. There is a lot of discussion going on about the end of Dewey and there are many people who believe it is just a matter of time. Are we holding onto something that doesn’t make sense or are we giving up on a system that has worked and can continue to work?

After visiting the School of Engineering and Arts I am troubled by the options. There are so many ways that libraries are organizing collections, which one is the best for my community? Is it one of the systems I have heard or read about or a system which has not yet been invented? Which brings me to the next question: If we all dump Dewey for different systems of organization, how will kids move from one library to the next and easily find what they need? For that matter, will kids and parents be frustrated by two different systems within the same building?

There are many more questions than answers for me at this point, but I am encouraged by the success of my colleagues. Where are you with DDC?

Old storage solution for Board Books, 2008.

When I started at the library, board books were in three-drawer carts, stored at the very back of the Youth Services department. There was a display shelf rack next to the carts but, unfortunately, no one could see it from the front of the room.

A few years back, we were able to move the carts up into the middle of the room, which was more accessible for our patrons. But I never liked the three-drawer carts. Pages/clerks would constantly complain when the drawers became too full to re-shelf all of our board books, which was every other day. We needed more space.

New board book storage solution!

We gained three new drawers, increasing our storage options. While extra storage is great, I’m most happy with the increase visibility of board books for our patrons. Now that they are in the very front of the room, they are constantly being looked at. In the first month, we saw a 28% increase in board book circulation.

Other amazing ideas for board book storage:

• Anne at So Tomorrow moved all of her library’s board book into a sandbox! I adore this solution, and wish we had the floor space for it.
• A tour of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh brought this early literacy based storage spinner, from Crafts for Kids at Library Programs.
• And Rain Gutter Bookshelves, which I first saw on Apartment Therapy.

How do you store your board books? Any great solutions that patrons went wild about to share? Let us know!

- Katie Salo
Youth Services Manager
Melrose Park Library
http://storytimekatie.com

Web 2.0 for Little Hands was presented by Kate Candito who is a Library Media Specialist at the Orange Avenue School in Milford, Connecticut.  She works with preschool through second grade children teaching them mouse skills, basic key boarding, basic web navigation and library catalog searching.  By second grade they have their own account and log into the system independently.  Each class uses free web tools to create a project that teaches them curriculum connections, writing and research skills. She uses Glogster and Wordle along with the following apps and websites:

Starfall http://www.starfall.com/
This is a place the children can use phonics to learn to read.

Abcya.com http://www.abcya.com/
She uses this site often because of all of the options and levels from kindergarten to grade five to learn language and computer skills.

Google Lit Trips http://www.googlelittrips.org/
This allows children to see things that occur in real places and bring stories to life. You need to install Google Earth to use.

Little Bird Tales http://littlebirdtales.com/
A tool for publishing children’s writing.  By taking pictures and recording their voices the children can make their own stories.

Lisa M Shaia is a Children’s Services Librarian at the Oliver Wolcott Library in Litchfield, Connecticut.  During her program called Thrive After 3, she spoke about successfully running after school programs for Kindergarten through third grade groups and fourth through sixth grade groups. Shaia picks popular books for her themes, reads an excerpt and the kids have competitions, play games and do activities around the themes. The programs grew over time and now she averages thirty to forty kids per session. Kid friendly promotion, fun activities fun and parent input into scheduling were some reasons for their popularity.  She uses basic art supplies, but for further funding she suggests applying for grants from the friends of the library, women’s groups and veteran’s associations.  Her blog at http://thriveafterthree.wordpress.com/has detailed information and downloads.

Author, librarian and former library director, Michael Sullivan spoke on the Power of Youth Services. His workshop examined how Youth Services librarians need to advocate for their departments and themselves with administrators. According to Sullivan, sixty percent of the walk in traffic to the public library is under eighteen.  He hopes this will change how administrators see their libraries. Creating livelong library users by supporting kids is the answer. He knows the majority of resources are put in adults services.  If Youth Services has the higher circulation and program attendance, changes should be made by breaking down resources by who uses it.  Administrators are resource managers. They would love to plan more and deal with staff development, but they have to deal with input issues like building management.  Youth Services can support administrators by giving them the numbers.  They need to be at the policy meetings and get the word out to the community.  He knows professional development is important. Reading, writing, teaching and attending conferences about administration, education, child development, psychology and business will make them better librarians thus improving their value personally and monetarily.  He has a new book called Fundamentals of Children’s Service.  His website is at http://www.talestoldtall.com.

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Shelley Black Holley M.L.S.  is a Children’s Librarian at Southington Public Library in Southington, Connecticut.  She has worked in library services since 2001.  Her blog is at http://shellibrary.wordpress.com

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

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.

This month, the focus is on interactive science programs for older kids and their families.  Our wonderful partner Iridescent Learning included us in a grant to offer 5-week Family Science Courses.  Iridescent Learning developed the curriculum and then trained University of Southern CA engineering students to present the workshops at two of our branches in the South Central part of Los Angeles.

Every Monday afternoon in April at the Exposition Park and Junipero Serra Branches, families feasted on pizza, juice and fruit provided by the library, learned about a scientific concept from the engineering students via slide shows, videos and demonstrations – and then conducted experiments that made full use of the scientific method.  Observe! Predict! Check!

What did this look like?  It depended on the location.  At the Junipero Serra Branch, the families spent the five weeks learning about different forms of energy.  On the day I was there, it was all about thermal energy and insulation.  After families learned about the energy caused when things heat up or cool down – and how that happens  - they all got to conduct their own experiments using ice cubes, dixie cups, plastic cups and various possible insulating materials.   Will rice prove to be a better insulator than cotton balls?  What about feathers?  Or sand?  Or flour?  They made their predictions and then tested their theories.  Lots of fun and melting ice!

On the day I visited the Exposition Park branch, the emphasis was on biomechanics – specifically, how the heart works as a pump.  The experiment was to figure out how to pump liquid out of a bottle using air pressure, using anything from plastic bottles to tubing to bellows to balloons.  There was heavy use of duct tape and lots of water everywhere.  This was a challenging experiment that got all the kids and parents talking and working together – exactly the point!

Iridescent Learning came equipped with its own grant that enabled them to train the USC students and provide at least some of the supplies.  LAPL provided the venues, the families, the refreshments and some of the supplies.  We plan to work together in the future, and the success of our first partnership means that we can prove to potential donors and grantors that our program collaborations have great outcomes.

The lesson?   Taking active part in the grants obtained by other organizations and institutions is beneficial for libraries – and can be the beginning of a beautiful (and well-funded) relationship.

alike and begin to imagine, build and pretend together.

Around the lighted table children can build a fort or a box or a slide or anything they dream up.  The light shines through the blocks and parents and children can have conversations about primary and secondary colors.

You can put anything on the light table! We currently rotate transparent colored Lego blocks or blocks with see through centers to build with. This rotation adds some variety and helps to keep the blocks in better condition.  There are amazing buildings, vehicles, and other unique creations that are assembled each day.

To add science concepts you can add transparent and opaque everyday objects you find to stimulate the conversation about the similarities and differences between the two objects. Leaves and flowers that are pressed between wax paper can help little ones to observe the veins and details of the pedals and leaves. You can make these two yourself.

School supply stores often sell preserved bugs in acrylic that is neat for use on the light table.

Old human and animal x-rays as well as film make for a good addition to your light table as well. School supply stores also sell fake x-rays for use with light tables.

Light tables can be purchased in a variety of shapes and sizes from the small table top units to full sit down or stand up tables.

http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=350&keyword=light%20table&scategoryid=0&CategorySearch=&Brand=&Price=

http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=28513&keyword=light%20table&scategoryid=0&CategorySearch=&Brand=&Price=

http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/product/productDet.jsp?productItemID=1%2C689%2C949%2C371%2C923%2C177&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181113&bmUID=1367940921571

You can make a light table center a small investment or spend a pretty penny all depending on your needs.