However, earlier this year, I was reminded that research doesn’t just have to be finding peer-reviewed studies, diving into data, and pouring over bibliographies. Research can be diving into best practices for a new program, or uncovering a new side of something you think about every day. It can be blog posts (like this one), documentaries, websites, and more. For all this committee loves our academic, peer-reviewed research, we also love supporting fact finding and strengthening of early literacy practices in all ways. Often falling down a research rabbit hole might start somewhere you don’t ever expect to see it. 

For me, It started with a stranger’s innocuous comment on a newsletter I subscribe to – “I’m a playworker.”

I immediately responded with, “That sounds awesome! Where can I learn more about this?” I was curious because observing play and emphasizing the importance of play as one of the five early literacy practices are both things I do routinely. 

Discovering the field of playwork

The kind internet stranger recommended The Playwork Primer by Penny Wilson, which I was able to find freely available from the Alliance For Childhood. Wilson breaks down key aspects of playwork, in a text that is specifically for an American audience. 

Playwork, according to the Play Foundation, is “ an approach to working with children that aims to support and facilitate the play process – and the profession that practices this approach.” Playwork has its roots in the adventure playground of the UK and Europe, so is less familiar to those of us in the US. Finding a text specifically for an unfamiliar audience really helped scaffold my research.

Reading Wilson’s Primer helped me gain a basic understanding of the field of playwork which is about supporting children in play, not leading play. Playwork understands that play is an ongoing, ever-evolving process. Playwork professionals, like children’s librarians, include reflexive practice, audits of their space, and critically examining the rules of a space as they impact children. We can apply tools we already use to looking at how play functions in our libraries.

Wilson also provides definitions of various types of play which helped me think about my own small library play area. My market stand is host to, on a rotating basis, a grocery store, an ice cream shop, a post-office, and puppets. I call it a dramatic play area, but Wilson introduced me to the idea that asking children to play in a setting that is a grocery story is actually social-play, play revolving around social structures and rules. Whereas my puppet station encourages dramatic play and imaginative play, pretending and acting things out that are not social or domestic situations. This has allowed me to be more specific with the language I use when talking about play in my library. .

Strengthening my foundational understanding of playwork

The next stop on my research pathway through play was the Playwork Principles. Play Wales provides both the principles and a history of the principles on their website. 

My favorite of the principles is Number 4:

“For playworkers, the play process takes precedence and playworkers act as advocates for play when engaging with adult-led agendas.”

This has helped me think about the way I interact with adults in the library (both caregivers and non-caregivers) around play. Most of society has an adult-led agenda. No matter how much I tell kids that the library is one of the only places that kids have as much agency as adults, unfortunately the library has an adult-led agenda too. 

With this principle in mind, I’ve started trying to relax my rules in the children’s room a little as long as the play happening there is non-destructive. That means I’m not as picky about the use of my flexible couches, and I don’t stop the play if all the play food ends up in one corner between picturebooks and nonfiction. I try to maintain consistency about some boundaries (shoes on, using our walking feet, not hide and seek or tag), but advocate to parents that the play that is happening in the children’s room after school is okay! I find school-aged children in particular need this advocacy. Let the first graders pretend to be dragons! 

Keeping it in perspective

As I continued down the rabbit hole of playwork, I quickly realized there was going to be too much for me to digest all at once. I still haven’t read Making Sense: Playwork in Practice, despite having had the document open in a tab of my computer for months. I ended up only watching half of the Where do the Children Play documentary before there was a scratch in the disc of the only copy of the DVD in my Library system. Part of research is learning when to stop, what resources to come back to, and what to skip. 

Ultimately, I haven’t been able to implement much of what I’ve read and learned. The environment in the adventure playgrounds that exist outside of America are very different from what I’m able to provide at the library – especially as a solo-children’s librarian in a small library. However, my library is also looking to revitalize our outdoor space in the next five years. As part of that process, I’d love to think about how to include unique, child-led, opportunities for play. Thanks to my research, however, I’ve now got a foundation to start dreaming on.

What is a research pathway you’ve followed? Best songs to sing to babies in the womb? How to engage children in musical concepts like pitch without a background in music education? Let’s discuss in the comments. 

Today’s blog post was written by Macy Kinney, the children’s librarian at The Elizabeth Taber Library in Marion, MA, on behalf of the ALSC Early and Family Literacy Committee. You can reach Macy at mdavis@sailsinc.org

This blog relates to ALSC Core Competency IV: Professionalism and Professional Development

The post Follow the Early Literacy Research and See Where it Goes appeared first on ALSC Blog.

The foremost print concept is that print—like speech—carries meaning. From there, we want to help young children understand how print does this depending on its purpose (i.e., to persuade, inform, and/or entertain).

Below is a list of concepts that children are expected to demonstrate an understanding of by the end of kindergarten. Keep in mind that these concepts may vary depending on the language a book is written in. For example: Spanish is read from left-to-right, while Arabic is read from right-to-left.

You can develop children’s understanding of these concepts during story time by modeling and explicitly calling attention to what you are doing. Reading Rockets offers a resource with specific prompts that can be rephrased for this purpose. For example: instead of “Show me the name of this book,” you might say, “This is the name of this book” while pointing to the title on the front cover.

Foundational Print Concepts

• We read and/or look at books
• Books have print and/or pictures
• The difference between print and pictures
• How to hold a book
• The front/back of a book
• Where to find the title
• Where to find the author and/or illustrator
• Where to begin reading
• The direction of print 
• How to turn pages
• The difference between letters, words, and punctuation
• Upper- versus lowercase letters
• The meaning of a period, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, and comma

Beyond these foundational print concepts, you might also call children’s attention to text features (e.g., the table of contents) and their purpose.

How do you support children’s print awareness in the library? Drop a line in the comments or at ktaksier@ufl.edu.

*Previous posts addressed selecting just-right texts for emerging readers, the types of words for emerging readers, blendable sounds, direct vocabulary instruction, and comprehension strategies.

This blog post relates to ALSC Core Competency VII: Professionalism and Professional Development.

The post Science of Reading in the Library: Building Print Awareness to Support Comprehension appeared first on ALSC Blog.

From new locations to new Americans, every family has a journey, and stories build connections that reveal how much people have in common. Here are some of my favorite books and resources bound to foster empathy-building and understanding across different perspectives.

Books!

Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey by Amy Clarice and Doug Kuntz with Illustrations by Sue Cornelison. Lavishly illustrated, Lost and Found Cat centers the true story of a beloved feline on a harrowing journey who is separated from his refugee family. The moving story of love, hope, and family inspires empathy and compassion. Age 3-10.

They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems by David Bowles
An award winning novel in verse about a seventh grade boy who feels at home on both sides of the border. The compelling, accessible poems demonstrate writing as means for reflection, communication, and self expression, and the work offers an engaging introduction to poetry. Age 9-12.

A Chicago Public Library Best Picture Book of 2025, My Home Is in My Backpack by Eugenia Perrella (Author) and Angela Salerno (Illustrator) tells a difficult story in a hopeful way, through the eyes of a young refugee. Age 4-7.

Some of Us: A Story of Citizenship and the United States by Rajani LaRocca and Huy Voun Lee (illustrator). What does it mean to become a citizen of the U.S.? Thoughtful images and text convey information about pathways to citizenship with vivid scenes that provide insight and clarity. Age 5-9.

Resources!

For even more book lists, check out the Children’s Book Council’s book list obout immigrant experiences, Tess Prendergast‘s blog about picturebooks, and Worlds of Words WOW Dozen: Picturebooks to Build Empathy for Immigrant and Refugee Children. And be sure to visit I’m Your Neighbor Books – a resource hub for new Americans, including multilingual book resources, free books for families, and much more.

There are pathways to strengthen library efforts in welcoming new families, from building strong collections and displays to resource shares. To me, sharing stories that build connections is a way to make sure library joy welcomes everyone.

Cover image courtesy of Crown Books for Young Readers, ‎ Christy Ottaviano Books

This post addresses ALSC Core Competency I. Commitment to Client Group 1,2,3. IV. Collection Knowledge and Management 1,2,3.

The post Hi, I’m New Here appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Cells Phones and Workload

Pat Bashir of the Nashville Public Library (TN) created a great survey for managers to give to their front line staff. The first question directly asks staff about how workload is distributed. Even without a formal survey, you can ask staff how they feel about their workload. Do they have enough time to finish tasks, or do they scramble to get things done? If staff members feel like they are overworked, as a manager it’s important to take that seriously. But, it’s also important for staff to be aware of how they are using their time.

We’re all guilty of falling into the cell phone habit, and spend too much time on our phones. Cell phone use can sneak up on you, since it’s only for a few minutes at a time. It doesn’t take long to catch up on text messages or quickly scroll Instagram. But all of those few minutes adds up, and together it can take a noticeable amount of time out of your work day.

Speaking To Front Line Staff

If you notice a staff member using their cell phone a lot for personal reasons during work, remember that you can talk to them about it. Indeed has some great reasons you can give to remind people why it’s not great to be on your cell phone during the day. My favorite is how cell phone use can negatively impact customer service. We want our patrons to feel seen and appreciated when they walk into our libraries. But if we are looking at our phones, we can’t see them and say hello!

If you’re not sure how to start the conversation, Alison Green of Inc. has some thoughtful advice on how to bring up the issue. Bringing up an issue can be tricky, but if you are kind, most staff will understand.

Take a Time Use Survey

Whether you are a front line staff member or a manager, everyone can benefit from a time use survey. If you’ve never taken one before, they are pretty simple. As the name suggests, it’s a survey of how you use your time. The first one I took was a decade ago when I was a freshman at the University of Kentucky (Go Wildcats!). Back then, it was part of a first year of college assignment. We were instructed to track how we spent all of our time for one week, including how much time we spent on our cell phones or watching TV. Then, we had to write a paragraph about what we learned.

Obviously, you don’t have to write a paragraph about your results. But just taking the survey about how you spend your time can be eye opening. Most people are surprised by how much time they spend on their cell phones, since it doesn’t feel like that much. It also can help you figure out which parts of your workload take the most time.

Tracking your time over one week can be a great way to stay on top of your workload. How does your library handle cell phone use in the work place?

Ann Baillie (she/her/hers) is the Youth Services Assistant Manager at the Alsip-Merrionette Park Public Library in Alsip, Illinois. She serves on the Illinois Youth Services Institute Planning Committee. Her main interests are the connection between Readers’ Advisory and technology, and how libraries can use technology to better reach patrons.

This post addresses ALSC Core Competency VI: Administrative and Management Skills.

The post Screen Time for Library Staff appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Who’s That Pokémon

This has become a crowd favorite at my sessions. Each time we meet, we usually spend the first 10 minutes working in teams to play the classic “Who’s That Pokémon” game. If you’ve seen an episode of the show before, you know that this usually plays around the commercial breaks, with a shadow of the Pokémon appearing before and the full color image appearing after. I play similarly, and also have small prizes for the team that guesses the most correctly. These usually wind up being stickers or low-level cards. The kids love playing this so much that I forgot to create one for our last meeting, and they all begged me to play anyways, also making me promise to have an updated version for our next meeting!

Pokémon Watch Party

While screen time is always a big debate in youth spaces, Pokémon has some great shorts (5-10 minute videos) on their YouTube that follow the path of a Trainer on their way to a card game battle. These quick videos are great for a “station,” where I set up the video and some wordsearches or coloring pages that the kids can work on while they watch. Typically I can only work with a small number of kids on card skills at a time, so this is a great option for the participants to rotate in and out while they wait their turn.

Alternative Play

Inside of your Club kit, Pokémon has included a guidebook that offers alternative play activities. One of the options included in this guide is a “Basic Battle.” This option allows players to begin to understand how to battle one another, without worrying about energy or items. These battles typically last under 5 minutes each, and are great opportunities to introduce attacks and damage to new players. However, if you have more advanced players, they will beg to do a “real” battle, as many of my participants did!

Raid Battles

Raid Battles are another great low-stakes option for teaching TCG to players, but they also provide an opportunity for teamwork amongst more skilled players and those who are new to the game. Up to 4 players can participate in one “Raid Battle,” and I, as the instructor, typically act as the “raid boss”. The players love fighting the gigantimax Pokémon, and unleashing their most powerful attacks. They also are highly skilled at keeping track of damage. Since the attacks from the raid boss are random, it is usually high energy as they are dealt to different players. More experienced players also help the newer players identify which attacks to use in defense, and occasionally help each other read the cards as well!

If you have a kit, I would highly recommend reading through the resources that Pokémon has included. Almost all of the ideas listed above are straight from there! The other resource that I find to be the most useful when planning my sessions are the ALA Connect boards. Other Pokémon  Club leaders often share resources that they use in their sessions, and I have borrowed many amazing ideas from there. Most people are also kind enough to include PDFs, Canva links, and more so that you can adapt and implement the ideas instantly! Our club is taking a break for June, as I get prepared to head to ALA, but I am excited to come back in July and finally work through the Battle Academy kits with the participants!

This post addresses ALSC core competencies 3.1, 3.4, and 7.9.

Annaliese Melvin (she/they) is a children’s librarian at a neighborhood library in Washington, D.C. Originally from Pennsylvania, she moved to the DC-area in 2020 to become a special education teacher after graduating with her bachelor’s from Arcadia University. In 2023, she graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and transitioned into the library field. Annaliese currently works to bring more inclusive programming to DC Public Libraries for children of all ages. She is passionate about equity, inclusion, reading, and Philadelphia sports.

The post Pokémon Club: More to Explore appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Happy June, everyone!

This blog post will be the last post from the Reunification Working Group, which will be dissolved as of July 1 as the majority of us cycle out of our Board terms in both divisions. Please be sure that you are
signed up to receive regular emails and communications from ALSC so that you receive the
Reunification News and other updates as the work continues through other committees and task forces
over the next year.

Now, strap yourselves in!

This last year has consisted of a lot of behind-the-scenes planning and preparation between staff and
member leaders from ALSC and YALSA. Over the coming year, you will start to see those plans turning
into action, which is both exciting and scary. We know there will continue to be questions and some
things will still be up in the air for some time as we continue working through this very big and complex
process. But rest assured that a lot of feedback has been provided to us and it has greatly informed
how we are moving forward on various components of the reunification.

Rebranding

A lot of questions came up around rebranding over the last year, and while we didn’t have concrete
answers regarding a new name, or even the exact timeline, things are beginning to move forward now.
Here are a few updates (this is also outlined in the latest Reunification News email to members):

• We will continue operating under the ALSC brand until such time as a new name and brand are chosen. This is a practical necessity due to existing bylaws, policies, and internal governance mechanisms within ALA. This does NOT mean we aren’t dedicated to pursuing the important work of renaming and rebranding as soon as possible.
  
• The Board will be working with an external consultant starting in June, until February 2027. During this process, staff and member leaders will be working with the consultant to solicit
  member feedback, develop a strategic mission and vision, and ensure all of these pieces inform
  the development of a new brand that reflects our expanded reach and mandate. There will be
  public consultation and member engagement throughout the process.
  
• Standard language to describe the audiences and age ranges that we serve will be an essential part of rebranding. If you are at ALA Annual, please check out the conference scheduler and look for the Saturday morning “huddle” to provide your input on the best standard language to describe the new 0-18 age range that our combined membership serves.

Committee Restructuring

Many questions have arisen over the last year with regard to the way our committees will continue to
function and how they will be restructured to include our teen services colleagues and our newly
expanded age range.

• New Structure: The new committee structure will strike a balance between reducing our overall number of standing committees while continuing to provide the same level of support and opportunities for our members. We will release a full list of committees under the new structure once a final decision has been made.
  
• Special Considerations: The majority of decisions about committees will be made in one go at ALA Annual. But some decisions were made earlier this year to reflect special circumstances and to account for different timelines and workflow. For instance, the Intellectual Freedom Committee and the Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee will be joining forces as the Intellectual Freedom and Advocacy Committee.
  
• Award Committees: ALSC and YALSA award committees will be continuing as they are for the most part. The ALSC Board still had to make some difficult decisions related to three award/media evaluation committees, which did get sunset due to capacity constraints and financial implications: the Children’s Literature Lecture Award, the Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award, and the Notable Children’s Digital Media Committee.
  
• Accounting for continued change: The Board will be considering a motion for the new committee structure that accounts for needed flexibility, which will allow member leaders and staff to make nimble changes to committee charges and rosters over the next year, based on feedback from committee co-chairs, committee members, and the membership at large.

Bylaws and Policies

One other essential piece that is less public and less “fun” (at least for most folks) is the updating of our bylaws and governance policies to reflect our unified membership and the scope of the division’s
expanded mission and vision. The ALSC Board approved a task force to take on that work beginning in
the summer, so that we will hopefully have new bylaws for the membership to approve in 2027.

These are some of the largest and most complex pieces of the reunification that are being discussed
and decided on at ALA Annual. We are excited to see the rebranding process get underway and to see
the new committee structure get solidified so we can then get the volunteer process aligned with the
new committees.

Member Engagement

In the meantime, members can continue to volunteer for committee work and other opportunities through their respective ALSC or YALSA volunteer forms for the time being. The appointing officer and
staff will be using the coming year to best match volunteers with the new committee structure once it’s
finalized. We know there will be bumps along the way, but with your feedback and support, the growing
pains over the next couple of years will hopefully be a bit less painful!

Thank you all for continuing to support ALSC and YALSA through this process. We appreciate you and
we look forward to continuing the good work over this next year of continued transition.

See you in Chicago!

Rob

The post From Plans to Actions – A Preview of the Next Year of Reunification appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Paleontologist ID Cards

This summer, my Craft Table will become the Paleontology Lab! We will start our passive dinosaur programs with Paleontologist ID Cards. We are using Canva to create these cards. Printed on tan cardstock, the ID cards will include a box for the kids to draw themselves, as well as a spot to write their names and what dinosaurs they are specializing in. This is a simple craft to put together and I am sure it will make the kids excited for what’s to come.

Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunts are our most popular passive program, so we are doing a dinosaur-themed scavenger hunt this summer! We are using realistic-looking dinosaur images and putting them all over the department. We will give dinosaur stampers as the prize for this activity. Very simple, but a lot of fun for the kids!

Dinosaur Research Sheets

Every summer, I try to incorporate our digital resources into our passive programming. This year, I will create Dinosaur Research Sheets to encourage kids to use World Book Online in the library. These sheets will be created on Canva and will include simple prompts to guide patrons. Patrons will select a dinosaur to research and they will provide information about that dinosaur using World Book Online (i.e. what period did it exist, carnivore or herbivore, predators and prey, etc.). Once complete, kids can turn their sheets in for a prize and the completed sheets will be posted around the children’s department as a “museum exhibit”.

There are so many kinds of passive programs you can do this summer. From sensory bins to cootie catchers, the possibilities are endless! What passive programs will you implement this summer?

This post addresses ALSC Core Competency III. Programming Skills.

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It’s not too late to join our Conference Blogging Team. Let us know of your interest by filling out the Conference Blogging Interest Form.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

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This year the 2027 Notable Children’s Book Committee will be meeting on June 16 and June 18 for its July 2026 summer discussions. Register to observe the discussions here:

• Tuesday, June 16, 2026 @ 3pm CT –
  Register here
• Thursday, June 18, 2026 @ 1pm CT –
  Register here 

Here is the list of titles which will be discussed:

Younger

Non-Fiction & Poetry

Older Readers

Sarah Bean Thompson, chair, and the entire 2027 Notable Children’s Books committee are excited to share this opportunity to learn more about critical evaluation of children’s books and listen to their summer discussions. All are welcome. 

The post Notable Children’s Books – June 2026 Discussion appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Go on a Sound Scavenger Hunt

While on a walk outside or on line at the store, ask your child to look for objects that start with certain sounds.

For example, how many things can we find that start with the /b/ sound?

This is practicing phonemic awareness, which is the ability to identify, hear, and manipulate the smallest sounds heard in spoken language (phonemes).

Sensory Letters

Using Play-Doh, shaving cream, kinetic sand, paint or another tactile material, show your child how to mold a letter of your choice and have them copy you.

Start with the first letter of their name! Allow them a chance to be messy and have a sensory experience while learning their letters.

This is practicing letter recognition, which is identifying and naming letters. This activity can also support letter-sound correspondence by connecting sounds (phonemes) to letters (graphemes). 

Ask Questions

While reading together at bedtime, ask your child the following questions:

1- What do you think will happen next?

2- Which character from the book would you want to be friends with?

3- What do you think the character is feeling right now?

This practices comprehension skills by helping children make meaning from text, relate it to their own lives, and build critical thinking. 

Model Reading

Have your child “catch” you reading a book, magazine, or newspaper!

Be a role model at home by reading your own book in front of them, even if only for a few minutes. For a bonus, read out loud to model fluency or speak your thoughts out loud to model critical thinking. 

Looking for a book to read? Visit the Adult Department for details about joining the adult summer reading program and other book clubs!

Research shows that creating a culture of reading at home can positively impact a child’s reading success. Making reading an everyday, enjoyable routine can have a lifetime of benefits!

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

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