Library Lifelines

                            Photo from Pixabay
 Libraries have become so much more than a free-standing building that houses books of days past. Today's libraries are lifelines to community members. The past year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our normal and the way libraries operated and serve their communities. The ALA News published an  article titled Public Libraries launch, expand services during COVID-19 pandemic. "Libraries continue to play essential roles in our communities even as we close our buildings and work remotely to best ensure health and safety" (April 2020). While the Richland County Public Library (RCPL) has remained mostly closed, they have changed the way they have reached their patrons. They began offering story time via social media, created to-go craft kits that come in pizza boxes for children aged toddler-12 years old. Students and other patrons who do not have internet access at home were able to sit outside the library and use the WiFi at all RCPL locations. As the library slowly begins to return to this new normal, patrons are able to go inside and use the computers and choose library materials, but still have the ability to place items on hold and facilitate the curbside pickup option. 

Libraries have become lifelines for students and families who are experiencing homelessness. Many times these families are suffering from mental health issues. Vicki Temple states "Homeless teens are more likely to suffer from severe depression and anxiety, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, low self-esteem, and poor physical health" (2009, pg. 23). In my school, we have many students who are suffering from the effects of being homeless, either due to family home/job loss or because the student has runaway from their homes or residence where they lived. Many students are suffering from mental health issues, and it is showing not only in their behavior, but also in their grades as they have stopped completing or turning in assignments. Students who are needing to see their guidance counselors and therapists from the Department of Mental Health have risen in numbers this year. Libraries are able to provide safe spaces, and resources to help these families. Summer reading programs and drives to encourage families to sign up for library cards are a great way to help homeless families. Through these activities, libraries are able to help these families by providing a place for them to not only find information, but a safe place to go where children can be involved with activities that will create a sense of normalcy, while providing reading materials so that the dreaded "summer slide" does not occur, and put these students further behind their peers with their literacy skills.

Reading the ALA News article Public Libraries launch, expand services during the COVID-19 pandemic and Vikki Temple's article  Library Services to Children, Teens, and Families Experiencing Homelessness were both articles I could relate to with my experiences in the school library setting. The ALA News article states "We are shifting popular programs online, sharing hyperlocal information and resources, and continuing to connect with our communities by chat, text, phone, and email (April 2020). In my high school library, we did a total re-haul of our Media Center page on our school website. We added resources to help students find library materials available in our school using the Destiny catalog, as well as links to the RCPL, so students could reserve materials or download E-books. We also included instructions on how to use Microsoft TEAMS (the learning platform utilized this school year), DISCUS and JSTOR information, citation resources, and college and career planning links. Links for teacher support were also added to the site. While the school was closed to students, the library offered help via phone, chat, email and in person. We offered curbside service to replace damaged laptops as well as to pick up books that had been placed on hold.

Storytelling is a popular even in both public libraries and schools. The stories are slightly different, depending on the patron's age. More movement for the younger patrons to help keep them engaged with listening and activities that are paired with the stories. Storytelling does not come naturally to me, but I am thankful USC offers a storytelling class. I agree with Donna Schatt and Patrick Ryan's article Start Storytelling. "In general, traditional folktales and fairy tales are a good place to start. They are composed of narrative elements easily remembered and designed for oral telling, qualities that partially explain why they have survived over time." I agree that folktales and fairy tales are the easiest types of stories to begin telling. We have grown up reading them or hearing them, so they are pretty easy to remember, and one can add their own flare to the story. I remember being a small child and listening to my Grandmother tell me stories, and those stories have been passed down and shared with my children and their cousins. Shatt and Ryan also state "The best way to tell is to actually tell. We can't stress that enough. Learning stories and developing a library or classroom storytelling practice, is initially time consuming. We recommend starting slowly-- learning just one story a month will eventually lead to a wonderful personal repertoire. The more stories you learn and the more often you tell them, the easier it becomes to learn and tell."  This last statement is so true.  It was hard in my storytelling class to become comfortable with telling a story, and not reading it from a book. To make matters more complicated, we also had to use puppets and record ourselves on FlipGrid.  It was a six week summer class, so I had a lot to learn in those short six weeks. The more I practiced, the more confident I became.  That being said, I lost count of how many times I had to erase a recording and try again. For me, I found it easier if I had one of my children record me and then I was able to look at them and do my storytelling.  This was great practice for me, and I have been able to use these skills in the library and classrooms at work.

My takeaway from these past 2 weeks of reading is that the library is a lifeline in so many different ways. We are able to provide safe spaces for our patrons who are suffering from the effects of being homeless. We are able to provide a sense of stability and a safe space for our patrons, while offering them reading materials to keep the "summer slide" to a minimum, while also offering resources to help with finding housing and mental health help. I've also been reminded how important it is to up  my game in the storytelling department. This is something I would like to incorporate into my library after I graduate.  I'm still not comfortable with being silly while reading to elementary students, but with time and practice, I'll become comfortable and make story time more enjoyable for my students.

References:

"Public libraries launch, expand services during COVID-19 pandemic ", American Library Association, April 9, 2020.

http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2020/04/public-libraries-launch-expand-services-during-covid-19-pandemic-0 (Accessed May 24, 2021)

Document ID: 6b51e396-7b41-4306-8d4d-fed2cc1a8a8b

Schatt, D., & Ryan, P. (n.d). Start Storytelling. Book Links |Booklist Online.

     http://www.booklistonline.com/booklinks.

Terrile, V. C. (2009). Library Services to Children, Teens and Families Experiencing Homelessness. Urban Library Journal, 15 (2). Retrieved from http://academicworks.cuny.edu/ulj/vol15/iss2/2

Literacy and Brain Development

                                    Photo by Lina Kiraka

While reading and watching this weeks lessons, the one thing that hit home was Neil Gaiman commenting on an experience he had while in New York. He listened to a talk about how many prisons and prison cells would be needed within a certain time frame. Gaiman states "And they found they could predict it very easily, using a pretty simple algorithm based on asking what percentage of 10 and 11 year olds could read" ( 2003, para. 6). As a media assistant in the elementary, middle, and high school levels for the past 14 years, and as a Mama of two, this absolutely breaks my heart. Personally, I can relate to students not doing well when they do not have a solid literacy foundation. Shawn, a student I read with weekly when he was in third grade, has now dropped out of school at the beginning of his senior year and is not trying to obtain his GED. While Shawn is not in trouble with the law, I could have predicted his struggles in third grade. 

Gaiman stresses the importance of libraries and librarians, as he recalls his childhood experiences. He states "If you do not value libraries, then you do not value information or culture or wisdom. You are silencing the voices of the past and you are damaging the future" (2003, para 41).  Librarians help patrons find materials, teach patrons how to search for information themselves, and help foster a love of reading. By exposing patrons at an early age to various types of literature (fiction, non-fiction), librarians open minds of the readers and allow them to escape to another place. Exposure to literature increases vocabulary and literacy skills. This begins with very young children. Parents should begin reading to their  children when they are infants. Dickinson states "Book reading provides an ideal setting for fostering language while at the same time building strong affective bonds between parents and children" ( 2012, para. 11). Reading with my own children created an immense bond. As they grew older, they would go pick their favorite books and bring them to me throughout the day for me to read to them. Dickinson states "Students of book reading have found evidence that children begin to benefit when regular reading begins as early as 8 mos and that children benefit most from regular reading routines that sensitive and responsive language-rich interactional routines" ( 2012, para. 58).

While viewing the CDC Positive Parenting website, I was pleased to see it mentioned that children should be read to, beginning with them as infants. As the age of the child increases, so does the level of interaction that is suggested. Not only are parents encouraged to engage with their children emotionally and physically (encouraging play and joining a sports team), but also to keep reading to their children and encouraging them to read on their own through middle childhood (ages 9-11). I think the advice given to parents by the CDC is very beneficial. It helps create and maintain an emotional bond with your child. They encourage taking an active role with your child's school, friends, and other organizations your child might join. 

However, I disagree that encouraging children to read is no longer one of the parenting tips once a child reaches the young teen age (ages 12-14) and teenagers (ages 15-17). I think it is important to keep encouraging children to read. The foundation for literacy is laid when children are younger. Young teens and teenagers become easily distracted by electronics, which cuts into this age groups desire for reading. I feel it is important to keep encouraging students by asking them at school what they are reading, what authors they like, and if they have any suggestions for new reading material that should be added to the library. By doing this, I am making connections with my students and keeping literacy alive. 

My takeaways from this week's readings are that we must focus on early literacy skills with children. We must read to them, and encourage them to read. We must not stop a student from reading a book because we do not like the book, topic or author. That choice does not belong to us and we must not judge what a student decides to read. When making lesson plans, I will choose activities and books that will keep my students engaged. I will keep a large selection of books covering many topics and genres, and encourage students to read from all of them. Realizing that some students come from backgrounds where literacy learning skills have not been fostered, I will offer help to those students, in hopes of helping them become more literate, as well as fostering the love of reading. 

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, February 22). Positive Parenting Tips. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/index.html.

Dickinson, D. K., Griffith, J. A., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2012). How Reading Books Fosters Language Development around the World. Child Development Research, 2012, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/602807

Guardian News and Media. (2013, October 15). Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming.