March Madness - Picture Book Play-offs

Pixabay Image

It's March Madness time! It can be a great opportunity to tie in a program for kids and families that builds on the increased interest and publicity surrounding the basketball playoffs. Here is a program, part of our final assignment, shared by one of our librarian-students!

First, I chose 16 picture books from the previous year's "best of" lists, mostly the list compiled by ALSC and the ALA. I paired these books up together based on similar subject/tone/format for our first week. 

Then I created a bulletin board with all these titles on it in a bracket. I also created a sheet that had all the titles on it in their pairs. The instructions encourage patrons to read the books and pick their favorite in the pair. The winners then to on to the second week with 8 titles and 4 match-ups. (I make a new sheet for this week). The voting continues for a week and then we are down to four titles. These battle it out for a week (on a new sheet with only those titles on it) until we reach the finals in the fourth week. The last two books do final battle for a week until one emerges victorious as our favorite book.

I checked out copies of all the books to the Children's Library account and put them with the display so that anyone can read the books and vote. Each book has a little strip of paper wrapped around the cover explaining that it can't be checked out until the match-ups are over. Patrons can vote for just one match up for for all of them. 

The voting sheets are put in a basket as they are completed and then I pick them up periodically during the week to count the votes for each book. 

I picked March for this program to coincide with March Madness so that kids can have fun with brackets as the basketball brackets really take hold. The program is free, since I used books from our collection and all you really need are the books, the signs, and the sheets. 

I picked books from the ALA lists because I find that often books are distinguished or have star reviews and don't necessarily get checked out very frequently. I'm hoping to bring more attention to these titles and hoping that people will take the time to think critically about them - even if it's only to think which one they prefer. I tried to pick books at somewhat different levels, too (Queen Victoria's Bathing Machine and Byron Barton's My Car, for example) so that the books could speak to kids at different ages. I also considered choosing classic books (do you prefer "Good night Moon" or "Brown Bear Brown Bear"?) or really any other type of book. 

I chose picture books because I wanted the program to be all-inclusive in regards to ages, but the program could also run with chapter books. I like that the picture books can be read together while the family is at the library.

Passive is the New Active

Image

The class had some great program ideas to share that incorporated the concepts found in passive or stealth programming (ongoing; kid-powered; encourages lots of engagement and return visits without staff-led activities). They also shared the positives and negatives of their programs.

- My favorite passive program I ever ran (and am getting to do again next month) is March Character Madness, a basketball tournament inspired program where kids can vote for their favorite book characters who would advance every week to the next round.  While it was a bit of work up front (cutting out characters, creating a large tournament board, etc) it was so worth it!  It ran for 4 weeks (most of our passives are weekly, so this was great since we didn't have to think up new things during the entire month of March).  My favorite part was the discussion it caused between us and the patrons and even between parents and children.  We had one boy come back religiously every week to make sure Harry Potter was still advancing (Harry was our big winner overall) and so many parents took the time to vote too  for their favorites since we included classics like Nancy Drew and Cat in the Hat.  Can't wait to get started on it next week!

 -In our 16 library system, we have 14 libraries offering 1000 Books before Kindergarten. 13 of those 14 are offering it in its traditional manner of filling out reading logs and returning them for small prizes at certain increments. One of our libraries is having families take a pledge to read 1000 books before kindergarten. We launched our 1000 books program last January and to date we have 2750 children enrolled, 342 at the mid-point and 83 have finished. Our libraries have really embraced this stealth program that is low-cost and requires a very limited amount of staff time. And in some cases, the libraries have asked their Friends groups to sponsor prizes or the tote bags with our 1000 books logo. Friends of the Library groups just eat this stuff up. 

I was part of the process to get this program county wide and my biggest regret is not encouraging or requiring all of the libraries to offer the program the same way. For instance, we have one library that hands out prizes every 25 books read. We have another that has levels every 200 books and another that gives a prize at 500 and then 1000. This has made it very difficult to collect stats across the county and also to develop a mobile app with achievement levels! We decided to go with unlocking an achievement every 25 books since it is the lowest common denominator. 

- Penguin packs-we have backpacks that we filled with 5 winter themed books and 2 activities (coloring sheets, mazes, paper craft idea, etc.).  We created 20 packs, which all went out throughout the month, and the response was very positive to this program.  The advantage of the Penguin pack (or book bundles) is that they are quick and easy for parents to pick up and take home.  Disadvantage, they take a little staff time and planning--but in the long run, I love this idea for so many reasons.  Parents are taking a variety of books home and sharing them with their children, therefore, building a love of reading and developing those early literacy skills.

In the summer we usually have one or two stations set up at all times in the library for kids to have fun at, such as a Lego station with various of ideas of what to build and then have the opportunity to have their creation displayed for the week.  We have also done the loom magic for kids--they love to create the bracelets and see what else they can do with some of the books we have available for inspiration.  The advantages of setting up stations is that you can have this set up before you open and take it down the next day.  Disadvantage, coming up with fresh ideas that will interest the kids.  Believe me, you find out quickly what is not an interest :)  

- We have a handful of those rainbow band looms for making all sorts of different crafts, and several thousand bands in different colors and patterns. We have them out on Saturday afternoons and they're a huge hit. We used to have some pretty serious behavior issues with our older youth and teens on weekends, but almost all those problems in our space have stopped since getting these for crafting. They aren't the cheapest thing to keep stocked (about $7/1000 bands) but they are the most popular DIY program we have. There are some kids who come in on other days to ask for them!

Over the summer, we bought a bunch of board games to circulate. Those are also a really popular DIY program. Kids can pick any game from the shelf and play at an empty table for as long as they want. We haven't had much loss from in-library play, and for the most part, they clean up after themselves. It's a great rainy day activity!

- For the past year or so, I've had a passive program on Mondays called "preschool craft." (Very imaginative name, right...?) I put out the materials for the first four hours that we are open (10am to 2pm) and then take things down before the afterschool kids get there. It's been relatively successful - I don't get huge numbers, but I do get consistent numbers. I've also had an active program once a month for the afterschool crowd where we make a craft. The attendance here has varied wildly from two to twenty and is entirely unpredictable (even with registrations). 

This semester, I ditched the afterschool craft and instead instituted Maker Mondays (I told you naming wasn't my forte - I totally stole the name from somewhere else). I put out the craft materials all day so that anyone can make our craft all day long.  This has worked much better for me. I don't have to put a lot of work into a program that may or may not get anyone and those who do want to make things have even more opportunities than they did before. 

I have struggled a bit with projects that will span the age groups, but if push comes to shove, I can put out two projects. So far, I've managed to find things that are customizable based on ability. The older kid projects look far more carefully made and the preschool ones tend to focus more on process than product. Which is, I feel, as it should be. 

  

Uncertain Staff Support for Programming

Image

While thinking about doing passive programs, a question came up.  What if other staff in the library aren't supportive of an effort you are involved in like 1000 Books Before Kindergarten or SLP? What happens when you aren't there and it is up to them to promote the program or give out prizes and they are clearly reluctant or just plain won't do it. The class tackled the question and shared experiences..

- This is where a strong director who backs up efforts throughout the library and with all staff (no matter what the size of the library) is essential. A director leads a staff and creates a team by making sure everyone is a part of initiatives and is enthusiastic supporters. No youth person should feel responsible for getting everyone on board. That's why I think it's important to keep one's director on board and supportive so they, as managers of the staff, help everyone understand that they are part of - and need to help with - the great youth initiatives that happen. When you have that backing and team building to form a cohesive, supportive group from a director, staffers feel great at supporting youth stuff since it's just part of the job.

- We haven't really done too many DIY programs -such as crafts available mostly because of space problems. We do only have a single person on staff but I think if you you make it simple without too many "steps" for the staff to have to deal with your staff can be on board. For example our 1000 books before kindergarten we have everything organized in order- slips for each 100 books labeled and color coded with dots so it is obvious and easy for the staff member to handle. The only problem we have had is because one aspect of our 1000 books is that we take a picture of the child with their book at the end and not every staff member knows how to use the camera. But that too has been easily solved because most of today's parents take a picture with their phone and we just have them email it to us along with permission note to post the picture and I can take care of that when I am at work. 

- I ran into that some in my old library. I worked there part time, half days Mon-Thurs. I started with a summer reading program, and noticed quickly that everyone who was involved only came to the library when I was there because the other staff wasn't on board for the program. I made sure to include registering for summer reading and submitting records for prizes as a part of every program I did all summer, so everyone who came could be sure to get anything counted they brought with them. I gave out my email address with all the promotional materials and said parents could email reading logs to me as well. Anyone could leave book logs in the book drop as well, because they would wind up on my desk on the mornings I didn't open the library.

While clearly not an ideal situation, it worked out ok in that community. Everyone learned my schedule and learned that the rest of the staff didn't want to deal with summer reading stuff, so children and families almost exclusively used the library during my hours. I waited to do any prize drawings until 2 weeks after the end of the program so people who couldn't get to the library during my regular hours could still have a chance to win. I had stacks of book logs out on the table in the children's room so kids could pick them up without having to ask a staff member for a new one. I made it work because I thought the kids in that community deserved to have a good summer program. That first summer, I had 20 kids register. Last summer, which was my last summer, I had over 100 kids register and complete their reading goals. Even when you don't have other staff who support your work and programming, it's possible to modify what you offer to support your community.

Mixing It Up

Image

Often, when we plan and think of programs we only consider "active" programs - programs like storytimes or workshops where a library staffer or performer is the leader and is active throughout the session. Other types of programs - like passive (stealth) programs or DIY programs where kids can interact with material whenever they stop at the library - often aren't blended into the mix of program offerings. The class discussed the positives- and negatives - of having a variety of program types and what it can mean for workflow, engaging kids and balance within the department and the library!

- It seems that creating a mix of active, passive and DIY programs would really give the staff more time to concentrate on other aspects of the Youth Services department.  I have mentioned our Tot Spot area, which really takes care of itself, but I think most of our programming is active. My hesitation with having more passive/DIY programming would be the patron's reaction to it.  Maybe the passive programming would be a welcome change for them.  I love the idea of the Book Bundles and a Winter Reading Program.

- I am in favor of mixing it up, especially for those libraires with one staff person in youth services. Perhaps someone else can fill in for the YS staff person while they are on vacation because you can pre-plan a passive program or have things set for DIY. I also think you have a lot of different needs in a community and what might work for one family, may not work for another. 

My daughter is a speedy crafter so if she went to a structured craft program she would be done in 5 minutes and antsy to leave. Also, arriving to a program on time can be another struggle with little ones! I'm all for drop-ins.

- A lot of this comes back to balance, I think. We previously talked about balancing age groups and balancing work and life, but it also applies here. I strive to balance the themes of the programs as well as everything else. 

Which is to say, I have Story Time, Crafts, Messy Art, Preschool Lab, and special events for the preschool set. I have reading with dogs, art, science club, cooking, and special events for the school-age crowd. I also do one program a month for the older kids and I try to find things that either have broad appeal or I specifically do something girly followed by something more boy (kids don't always fall into types, of course, and everyone is welcome to come to anything). 

For the most part, though (the exception being the crafts), these programs are all either programs or unprograms. I have had very few passive programs and I am now suuuuuper excited to add them to the mix. I think that they are perfect for my over-scheduled-but-still-want-to-come-to-the-library kiddos. I think the passive model will work especially well with the teens since I don't see them very often. 

Of course, there is a lot of prep work involved in a passive program, but once they are rolling by god they roll! I can't wait to try them. And if they ease my day-to-day burden a little? Even better. 

- I feel like the most important reason to have a mixture of programming styles is so kids come back. They don't want to keep doing the same thing over and over again. Lego club is great. Kids come in a build and we talk a bit but ultimately, they do it all themselves. I have had the suggestion from multiple patrons to have craft events. We provide the materials, but really, I'm just making sure nobody is cutting their hair or gluing themselves together. I think it's important to have events where the programmer is very involved. This is the best way to interact with the kids. You get to have fun and play and then you are seen as more fun I think. 

The only pitfall I see in doing this is that sometimes it's hard to incorporate all age groups which can deter families from coming. You may feel as though you need multiple events of the same kind to bring in all ages. For me, I feel like a family event is the best idea. Children who are old enough can participate on their own but the younger kids can have a parent or caregiver stay and help them. It's family time but it's also something to be hands on and relaxing. Kids need a break sometimes. They want to let loose and go crazy and I want the library to be the place to encourage that.

- Doing passive and DIY programs has been a work in progress for our library.  Our patrons are getting used to the idea of not having something guided so much and being able to come in and participate throughout the month with a more passive program and or just sitting down and doing a fun activity as part of a DIY program.  These types of programs are becoming more and more popular I think because this allows our patrons to not be tied down to a particular time frame.  People are more and more busy now a days and still like to participate but not neccessarly at the times we would offer programs.  

I don't have a hestiation in offering all three types of programs at our library, I think this offers our patrons a wide variety of activities that they can still take part in as part of their library experience.  

SLP Zen

Image

The class shared ways that they worked to calm summer madness at their libraries.

SIMPLIFY 
Over the years I have learned to "loosen up" about [summer] story time. We make it very simple and not too many "rules". First off all, it makes it easier for the staff. When there is only one person on duty at a time during the rest of the week it can get stressful if the staff has to keep track of a bunch of details and steps. We have volunteers who take over during program days, freeing up the staff member to concentrate on the other library services. We made the reading slips/reward very simple to deal with. We have timed slips-each a different color. It doesn't matter if the child does it in a day or a week or more. When they turn in that slip, we have a box with a same colored slip attached to it and that is the reward for that reading slip. We have a counter in the back of the circ desk where the different boxes for each reward are lined up so the staff member can easily know which reward to give out. I have also learned to do very general themed story times so I am not too locked in to a theme that finds you obsessing over trying to find an activity to fit into the theme. It's amazing how many 5 letter words can be found to set to the song BINGO so you can easily have a song for a theme. ( last week's H-E-A-R-T - for Valentines day for example or P-I-Z-Z-A is a food I like to eat-save a bite for me) I also feel that when we went to timed reading it was better for the kids- after a school year of "having to read a particular thing" it is great that with timed reading we give the kids a chance to read what they want to read- we can help develop the fun of reading that way.

PRIZES? 
In Wisconsin, our Department of Public Instruction consultant is trying to emphasis that we shouldn't put all of our eggs in one basket for the summer library program which typically runs 8-12 weeks. She likes to ask, "What about the rest of the year?" Some of our librarians are considering ditching the cheap summer reading prizes and just going with a book for a prize at the end of summer reading. I am still trying to figure out why we put all of this pressure on ourselves to put on a show every summer? Who is demanding this? Does our community even notice? 

DIY

Over the past few years we simplified record keeping of books read or minutes read, that was one stress reliever. We make it fun for the younger kids to track their reading success by using die cuts and having them decorate the library with die cuts for each book or for every 5 books read.  They love to do this and helps in keeping the library fun and decorated throughout the summer months.  

I have also gone to more of the DIY programs for families.  Our summer school schedule for our district has under gone several changes, the biggest one is this years summer school schedule.  So it is easier to plan one or two scheduled events and then having several DIY programs throughout the summer for families to participate in on a given day throughout the day.  Some of the programs we have set up for DIY are Minecraft day, Digital Photography Scavenger Hunt, Loom bracelets, art activities, and Lego builds.  

ONE DAY OFF 

I will always plan one day during the week of Summer Reading with NOTHING to do--no programs, no entertainers--nothing.  This day is usually Friday.  We run two sessions per day, Monday -  Thursday for different age groups to check-in, listen to a story or two and complete a craft.  These days might also include a special program in the evening.  Fridays are for de-stressing, straightening the department to re-connect with our collection, and if needed, prep for the next week.  It is so nice to have this day to look forward to!

We also bring in teen volunteers to help with our weekly sessions.  They help with check-in, playing games, and helping hand out/clean up craft supplies.  It is a huge help to have the extra set of hands!

COMMUNITY HELP 

...something I am doing that hasn't been done so much in the past is incorporating outside community help. Nothing is set in stone yet since it's only February, but I've been making connections and talking to some community members in the school about them possibly helping me do programming this summer. I don't have many volunteers and our staff is always very busy with their own duties. I've spoken to the guidance counselor at our elementary school about offering free yoga sessions for kids this summer, to a local therapy dog owner about bringing her dog in for the kids to read to, to the middle school media specialist about doing some sort of two session program, and some of my teen advisory board members about running programs that they're interested in, like Pokemon. Not only would this keep the weeks filled with fun and interesting things, it would also help keep the pressure off me to facilitate all of these activities. Yes, I need to make the initial contact, but once the semantics are figured out, it's up to them. I am loving this so far because I moved to a small town of 2,900 people and knew no one, and this is giving me an opportunity to make connections with others in the community who serve children. I also think this will be a great stepping stone for collaborating with the schools so they'd be more open to letting me come visit classes or advertise our programs. 

GET A GRIP

In previous years, the children's librarian ran herself ragged trying to make sure all the kids have events each week and this and that and on and on.  This year will be my first summer reading programming. I don't want to be stressed out. I don't handle stress well. I have one to two programs a week planned. I only have 2 paid performances that will happen and there is only one project for each age group that I will be putting together completely by myself. We are not doing weekly prizes this year. One because they are a pain and two because they are generally cheap prizes that either get broken or lost. Instead, we are saving that money for incredible end prizes. 

I have to say, my director has pretty well given me free reign to operate any way I want as long as I have a well thought out plan. She hasn't said no to a single idea yet. And I think that the less we overplan and stress out, the better a program runs anyways. We can tell when the host is a mess. It's not fun for the kids when programs are like that. So we are doing all a favor by calming down and just having some fun instead of spending so much without really having it to spend or driving ourselves crazy.

Take a Break 2

Image Source

One of the students, Laura Bultman, a children's librarian in suburban New Jersey was of several minds on breaks. Here are her thoughts:

Breaks in programming are tricky for me to pull off. 

I am of several minds, here (I am large, I contain multitudes.). On the one hand, I love having a steady story time so that parents can think "oh, it's Tuesday, there's Story Time", even if they haven't been to the library in a while. On the other hand, once I get deep in to programming, I have very very little time for all the other things I have to do: collection development, room maintenance, outreach, etc. 

On the third hand, I desperately need breaks in order to prep for the next series of programs and to do all the things that I don't get a chance to do when I'm heavily programming. 

And on the fourth hand, when am I supposed to take vacation? I know that's a personal thing and not directly related to programming breaks exactly, but since I am a department of one, if I'm not here then there are no programs so vacation time is essentially a program break. 

All this to say: I take three breaks a year: end of December into January, June, and end of August into September. Each break is about four weeks long and I take a break from programming entirely. This January, I put out Book Bundles to ease the transition, but I don't do any other programs at all. 

I take some vacation time with each break (a week at most), which shortens the time I have to do all the prep/collection work I intend to do and then I find myself rushed again to get everything together in time. 

I hesitate to ask for a longer break, though, because the board has raised their eyebrows at the breaks I do take. They haven't complained, but they haven't been receptive enough that I feel comfortable pushing for more. I also end up with families in the library asking "Oh, didn't story time start again today?" and I hate letting them down.

But I can't over-emphasize the importance of taking breaks. Really. Last January, I weeded the entire non-fiction collection and moved several sections to improve visibility and library flow. This January, I weeded several sections, repurposed some old magazine shelving, changed the shelves you see when you enter the children's room, and revamped the parenting section.

Ok, this is long enough. Take breaks! If you figure out how, let me know....

Take a Break 1

Pixabay Image

We spent some time discussing creating balance and structure in our program planning. One aspect of the discussion involved the efficacy of taking program breaks. Should we? Shouldn't we? And if we do, what  is our experience - and our patrons' responses? Here's what the class had to say:

- ... in my previous library, the children's librarian offered storytimes in semesters. Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall. She took 2-3 weeks off to do school visits, prep and refresh for the next 'semester' and take vacation time. In the beginning, she was worried about taking breaks so would just put some crafts out in the storytime room just in case families showed up for storytime. But over time parents learn and adapt. Besides, Parks and Rec doesn't offer Pilates or water aerobics 52 weeks a year so I don't see why libraries should feel they have to?

- I actually like the idea of setting out some crafts in the storytime room when storytime is on break. While it wouldn't be a full break then, it would still give families something to do in the transition.With the internet, it's so easy to find super simple crafts these days. 

- I don't think it's always that the librarians feel they have to offer programming all the time as much as it is a board or community misunderstanding. In my old library, my director felt strongly that breaks of any kind in programming were bad for the children and the families in our community. Her only exception to that was the week between Christmas and New Year's because we weren't open most of those days anyway. It got to the point where I wasn't allowed to take vacation on days when we had programs, and we had programs every day I worked, so I went to the board for some help. It turned out that she was telling me I had to program every day and couldn't take breaks because that's what the board was saying. I talked to them about burn out and the need to plan programs in advance, and they realized that breaks weren't such a bad idea. I still didn't take many breaks, but we followed the school calendar for programming, with an 8 week summer reading program as well. It worked well for that community.

- I usually take a 2 or 3 week break before Christmas through the New Year. Parents are so busy right before the holidays and the weather is usually iffy right after so it works great. I also break the story time off at the end of April and take the month of May off-for preparing for the summer reading programs and then start story time up in June. Also we usually take August off from story time- staff vacations, family vacations etc are that month and then we start up when school starts as families are back on a schedule. I haven't had any complaints about the breaks.

- When our Youth Librarian quit, we took about a 5 month break. We just started programs again Monday night. I think for us it was a wonderful thing. This gave us time to rethink the way things were going and also to think of new programs as well. I understand that sometimes it's difficult to take breaks. Sometimes it's tradition and sometimes it's expectation. However, I'm only 26. I plan to do this for many more years and so I know that breaks are important. We do three weeks of storytime and then week off. We also switch between toddlers and preschoolers. I also don't think it's a bad idea to throw in breaks close to holidays when you know everyone will be busy or out of town. I intend to incorporate breaks for my own sanity to be honest.

- It is hard to take breaks.  I guess I'm afraid that if I lose momentum, the parents will forget all about us and never come back!  But seriously, I am afraid to take breaks.  However, this year around Christmas,  I actually took 10 days off to spend with my family.  And, knowing that, I started our preschool programs a week later than usual in January.  The outcome?  I came back refreshed and ready to go, and, believe it or not, all the parents came back with their kids, too! :) I used to feel obligated to have one or two programs over Christmas break to give the kids something to do--not anymore.  I realized that by taking a break I'm doing right by the patrons, because Ms. Jen comes back rested and ready to work.  I'm glad I tried the longer break this year, and will definitely do it again next Christmas.

- I think the practice of taking breaks goes back to the question of why do we program? If we are programming to entertain, breaks would be devastating. Take a break in this scenario and the audience might leave for somewhere else. If we see programming as a way to engage patrons in discovery/literacy/reading support, a break just means inviting the patrons the do this discovery/literacy work on their own. When we look at why we program and examine other reasons we might use to approach programming and what that model might look like it opens up the possibility of more balance. When I first started out as a librarian, I had fears of "The No-Returning-Patrons". Through experience I discovered, this simply didn't happen. Even when I worked in a metropolitan area with seven libraries in seven contiguous but independent communities (each library was within 1-3 miles of two-three other libraries!), breaks didn't drive our patrons away. They always came back. It taught me that my anxiety over this issue was mostly an illusion. And it gave me the knowledge that I could achieve a better balance with my other duties and home life to make sure I still had a variety of offerings without running like the Energizer Bunny (TM) throughout the year!