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We transformed our library into an interactive intergalactic playground for 6 hours, and it was an epic display as to how the library is not just about books, but about the community which we serve.

Star Wars Reads Day is the love child of Web Librarian, Merry Mao. She has been running an annual Star Wars event for four years, with each year better than the last. With the ALSC Curiosity Creates Grant, Star Wars Day transcended from awesome into epic. This year 95% of staff dressed in some type of costume or Star Wars gear and the enthusiasm was electric.

As many of you already know, Star Wars Reads Day is a nation-wide celebration of reading that is sanctioned by Lucas Films. Traditionally held in October, we at Fairfield Public Library decided to push the date for our celebration to December 12th in order to capture the excitement surrounding the release of The Force Awakens on December 18, 2015. (This also gave us more time to prepare!)

We approached the Curiosity Creates grant and the Star Wars Reads Day event with a “we’re all in approach”—as in, incorporating all seven critical components of creativity as discussed in The Center for Childhood Creativity white paper, “Inspiring a Generation to Create: Critical Components of Creativity in Children.” This “all in” also meant that the entire Library staff needed to be “all in” for both preparation and participation. Some of the activities were preparation heavy—especially crafts for the preschoolers, while others required virtually no prep work at all, like the Wookiee Sound Alike Contest.

We had 25 events listed in our brochure that taxed library staff and participants’ creativity (…and some that didn’t); however, here are the patron and staff favorites:

• Skywalker Short Story Contest (Communication & Self-Expression): Students in grades 1-12 were invited to enter a short story in either written or video format. They were judged by staff on their creativity and other elements and honored at our Royal Awards Ceremony.
• BB-8 Droid Maze (Decision-Making): We created a 13’x13’ cardboard maze for the patrons to navigate with Sphero BB-8 Droids.
• LEGO Ewok Village (Collaboration): We provided two complete sets of the LEGO Ewok Village sets and let the patrons work together to play and create a village.
• Jedi Lightsaber Training (Action & Movement): We partnered with the Fairfield Kempo Academy of Martial Arts to offer patrons “lightsaber training” sessions.
• Pod-Racing (Decision-Making): Patrons used a pre-set selection of materials to build a pod-racer that they then raced down ramps.
• Terrestrial Terrariums (Imagination & Originality): Partnering with a local florist, we provided materials for patrons to create terrariums based on Star Wars locations.
• Make Your Own Lightsaber: We provide the cardboard tubes and colored paper, and patrons provide the interpretation.

We had over 1,200 participants at our Star Wars Reads Day in December. It was by far the most successful event our library has hosted in terms of involvement from the community and the library staff. The enthusiasm of those on the Curiosity Create Committee and the staff, the attention to detail by Librarian Mao, the willingness to cut thousands of foam pieces and a myriad of other menial, but necessary tasks are the elements that made this day a resounding success.

(All pictures courtesy guest blogger)

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Kristina Lareau is a Children’s Librarian at the Fairfield (CT) Public Library. She earned an MS in Library Science and an MA in Children’s Literature from Simmons College in Boston. She loves Harry Potter, picturebooks, making large elaborate book displays and read over 350 books on last year. She has two well-trained cats, a dog and a husband.

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 [email protected].

The post Star Wars Reads Day: A Creative Exploration appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Día Turns 20 in 2016! Image courtesy of ALSC.

Have you already started planning for your big Día Turns 20 Celebration? April 30 of 2016 marks 20 years of the celebration of Día as the connection of children and books, so ALSC has a funding opportunity to make the celebration even bigger!

Applications for 20 mini-grants of $2,000 are now available. ALSC members in public libraries within 20 miles of a Dollar General retail or corporate location are welcome to apply. Start thinking about how your library would like to celebrate 20 years of connecting children with diverse books and apply now!

Applications are due Monday, February 22, 2016.

The post Apply Now for Día Turns 20 Mini-Grants appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Is your library’s children’s book collection languishing for lack of funds?

There’s still time to apply for a 2016 Bookapalooza Grant!

Each year the ALSC office receives almost 3,000 newly published books, videos, audio books, and recordings from children’s trade publishers. The materials are primarily for children age birth through fourteen and are submitted to ALSC award and media evaluation selection committees for award and notables consideration. After each ALA Midwinter Meeting in January, these materials (published in the preceding year) need to be removed from the ALSC office to make room for a new year of publications.

The Bookapalooza Program was created to find new homes for these materials. ALSC will select three libraries to receive a Bookapalooza collection of materials to be used in a way that creatively enhances their library service to children and families.

Applying for a Bookapalooza grant involves demonstrating your library’s need and showing how the influx of materials will enhance service to your community.
One tip to potential applicants: We are looking for creative and innovative ways to use the collection, but we are hoping that the books will enhance your library service for years to come, rather than merely serve as give-aways.

Find out more about the grant criteria and application requirements at http://www.ala.org/alsc/bookapalooza-program

Applications close on February 1, 2016.

— Sondra Eklund for the ALSC Grants Administration Committee

The post There’s still time to apply for a 2016 Bookapalooza Grant! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Get your application in for an ALSC professional award today! (image courtesy ALSC)

November 1 is a significant deadline for three ALSC professional awards. Fall is professional award season for ALSC. Every year, more than $100,000 is given away through ALSC’s professional awards, grants, and scholarships. These funds are awarded to deserving individuals and libraries across the country. Submit your application or nomination for one of these great awards soon:

Applications open!

• Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship – Due Nov. 1, 2015
• ALSC Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Grant – Due Nov. 1, 2015
• The Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award – Due Nov. 1, 2015
• ALSC Distinguished Service Award – Due Dec. 1, 2015
• Light the Way: Library Outreach to the Underserved Grant – Due Dec. 1, 2015

Opening soon!

• Bookapalooza

The post Final Week to Apply for Three ALSC Professional Awards appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Are you a children’s librarian with great ideas, but a lack of resources?

Consider applying for an ALSC grant!  Applications are now open for the 2016 Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award and the 2016 Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Grant.

The Maureen Hayes Award is designed to provide funding for a visit from an author/illustrator who will speak to children who have not had the opportunity to hear a nationally known author/illustrator.

The Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Grant is designed to encourage reading programs for children in public libraries, and to recognize ALSC members for outstanding program development.  Innovative proposals involving children with physical or mental disabilities are especially encouraged.

Applications for both grants are due by November 1, 2015.  Details and how to apply are found at http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/profawards/hayesaward and http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/profawards/bakertaylor.

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Today’s guest post was written by Sondra Eklund, this year’s Grants Administration Committee Chair.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].

The post Grant Applications are Open! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

The Picture Communication Symbols ©1981-2015 by DynaVox Mayer-Johnson LLC. Used with permission.

Is your library looking to expand services to patrons with autism, but you are in need of funding to get your project started? Look no further than this new grant opportunity “Autism Welcome Here: Library Programs, Services and More.”

This grant honors the groundbreaking work of Libraries and Autism co-founder Meg Kolaya for her contributions in promoting inclusion, connecting libraries and the autism community, and bringing awareness of the needs of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families to the library community.  This opportunity is funded by Barbara Klipper, librarian and author of Programming for Children and Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ALA Editions, 2014) and The Secret Rules of Social Networking (AAPC Publishing, 2015), a one-of-a-kind resource for teens and young adults with ASD or other social skills deficits that outlines the unstated rules that guide relationships in the real world and online as well.

Any type of library can apply and the proposal can fund projects and services for any age group. Applicants may propose to initiate a new, creative program or service, bring an already-existing, successful program or service to their library for the first time, or enhance a program or service they already offer.  Each year, a total of $5,000.00 will be awarded. Depending on the applications received, one grant for the full amount or multiple grants for smaller amounts totaling $5,000.00 may be awarded. All programs or services proposed must benefit people with autism or their families, directly or indirectly. Funds may be used to hire a trainer to present a workshop, to buy program materials, to pay for staff, etc.

What to make sure that your grant has what it takes to be selected? Here are things to keep in mind when drafting your application:

• Make sure the project is clearly described and well thought out.
• Don’t forget to garner institutional support for the program or service.
• Include people with autism, family members or other community stakeholders as involved members in the development and/or implementation of the project.
• Develop your project or program so that it would be replicable in other communities.
• Base your program or service on an understanding of the needs of people with autism and/or best practices in working with this population.
• Your service or program should be sustainable after the end of the grant period.

The grant period is now open, so please apply online here! Completed applications must be submitted by December 1, 2015. The winner(s) will be notified by March 1, 2016. The grant funding period is April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017.

Looking for other grant opportunities to serve other special populations? Don’t forget about ALSC/Candlewick Press “Light the Way” Grant. Stay tuned–2016 applications will open later in the fall of 2015!

The post Announcing New Grant! Autism Welcome Here: Library Programs, Services, and More appeared first on ALSC Blog.

In April Rochester Public Library (MN) launched the BookBike outreach program. RPL’s BookBike, a little library on wheels, will visit locations within a one-mile radius of the downtown library this spring, summer and fall. Pulled by library staff on bicycles, RPL’s BookBike offers library books, library cards, program information, assistance with digital materials, bike trail maps and fun incentives for kids.

The BookBike is in its infant stages, but we are already making a difference in our community. We are connecting with residents who would not have thought to enter the library doors, promoting biking as a transportation option, and creating positive relationships with kids and their grown ups. We are looking forward to a summer full of fun, biking and pedaling good books. (Get it?)

In order to staff the BookBike we have made some hard choices about in-house programming, ultimately deciding to put the bulk of our summer efforts into outreach. We have a full schedule for May and June, with the rest of the summer expected to fill up soon. We don’t operate on a regular schedule, but work around special events and activities and fill in other days with visits to local grocery stores, parks and other locations.

The BookBike project was funded in part with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, through a Community Collaboration grant from Southeast Libraries Cooperating (SELCO).

The post RPL BookBike: Shifting Gears, It’s How We Roll appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Build STEAM with Día Mini-Grants (image courtesy ALSC)

ALSC is now accepting mini-grant applications for libraries through the Día initiative. Mini-grants will be used to initiate a Building STEAM with Día program in libraries. Programs will focus on bringing culturally diverse and appropriate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) activities to awarded communities. Up to 20 mini-grants will be awarded at $1,500 each.

Mini-grant awardees will also be invited to attend ALSC’s Diversity Forum which will be held at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting on Friday, January 30, 2015 in Chicago. Awardees will receive a $500 travel stipend to attend.

Intended as an expansion of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Día), the mini-grants will be awarded to libraries that demonstrate a need to better address the diverse backgrounds within their communities and demonstrate interest in hosting culturally diverse and appropriate STEAM programs.

The mini-grants are part of the Everyone Reads @ your library grant awarded to ALSC from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. In addition to these mini-grants, funding from this grant will also allow ALSC to host a National Diversity Forum and create additional resources including a Building STEAM with Día Booklist and Toolkit.

The application deadline is 5pm CST on Wednesday, October 17, 2014.

Please review the below documents prior to applying to this grant.

Grant Fact Sheet
Grant Requirements and Guidelines
Grant Application

Do you have an innovative new program or service that requires funding? Are you looking to serve an underserved part of your community more fully?  The ALSC/Candlewick Press “Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved” Grant is a great opportunity for your library!

The Light the Way Grant was formed in honor of Newbery Medalist and Geisel Honoree author Kate DiCamillo. The spirit of the award honors the themes represented in her books.  The award itself consists of a $3,000 grant to assist a library in conducting exemplary outreach to underserved populations through a new program or an expansion of work already being done. So, whether yours is a new idea or one that has already been put into place, your library would be eligible.

The  ALSC Library Service to Special Population Children and Their Caregivers Committee has the honor of selecting the winner. Special population children may include those who have learning or physical differences, those who speak English as a second language, those who are in a non-traditional school environment, those who live in foster care settings, those who are in the juvenile justice system, those who live in gay and lesbian families, those who have teen parents, and those who need accommodation service to meet their needs.

Be inspired by the impact and the work of the 2014 ALSC/Candlewick Press “Light the Way” current grant winner. Don’t forget to check back on the ALSC website for the most current grant application to be available soon!

Hows does the Public Awareness Committee help to promote library services and cultural diversity in programs to children? As youth services librarians, we are busy with the day to day task of providing wonderful reference service, homework help, book recommendations, and planning early literacy programs. At time we all feel overwhelmed and think, “How can we ever juggle one more responsibility?”. This is where the PAC come in with lots of ready-made ideas that an individual can evaluate and curtail to their unique library and community needs. Several of the tools shared below will be great jumping off points that are very accessible and will get your creative juices flowing!

One main initiative that PAC extends support for is the celebrating of El Día de los niños/El día de los libros, Children’s Book Day, which is traditionally celebrated on April 30. Founded by the children’s book author Pat Mora in 1996, Día honors the power and pleasure of books and reading all year long by promoting programs that honor multiculturalism, often culminating in a spring fiesta! As an expansion of this, libraries have an opportunity to participate in the Día Family Book Club. Up to 15 mini-grants of $2000 will be awarded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to public libraries who demonstrate a need to better address diversity within their community. For more information and the application form, visit our grant page here. The deadline for grant applications is November 30, 2013.

Whether you plan a big community extravaganza or just a small branch program, Día involves beginning somewhere! Here are a few places to look that would be most helpful in getting started. The very detailed ALSC Día website provides a wonderful booklist and lots of other great resources for programming.  The PAC is maintaining a great Pinterest presence with various boards categorized by country which provide suggestions for wonderful cultural crafts and cooking activities. Follow our pins on the Día: Diversity in Action page. Día also has a Facebook page which promotes multicultural book titles, extension activities and author interviews. Be sure to like us on Facebook here! Now all you have to do is get started!

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Debby Gold is a Librarian at the Parma Heights Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Ohio and is writing this post for the Public Awareness Committee. She is also the Public Awareness Commitee Chair. You can reach her at [email protected].

My library system is considering offering Innovation Mini-Grants to librarians (children, YA, and adult) who have a fabulous idea for a program or service but need some funds to cover equipment, materials, and supplies.  This would be similar to the California State Library’s “Pitch an Idea” – but the amount of money awarded would smaller, up to $1500 or so.

The idea behind these mini-grants is that truly relevant and creative ideas tend to come from the front lines, not the administrative offices, of library systems.  If we provide money and encouragement (and clear away the red tape), we’ll be creating fertile ground for exciting experiments that would never happen if we relied on top-down innovation.

I’m ineligible for these internal mini-grants, since I don’t work with the public directly (yep, I’m one of those behind-the-scenes middle managers).  But oh boy, that hasn’t stopped me from dreaming about what projects I would do if I were a children’s librarian in one of our 72 busy branches or Central Library!  Here are a few ideas, all tied at least tangentially to the Collaborative Summer Library Program theme “Dream Big – READ”:

• I’d partner with a local organization that promotes educating youth about digital media to offer a free series of library workshops on “Dream Your Library.”  I’d provide a handful of cheap video cameras and maybe some video editing software, plus the room for the workshop; my partner would provide staff or volunteers to teach kids ages 9 to 12 how to shoot and edit video and photos.  At the end of the series (4 weekly sessions, maybe?), the kids will have made one or more collaborative multi-media projects on their dream of a perfect library, which we could put on our website for all to see.  Inspiration – Mobile Stories at the San Diego Public Library (among many others)

Or…

• I’d create a series of preschool STEM Storytimes, each with a special kit that would include not the books for that particular theme but also a manual for the storyteller, craft supplies, and materials for experiments and activities.  Themes could include Colors, Patterns, Growing Things, Sticky Stuff, and many more.  Kits could be available not just for children’s librarians but could be lent out to preschool teachers and daycare providers as well.   Inspiration – there are plenty of great models, but to name just a couple – the Exploration Kits at the Urbana Free Library and  Mother Goose Programs kits . (oh, were you wondering what the “Dream Big” connection might be?  There could be a kit about space and the night sky!)

• Oh, and I’d love to put together a partnership between the library and an organization serving teen parents in order to start a series of early literacy storytimes especially tailored to teens (like San Diego Public Library’s Cuddle Up and Read, among many others – check out an archived version of a webinar on this program).  We could call it Dream Babies… okay, that’s a bit weak – but I’m sure there’s potential there for a great dream connection!

As you see, none of these programs are super-new ideas; they’ve been done before.  But they would be new to my library system – and giving an energetic and committed librarian the means and support to offer a new program at the local level might be just the beginning of a system-wide program that would have an impact throughout ou

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is seeking applications for the Bookapalooza Program, the ALSC/BWI Summer Reading Program Grant, the Penguin Young Readers Group Award, and the Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award. These grants and awards will provide enrichment to libraries in the form of author or illustrator programming, resources for improving collections, attendance at ALA Annual Conference and support for summer reading programming.

Bookapalooza Program offers a potpourri of materials that will help transform three library collections and provide opportunities for these materials to be used in communities in creative and innovative ways. Materials include newly published books, videos, audio books, and recordings for children ages birth to fourteen years.

ALSC/BWI Summer Reading Program Grant provides $3,000 in financial assistance to support and encourage summer reading programming for children ages birth to fourteen years. Please note that innovative programming that provides for children with physical or mental disabilities is encouraged.

The Penguin Young Readers Group Award provides a $600 stipend to assist four children’s librarians to attend their first ALA Annual Conference.

The Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award awards $4,000 for a library visit by a nationally recognized author/illustrator. This award, established by Simon and Schuster, to honor Maureen Hayes gives children who have not had the opportunity to meet an author or illustrator. Cooperation between organizations such as other libraries and the local community is required.

Information and the application forms are available on the ALSC’s Professional Awards site or call Dan Rude at (800) 545-2433 ext 2164. Applications must be received by December 1, 2011. Applicants must be members of ALSC and will be asked for their membership number on the application. Contact the chair of the ALSC Grant Administration committee, Nancy Baumann.

Winners will be announced via a press release on the ALSC website shortly after ALA Midwinter Meeting in early January. The Bookapalooza Program winners will be announced via a press release issued by the ALA Public Information Office in February 2012. Recipients will also be notified by phone.

**Although not for children’s libraries, this information may be beneficial to your library’s other departments.  Feel free to pass along.  Thanks!

In January 2010, the American Library Association (ALA) received a two-year grant of $750,000 from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for “The American Dream Starts @ your library.” This funding makes it possible for ALA to fund 70 public libraries in Dollar General communities to develop literacy programs for adult English language learners.

To be eligible for funding, the applicant institution must be a public library, or a public library with a bookmobile providing literacy services for adult English language learners, and must be within 20 miles of a Dollar General Store, distribution center or corporate office. Each funded library will receive a onetime $5,000 grant.

Applications for funding are being accepted online through Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010. Selected applicants will be notified in early April, 2010.  To learn more about the American Dream Starts @ your library, the library grants and to apply online, please visit www.americandreamtoolkit.org.

Dollar General is a Partner in the Campaign for America’s Libraries (www.ala.org/@yourlibrary), ALA’s public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

In 2007, the American Library Association received a similar grant from Dollar General, the Tennessee-based corporation, for mini-grants aimed at helping public libraries expand literacy services to adult English-language learners. In 2008, ALA funded 34 public libraries in 18 states serving communities from under 850 to more than 1 million. Libraries used these funds to expand multi-lingual print and digital literacy collections, improve technology, build mobile language labs, add literacy programs and services, develop training manuals, produce outreach videos,  and train tutors. For additional information about the funded libraries visit http://www.americandreamtoolkit.org/programs.html.

In the following video, Dale Lipschultz, literacy officer with the ALA’s Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, talks about the grant.

YouTube Direktvideo link

Take a chance on art and help Texas libraries by buying a raffle ticket (or several) for the Texas Disaster Relief Fund. The site includes a link for printing out the raffle ticket and tickets may be purchased by anyone anywhere. This is a great opportunity to win a fabulous piece of art for your library or your personal collection while helping a great cause.

This year’s piece was donated by Susan L. Roth. In the piece, big white mouse and little brown mouse are tending a garden of flowers on the May pages in Susan L. Roth’s charming board book for preschoolers, My Love for You All Year Round (Dial, 2004). The original artwork for this spread, donated by the artist, is a multi-layered collage of colored and textured papers rich in color, shading, and detail.

Susan L. Roth is an author and illustrator of more than 40 books, including a recent collaboration with Greg Mortenson to create Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea. Through text and collages of paper and fabric from around the world, Roth and Mortenson share the story of his school-building initiatives in Pakistan.

The Texas Library Disaster Relief Fund was created in 1999 to provide funds to help Texas libraries that have suffered natural and other disasters.

I’m a member of this organization for mystery writers and readers and was delighted to see that they are supporting libraries. There are many wonderful authors, including many authors of books for children and teens, who could be the focus for a library display.

http://www.sistersincrime.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=53

Sisters in Crime is pleased to announce the first “We Love Libraries” lottery. Monthly grants of $1,000 will be awarded from January through December 2010. At the end of each month, a winner will be drawn from entries received at our website at www.sistersincrime.org. Only U.S. libraries may enter the drawing.

To enter, simply complete the entry form and upload a photo of one or more of your staff with three books in your collection by Sisters in Crime members. You can find a list of members on the website.

After the random drawing on the last business day of the month, the winning library will be contacted and announced. All branches within a larger system may enter; however, once a library in the system has won, no other libraries within that system can win the grant. Those not successful in one month will automatically be entered for subsequent drawings. Grants must be used to purchase books and may not be used for general operating expenses. Book purchases are NOT restricted to the mystery genre nor to those by Sisters in Crime members. There is no cost or obligation other than allowing us to post winners’ photos on our website.

All libraries are welcome to enter. If you have Sisters in Crime author mysteries in your collection we would love for you to enter this money giveaway.

We at Sisters in Crime LOVE our libraries and want to see them thrive. Enter for your library’s chance to win beginning January 1, 2010 at www.sistersincrime.org.

If you have any questions please contact Beth Wasson, [email protected].