Unprogramming and Blogging at the Missouri Library Association Conference

At the end of last week, I drove back down to Missouri for the 2014 Missouri Library Association Conference. I was slated to present twice on the last morning of the conference, each time with a former colleague.

My former branch colleague, Angie Soetebier-McDonnell, and I gave a presentation on our experiences with unprogramming within our branch. Angie still focuses primarily on teen services at the branch, and while I worked there I did lots of school-age programming in addition to other responsibilities. After Marge Loch-Wouters and I developed the concept of unprogramming (unpacked in a series of posts beginning here), Angie and I talked about it at length. It's a programming philosophy and strategy that minimizes library costs--staff planning time, purchasing supplies, etc.--while engaging youth participants at least as much, if not more than, traditional programs. That's what Angie and I presented: ways to use unprogramming in lots of youth and teen library contexts, as well as a number of program examples. Our slides are below.

Unprogramming for Kids & Teens: High-impact Programs, Low-impact Planning from Amy Koester

The second presentation was with Sarah Bean Thompson. We cheekily gave the presentation as the Green Bean Teen Queen (Sarah) and the Show Me Librarian (me), because those are our blog aliases--our presentation was all about getting started blogging. As Sarah and I crafted the presentation, we reflected on our own experiences with blogging and thought what a new blogger might need/want to know. The result is the "First-Time Blogging in 10 Steps" list that we discussed, step-by-step, in our session. The full slides are below, including lists of exemplar blogs on the final few slides. If you've got any questions about blogging--or about writing guest posts--please feel free to contact either Sarah or myself! It's an offer we extended to our program audience, and we're happy to extend it to you, too.

So You Want to Blog: The Hows, Whats, and Whys of Creating Your Own Space on the Internet from Amy Koester

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Thanks to the organizers of the 2014 Missouri Library Association Conference for your work and hospitality!

My Favorite Takeaways from MLA #molib2013

In addition to co-hosting Guerrilla Storytime and presenting a breakout session on Digital Story Times, I got to attend many a quality, thought-provoking session at the 2013 Missouri Library Association Conference. I left with oodles of ideas, some with potential for immediate implementation, and others for future initiatives. Here are my favorites:

For Immediate Implementation:
Get/Make a sensory blanket for babies. This simple and brilliant idea was shared, as a brief part of a larger idea, by Stephanie Smallwood of Springfield-Greene County Library District during her session on taking early literacy to outreach. Sensory blankets are soft quilt-like blankets, with patches and sections of fabrics with different textures and sensory features sewn into the main blanket fabric. Think a touch-and-feel board book in quilt form, ready to be taken anywhere, laid on the floor, and machine-washed when needed. Genius.

Create a designated science area for children, and operate it thoughtfully. I'm taking Stephanie Smallwood's broad preschool STEM idea and applying in more broadly and with more specifics. In my carved-out science space in the branch, I'll keep the science items/theme consistent for an entire month. Use rocks as an example: rocks will by at the science station all month long. For the first two weeks of the month, the station will be about engaging with rocks: lots of varieties so kids can explore what they look like and how they feel, and also including books on the topic to help kids (and caregivers) answer questions they may have. During the second two weeks of the month, the rocks will stay the same but additional elements will be added for experimenting with rocks: a scale to weigh, magnifying glasses to look closer, a tub of water to test buoyancy, for example. Over the course of a month, when a child may visit the library two or more times, he or she gets to first engage with the STEM concept and then experiment with it, allowing for deeper concept learning. There's no reason this strategy would apply only to preschoolers--I can think of many a school-age child who would be fascinated by said science station.

Use the Recaptains (recaptains.blogspot.com) for help catching patrons (or myself) up on series backstory before reading a new release. Enough said.

Keywords for database instruction with school partners are "easy" and "visual." Teachers are super busy with nary a spare moment in their schedules; if we want to entice them with databases and all they can do, we need to emphasize that we can provide tools to make aspects of their jobs easier. For students, be they elementary, middle, or high schoolers, visuals are important. Share the databases with visual interfaces and they'll be much more open to learning how to use them.

For Storing In the Library Brain Until a Later Date:
Partner with lots of community organizations to support early literacy initiatives, even those organizations that may seem less obvious. Stephanie Smallwood talked about some of her library's community partners, ranging from the traditional (WIC) to the less common but really smart (The Doula Foundation). There are many, many community organizations with potential to impact families in a positive way; the library should work with them.

Provide early literacy training for the staffs at partner organizations. The library has the potential to interact with families who utilize these organizations only while a library staff member is present and conducting outreach. Organization staff, on the other hand, have much larger windows of opportunity for interacting with these families--basically, anytime they visit. By providing early literacy training to the staff at partner organizations, not only do these staff get a greater understanding of why the library is involved, but they also develop their own skills and knowledge to share early literacy messages and resources with families during the course of their regular interactions.

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Have you been to a conference lately? What were your favorite takeaways?

Guerrilla Storytime at the 2013 MLA Conference #molib2013

I recapped for Storytime Underground the Guerrilla Storytime that took place last week at the 2013 Missouri Library Association Conference in St. Louis. Between the twenty-odd participants, great questions and idea-sharing, and recycling bin filled with ice and beer, it was a mighty productive evening. Check out the recap on the Storytime Underground blog!

Digital Story Times: A Presentation at the 2013 MLA Conference

Last Thursday afternoon, I spoke to a room (which was quite full, excitingly!) of librarians and library advocates on the topic of digital story times. As my slides indicate, we touched on quite a few important topics with regard to new media in a story time setting. Some of our big topics:

• joint media engagement and the growing consensus that the "screen" part of "screen time" isn't as important as the intentionality of use;
• the importance of finding the appropriate balance of digital elements in a program, all based on your library's needs, audience size, audience age, program goals;
• the fact that a tablet in story time isn't a crazy, anomalous contraption, but just another tool for the toolkit;
• and ways to use digital media in story time settings, both in existing programs and in new initiatives made possible by new media.

At the end of the session, in addition to answering some questions about the logistical aspects of using new media in the library and our state's great tech mini-grants, I mentioned my handout. This handout is packed with resources for finding helpful app reviews, useful program plans and ideas, and apps that promote the 5 early literacy practices. If you're interested in seeing this handout, complete with links to everything I mention, click here.

Thank you to everyone who attended my Digital Story Times session; I hope anyone with an interest in the topic of new media and early literacy will get in touch with any questions or follow-up thoughts.

Without further ado, my slidedeck:

Digital Story Times from Amy Koester

What's Happening at the 2013 Missouri Library Association Conference #molib2013

This time next week, I'll be getting my things together and heading into St. Louis for the 2013 Missouri Library Association Conference. I'm looking forward to a number of things at the conference, both the professional learning opportunities and networking with friends and colleagues. I'll be participating in the conference as facilitator and presenter at two events:

Wednesday, October 2, 7:00–9:00 p.m.
GUERRILLA STORY TIME
Location: Zermatt
Join fellow conference attendees for impromptu challenges and demonstrations as librarians get to show off their mad story time skills. The purpose of Guerrilla Story Time is twofold: 1) allow youth services librarians to get advice, new ideas, and inspiration from peers; and 2) demonstrate to non-youth services librarians that story time is much more than “just reading to kids.” Everyone is welcome to watch, and participation is encouraged!
Facilitators: Sarah Bean Thompson and Amy Koester
Sponsored By: YSCI

Thursday, October 3, 2:00–2:45 p.m.
DIGITAL STORY TIMES: ADDING TABLET TECHNOLOGY TO EARLY LITERACY PROGRAMS
Location: Lugano
Have you considered adding digital elements to your story times? Are you looking for research to justify purchasing a programming tablet for your library? Tablets are a story time tool just like a puppet or a ukulele; they allow library staff to develop children’s early literacy skills while engaging them and their caregivers in new ways. This session will explore the benefits of adding tablet technology to programs for preschool children. Participants will see demonstrations of ways to add digital elements to the story time programs they already offer, including creating and using digital felt stories, sharing books and apps with interactive elements, supplementing themed programs with non-fiction resources, and making songs and rhymes more accessible to audiences. The session will also highlight some of the exciting new programs libraries can offer when tablets are added to the story time toolbox.
Speaker: Amy Koester, Children’s Librarian, St. Charles City–County Library District
Sponsored By: YSCI

If you'll be at MLA, I hope you'll say hello!