Conference Share: Maryland Library Association - Morgan Stanton

Are Kids Reading Less, Or Is It Just Me?

I attended a presentation at the 2024 MLA/DLA Conference that was both terrific and
terrible. It was a wonderful presentation. What it presented was disturbing.
 
Marcus Zimalt is a librarian with Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Subjectively, it
seemed to him that not only were his students reading less, but even his own children. When he noticed (the few) kids reading it tended to be simplistic graphic novels or “comfort food” books, big on illustrations with basic vocabulary.
 
The data bore this out. Anne Arundel County Public Schools, with its mixture of
urban/suburban/rural families representing different races and income brackets, showed the
following statistics:
 
Total AACPS Fiction Checkouts by Year:
2013: 411, 381
2019: 388, 579
2023: 261, 414
 
This represents a 37% decrease since 2013, and a 33% decrease since Covid. As Marcus
Zimalt pointed out, students aren’t reading less so much since 2013 as they are since Covid-19.
 
Zimalt focused on the checkouts of Fiction because it engages the imagination, requiring
the reader to see the world through another’s point-of-view. It cultivates empathy along with critical thinking, sorely needed in a modern society bitterly divided.
 
Fiction circulation peaks in 4 th and 5 th grades, with the biggest drop occurring in the
transition to middle school. Here are the numbers: fiction circulation in 4 th and 5 th grades are over 53,000, dropping to 16, 823 in 6 th grade. The decline is steady in each successive grade until senior year, with 1,101 fiction checkouts. More second graders check out fiction books in one year than all high schoolers combined.
 
AACPS statistics reflect national trends. In 1984, 35% of 13 year-olds read for fun
“almost every day,” while 8% responded “almost never.” In the Stranger Things Opposite World
of 2020, only 17% of 13 year-olds read for fun, while 29% answered “almost never.”
 
There are gender differences. While both girls and boys read at an abysmal rate, the boys
are worse. Breaking down fiction circulation by gender, boys make up 43% of checkouts,
dropping to 36% in middle school and 30% in high school.
 
Zimalt points to two major factors contributing to the decline: the noxious combination of
lockdown and iPhone during the Covid-19 pandemic. Teenagers spend an average of 7 hours and
22 minutes a day in front of screens, not counting school-related work. This accounts for 43% of
their waking hours. He also speculated that some of the blame lies with our educational system
by quoting the following:
 
(When I was a kid) “the focus was on reading as many books as possible and engaging
emotionally with them as a way to develop the requisite skills. Now the focus on reading
analytically seems to be squashing that organic enjoyment….
 
This hyperfocus on analysis comes at a steep price: The love of books and storytelling is
being lost …
 
There’s a whole generation of kids who associate reading with assessment now.”
Katharine Marsh – The Atlantic.
 
From my experience, perhaps the library world bears some responsibility, too, with its
increased emphasis on “information services,” which is but a part of literacy and ultimately
wisdom.
 
I have been, and still am to some degree, an advocate of the notion that letting children
read whatever they want is the best way to cultivate lifelong readers, since they will associate
reading with “fun.” My daughter will be in sixth grade next year. When I was her age, I read
mostly comic books and pro-wrestling magazines. My son, currently in second grade, loves the
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series – wonderful books appropriate for an 8-year old. But Marcus
Zimalt convinced me that children also need gentle nudging. If they liked RL Stine, maybe
they’ll like Stephen King. The Shining was my first “real” horror book, and I read it when I was
twelve – maybe even eleven. It’s still one of my favorites.

Zimalt further recommends actively “selling” chapter books through book talks and eye-

catching J Fiction displays. Make sure these books with attractive covers face outward, create

book tables, and otherwise lose any guilt of “Barnes and Nobelizing” your sections. Add staff

and patron recommendation tags. Look into generifying your collections and don’t forget to

watch the data. Finally, embrace your vital role as a library worker to “grow readers.”

Authors adapt to social distancing

 

Image Credit: Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press. Source: @BennettCartoons. “Much Easier!” Twitter, 17 Mar. 2020, 6:25 a.m., https://twitter.com/BennettCartoons/status/1239905644737712128?s=20.

Black Lives Matter: Community Read - free without wait-lists or holds

I thought this might be helpful for our staff assisting customers or just wanting resources for themselves.

From Overdrive:

Knowing that our library partners want to provide antiracism and social justice titles to their patrons, we are launching a new program called Black Lives Matter: Community Read. The titles included in our Black Lives Matter: Community Read program are focused on #ownvoices and are intended to help patrons read, listen, learn and grow as they expand their knowledge of race relations. Donated by OverDrive, titles will be made available to United States and Canada libraries at no cost and patrons will be able to check these books out without waitlists or holds.  

Blackhttps://company.overdrive.com/2020/06/30/now-available-free-to-libraries-without-waitlists-or-holds-black-lives-matter-titles-to-read-listen-learn-and-grow/

The titles included in Black Lives Matter: Community Read are provided at no cost to your library and you will be able to use these like any other OverDrive titles for curation or promotion in various reading rooms, featured lists, and other programs at your discretion. Be sure to also visit the Resource Center to get a marketing kit that you can use to promote these titles to your community.

Wash Your Hands poster generator - choose your favorite song

I just found a great thing on the internet --  a poster generator for hand-washing timing.  You can put in any song and it prints out a poster showing how much you need to sing to hit the 20 second mark.

I tried  "Love Shack" B-52s , "No Woman No Cry" Bob Marley, "Put a Ring on It" Beyonce and  even the Baby Shark song, and all were perfect.  Try your own favorite song, or maybe print out a few for your family.

https://washyourlyrics.com/  

Lisa

MLA 2019 - Using Children's Literature to Help Children of Trauma

The theme of “What if…?” at this year’s MLA conference inspired librarians to focus on the
possibilities of librarianship and ways we can improve our services to have a greater relationship
with our community. One program particularly made me consider our potential to facilitate healing
with our youngest customers.

In the program “What if…We used Children’s Literature to Help Children of Trauma Heal?” Dr.
Colleen Lelli outlined the needs of young children exposed to trauma and how we can use children’s
literature to create “bibliotherapy” opportunities for conversations and healing around  books. She
outlined the effects of acute (short term) or chronic (repeated) stress and how toxic stress can
manifest in children’s behavior. She explained that stress comes in different levels.

While mild/moderate stress can be motivating for a child, chronic or toxic stress quickly leads to trauma. She also explained that our understanding of trauma is constantly changing and affects something like 66% of the population, but our vocabulary for dealing with it is unfortunately limited. This is especially tragic for children affected by chronic/repeated stress, which can have the effect of
limiting children’s receptive and expressive vocabulary, leading to confusion and trouble with
problem solving. Dr. Lelli left me with many simple strategies I’m excited to implement when
working with our young customers.

Here are some of the simple strategies offered for helping children connect with texts:

• Since children of trauma are often unfocused readers, ask them questions of the text to keep them focused on subtler details. 
• Since they often act instead of plan, set goals for them to help with their task analysis and participation in classroom activities. 
• Practicing simple phrases like “Please focus on the directions I’m about to give,” cues these children to be prepared for the directions. Asking them to summarize directions once you’ve given them reinforces these connections.
• Create visual task cards to show each step of a task, and have children work in groups so that they can summarize together what they have heard. 
• To help with expressive language encouraging children to use graphic organizers to keep track of ideas they are interested in writing or talking about.  Encourage them to practice talking about areas of personal interest for 2-3 minutes at a time. 
• Provide children with verbal prompts to solve problems and resolve conflicts with peers.
• Try exercises like cutting up a comic strip and asking them to put it in the correct sequence can encourage critical thinking. 

Matthew Hickey
Children's Dept. CEN

Further reading:
https://goo.gl/tYicwz - Books to Teach Grit and Resilience
https://tinyurl.com/y5jy5xb8 - Books in which Children Witness Violence or Trauma

MLA 2019 - William G. Wilson Maryland Author Award winner Mary Amato

The 2019 winner of the William G. Wilson Maryland Author Award is children’s author Mary Amato.  Ms. Amato is an author of YA books, poetry, plays, and songs, and her books won numerous awards including The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators National Magazine Writing Award and Nonfiction Book Grant, the Beehive Book Award, the Buckeye Children’s Book Award, and the Arizona Young Readers Award.  She is also the founder of The HIVE, The Brown Bag for Creatives, and the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Arts Salon and co-founder of the Firefly Shadow Theatre.  Ms. Amato works with numerous non-profits in Maryland and teaches workshops on writing and the creative process.  She also gives ukulele lessons. 

Starting with a song written just for the award luncheon, Ms. Amato shared that when she was a child she knew every inch of her public library, where her “friends in fiction” would put images in her head.  After the luncheon, Ms Amato signed copies of her books and chatted with many of the attendees.  For her afternoon program, she used examples of her works and those of other children’s authors for her discussion on how to incorporate themes and songs into programs for children.  Passing out several of her own ukuleles, Ms. Amato discussed how useful the instrument can be not only for singing with children, but also how easy they are for children to learn to play and how suited they are for little hands.

As part of Ms. Amato’s lively and fun program, attendees worked together to re-write “Row, Row your Boat” as a library based song, and then the group sang their creation “Read, Read, Read your book” while accompanying themselves on the ukuleles. 

Lisa R. Kenyon

SD&T

Recommended (by me) reading:  

Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery Sixteen-year-old slam-poet Lacy Brink wakes up dead—and confused—in Westminster Cemetery. It’s the job of Sam, a young soldier who died in 1865, to help her adjust to the strict rules of the afterlife. Lacy proposes hosting an open mic; and when Sam and the other ghosts finally express themselves, surprising emotions emerge in this darkly hilarious tale about truth, forgiveness, and love. Contains explicit language and mature themes so probably best for mid-teens and up. 

Edgar Allan’s Official Crime Investigation Notebook  In this humorous and touching mystery, fifth grader Edgar Allan tries to catch a thief who leaves poetry instead of fingerprints at the crime scenes. Recommended for ages 8-12. 

Note:  although these are YA books, both can be enjoyed by adults

Kids are Customers, Too 2018

Registration is now OPEN for Kids are Customers, Too! 

If you wish to attend, your paperwork must be received by SD&T by September 14.

Kids are Customers, Too 2018

Start Date: 10/18/2018 8:30 AM EDT 
End Date: 10/18/2018 4:00 PM EDT

Venue Name: BCPL - Owings Mills Branch

Location:

10302 Grand Central Avenue
Owings Mills, MD  United States  21117

Event Website: https://www.bcpl.info/locations/owings-mills/

Organization Name: Maryland Library Association

Contact:

Christine Freeman
Email: Christine.Freeman@montgomerycountymd.gov
Phone: 301-820-1244

Sponsor: Children's Services Division

The “Kids Are Customers, Too” conference is an opportunity for staff working with children in public libraries and school media centers throughout the state to meet new people, renew contacts, and learn the latest information affecting the diverse field in which they work. Join us at the Owings Mills Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library on October 18th from 8:30am-4:00pm as we feature a day’s worth of presenters sharing fresh ideas and practical tips that can be applied directly to day-to-day programming and services.

MLA 2018 - Table Top Gaming in Your Library

For Jacob Hutton, Harford County Public Library, tabletop gaming is a fun and educational way of getting people from various backgrounds to play together. There are tabletop games for every style and every age. The three major categories that work best in the library are: trading cards,t role playing, and board games.

I focused my attention on board games which are numerous and diverse. On the one hand, there are many advantages in bringing board games into the library. The many genres make it fairly easy to find a few that will appeal to our specific users. In addition, they are a relatively low-cost investment. Once you purchase the game, you do not need to buy anything else. More importantly, players are all starting with a similar amount of resources and potential.

On the other hand, even the best board games become stale after playing them for a while. There are lots of potential pieces that can get lost, and they only allow a limited number of participants.

When choosing a game, Jacob’s advice is to keep in mind your target audience (children, teens, or adults, beginners, intermediate or advanced players), and the number of participants. If your audience is made of children and families, it is best to choose simpler games with familiar themes that will last no more than 15-20 minutes.

I noted a few of the presenter’s advice in order to run a successful program:

During the selection phase, ask your customers what kind of games they like, try the games yourself, learn the rules, and go to local stores to get recommendations. Often, they will give out games they cannot sell anymore.

During the program, have one adult in charge for each board game.

Be one of the players. It builds a bond between the players and you.

Try only one type of game at a time (i.e., only trading card games, or only board games), but have both a beginner board game and an intermediate in order to adjust to your audience’s skills.

Have a clear beginning and end time of the gaming session.

For game recommendations, reviews, and additional information, explore the following sites, all recommended by Jacob Hutton:

Exhaustive listing of children’s board games with descriptions and reviews: https://boardgamegeek.com/childrensgames/browse/boardgame

Role playing games, specifically written for young children: http://www.playgroundadventures.net/

Dragon Talk- Official Dungeons & Dragons Podcast by Wizards of the Coast:
http://dnd.wizards.com/dragon-talk/podcast-hub

http://games.ala.org/international-games-week/

Sylvie Merlier-Rowen
Children's Department. CEN

Big and Uncomfortable Conversations: Urban Librarians Conference 2018

On Friday, April 13th, I attended the Urban Librarianship Conference, a one-day conference at
Brooklyn Public Library’s majestic Central Branch. The conference, which is hosted by Urban
Librarians Unite, provides an opportunity for librarians who work in urban environments to
exchange resources and ideas.

Under the theme “Library Revolution,” presenters shared programs, policies, and endeavors
that are pushing libraries to become more equitable places. These discussions often push
librarians into an uncomfortable - but necessary - space of self-examination; for example,
keynote speaker Jessamyn West reminded us of the importance of creating a space that
reflects our community, not a place that seeks to indoctrinate a community with “correct” values.
(Jessamyn West created a webpage for her talk; it’s jam-packed with resources about justice,
inclusion, and library neutrality.) What signals are we sending to patrons with seemingly-
inoculate gestures?

Here are some of the thought-provoking resources and ideas discussed:

● Collections: Collection development librarians at Oakland Public Library examined their
children’s books containing portrayals of police. They found that almost all of these
books depicted police as “community helpers” who keep communities safe from “the bad
guys.” Recognizing that many children in their community have had poor experiences
with the police or have family members who have been incarcerated, selectors realized
they needed to create a collection showing a wide range of experiences and reactions to
police. In response, they created a toolkit with best practices on how to evaluate and
select books about police.

● Programs: Children’s librarians at Brooklyn Public Library created Genderful!, a two-
hour program inviting kids (ages 6-12) and caregivers to a safe place to discuss and
explore gender identity. Activities included button-making, zine-making, quiet reading
corners, storytelling, and musical performances. The program was well-attended, but
presenter Leigh Hurwitz hopes to make it even more inclusive next year for children with
a wide array of sensory needs and for families of color.

● Visibility: Asata Radcliffe and Jennifer N. Shannon introduced 2040 Review, a
forthcoming review journal that centers authors and reviewers of color. Asata, who is a
seasoned book reviewer, discussed the many barriers authors of color confront when
getting their book into readers’ hands; as they state on their website, “It is the mission of
the 2040 Review to provide an avenue of accessibility for authors of color within the
world of literature reviews.”

The Urban Librarianship Conference provided a great opportunity to explore how other libraries
are examining and challenging our normal operations. It also offered opportunities to learn
about other resources we can use to make Enoch Pratt a safe and welcoming space for all.

Rebecca Starr
Info. Services

PLA 2018: South Philadelphia Library Tour

One of my favorite things to do when visiting a city during a conference is visit local libraries and
meet with the staff. As host library of the PLA conference in Philadelphia, PA, The Free Library of
Philadelphia offered tours of some of their newly renovated and modernized locations, including the
South Philadelphia Library. In June 2016, this branch reopened in the brand new South Philadelphia
Community Health and Literacy Center, which combines the services of a library, recreation center, city health clinic, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) pediatricians’ offices in one building. As many of you may know, the Hamilton Branch Library serves as a safe, after-school space for approximately 100+ students in a neighborhood that lacks a much needed recreation center. I was therefore very excited to see how a library and a recreation center might coexist in the same physical space.

What I found was a beautiful, bright space for the library, located on the first floor. All the furniture is moveable and is easily arranged for programs, including small concerts. The second and third floors host the health clinic and pediatricians’ offices. The recreation center, complete with an outdoor playground and basketball court, can be found in the back of the building. Library staff indicated that the building partnership has brought in more customers and boosted circulation, particularly in the area of health education. The library even has blood pressure cuffs and kitchen scales to loan. The shared space with the recreation center has allowed children the best of both worlds – completing homework assignments and participating in programs in the library as well as blowing off steam playing in a supervised environment at the rec center. The South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center is truly a result of responding to community needs. I see a similar need in Hamilton. How wonderful it would be to combine a library and recreation center in the same place, creating a focal space for the community.

Laura Millay
Hamilton Branch

Maryland Library Association Conference and Twitter

The Maryland Library Association and Delaware Library Association Joint Conference is May 6 - 8 (this week).  This year's them is Boldly Go . . .  where no libraries have gone before.

You can follow the action on Twitter #mladla15.

The following staff will be tweeting from the conference:

     Sarah Kuperman  @librnatconf.

     Jessica Brown @wearingsunlight

     MarylandAskUsNow @askusnow

Kids are Customers, Too

Kids Are Customers, Too

October 26, 2014

Future Makers made a very interesting presentation with hands-on activities during the General Session. Matt Barinholtz, founder of Future Makers, presented clearly the makers’ end goal which is to boost creative learning, especially among families. Based on the MIT research about learning in a family context, he stressed out the positive aspects of developing family workshops, and offering them at the library. These workshops give parents and children opportunities to support each other, give feedback, ask questions, and persevere in a safe environment. They also help families build connections with other families. He described the makers’ role as “facilitators of relationship building”.

Given the fact that computers and electronic devices are contributing to less face-to-face interactions, this presentation made me realize that the maker movement has a vision that goes well beyond making things. It is about bringing people together, and giving them the tools to enjoy creative learning with each other. Matt Barinholtz believes that libraries are great places where this kind of connecting can happen. So, he encouraged us, librarians, to conceive of an activity that would engage our customers, and would result in a showcase of their creations. Good questions to keep in mind while designing a challenge for that activity are:

·         What would families be learning?

·         How will they create?

·         How will they connect?

A good place where to start is to check what subjects are popular among our customers, and what is their level of engagement, meaning how much time do they spend exploring the subject?

I noted two resources that will be helpful in getting ideas and advice to create workshops:

·         MIT Facilitator Guide, and

·         FutureCraft, a website created by Future Makers to help parents, educators, librarians, and other caregivers, to learn about Minecraft.

In addition to these resources, it is also possible to contact Matt Barinholtz at matt@kidsmakethingsbetter.com

The highlight of the day was to hear Greg Pizzoli talking about the art in his picture books, and David A. Kelly telling us how he became the writer that he is today.

Finally, I want to mention the poster session that presented wonderful ideas for interactive book displays. Here are some pictures of the posters. Enjoy!

Sylvie Merlier-Rowen
Children's Department Central

Library Lessons Learned at a Non-Library Conference

Library Lessons Learned at a Non-Library Conference

National Training Institute’s Zero to Three Conference

December 2014

Aside from a few trainings hosted by MSDE or City Schools, I’ll admit I’ve never attended a non-library sponsored conference. The National Training Institute’s Zero to Three Conference wasn’t focused on libraries and librarians, but rather on providing services of all kinds to children ages birth to three and their caregivers. Don’t get me wrong, I love being in a room with my colleagues who are equally dedicated to libraries and kids, but there is something very eye-opening and reaffirming about sharing a passion with folks outside of libraries.

And hey, going to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in December doesn’t hurt either, right? (Those of you who go to ALA midwinter and annual can feel my pain, right? Chicago in January?!)

By and large, those who attend the Zero to Three Conference are social workers, Early Head Start teachers, daycare providers, and psychologists. I’m fairly certain that I was the only librarian there. I was able to meet people who spoke highly of their local relationships with their public library, like one Head Start teacher from Brooklyn, NY, while others were really surprised by the type of work and rich service the Pratt Library provides to young children and their families, like another woman who is a social worker from Miami, Florida. Conferences like this provide a chance to help colleagues in related careers and fields see the opportunities and advantages of partnering with their local library, no matter where they are. As many of you know, not only are we ambassadors of the library’s good work to our own patrons, but also to our people in Baltimore, Maryland, and around the country.

While some of the sessions had components that were a bit over my head--like the one on epigenetics which was fascinating--I found all of them to have implications for work in libraries. Issues like the proven influence of fathers on very young boys and in particular, boys of color, equity versus equality of services and opportunities for children in our society (and no, they’re not the same thing!), and how various early interventions can positively affect a child’s well being and eventual success in life.

In addition to having a chance to attend some great sessions, I was also co-presenting a poster on the Pratt Library’s partnership with the Baltimore Infants and Toddlers Program to positively affect their families’ relationship with the library and participation in our Summer Reading Program. You can see a photo of me and my co-presenter, Tody Hairston-Fuller with our poster below!

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a conference that’s not library focused, take it! I had such a great time getting to know folks in related, but very different fields, as well as share my own passion and enthusiasm for the incredible work the Pratt Library and public libraries are doing in their communities around the country.

Jessica Hoptay-Brown
Children's Services Coordinator