Looking for great summer reads for the young readers (and pre-readers) in your life? This list of librarian-recommended books for babies through fifth graders is a great place to start. Compiled annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, this list is meant for parents and caregivers and can be used to explore titles that may match or spark their child's interest. Check these out at your local library!
Babies - Preschoolers
Antiracist Baby
by Ibram X. Kendi, illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky
Racial consciousness develops younger than many people realize, and this picture book will give parents and caregivers a...
We’re all glued to our screens these days, and there is a seemingly endless supply of content out there to choose from. Sorting out what’s educational from what’s garbage can be a challenge, especially for parents trying to regulate their kids’ digital intake. Luckily, these apps and experiences have been reviewed and approved by librarians who are members of the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.
Librarians can play an important role in serving as media mentors for families. All children benefit from guidance when exploring digital content, and skilled children’s librarians have the tools to help parents...
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As director of the Hollidaysburg Area Public Library in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Janet Eldred has overseen major projects like building renovation and smaller daily tasks like working tirelessly with her team, lugging books, and sitting cheerfully at library booths through rainy festivals.
But the challenge she now faces with remarkable dignity and grace is a medical one.
In 2012, Eldred was diagnosed with early-stage dementia. Since then, she has not only experienced increasingly impaired cognitive function, but she has also developed neurological complications, including occasional seizures and bouts of syncope (loss of consciousness).
In 2019, in a...
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Approximately 42 percent of youths under 17 in Erie County, New York have Buffalo & Erie County Public Library cards. But nearly a quarter of that total, 18,000 youth, have fines or other suspensions on their cards that prevent them from accessing library resources.
The question was: how to get these library card holders back in good standing while also promoting the value of library cards more broadly?
Under the guidance of Director Mary Jean Jakubowski, the library and its partners designed a sports equipment lending and library card amnesty program called “Play Down Your Fines.” Piloted at the Isaías González-Soto Branch Library,...
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