Youth are natural scientists at birth, discovering and exploring their world and trying to make sense of it (Bers, 2008). A child's education is not limited to just the time they spend in the classroom. Children learn at home with their families, in public libraries, or through out-of-school-time (OST) experiences provided at community centers and…

Students look to their school library to find new books, seek information, creatively solve problems, and use technology. School libraries play an essential role in students' academic growth and development of lifelong learning skills. All of the wonderful resources and services that school libraries provide are easily accessible to the population…

Current national and international research indicates the summer break can negatively affect students' reading achievement. To counter this effect, our primary school with a range of students worked in collaboration with our local public library to plan and implement a summer reading programme. The purpose of the programme was to increase…

Games and other forms of play are used in today's libraries to attract underserved patrons, to introduce patrons to other library resources and services, and to facilitate engagement between library patrons. While many perceive gaming as a new library service, gaming services have been part of librarianship since the nineteenth century through…

Public libraries have long supported the literacy goals of public schools in their communities by providing access to printed and electronic resources that enhance learning and teaching. This article describes an ongoing collaboration between the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's BLAST outreach program and the Pittsburgh Public Schools that has…

When they hear the word "collaboration," today's teacher-librarians immediately think of their teaching faculty and the need to incorporate 21st century information skills into the school's curriculum. But there may be another professional or two in one's community who would also be very valuable collaborators, helping one to reach and teach…

Fully 57 percent of youth online watch videos, according to a Pew Internet & American Life study. And more and more are creating and sharing clips of their own making. With online engagement such an integral part of their world, Washington state's King County Library System (KCLS) decided to meet kids on their own turf by launching…

The year 2000 marks the 30th anniversary of statewide summer library programs in Wisconsin and the 25th anniversary of program coordination by the Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning. The theme of the Wisconsin Summer Library Program for the year 2000 is "Ticket to Tomorrow." This manual contains suggestions for…

This booklet includes a brief history of the Northern Illinois Bookmobile Group, as well as national and regional notes on bookmobile activities, programs, publicity, summer reading clubs, and bookmobile maintenance. Findings of a 1978 bookmobile survey conducted by the Des Plaines Public Library are summarized, providing data on 31 bookmobile…

These suggestions for children's programs in a rural community library are based on the experiences of the Pittsfield (Illinois) Public Library. The importance of good public relations with the children, the community, and the schools is stressed. A preschool story hour and summer session activities for preschool through grade 4 children are…

Describes "Mission Possible," a summer reading game with an espionage theme developed by young adult readers and the Boulder (Colorado) Public Library. Highlights include instructions for playing the game, sample activity sheets, beginning and culminating activities, daily record keeping, prizes, player evaluations of the game, and…

Provides an overview of "Read on the Wild Side," a summer reading program for young adults established by the Webster (New York) Public Library, and "Read Hard, Play Later," a young adult summer reading program of the Pioneer Library System (New York). Highlights include reading logs, T-shirts, publicity, program evaluation,…

Describes three public library summer reading programs for children in the 1890s: Hewins' Vacation Reading Club; the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Summer Playground Program; and the Library League of Cleveland. The growth of similar programs and related reports in the library literature of the early twentieth century are discussed, and summer…

Virtually all public libraries in the United States provide some type of summer library reading program during the traditional summer vacation period. Summer library reading programs provide opportunities for students of many ages and abilities to practice their reading skills and maintain skills that are developed during the school year. Fiore…

Describes the Children's Writers Workshop, a summer program of the Troy (New York) Public Library, which introduces children to the art of bookmaking by allowing them to write, illustrate, lay out, and bind their own books. Registration policy, staff, materials, costs, funding, and activities for the five sessions are among the topics covered. (6…