Getting out of the library can be tricky, but the youth services librarians in Eau Claire found that it was extremely valuable in getting some new ideas for their library's early literacy space. Shelly Collins-Fuerbringer sat down and answered a few questions about their adventures.
A map of the village from the Public Works Department with
photos of various community spots like the fire station, etc. They
also have larger photos of these community spots "hidden" around the
room for a seek and find activity.
1. What made you decide to
take a tour of libraries? What were you
hoping for?
In part we went because it is a goal in our strategic plan that we visit
other libraries that have early literacy spaces.
We are always looking for ideas on how to expand and improve upon our
area, and seeing firsthand what other libraries do is exceptionally
helpful. We just introduced our Play and
Learn area about a year ago, so we are definitely in the “how does this work
best” mode. Ridgedale, in particular,
has a wealth of ideas because they have been doing this for so long. I attended a pre-conference at PLA in 2008
where Dana Bjerke spoke about their space and what she showed us made so much
sense to me. Her ideas were easy to
duplicate or put your own spin on and we have used many of them in our room
with great success.
2.
Which libraries did you
tour?
We toured the Ridgedale Public Library in Minnetonka (Hennepin County
Library System). The Roseville Public
Library in Roseville (Ramsey County Library System) and the Sun Ray Branch in
St. Paul (St. Paul Public Library).
3. What did you see that
inspired you?
The Ridgedale Library is always inspiring. Rather than me talking at length about what
we saw, I’ll include their Flickr address so you can see firsthand. They have a community theme going right now
and they had so many fun yet educational ideas that would be easy for many
libraries to implement in their own way.
www.flickr.com/photos/ridgedalelibrary
We also LOVED the children’s reading garden at Roseville. What an amazing outdoor space for kids and
families to explore. They also have an
outdoor area where they can do storytime.
The “floor” of the storytime area is squishy and bouncy and I’m sure the
four of us looked a little strange jumping around out there, but we couldn’t
help ourselves!
Children's Reading Garden--Roseville
4. Tell me about what it
was like for you as a staff to do something like this together. Did it accomplish what you hoped it would?
It isn’t often that we get to do something like this, so it is very
exciting for some of us to break away from the library and get to see in person
what other libraries look like, what their vision for service to children and
teens is and, most importantly, to get ideas!
My goal was to get more ideas for our early literacy area (Play and
Learn), which we did. However, I think
looking at other libraries really made my staff appreciate the library we work
at and the beautiful space that we get to work in every day!
5. What are some must-see
libraries for IFLS librarians, and why?
Ridgedale
is a must-see if you can swing it. I
have been there two times and I have come home both times with SO many ideas of
things to try in our room. Last year we
also visited the downtown St. Paul library, the Hopkins Branch of the Hennepin
Co. System and the new-ish Minneapolis Library.
Of those three, I would return to Hopkins. It is a small branch library, but I loved
their early literacy space. I think it
is a good example of what can be done in branch libraries or small libraries
where there isn’t someone staffing the Youth Services area.
6. How much did this adventure cost?
The
Library paid for our lunch (we get $13.80/ea) and either a rental car or gas.
For more inspiration, see the whole
flickr account Shelly set up, with photos of this tour and the one she took last fall, too. If you have any questions about this adventure, Shelly would love to share ideas with you--she always gets more ideas, herself, when she has a chance to talk with other librarians.
A spot with chalk board contact paper where kids can practice writing
their ABC's - great big spot and wonderful for kids who haven't developed those
fine motor skills needed for writing on lined paper. Plus, who doesn't
like to write on a chalk board? (do they even have those in classrooms
anymore?)
Labels: children's spaces, early literacy