• Lifestyle

    The Solar Eclipse Experience

    At this point (especially if you work in a library), if you haven’t heard about the solar eclipse then I want to be you! We applied for the NASA grant and didn’t get it, so my children’s and teen programming librarians decided that we would offer a program anyway and…

  • Lifestyle

    Reader's Choice

    Summer Reading is in full swing and without a doubt, we’ve had parents requesting classics, literary books, and titles that will challenge their kids, rather than picking up the Diary of a Wimpy Kid title for the 100th time.  And while classics, literary fiction and challenging works have their place, I strongly…

  • Lists

    It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 10/31/16

    I got a lot of reading down  over the past 24 hours (not so much throughout the week)… I finally finished Start With Why – not a book that was easy for me to get through, it seemed a little all over the place and wasn’t as well organized as I…

  • Lifestyle

    Screen Time – When, What, How Much?

    The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) just released a new report on screen time for young children.  And although it definitely is a change from what was originally suggested, there are a lot of similiarities, but with the ability to adjust your time in front of a screen as a…

  • Lifestyle

    How Can We Teach Children Empathy?

    Empathy, in my humble opinion, is one of those things that is vital to a caring, respectful and well-balanced individual.  Empathy, or “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another” is severely lacking in a world where shooting unarmed individuals, massive terrorist attacks and outright violence is astoundingly…

  • Lifestyle

    Best Practices… What Makes It the Best?

    I’m currently working on filling out the application for our Best Practices for our state association.  Best practices are always difficult for me to think about.  What do we consider our best practices?  Did we borrow the idea from another library?  What programs should other libraries be aware of and…

  • Lifestyle

    How to Get Kids to Love Books

     I think one of the most common questions I receive at the reference desk is, “What should my <insert grade here> be reading?” or “My kid doesn’t like to read, do you have any suggestions?” Parents/caregivers are wanting to raise children who enjoy reading for pleasure, but are often…

  • Lifestyle

    Early Literacy on NPR

    NPR is in the midst of a three-part series about literacy in America – yesterday, focusing on access to books and today, focusing on simple ways parents and caregivers can help their children be ready to enter school ready to learn and succeed.  As for tomorrow, I’m interested to see where…

  • Lifestyle

    Busy, Busy, Busy

    It was a busy holiday weekend with family and friends driving and flying from around the country and across the Atlantic.  We had a wonderful time with extended family, but it’s now back to the daily grind.  I’m working on my programs for this month including a teddy bear picnic (to promote…

  • Lifestyle

    Kids & Listening

    I came across this article, Six Ways You’re Unintentionally Telling Kids Not to Listen, from a blog I follow and I think its a great reminder at the beginning of the school year to better teach children in general, but more specifically how to listen which is an essential tool…