Creating Lifelong library users one school at a time

This program was one of that last progams I went to and luckily there were some good presenters who were engaging and really passionate about their work with schools. These were three public libraries each partnering with schools in different ways.

MYLibraryNYC is a NYC program where there's been a huge effort to get books, a shared ILS, shared databases, learning kits, training, and more into the schools.  There's been some good success, especially with the circulating learning kits and they have ambitious plans for further collaboration.

Limitless libraries in Nashville has a similarly comprehensive program where the public libraries basically took over the school collections, technology, and resources so that the school librarians could focus on teaching and collaboration with teachers.  

Indianapolis PL described their work with schools which was much more scaled down and traditional in terms of what a public library might do.  It did not include shared ILs or collections, but each student's school ID serves as a library card.  

I was most impressed with the Nashviille "Limitless libraries" program.  They actually consider Limitless libraries a library branch with its own funding, resources, staff, website, etc.  You can get lots more info about it at Limitlesslibraries.org.

I have a good handout from the program I will scan and hand out when I return. :)

Reconsidering Dewey

This topic has popped up at Library conferences in the past few years, and I thought it might be a bit stale, but I went anyway and was glad I did.  

This Canadian Library presented their shift from Dewey to a system called C3.  C3 is a customer-centered classification system offering book store browsing plus an easy numerical system that offers assistance for shelving and look up.  

Some tips they gave for handling the transition from Dewey to non-Dewey were as follows:

Step 1- know when it's over and it's time to break up with Dewey. 
Step 2- learn from competition.  Go outside the box of traditional assumptions.  
Step 3- Think more like a customer.  Look at word based systems.  C3 is good for nonfiction collections of 30-50,000 items. 
Step 4-learn how to engage in risky behavior - calculated risks.
Step 5- think lean-start with one small area then build up
Step 6- engage staff
Step 7- let go of perfectionism
Step 8- expected the unexpected and roll with it
Step 9- nourish the culture of innovation - embrace the fail. 
Step 10- consider this as a springboard to further innovation

One of their key objectives in the transition was to make things easy for their customers, not themselves.  They looked at policies and procedure and rewrote them if necessary.  For example, now they have a "customer promise" rather than a code of conduct.  It outlines what the library will do for the customer, and what they expect in return from the customer.  

Moving from Dewey resulted in a complete culture shift.  In the end they said, as with any culture shift, they would not have been successful if staff had not been actively involved from the beginning.

Meeting public service expectations by breaking the service model

I really liked this program given by Plano (Texas) public library.  They shared some changes they made in the way they do business.  They weren't earth shattering changes but changes that allowed them to do things more quickly, more efficiently, and with an overall flatter organizational structure (meaning everyone was involved at customer service at some level), they were able to reallocate resources in a way that made a big difference. 

So, while staffing decreased by 14%, circ and program attendance are up significantly.  They believe circ is up because more staff are involved in programming, and thus more patrons are in the building checking out materials.  

Here are some of the changes they made:
Combined clerk and page positions
Centralized collection development to a small team of FT and PT librarians
Implemented floating collections
More attention to "6th" library- Plano library.org
Active social media presence-Pinterest, FB, Twitter, Instagram

Getting Teen Services Out from Under the Radar

Sara Flowers, a well-known YA librarian, presented this program about some important YALSA resources that will help libraries get their YA services out out from under the radar.

The evaluation tool, an official YALSA publication, is meant to get libraries self-evaluating and moving their YA services in the right direction.  Libraries rank themselves in different categories as distinguished, proficient, basic, or below basic. 

The categories are:
-leadership and professionalism
-knowledge of client group
-communication, marketing, and outreach
-administration
-knowledge of materials
-access to information
-services

A co-presenter from Multnomah County led us through some exercises where we talked about our own libraries and where we thought we might rank ourselves.  I thought the feedback from the group was very helpful in realizing that we all struggle with similar issues when it comes to teen services.  Things like attendance at programs, building relationships, and reliability seem to be universal among libraries and something that takes time and dedication to overcome.  

The YALSA tools seem very useful and will definitely be valuable as we complete the Teens@RCPL grant this spring.

Sensory Storytimes: All differently-abled, all ages, all inclusive

The sensory storytimes offered by Douglas County libraries in Colorado came out of a pilot program "Sensory Enhanced Storytimes." Their program differed from the sensory programs that I learned about at the conference in that they don't have an age limit. Their brochure states "For children on the autism spectrum and differently-abled children of any age at a preschool level of development."

For 10 months they worked with a district task force with community partners, Autism Society of Chicago, local school districts, youth services staff, volunteer coordinator to create the program. They also adapted the Charlotte McKlenburg "Special Needs Program"  for their program.The Autism Society observed their traditional storytimes and made recommendations on how to improve the room and add activities to make the sensory storytimes. The society also did a presentation during their Staff Day on understanding autism and children's staff did a sensory storytime demonstration.

The storytimes lasted 20 - 30 min. Registered up to 15. One to one ratio - parent or cargiver with minor.
Template: * = repeat at all storytimes
*Welcome and visual schedule
Book or adaped book, flannel version
Fingerplay or nursery rhyme
Song
book
*Scarf song
* Bubble and song
*Parachute and song
*Goodbye song

They had a resource table and posted a social story on their website so parents or caregivers know what to expect when they come to the library. Library staff also emailed the storytime program to the parents or caregivers one week in advance so they knew what to expect.

I think with some training and collatoral materials, we can do a sensory stortytime at our libraries. We can find community partners to help collaborate with us and I think have a very popular program. We can start with creating our own social story for our libraries and post it to our website. Creating a sensory storytime in our current lineup will take more time, but I believe we should incorporate one in the near future.

Welcoming Spaces: serving patrons with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This workshop helped me understand what Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is, which is important because we are seeing more children with ASD attending storytimes and are getting requests for new storytimes. Autism is usually diagnosed in the first 3 years of life and is a lifelong condition. Doctor's don't know what causes it and is more prevalent in boys 5:1 ration. 1 in 54 boys are diagnoses with ASD. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability that may be improved by early intervention.

Children with ASD are different in 3 areas: social interaction, communication and behavior. Most have anxiety disorders and sensory processing disorders - sensitivity to tactile stimuli, sensory seeking, sensory avoidance, extreme clumsiness, inability to follow directions, can't articulate physical feelings - why they are in pain or if they need to use the bathroom.

How to identify children with ASD:

Social impairments:
withdrawal from interpersonal relationships'
poor eye contact'
miss social cues,
may not tolerate touch
socially awkward

Communication impairments:
difficulty with verbal and/or nonverbal communication - voice too high or too low
 difficulty in following direction,
meaning of words - don't understand idioms or commonly used phrases, ex. "easy as pie", sarcasm, jokes
echolalia - repeats words

Restricted or repetitive behaviors:
repetition is comforting
obsess about objects
rocking, arm flapping

Customer service tips:
Address them by name, don't address comments to the parent or caregiver
Try to make eye contact
Avoid open ended questions - use yes or no questions

Behaviors to ignore: if it's not hurting anyone - let it go - humming, rocking

Behaviors not to ignore - destructive or violent tantrums.
How to diffuse these situations?  Ask the parent or caregiver if they need help. Have a calm demeanor, be nice and empathetic. Sit next to person and redirect their attention - ask them about the time. If these things don't work - call security, don't touch the person, or if situation is an emergency call 911

Build relationships:
be helpful, not condescending, speak to the person directly, watch your body language
Create a library social story ex. This is my library by Carol Gray. You can create a book using pictures from your library talking about what you will see, who you will see and what you can do at the library - this is the staff, this is the front door, this is the computer, this is the PAL, etc.

Programming - sensory friendly storytimes - fidgets, stress balls, sensory balance beams, weighted blankets, visual aids - what's going to happen in storytime, carpet squares - define space

Technology - noise cancelling headphones (nontech - candy jar with earplugs!, calendar or scheduling software, Faces I make ($3.99) app - facial recognition, emotions, Visual app - daily routines - step by step "Get ready for school", "Get ready for bed", "Going to the Library" - customizable you select the steps/input the steps and choose the graphic to go along with it.

Sensory Friendly Storytimes

Friday, March 14th
Cathy McMahon - from Nebraska.

This lady was a firecracker - good presentation!  She told us about her life changing experience when she totally lost control of her preschool storytime and was very shook up by her reaction. She couldn't figure out what was going on. Storytime audiences have changed. She received a grant to educate over 55 librarians and community professionals on how to modify or create sensory friendly storytimes.

Basically the storytimes run for 25 min and feature:
-sensory toys or specialized furniture for children on the autism spectrum. Cube chairs, fidget toys (which helps focus the child - which seems contractictory)
- physical chart with activities - remove each item once you are finished with that activity
- routine - every storytime repeats certain activities
- low light
- soft music

She limits registrations to 12 children ages 2 - 8 with parent or caregiver. Storytime takes place once a month.

The bulk of the session was group work sharing ideas on how to talk to a parent of caregiver about the sensory storytime option vs. a standard storytime (frame it in words expressing the child's well being, offer it as an alternative - try it out - your child may feel more comfortable in a sensory storytime. Another question was what do you do if your sensory storytime goes out of control - go into song, transition to another activity, remind parents that storytimes are a perfect time to model good behaviors (for those parents who are distracted by cell phones or socializing and not participating) "We know your child will pay attention is you are paying attention." Email parents the storytime lineup one week before the program so they can go over what will be happening with their child and they will know what to expect.