beyond the library walls webinar
DESCRIPTION
Victoria Sanchez and Mary Madigan share the story of how and why the Milwaukee Public Library have shifted the focus of their Summer Library Program to outside the library, positioning the library staff as literacy leaders in the community.TRANSCRIPT
MILWAUKEE PUBLIC
LIBRARY
BEYOND THE LIBRARY
WALLS: LITERACY
LEADERS FOR SUMMER
READING
MARY MADIGAN & VICTORIA SANCHEZ
LIBRARY EDUCATION SPECIALISTS
AGENDA:
• Overview of Milwaukee Public Library Philosophy of Youth
Services
• Scope of Outreach Services
• Child care summer outreach
• School age summer outreach
• Questions/answers
READ
LEARN
CONNECT
~MILWAUKEE PUBLIC LIBRARY
MISSION STATEMENT
Goal:
Create a culture
of reading in the
life of a child.
CREATING A CITY OF READERS
LOOKING AT READING THROUGH THE LENS OF A CHILD
Institute for Research on Poverty
www.irp.wisc.edu
LOOKING AT READING
THROUGH THE LENS OF A
CHILD
What does it look like:
• reading material
• adult models
• conversations and reading
out loud
• library cards
HOME:
Opportunities:
• Classes – Lunch and Learn
• Introducing performers
• At sign-up
• Booklists
• Story Time/ Play & Learn
• Adult education
LOOKING AT READING
THROUGH THE LENS OF A
CHILD
What does it look like?
• Regular user
• Feeling of belonging
• Know how to navigate
• Support of reading and
the library
COMMUNITY:
Opportunities: Partners promote
library events
• Medical clinics
• Restaurants
• Church bulletins
Partners provide
programs at the library
• Artists
• Theater groups
• Unique groups
Library spaces have a
“customer focus”
• Inviting
• Easy to navigate
LOOKING AT READING
THROUGH THE LENS OF A
CHILD
What does it look like?
• They have access to books and someone reads to them daily
• They see library staff visit
• Library posters are displayed
• They participate in library card drives
CHILD CARE, SCHOOL AND
SUMMER CARE:
Opportunities:
• Visits to child cares and schools
• Class visits to the library—including story time
• Library card campaigns
• Booklists
READ LEARN CONNECT
EDUCATION & OUTREACH
SERVICES
BIRTH TO FIVE
OUTREACH SERVICES
Books2Go & Ready to Read • Special Books2Go
library card for child care centers.
• Continuing education workshops for providers.
• Play and Learn for families.
• Early literacy experts model outreach story times at child care centers.
Deposit Collections • Monthly delivery and
pick up of books
• Ready to Read ‘graduates’.
SCHOOL AGE
OUTREACH SERVICES
• Deposit collections to youth serving agencies
• Outreach events/family literacy events
• After school reading clubs (new in 2012-2013)
• Library card drives
SERVICES FOR
SENIORS
• Van service/remote library
• Deposit collections to nursing homes
SUMMER READING….
READ LEARN CONNECT
SUMMER READING OUTREACH
Which is especially devastating for children from low income households.
SUMMER LEARNING LOSS
CHILD CARE SRP OUTREACH GOALS
Children:
• Love books, “reading,” and being read
to
• Seek out books as an enjoyable
activity.
• Excited about Library story times at
their centers.
CHILD CARE SRP OUTREACH GOALS
Child Care Providers:
• Read to class daily
• Reading with their class is a FUN
event
• Model for providers how to conduct an
enriching story time
CHILD CARE SUMMER
READING OUTREACH
• Story time outreach to 80 child care classrooms/ about 1000 children ages 2-5 years.
• Enroll the other infant and toddler classrooms while we are there.
• Track time spent reading aloud and/or singing to children 0-5.
• Teachers earn books for their classroom libraries.
ACTIVITIES DURING VISIT
FOCUS:
MOTIVATION
A GIFT FROM MPL
SURVEYS
ADMINISTERED AT
LAST STORY TIME
THE RESULTS:
Based on participant responses:
50% understand what Print Motivation is.
68% understand how to build Print Motivation in
their students.
INTERPRETING RESULTS
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
We changed attitudes and behaviors!
~I will follow the steps that Ms. Anna took when she was getting ready to read to the children and while she was reading. The children were so happy to see her and from all of us at (child care name), we would like to say Thank you Ms. Anna.
~The first thing I’m going to do is make a reading area in my class. It’s going to have chairs, a book shelf and puppets to go along with the
books. Also I’m going to make sure they’re kid friendly.
When asked to list ways to develop Print Motivation, one provider wrote:
• Involve the children during story time • Encourage the older children to read to this group • Ask the children to tell me what they learned from the story • Ask the children to tell me what the story was about
COMMITMENT TO
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
• Print Motivation still the key
• Child Care providers
appreciate the outside
connection!
• Story Time props and
extension ideas-VERY
useful to the providers
• Staff saw need to go
WEEKLY
SCHOOL AGE SRP OUTREACH
GOALS
Children will have:
• Time to read and highly motivating,
age-appropriate reading material.
• A desire to read.
• Knowledge about the library and SRP.
• Understanding of the importance of
summer reading .
SCHOOL AGE
SUMMER READING
OUTREACH
• Children ages 6-12
• Majority of cost to attend is subsidized through W-2
• Enrolled in 4-8 week summer enrichment programs run by:
• Community Learning Centers (CLC) in collaboration with Milwaukee Public Schools
• MPS Recreation camps
• Community-based programs such as Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCA
• Milwaukee Choice and/or private schools
HISTORY OF SCHOOL
AGE SRP OUTREACH
• Started in 2002.
• Was a means to grow SRP participation.
• Reach children who would not otherwise have access to the library and/or reading material during the summer.
MPL’S SCHOOL AGE SRP
OUTREACH MODEL
Visits:
• Time with students
• Build relationships with sites
• Model reading
• Accountability
Incentives:
• Reflect the goal of supporting reading
• Help students build background needed for future learning
ACTIVITIES DURING
VISITS
• Carry a message about reading
• Read alouds
• Connect to library
• Book talks
• Reader’s Theater
• Games with a book focus—Speed Book Dating
OTHER SRP
OUTREACH SERVICES
Deposit collections
MPL checks out and delivers a collection of high interest paperback books based on a profile completed by the sites.
Library card drives
MPL works with select sites to get library cards for the students. Applications are distributed by the sites and cards are presented at the site during the final visit.
SURVEYS/EVALUATION
2013 SCHOOL AGE SUMMER
READING OUTREACH
FAST FACTS:
• 81 sites joined the library for the SRP School Age Outreach
• 5,708 school age children participated
• 83.3% of children read 4 or more books
• 44,937 books were ready by children at the outreach sites
RESOURCES FOR SITES:
Books!
• 36 sites received a deposit collection (Tub of Books)
• 4,318 library books were delivered throughout the course of the summer
• 34 of 36 sites with deposit collections had completion rates of 80% or higher
Professional assistance!
• All sites received a resource binder with in-depth descriptions of an ideal reading climate, useful literacy practices, graded booklists, and a quick-reference guide with tips to incorporate reading throughout the day.
• All sites received a Book Bundle—a collection of 10 age-appropriate, high interest books including ‘guides’ to encourage staff to read aloud to children.
• MPL trained 160 staff members from various sites in how to use the Book Bundles and shared strategies for reading aloud with children.
NEW in 2012—continued in 2013:
• All children received a free book at the end of the summer.
• 4,352 books were given to children to help them build their home library.
INTERPRETING RESULTS
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
"The Super Reader program motivated students to read every day.”
~staff member at Camp Fernwood
“How thrilled they were to get their books and popcorn. As soon as
they selected their books, they automatically sat back down at the
tables, munched popcorn and read! After 15 minutes, the teachers
said it was time to stop and the kids moaned.”
~2013 School Age SRP Outreach consultant
What did you like most about being a Super Reader?
“The Library people.”
~response to question on student survey
COMMITMENT TO
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
• Weekly visits
• Smaller groups are more educationally sound
• Scheduling will be easier
• Book bundles
• Make sure site staff has high quality read alouds to share with children
• Staff training
• MPL will continue to train the staff at the summer sites so that they:
• Understand why summer reading is so important
• Gain confidence in reading aloud to children
• Teach how to use Book Bundle books
• Know how match to books to children’s interests
• 2012 Reading Lounge Project
• Intensive outreach model piloted through LSTA Grant
• MPL staff at summer sites 4 days a week
• Created reading areas at sites
• Facilitated how to read to children and match books to children’s interests
SUMMER READING
OUTREACH IS A
YEAR ROUND EFFORT
• Work to maintain year-round contact with most sites
• Deposit collections
• Library card drives
• After School Reading Clubs
• Using the concept of the Reading Lounges
LESSONS WE’VE
LEARNED….
• Understand your community & build relationships in the community.
• Share your message with your stakeholders.
• Have a presence year after year—it makes a difference.
• Public libraries ARE literacy leaders in the community.
RESOURCES
Annie E Casey Foundation- click on Kids Count Data Center
• http://www.aecf.org/
Ounce of Prevention:
• http://www.ounceofprevention.org/home/index.php
• Change the First Five Years and You Change Everything video
Six Skills for Early Literacy video:
• http://www.mpl.org/file/kids_b2g_sixskills.htm
National Summer Learning Association:
• http://www.summerlearning.org/
Summer Learning Loss Video:
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahhj3wxxkdM
Inspirational Book:
• Igniting a Passion for Reading by Steven Layne
MPL 2013 School Age SRP Outreach:
• animoto video
QUESTIONS
CONTACT
INFORMATION
Mary Madigan
Early Literacy Education Specialist
414.286.8420
Victoria Sanchez
School Age Education Specialist
414.286.3904