Katie Fitzgerald - Story Time Success: A Practical Guide for Librarians

Story Time Success

Practical Guides for Librarians

About the Series

This innovative series written and edited for librarians by librarians provides authoritative, practical information and guidance on a wide spectrum of library processes and operations.

Books in the series are focused, describing practical and innovative solutions to a problem facing todays librarian and delivering step-by-step guidance for planning, creating, implementing, managing, and evaluating a wide range of services and programs.

The books are aimed at beginning and intermediate librarians needing basic instruction/guidance in a specific subject and at experienced librarians who need to gain knowledge in a new area or guidance in implementing a new program/service.

About the Series Editor

The Practical Guides for Librarians series was conceived by and is edited by M. Sandra Wood, MLS, MBA, AHIP, FMLA, Librarian Emerita, Penn State University Libraries.

M. Sandra Wood was a librarian at the George T. Harrell Library, the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA, for over thirty-five years, specializing in reference, educational, and database services. Ms. Wood worked for several years as a development editor for Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Ms. Wood received an MLS from Indiana University and an MBA from the University of Maryland. She is a fellow of the Medical Library Association and served as a member of MLAs Board of Directors from 1991 to 1995. Ms. Wood is founding and current editor of Medical Reference Services Quarterly , now in its thirty-fifth volume. She also was founding editor of the Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet and the Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries and served as editor/coeditor of both journals through 2011.

Titles in the Series

1. How to Teach: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Beverley E. Crane
2. Implementing an Inclusive Staffing Model for Todays Reference Services by Julia K. Nims, Paula Storm, and Robert Stevens
3. Managing Digital Audiovisual Resources: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Matthew C. Mariner
4. Outsourcing Technology: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Robin Hastings
5. Making the Library Accessible for All: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Jane Vincent
6. Discovering and Using Historical Geographical Resources on the Web: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Eva H. Dodsworth and L. W. Lalibert
7. Digitization and Digital Archiving: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Elizabeth R. Leggett
8. Makerspaces: A Practical Guide for Librarians by John J. Burke
9. Implementing Web-Scale Discovery Services: A Practical Guide for Librarians by JoLinda Thompson
10. Using iPhones and iPads: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Matthew Connolly and Tony Cosgrave
11. Usability Testing: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Rebecca Blakiston
12. Mobile Devices: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Ben Rawlins
13. Going Beyond Loaning Books to Loaning Technologies: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Janelle Sander, Lori S. Mestre, and Eric Kurt
14. Childrens Services Today: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Jeanette Larson
15. Genealogy: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Katherine Pennavaria
16. Collection Evaluation in Academic Libraries: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Karen C. Kohn
17. Creating Online Tutorials: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Hannah Gascho Rempel and Maribeth Slebodnik
18. Using Google Earth in Libraries: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Eva Dodsworth and Andrew Nicholson
19. Integrating the Web into Everyday Library Services: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Elizabeth R. Leggett
20. Infographics: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Beverley E. Crane
21. Meeting Community Needs: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Pamela H. MacKellar
22. 3D Printing: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Sara Russell Gonzalez and Denise Beaubien Bennett
23. Patron-Driven Acquisitions in Academic and Special Libraries: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Steven Carrico, Michelle Leonard, and Erin Gallagher
24. Collaborative Grant-Seeking: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Bess G. de Farber
25. Story Time Success: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Katie Fitzgerald
26. Teaching Google Scholar: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Paige Alfonzo
27. Teen Services Today: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Sara K. Joiner & Geri Swanzy

Story Time Success

A Practical Guide for Librarians

Katie Fitzgerald

Practical Guides for Librarians, No. 25

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

www.rowman.com

Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB

Copyright 2016 by Rowman & Littlefield

All images created by the author unless otherwise noted.

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Fitzgerald, Katie, 1982 author.

Title: Story time success : a practical guide for librarians / Katie Fitzgerald.

Description: Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, [2016] | Series: Practical guides for librarians ; 25 | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016008788 (print) | LCCN 2016025345 (ebook) | ISBN 9781442263864 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781442263871 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781442263888 (electronic)

Subjects: LCSH: Childrens librariesActivity programsHandbooks, manuals, etc. | StorytellingHandbooks, manuals, etc.

Classification: LCC Z718.3 .F56 2016 (print) | LCC Z718.3 (ebook) | DDC 027.62/51dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016008788

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

For Margaret and Caroline, my favorite story time audience.

Preface

Although children were not a focus of public libraries in America until late in the nineteenth century, childrens librarians have a well-established history of welcoming young patrons. The library is the first municipal institution that many children encounter, and it has the potential to make a long-lasting connection that will grow as they do. Librarians play an important role for children, connecting them with books that suit their needs, interests, and developmental abilities. Often, these librarians act as childrens first teachers, who, without the mandate to teach to a specific curriculum or test, can help young library patrons truly enjoy reading and appreciate its benefits. One of the main ways librarians promote the love of reading is through story time.

Story time, in one form or another, has long been a key part of library service to children, and today, the demand for story time also continues to grow as scientific research about the benefits of reading aloud to children increases. In November 2015, the New York Times published Long Line at the Library? Its Story Time Again by Winnie Hu, which highlights the overwhelming popularity of story times at branches of the New York Public Library. In these libraries, and many others across the country, story times are filled to capacity, and extra staff are needed just to manage the crowds. This demonstrates that story time remains the cornerstone of childrens services, and it indicates a strong need for qualified, effective story time providers who are prepared to create successful story time sessions.