• We were attending a parade and a man passed by us, saying something to my wife, right up close in her face. Then he walked across the street. He looked rather shabby but was not mean. My wife was uncomfortable when he came back several times saying something to her each time, then walking away. A police department bagpiper came over to stand next to my wife—he had seen what was happening. He started to talk to the man. It turned out the man was homeless. The bagpiper/policeman asked him if he had a place to sleep that night. The homeless man said he did. He also told us proudly what ship he served on in the war. As he said quietly, “I’m just doing the best I can,” then he slid his back down the metal telephone pole he was leaning against until he was sitting on the ground. Our dog, a champion Border Terrier, Duggan, saw this, and went to him, put his paws on either side of his neck and gave him a kiss. The man hugged Duggan back and gave him a few nice scratches. Duggan stayed there with the man for a few more minutes. Tears appeared in my wife’s eyes. Here was a proud man who fought in WWII, was without a home, and found someone, a dog, loving him.
• I recently attended a friend’s brother’s memorial service, and heard stories of a rather remarkable person, not well known with a reasonable job, and never married…but fun, humorous, intelligent, and gracious with others, stories that others will remember for years and share.
• Plateau Area Writers Association launched a “Write Me a Story” contest for middle school students a few years ago, and while I’m not sure I want to remember some of those stories about death and destruction, there were some remarkable entries that caught everyone’s attention; you knew it was from experience; some bad, and some good. The association also has published an anthology Unexpected Heroes, short stories about people who have had great influence on member authors’ lives.
• A few years ago, I received a blank book entitled, Grandpa, tell me your stories. 365 basically blank pages to write a story a day. On each page is a thought or question to start me out, telling my grandchildren what it is like being me.
• At some point I finished reading the first volume of an autobiography of a Tacoma, Washington antique dealer. All the ways I found to Hurt Myself was a humorous look at his life that he could look back and laugh about, but also a bit of history of the area.
• I’m also the holder of a short history of The Alley Cats, a Dixieland band that held forth at many parties on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor; the Savoy in Boston; contest winner of the Arthur Godfrey’s show in New York; and various summer resorts around Michigan between 1949 and 1953. The “history” is entitled, Tales of an Alley Cat: The gospel Truth & Apocrypha: Facts behind the Truth (and also in front of it) by R. Grant Smith (the original piano player, later the clarinetist.) I instigated this work after talking with Bob Milne, the ragtime pianist. Grant writes, “The blame for committing this collection of mind-numbing stories to paper lies solely on the shoulders of Paul Jackson, who urged me to compile this literary ambush. All lawsuits and other legal actions (both criminal and civil) resulting from reading all or any portion of this publication are to be directed to him.” The stories are hilarious, and as ‘designated driver’ in attendance during some of the recited events. I have added addenda facts…err, stories, as I remember them. Grant is also the author of, From Saginaw Valley to Tin Pan Alley: Saginaw’s Contribution to American Popular Music, 1890-1955.

Libraries have many patrons with wonderful stories to tell, and librarians should be working to learn of those, enrich your community by informing others of the great wealth of knowledge among your patrons.

The post Stories Need to be Told first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Tell Powerful Stories

Regardless of who they are, people love stories. Think of it in the way a business does: How do they connect with customers? Marketing is just a series of stories. They tell inspiring stories about their company, its founders, and how they have made their passion their business. Then a business shares reviews and customer experiences, which are essentially stories about how customers have interacted with them. Twitter contains 140-character stories, Facebook contains short stories of what is happening or has happened, and a blog is filled with stories of a product’s relevance to readers.

What can libraries learn from this? The lesson taken from the marketing world can be broken into three simple parts:

1. Tell the story of the library itself and the people who work there. Much like being a teacher, a librarian pursued passion rather than money. Your community created a library for many reasons: preservation, public education, and establishing a community center. Share the “why” stories of your staff and organization.
2. Tell the stories of patrons. How have their lives been changed? Who found their love of reading through checking out books? What have they been inspired to do?
3. Tell the story of “now.” What is happening at your library? What are you doing that should excite patrons and make them want to be a part of it? This doesn’t just mean traditional news outlets, but also using social media to accomplish your communication goals.

It is not just the stories that reside in the books on the shelves, or the e-books digitally borrowed by patrons, but the real-world stories that will inspire your community.

Create New Stories

While some libraries struggle, New York Public Libraries are experiencing a resurgence of visitors.^[3] What are they doing differently?

“Nationally, public libraries are redefining their mission at a time when access to technology, and the ability to use it, is said to deepen class stratification, leaving many poor and disadvantaged communities behind,” says Winnie Hu of the New York Times. “Sari Feldman, president of the American Library Association, said library workers have shown people how to file online for welfare benefits and taught classes in science, technology, engineering, and math to children who could not afford to go to summer camps.” ^[4]

“All libraries are having a renaissance,” Feldman said. “We’re seeing that libraries have really stepped up to take on roles that are needed in a community.”^[5]

Successful libraries enable patrons to create their own stories with makerspaces, classes, job counseling, and community events. Various clubs allow them to share their stories with others and create new friendships. Libraries have become community centers, gathering places, and learning centers. They provide access to technology and information like no other institution can.

Most of all, though, libraries are still all about stories. Our stories, the stories our patrons have created, and the stories they will create with our help. As long as libraries do not lose sight of that fact, as long as they do not focus on the number of books borrowed or patrons they can attract, but instead on the power of words—whether they be printed, pixels of e-ink, spoken, or 3-D printed—they will continue to be a vital asset to our communities.

Resources

“Storytelling and Business: Finding Your Power Stories,” Intuit Quick Books

Webinar: Using Social Media to Accomplish Your Communications Goals, George Washington University: Master’s in Strategic Public Relations Online

References

[1] Michael Loh Toon Seng, “Focus on boosting reading, not book borrowing,” Straight Times (Singapore), July 1, 2016.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Winnie Hu, “Adding Classes and Content, Resurgent Libraries Turn a Whisper Into a Roar,” New York Times, July 4, 2016.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Sari Feldman, ibid.

The post Beyond Book Borrows: What’s Your Story? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

And what would storytime be without a little discussion?

As toddlers, we talked about how the dinosaur might roar and how many ducks were on the page. Later in life, many of us still have a desire to discuss what happened in the story. That’s one of the reasons we have book clubs. With storytime for adults, some libraries, like the Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, Calif., have incorporated a brief discussion of the selected story to the program.[2]

If you’re considering starting this kind of program at your library, but feeling a little anxious about the endeavor, you can find a myriad of tips for reading aloud online. One great entry comes from the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America website. While this article is written more specifically for authors who are doing readings of their works, it has practical advice for anyone reading aloud. Several tips are given for selecting a good work, like making sure you don’t have an overabundance of characters, especially if you’re going to try to do different voices. Other ideas on how to make sure you’re doing a good job of reading the story, like making sure you are speaking at an appropriate volume are also provided.[3]

Most adult storytime programs select short stories to read. With all the wonderful options out there from classic to contemporary, it’s hard to imagine running out of possibilities! But, if you do, there’s still poetry and short plays – maybe you can convince a colleague to be a part of a theatrical piece for two!

[1] The Associated Press. “Winona library debuts story time — for adults.” MPRNews. September 14, 2015. http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/09/10/winona-library-debuts-story-time–for-adults (accessed September 17, 2015).

[2] Berkeley Public Library. “Events.” Berkeley Public Library. n.d. https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/events/storytime-adults-central (accessed September 17, 2015).

[3] Kowal, Mary Robinette. “Reading Aloud.” Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. August 16, 2009. http://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/reading-aloud/ (accessed September 17, 2015).

The post Storytime: It’s Not Just For Kids! first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Why Tell Your Story Online?

Many libraries are restricted by city or county rules on employee advocacy. When funding or programs are at risk of getting cut, staff have to get creative in promoting the value of the library in the community. Digital advocacy is a great method of not only visualizing that value, but also disseminating it to your community through social networks, email newsletters, and your website.

The Rockefeller Foundation published a report in 2014 called Digital Storytelling for Social Impact, which offers insights and ideas from interviews with thought leaders in entertainment, brand strategy, and philanthropy. One of the key quotes from the report reinforces the importance of digital storytelling or advocacy for community-centric organizations, such as public libraries:

“Stories can embody values; they can show how an organization is living its life by giving tangible examples. Putting faces and names to [an organization’s] values goes much further to promoting high-level concepts that aren’t as tangible.” [1]

So where to begin? One place to start is by interviewing community members or staff members about what they like about the library and what they do while they’re there. You could also frame your story around library usage data or a timeline of a project, such as a summer reading program or an event of which you’re particularly proud. Also remember that digital advocacy comes in many forms, from blogs to videos to digital slideshows.

A Few Examples of Digital Advocacy in Action

TechSoup has an annual digital storytelling contest called Storymakers, but we’re always supporting nonprofits and public libraries in telling their stories online through educational webinars, product donations, and informative content. I thought I’d highlight some of my favorite examples of digital advocacy that we’ve seen over the years.

The Norton Public Library won the prize for Best Library Video in the 2012 Storymakers contest with its video, 12 Things to Do in a Library. Teen patrons created the video to promote the library’s collection of pop-up books. This project not only gave the teens a chance to show off their video skills, but it also created a new generation of library advocates.

The Oakland Public Library (OPL) is also engaging its community to tell the library’s stories. Sharon McKellar, the community relations librarian, talked about the importance of sharing everything you do on a TechSoup for Libraries digital storytelling webinar. Much of the library’s sharing is done on the OPL’s network of blogs, where library staff and partners write about events, share new additions to collections, and answer community questions. Sharon also does a fantastic ongoing series on strange ephemera found in the Oakland Public Library’s books, which has gotten the attention of local media as well as Library Journal.

Digital advocacy doesn’t end after the creation and production of your story. The M.N. Spear Memorial Library in Shutesbury, MA got a construction grant from the Massachusetts Boardof Library Commissioners, but it needed a local match to actually receive it. The library had to privately raise funds in five months, so library staff members produced a video called Where Would You Be Without Your Library?

The staff reached out to the Massachusetts Library Association to promote the video and somebody from the association got Cory Doctorow of BoingBoing interested. After he shared it, the campaign went viral with promotions from John Hodgman, Wil Wheaton, Neil Gaiman, and other library-loving celebrities. But the video’s success wasn’t sheer luck: the library strategically reached out to cause-driven websites and newsletters, as well as library and book-related blogs, and told them about the campaign.

At the 2016 Public Library Association conference, Crystal Schimpf of Kixal and I will be presenting on behalf of TechSoup for Libraries about the ways that digital stories can be used for advocacy efforts, from raising awareness to political action. We’ll be sharing tips and ideas on how to create a compelling story for your library, and how to leverage it to show your impact in the community. Be sure to drop by Lights, Camera, Advocacy: Digital Storytelling for Your Library session at PLA 2016.

References
1. The Rockefeller Foundation, May 06, 2014, “Digital Storytelling for Social Impact.” p. 8. https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/blog/digital-storytelling-social-impact/. Accessed October 26, 2015.

The post Share Your Library’s Impact with Digital Advocacy first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

As host of the podcasts, each week  I speak with a different person who has a unique perspective on owning a business. I’ve spoken with seasoned to newly minted business owners, franchise-owners, and people who are turning their business into a franchise. The podcasts are recorded on GarageBand, but Audacity also works. While some interviews have lasted between 20-35 minutes, the majority average 10-15 minutes. I upload the recording to SoundCloud and publish it on our library website and social media. To date I have hosted 10 business podcasts.

I have also taught a class on Podcasting 101 and was surprised at the variety of participants. In addition to business owners, there were educators who wanted to create a podcast for their students, nonprofit organizations who wanted to provide weekly updates and information on their causes, and comedians. The beauty of podcasting is that it works for a variety of users. And as podcasts can be created very easily and uploaded in a matter of minutes, they are a great way to easily and quickly share stories and connect community members.

While my podcast series may not have all the bells and whistles of a professional series—nor do I expect it to be as popular as Serial —I have gotten positive feedback from listeners. They are appreciative of the insights and stories of their peers and fellow community members. In the community that I serve, nearly 80% of businesses only consist of 1-4 employees, so we know that our podcast series topic resonates with our community. Have you used a podcast in your library? If so, share a link below so that we can check it out. You can listen the Barrington Area Library’s Entrepreneur series  here.

The post Creating Podcasts to Share Community Stories first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

At the very heart of the ALA code of ethics is the promise, “We provide the highest level of service to all library users.”¹ We at DCL realized that this special population was not receiving storytime services. Many parents with children who are differently abled do not attend library storytime because they are concerned that their children will be disruptive, and yet these children need and benefit from our services. We were determined to provide a safe, comfortable environment that would welcome these children and young adults, and their families, so they too could benefit from the literacy-rich environment that the library provides.

Since beginning sensory-enhanced storytime in September 2012, we have received many expressions of thanks from parents, caregivers, and medical therapists. Their statements of support can be summarized as thanking us for providing a program where a son can be who he is, where siblings can interact just as they do at home, and where weekly growth can be observed. Children, teens and young adults with a variety of special needs attend our program, revealing a broader need than originally anticipated. Our program has connected us with a young adult daycare, whose clients attend weekly, and where we visit monthly to present our storytime. When these young adults visit the library for storytime, they may also use our computers or check out materials.

Many of our attendees are new to the library, and they apply for library cards after storytime. We see them using the library before and after our sessions, and we encourage them to attend upcoming  events and participate in our seasonal reading programs. Further, by welcoming siblings, extended family, and medical professionals to each session, we are providing a therapeutic and informative program with value beyond the immediate experience. We are dedicated to making our libraries welcoming to all patrons.

The Stories of Sensory-Enhanced Storytime

From the start, we have been pleased by our attendees’ age range and developmental levels. This is an expression of the importance of this program for a large segment of people in our community. We have infants, toddlers, preschoolers, children, teens, and young adults attend, each with their unique abilities to interact and enjoy the event. When we were developing the program, we expected that our audience would be largely children of toddler and preschool age on the autism spectrum, but we have learned that this storytime fills a need for a much more diverse demographic.

We currently have an average of eight youth attending each session. While we anticipate increased attendance over time through word-of-mouth and outreach, we know that our program is making a difference in the lives of our regular participants. They attend once or even twice weekly, giving us the opportunity to see their attention, language, and social skills develop. Initially some are hesitant to come into our storytime room, or may cry during their first visit. After a few sessions they are comforted by their growing familiarity with the songs and activities that we repeat at each session, and gradually begin to engage and participate.

Some make progress during their first storytime. A mother noted that her daughter did not cover her ears at all during her first sensory storytime at our library, which she regarded as a significant milestone. We also see that repeat participants become more engaged over time. They gain self-confidence and improve their language and social skills. They may gradually develop their ability to make eye contact. Their attention spans and participation increase as they are more able to anticipate each activity. We have learned that children who may not appear to be interested in the session will smile when we call them by name and make note of the scarf color they have selected, for example. Equally gratifying, some children choose to sit closer to us with each storytime they attend, and eagerly join in our activities. Mason, a two-year-old participant, is now comfortable coming up to our easel and placing his flannel shape on the board. A few short months ago his dad had to do this for him.

New friendships among the children, their parents/caregivers, and the program staff are another important benefit of sensory storytime. Raising a child with special needs can be an isolating experience for families. Our program offers a weekly time for them to visit the library and socialize. They begin to call each other by name, the typically developing children interact freely with those with special needs, and the relationships continue beyond storytime. At the conclusion of a recent session, one of our youngest participants looked up into the face of a young adult participant and said “Goodbye, James!”

Our storytime parents and caregivers are very appreciative of the safe and welcoming environment that our program provides for their children, and the developmental growth that it helps promote. Holly, whose son has a sensory processing disorder that makes it difficult to stay engaged, likes our sensory storytime as “it is hard to go to the library because he goes from thing to thing.” Our contained storytime room, with volunteers watching the closed doors, enables the parents and caregivers to relax and help their children benefit from our activities. The reassuring environment engenders a sense of security in their children. They talk, sing, sit, stand, walk, and move freely as they express themselves during the storytime activities.

Patrice, mother of two sons with Prader-Willi Syndrome, says of the program, “There have not been any negatives. It’s really a valuable resource for people like us that the kids don’t have to try and fit in. No one minds their little issues or idiosyncrasies. It’s very welcoming and we can just relax and be ourselves.”

Sensory-enhanced storytime is also a place for parents to connect with our staff, volunteers, and other parents and caregivers to seek and exchange information on library and community resources. As they enter our storytime room, we provide take-home information on our library programs, the Autism Society of Colorado, therapy centers, and other community organizations that have partnered with us or are recommended by our families.

Where to Begin

We began planning our sensory storytime program in fall 2011 with the formation of a district task force. The task force was composed of staff from several DCL departments. This group established working relationships with two organizations having extensive knowledge and expertise in providing programs for youth with special needs: (1) the Autism Society of Colorado (ASC) and (2) the Douglas County Preschool Program (DCPP). These collaborative relationships continue today, and our sensory storytime program is based to a great extent on their contributions, as described next.

During the ten months of storytime development, the ASC partnered with us in numerous ways. We attended their Autism Answers program, which is an introduction to their mission and staff, and to autism spectrum disorders, presented by their executive director. Following the program, we discussed the plans for our sensory program with them, and they provided ideas and information that are integral to how we market and present our storytime. The ASC has included our storytime schedule in their website since our program began.

Additionally, three members of the ASC staff visited our library. They attended preschool storytime, in order to discover which elements of this traditional program could be included in our sensory storytime, and to suggest appropriate modifications and enhancements. They also toured the library meeting room where sensory storytime is held, to help ensure an optimal and safe environment for our attendees.
We set up our room for sensory storytime based on ASC staff suggestions: the fluorescent light banks remain off, as some children may be sensitive to their buzzing and flickering; ceiling fans remain off due to their vibration and sound; the emergency and hallway exit doors are labeled with red STOP signs and monitored by volunteers; we place our meeting room tables in front of our stacked chairs to eliminate the chairs as a climbing hazard; and we secure all miscellaneous items such as push pins, pens, pencils, rubber bands, and so forth. Additionally, the ASC staff suggested that we use our rug with multi-colored squares to allow each participant to select a color to sit on. We also encourage our participants to bring their own seating, if they wish.

In June 2012, the ASC presented their Autism 101 program at our district staff day. As described by the ASC, “Autism 101 is an introduction to understanding autism spectrum disorders. Through this interactive and quick-paced presentation, you will learn the signs of autism, how to interact with individuals with ASD, and how to appreciate the gifts of autism.”² We gained valuable insights from this presentation into the sensory and learning challenges of children on the autism spectrum, and a higher level of confidence in our customer service skills for serving patrons with special needs.

Our task force also worked extensively with the DCPP during the development phase of our sensory storytime. We observed a preschool class session, where the teacher sat with her students and acted out “Humpty Dumpty.” The children were enamored and engaged. We came away inspired that we could stretch ourselves in our sensory storytime without being over the top for the children. Additionally, a DCPP occupational therapist attended our task force meetings. She provided guidance on the children’s seating, fidgets, and many other aspects of the storytime.

Another crucial step in our sensory storytime’s development was reading Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski’s blog post, “Programming for Children with Special Needs,” which details her preparation and launch of a sensory storytime for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (N.C.).³ Along with the vital participation of the ASC and DCPP, Twarogowski’s blog post is another part of the foundation upon which we developed our program. Among the many valuable tips she shares, we have incorporated into our storytime her recommendations to invite siblings and medical therapists to attend, to add to the family’s enjoyment and therapeutic understanding of their child; to develop the storytime for all ages and at a preschool developmental level, in order to welcome children, teens, and young adults; and to offer parents and caregivers surveys of their experience with us in order to adapt and improve the storytime.

We also benefited from information provided by the Inclusion Collaborative of the Santa Clara County (Calif.) Office of Education. According to its website, the Inclusion Collaborative’s focus is “the successful inclusion of children with special needs in child care, preschool programs, and the community through education, advocacy, and awareness.”⁴ They replied to our request for assistance with the design and implementation of a sensory storytime with useful guidelines for organizing the storytime space, activities, and social story.

A social story is a digital slideshow to introduce the library and storytime presenters to the children and families before they attend their first sensory storytime. We created our social story based on the Inclusion Collaborative’s example.⁵ Our social story includes photos of our storytellers, a staff nametag for easy identification of a staff member, the front exterior of our building, main entrance, book return, storytime hallway, storytime room interior, information desks, restroom, children’s department, and self-check machines. We also incorporated Inclusion Collaborative’s suggestions for seating, quiet fidget toys, and adapted storybooks to increase storytime interactions.

Staff and Volunteers

With the task force’s research complete, we (the authors), along with Carol Wagstaff and Leeann O’Malley-Schott, began to plan the details of the fall 2012 pilot. We offered the pilot program weekly, with morning and afternoon sessions on the same day. Realizing the daily demands on families of children with special needs, we could not predict an ideal day of the week for them. Consequently, we varied the storytime day monthly during the pilot, in order to help us determine the best day and times by surveying the parents and caregivers.

Next, we considered the staffing needs of the program. We learned from our work with ASC and DCPP that it would be ideal to have three people at each storytime: the librarian to lead the presentation and two additional staff or volunteers to assist with the parallel storybook/flannel board presentations, hand out manipulatives, and monitor the doors for safety. In order to provide ongoing continuity in our storytime, which is an important factor for those on the autism spectrum, each storytime has its assigned youth librarian presenter. Due to scheduling and budgetary restrictions, we recruited volunteers to fill the additional positions.

DCL District Volunteer Services Supervisor Ali Ayres and Branch Volunteer Coordinator Kim McClintock developed and led the volunteer recruitment. We asked volunteers for a minimum six-month commitment, and to be available for a specific weekly session. We wanted them to have experience with, or a professional interest in, children with special needs so that the program would be enhanced by their understanding and skills. Ayres and McClintock contacted our library’s existing volunteers, and advertised the positions in our district’s volunteer newsletter as well as in external publications. As our district does with all volunteer applicants, the candidates underwent a background check before being accepted. Ayres’ and McClintock’s dedication to finding the best candidates resulted in the formation of a core group of twelve wonderful teens and adults, some of whom have been with the program since the pilot. Our volunteers have formed friendships with the participants, and enrich our presentations with their experience and love.

Next we created a volunteer orientation to the program. With the permission of the ASC, Wagstaff developed a synopsis of their Autism 101 program. We began the orientation with this, followed by a discussion of the volunteers’ storytime tasks. Finally, we presented a portion of the storytime to demonstrate those tasks for them.

Themes, Plans, and Materials

The next step was to develop the storytime themes, plans, and materials. We selected themes that are supported by numerous and well-loved storybooks, songs, and flannel stories (see figure 1). We designed a sensory storytime plan template (see figure 2) to ensure that we would offer the same opening and closing songs, bubbles, parachute, and other activities at each session.

Figure 1. Sensory-Enhanced Storytime Themes Pilot Program

Colors
Things That Go
Farm Animals
Mice are Nice
Family
Feelings
Shake Your Sillies Out
Dinosaurs
Bathtime
Bedtime
Bears
Yummy in My Tummy
Bundle Up/Clothes
Snow Friends/Penguins
Under the Sea
Move

Figure 2. Sensory-Enhanced Storytime Template

Hello Song
Welcome and Visual Schedule
Book or Adapted Book and Flannel/ Manipulative
Fingerplay/Nursery Rhyme
Song
Book or Adapted Book and Flannel/ Manipulative
Fingerplay/Nursery Rhyme
Scarf Song
Bubbles and Song
Parachute and Song
Goodbye Song

Using information from the ASC, DCPP, and Twarogowski’s blog, we then enhanced the sensory experience of our storytimes in multiple ways. To offer a richer visual experience to our audience, we read a storybook while our volunteer simultaneously engages the audience with the flannel board version of the book. The pieces of the flannel board story are placed on a portable flannel board for our participants to select and place on the easel flannel board as the story is read aloud.

We made adapted storybooks and manipulatives to further engage the children. The adapted storybooks are color copies of storybooks that are laminated and put into a three-ring binder. A second set of copies is used to cut out and laminate key illustrations from the pages. Those illustrations are then attached with Velcro on top of their identical images on the pages in the binder. Prior to a storytime, we remove the Velcro-attached images from the book and place them on the flannel board. While we read the storybook, children take turns placing the images on the pages of the adapted book. We also attach laminated characters from select storybooks to large craft sticks and distribute them, allowing the audience to act out the story as it is read.

A variety of movements and sounds are incorporated into our storytime as well. We sing songs that include waving, clapping, stomping, and swaying. Musical instruments such as tambourines, sound blocks, tapping sticks, shaker eggs, and water bottles filled with rice add to the movement and sound opportunities. We move colorful scarves through the air at every storytime to the song “Shake Your Scarves” by Johnette Downing from her album The Second Line Scarf Activity Songs. Each session also includes moving a parachute up and down to the tune of songs such as “Tick-Tock.” Some children also need to walk or run around at some point during a session, which we can accommodate in our room.

A selection of puppets is also an integral tool to engage our attendees. Finger puppets serve as both characters from our stories and fidgets for their hands, and the larger puppets join us on the floor where they serve as props, pillows, and cuddly friends for the children. They provide an additional sensory source as well, as the children can stroke, swing, or squeeze them. In all of these ways, puppets help our audiences participate in the storytime.

We engage the children’s tactile sense with sensory balls, felt teddy bears, small beanbags, squishy paint bags, large feathers, chunky paint brushes, and other stimulating objects. For those children who enjoy scents, we pass cotton balls in plastic jars saturated with pleasant smells relating to specific stories. Bubbles from our bubble machine are included in every sensory storytime, which attract and delight many of our participants. We have found that by incorporating different sensory experiences into each storytime, we are able to engage and re-engage our diverse audiences.

Another important component of sensory storytime is the visual schedule, a tool commonly used in inclusive classrooms. Wagstaff created our smiling caterpillar whose individual circles depict a different storytime activity- read a book, sing a song, bubbles, and so forth. As we complete an activity, our volunteer or an eager audience member removes that circle from the caterpillar and moves his face down to meet the next circle. The visual schedule is a reassuring element for our audiences because they are familiar with its purpose and it tells them exactly what to expect at each session.

Resources

In order to gain a foundational understanding of the autism spectrum, and to aid in the development of our storytime plans, we consulted and recommend the following books (see figure 3). These titles are part of the wealth of information available to you to supplement what you will learn from your local Autism Society and school districts.

Figure 3. Recommended Reading Materials

The Autism Book: What Every Parent Needs to Know About Early Detection, Treatment, Recovery, and Prevention. Robert Sears, M.D. (2010)
Autism Every Day: Over 150 Strategies Lived and Learned by a Professional Autism Consultant with 3 Sons On the Spectrum. Alyson Beytien (2011)
The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum. Temple Grandin (2013)
How to Talk to an Autistic Kid. Daniel Stefanski (2011)
Music for Special Kids: Musical Activities, Songs, Instruments and Resources. Pamela Ott (2011)
Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew. Ellen Notbohm (2012)

Still Learning

September 2013 marked our first full year of offering sensory-enhanced storytime at the Highlands Ranch Library. Throughout this year we have offered our storytime each Thursday (at 10:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.) and on the third Saturday of each month (at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.). This schedule was, in large part, determined by the survey and in-person recommendations that we received from our participants during the pilot program. We learned that our public school district’s preschool program offers families the choice of half-day morning or afternoon classes, so it was logical for us to offer both a morning and afternoon weekday session. The times of day were likewise chosen based on our pilot audience’s suggestions.

Thursday was chosen because it was the day that most attendees preferred. Additionally, because we do not have a dedicated storytime room, it is most efficient for us to set up our storytime once on Thursday morning, and offer two storytimes before putting our supplies away. Both sessions have a core group of weekly attendees and regularly attract new families who can attend because of a change in their school schedule or medical appointments.

We request that the child attending storytime be signed up for each session, and patrons can register up to one month in advance. A maximum of fifteen children can register for each session. If non-registered participants arrive, we welcome them into the storytime with the request that they register in the future. No one who wants to attend is turned away. There is no registration required for those accompanying the registered children. An adult must attend with the child, but a one-to-one ratio is not necessary. We have a storytime email group that is regularly updated with new registrants. This group receives the storytime plan from us at the beginning of each week. This was requested by a mother who wants to make the storytime session more enjoyable for her child by reading the storybooks and singing the songs prior to attending. We know that this can be helpful to all of our participants, so we include this in our weekly tasks.

We also email a pre-survey to families who register for the first time, and send a post-survey after they attend. The pre-surveys tell us how our registrants found the program and the specific needs of their children that they choose to share. The post-surveys allow them to tell us what they did and did not like about the storytime, and to make suggestions for how to improve it. With this information, we adapt our sessions to better meet their needs.

Our 2013 storytime themes follow the weekly themes of our traditional storytimes. We present the theme that our traditional storytimes offered during the previous week. By following this schedule, we do not use resources needed by our traditional storytimes, while allowing us to choose from the books, flannel board stories, and songs that have already been gathered.

We changed our storytime floor seating from our large rug to foam squares (approximately 18″ x 18″ in size) that adhere to our library carpeting with Velcro dots. This was prompted by our concern that the curled edges of the rug would be a tripping hazard. The foam squares are colorful puzzle shapes decorated with animal and plant designs and numbers. Upon arriving, the designs and numbers prompt some of the children to discuss which square they will sit on, creating immediate engagement. Of course, some children prefer their parent or caregiver’s lap or snuggling with one of our large puppets during storytime, while others bring their seating from home or remain in their wheelchairs.
A volunteer passes out hand fidgets at the beginning of each session for sensory stimulation and to assist with engagement during the storytime. Some fidgets are related to the theme of the storytime or to a specific book being read, while others are provided for their calming properties, like the cooling sensation from the paint bags when placed on a cheek or forehead.

When we sing everyone’s first name after our welcoming announcement, we pass a sensory ball from child to child. The sensory ball has raised nubs covering its surface for an increased tactile experience. Periodically an adult in the audience will use the sensory ball during our storytime to soothe their child by rolling it gently along the child’s back or limbs.

We have found that our participants greatly enjoy storytime when we read our oversized storybooks or sing select storybooks. The oversized books enhance our audience’s visual experience and allow for easier viewing. One volunteer holds one side of a large book and helps the storyteller turn the pages. Singable books (such as Five Little Ducks, Over in the Meadow, or Today Is Monday) encourage movement with their rhythms and hand gestures and increase participation for many children.

Bubbles and a parachute song conclude each storytime with smiles and laughter. Most of the children are delighted with the bubbles and they often stand under them or try to catch them as we sing a song from “The Mailbox Magazine” (see figure 4). There is much excitement as we break out the parachute and beach ball. We sing a song while everyone moves the large parachute up and down or sits under the parachute for a sensory-rich experience. The children move the parachute to try and keep the beach ball on it, and take turns retrieving it whenever it is bounced off. To encourage everyone to let go of the parachute at the end of the song, we say that we need our hands to wave as we sing our goodbye song.

Figure 4. “Bubble Song Lyrics”

Bubbles floating all around
Bubbles fat and bubbles round,
Bubbles on your nose and toes,
Blow a bubble, up it goes.
Bubbles floating all around,
Bubbles floating to the ground

Over the past year we have heard from our participants about some of the many ways in which our storytime is useful and beneficial for them. Parents attend with children who will begin preschool in the next school year. They use our program to encourage their children to participate
in group activities, follow directions, and develop social and cognitive skills. Families attend for their typically developing children to enjoy an activity with siblings who have special needs. Caregivers attend with their clients to provide them with a weekly change of environment and informal instruction at a preschool level. Medical therapists join their patients at storytime to observe them in a non-clinical setting and to understand the therapeutic benefits of the program. Parents and caregivers also appreciate the library and community information we provide, as well as the relaxing environment.

Outreach

Community outreach has been an important part of our storytime’s growth over the past year. We have created partnerships with a variety of community organizations that serve the needs of special populations. Our collaborations were initiated by DCL, by the organizations themselves, or through parent recommendations. As we did during the development of our storytime, we continue to partner with the ASC and the DCPP through mutual program promotion and referral. We also collaborate with the HighPointe Center, a daycare facility for young adults with developmental disabilities. They attend our weekly storytime at the library, and we present a storytime at their location once
a month. Our storytime bookmarks are available at their center’s reception desk, and we offer their information on our resource table.

We are also fortunate to have the STAR (Sensory Therapies and Research) Center as a local resource and collaborator. We offer their informational brochure on our storytime resource table, and they display our storytime poster in their reception area. The Highlands Ranch Community Association’s therapeutic recreation program provides classes and activities for youth with special needs, and we are pleased to have a partnership with them. Their class offerings and community events are advertised at our storytimes, and they provide information on our program in their facilities.

Throughout 2014, we are planning to offer additional programs and services for the special populations in our communities. The families who attend sensory storytime have established connections with each other through our program, and we would like to help them develop a parent
support group to be held at our library and therapeutic recreation centers. We will also forward to our participants relevant community
information, with their permission.

We encourage you to consider offering a sensory storytime program at your library. We have told you about how it benefits our patrons and community. What you also should know is that our two-year journey to develop and present sensory storytime has been one of the most joyful and satisfying experiences of our careers. We welcome you to join the community of libraries that present sensory storytime.

References

1. American Library Association, “Code of Ethics of the American Library Association,” accessed Feb. 5, 2014.
2. Autism Society of Colorado, “Autism 101,” Aug. 16, 2013, accessed Feb. 5, 2014.
3. Tricia Bohanon Twarogowski, “Programming for Children with Special Needs, Part One,” ALSC Blog, June 23, 2009, accessed Feb. 5, 2014.
4. Santa Clara County Office of Education, “Inclusion Collaborative,” accessed Feb. 5, 2014.
5. It is posted on the sensory-enhanced storytime page of our website.

The post Sensory-Enhanced Storytime at Douglas County Libraries: An Inclusive Program first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Viktor Sjöberg is the Digital Services Librarian at the Escondido Public Library. He has actively worked with his library’s LibraryYOU project. In this California library system, LibraryYOU has created several videos of community members showcasing a variety of knowledge and skill sets. Holocaust survivors have told their stories. Local farmers have done podcasts on gardening. Quilting, creating organic cleaners, chair yoga, and grief management through art are just some of the topics these podcasts cover. Community members highlight their skills through their library, which results in the library being even more closely tied to their community.

Zoe Blumenfeld from the Global Fund for Women reported on how her organization had struggled in the past with getting their organization’s mission across to the general public. That is until they started thinking in terms of stories. They held story-telling workshops for all staff. On the organization’s Facebook page, they held an International Women’s Day Staff Contest. Staff wrote on the page why they loved working for the organization, what they had achieved while at the organization, and what they had learned along the way. This allowed the public to understand the goal of the organization and the stories behind that goal. By re-connecting the staff with their own stories of why they were working at the organization, the Global Fund for Women found an impetus to jumpstart their organization’s mission and public presence.

Brandon Walowitz of Lights.Camera.Help believes that video is the most powerful communications tool a nonprofit organization can use to tell their story. They have found that with the right kind of video, not only can a group’s story be told in an attractive manner, but volunteers and sponsors can be motivated to help. Lights.Camera.Help. helps nonprofits and libraries find ways to tell their stories through video. Simple steps such as what lighting is used, where the microphone is, background music, and the length of the video can make all the difference to how your story is told and received. This group provides classes throughout the year about how to make a video tell your story. Check the website periodically for dates.

This presentation contains a wealth of details that would be valuable to libraries. Thanks to technology and the fairly low cost of certain devices such as camera phones, Flip Cameras, and software, local videos can be added to a library’s website or social media outlet. A campaign such as International Women’s Day Staff Contest could be used to advertise a library’s mission through staff storytelling. This can be especially effective when library staff is disconnected from each other and the purpose of their library system as a whole. Video contests are another way that the public, especially teens, can connect to their library.

Watch the archive of this webinar here and see how you can modify the tips and information to tell your library’s story.

The post The Importance of Storytelling first appeared on Public Libraries Online.