Penny Peck
Crash Course in Children's Services
Workshop
Speaker Bio
Penny Peck has been a children's librarian for 20 years; before that, she was Snow White and Mother Goose at Children's Fairyland in Oakland, CA, ran a nightclub, worked as the wardrobe mistress for the Berkeley Ballet, and was an agent for a standup comedian. Her experience includes performing thousands of storytimes, leading hundreds of book club discussions for students in grades 4-12, conducting hundreds of school tours and assemblies, reviewing children's books and media, and conducting the Performers' Showcase for auditioning library entertainment. She is editor of "BayNews," the newsletter for the Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California, www.bayviews.org. Her goal is to create libraries as "place," where the community meets for educational and cultural programming, as well as facilitating the love of literature in youth so they will be life-long readers. She is currently the Senior Librarian Youth Services for the San Leandro Public Library, CA. She is also serving on the 2007 Sibert Award Committee for ALA/ALSC, is a member of the Assembly of the California Library Association, is the California state representative to the Collaborative Summer Library Program, and is the author of Crash Course in Children's Services, 2006, published by Libraries Unlimited.
The Course Book
This handbook gives practical advice on performing essential duties in the Children's Room of the public library. Tips are given on reference service including the reference interview, a simple overview of child development, and tips for assisting parents and teachers as well as suggestions for managing children who are in the library to do homework or to wait until they are collected by a parent or caregiver. Collection development is covered with practical advice on using book reviewing journals to aid in selection. Storytimes have been in libraries more than 100 years, and instructions in how to provide this vital and essential service is covered in a "how to" of doing storytimes for babies. toddlers, preschoolers, and families to make them fun and exciting. Programming includes library tours by school groups, author visits, and entertainment programs with emphasis on summer reading programs. Tips are given for ensuring that children with physical disabilities as well as developmental or learning disabilities are included in services offered. Finally, suggestions cover how to meet the challenges in services to children based on the changing dynamic of families and communities.
Crash Course in Children's Services Workshop
Aimed at new children's librarians, paraprofessional staff who work in the Children's department of public librarians, and reference or branch librarians who fill in at Children's periodically, this all day workshop covers a wide array of topics particular to Children's Services. Children's reference interview techniques, homework assistance including useful websites, Children's readers' advisory, storytime and other programs, tours, book discussion groups, and other library services to children will be discussed. Highlighting areas of her book Crash Course in Children's Services, author Penny Peck will also elaborate on areas of interest to the audience, facilitate interactive exercises on the topics, and answer questions. The workshop compliments but doesn't just repeat what is in her book, and can be tailored to focus on certain issues critical to the audience.
Sample of an All Day Children's Services Workshop
9am: Introductions: Self-introduction by instructor, brief introduction of workshop participants and what jobs they currently hold and what they are interested in learning today. Definition of "Children's Services" in libraries and what that can entail. Overview of the workshop, brief description of the "Crash Course in Children's Services" book and how that differs from the workshop.
9:20am: Reference: Reference interview questions, instructing children in using the library including tours, serving parents and teachers, book requests, using the internet for reference with children. Mock reference interviews in pairs.
10:00am: Homework Assistance: Finding resources for homework reference, homework centers, helping homeschoolers, using the internet for homework help, communicating with schools.
10:45am: Break
11am: Readers Advisory: Why Readers' Advisory and knowledge of the Children's Fiction collection is fundamental to Children's Services. Readers' Advisory interview questions, types of books, grade levels, multicultural fiction, gender issues, bibliotherapy, helpful internet sources, booktalks, book lists. Role play Readers' Advisory interview questions and suggestions.
Noon: Lunch
1:00pm: Storytime: Format of an average storytime, format by ages: babies, toddlers, preschoolers, family storytime, getting started, outreach and publicity, types of books for storytime. Songs, arts and crafts, puppets, flannelboards, kindergarten readiness, bilingual storytimes, useful websites. Model a typical storytime with interaction from the audience. Audience will take away handouts that outline several storytimes, along with instructions for related arts and crafts so attendees can start doing storytimes the next day!
2:30pm: Break
2:45pm: Programming: Why programming is so important to Children's Services in the library. Book discussion groups, entertainment and multicultural programming, do it yourself programming, author visits, movie programs, summer reading programs, publicity and evaluation of programs.
4:00pm: Conclusion (ends at 4:15pm)
Contact Information
Sheila Lucier, Workshop Coordinator
Sheila.lucier@greenwood.com
800-225-5800 ext 1353
Debby LaBoon
Workshop Manager
Libraries Unlimited
Debby.laboon@lu.com
803-547-5206
Flyer in PDF
A copy of this info is available for download as a PDF flyer.