Read to Succeed (book)

Court, J. (2011). Read to Succeed: Strategies to Engage Children and Young People in Reading for Pleasure. London, UK: Facet Publishing.

 As schools and libraries lose their funding, literacy services to children and young adults must become more efficient, practical, and effective. This much-needed collection covers all aspects of promoting reading to and with young people, along with models of current practices and inspiration for future developments. It contains vital insight into how young readers think, empowering you to foster literacy while reaching even the most reluctant readers. Full of advice from experts in the field, it will appeal to librarians and students who wish to work in public or school libraries.

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Screen Time (book)

Guernsey, L. (2007). Screen Time: How Electronic Media--From Baby Videos to Educational Software--Affects your Young Child. New York: Basic Books.

Note: This is the paperback edition of Into the Minds of Babes. The only difference is the forward by Ellen  Wartella and a 20 page epilogue by the author.

As a mother, Lisa Guernsey wondered about the influence of TV on her two young daughters. As a reporter, she resolved to find out. What she first encountered was tired advice, sensationalized research claims, and a rather draconian mandate from the American Association of Pediatricians: no TV at all before the age of two. But like many parents, she wanted straight answers and realistic advice, so she kept digging: she visited infant-perception laps and child development centers around the country. She interviewed scored of parents, psychologists, cognitive scientists, and media researchers, as well as programming executives at Noggin, Disney, Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, and PBS. Much of what she found flies in the face of conventional wisdom and led her to conclude that new parents will be best served by focusing on "the three C's": content, context, and the individual child.

Advocating a new approach to TV and DVDs, Guernsey focuses on infants to five-year-olds and goes beyond the headlines to explore what exactly is "educational" about educational media. She examines how play and language development are affected by background and foreground TV and how to choose videos that are age-appropriate. She explains how to avoid the hype of "brain stimulation" and focus instead on social relationships and the building blocks of language and literacy. Along the way, she highlights independent research on shows ranging from Dora The Explorer to Dragon Tales, and distills some surprising new findings in the field of child development.

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Protecting Intellectual Freedom in Your Public Library (book)

Pinnell-Stephens, J. (2012). Protecting Intellectual Freedom in Your Public Library: Scenarios from the Front Lines. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

There is arguably no arena more contentious in the battle over intellectual freedom (IF) than the public library. When confronted with challenges like censorship and policy disputes, public librarians and paraprofessionals need reliable how-to guidance, and Pinnell-Stephens offers exactly that in this valuable resource. Chock-full of case studies, real-life examples, and hypothetical scenarios, this book provides

• An easy and thoroughly engaging way to introduce new employees to basic IF concepts
• Incisive analysis of how IF plays out in the world of public libraries
• Practical advice on how to effectively handle intellectual freedom challenges
• Numerous sidebars, written by IF expert Deborah Caldwell-Stone, detailing copyright laws, statutes, past court cases, and sample policies

A concise summary of what’s at stake and how to react, Protecting Intellectual Freedom in Your Public Library will prepare public library personnel to face the issues at hand.

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Joint Libraries: Models That Work

Gunnels, Claire B., Susan E. Green and Patricia M. Butler.  Joint Libraries: Models That Work.  Chicago: ALA, 2012.  027.473 Gunne   ISBN 978-0838911389

The joint-use college/public library can be an ideal solution to serving patrons while managing overextended resources, and this illuminating book scrutinizes successes and failures of the joint-use model. Three founding faculty librarians of a joint-use college/public library discuss the factors that should go into evaluating when and where a joint library is suitable. Incorporating lessons learned from five case studies, the authors

·         Include a short history of joint libraries, exploring how this model is a natural evolution from reciprocal borrowing, shared catalogs, and interlibrary loan

·         Explain how to manage all aspects of a joint-use library, including choices about the physical plant, decisions on contractual requirements, collection development, classification systems, cataloging and technical services issues, personnel, and more

·         Address emerging trends and best practices for serving students and the general public simultaneously

·         Offer interviews with administrators and staff in successful joint-use libraries

Anyone interested in joint-use libraries in particular, or radical ideas for extending resources in general, will want the information in this book.

Grant Money through Collaborative Partnerships

Maxwell, Nancy Kalikow.  Grant Money through Collaborative Partnerships.  Chicago: ALA, 2012.  025.11 Maxwe     ISBN 978-0-8389-1159-4

Because libraries are information and research centers, they can support a huge variety of grant funding initiatives outside their own purview. Cultural centers, businesses, and educational institutions are untapped resources for library funds. What's more, many libraries may find that collaborating on a grant application with another organization is preferable to going forward with a time-consuming application of their own. But finding the right collaborative partner and securing a place at its development table can be challenging. Drawing on her extensive experience as a grant developer and library director, in this ALA Editions Special Report Maxwell

·         Presents an overview of grant basics, with extensive lists of both online and print resources

·         Suggests how to frame libraries research capabilities as benefits to the community at large, transforming these capabilities into a revenue source

·         Explores strategies for locating potential partners, with tips on approaching collaborators and establishing successful relationships

·         Describes what libraries can ask for from the grant developer, making sure to include what they want in the grant proposal

Maxwell offers an abundance of practical advice and encouragement for using this novel approach to secure additional funding for libraries.