Dear Sarah
I am sharing this with the list because it is an idea that has a wide application,
even for those
who do not have a Parent section in the library. It is an idea I adapted after
hearing about its
impact in a small public library in Tasmania. (Use your atlas if you don't know
where it is.)
One of the most popular services that the parents appreciated in my library was the
Grab Bags.
These were bright fabric bags that I made that contained seven read-alouds so
that there was one
for every night of the week. The busy parent could drop in, grab a bag, check it
out (we did not
restrict our loans to students and teachers) and be off in a matter of minutes.
The bags were fabric and if I did it again, I would put a distinctive transfer or
appliqué on each
so that parents (and pre-schoolers) could remember whether they had had the
butterfly bag but not
the bird bag.
The books were popular titles or others I selected as fitting that 3-7 age group
that were either
duplicates or purchased cheaply at sales, book fairs and so on. We also included
a guide to
Reading at Home that I had got for about 50c at El Cheapos, but this could easily
be a laminated
sheet. Attached to the handle of each bag was a laminated card with the titles of
its contents as a
quick checklist before return.
Each bag was catalogued in our LMS as a "resource box" so only one barcode had to
be swiped,
although we did a quick check of the contents. The barcode was in a keytag on the
handle.
Apart from the advantages for the kids and their parents, it saved us heaps of time
as reading
advisers for parents and grandparents who just wanted something to read, and was a
brilliant PR
exercise. Because the pre-school was attached to the primary, it started those
little ones off on a
habit of borrowing and when they came to big school, there was a very familiar
place to feel safe.
We also had weekly storybook sessions and other programs.
Maybe this is something you could consider.
In regard to your other questions, I wouldn't try to duplicate the resources of the
Public Library,
but perhaps look for stories in the native languages of your parents so they can
share these; or
offer books from great authors for these kids so they can sit and read what their
kids are reading.
Try to offer stuff that connect the parents, the kids and the school like Mem Fox's
'Reading Magic'
(it has a different title in the US); Jim Trealease's Read Aloud handbook and so on.
Good luck.
Barbara
Barbara Braxton
Teacher Librarian
COOMA NSW 2630
AUSTRALIA
E. barbara.288@bigpond.com
Together we learn from each other
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