January 20th, 2008 Family Literacy Day

I still get shivers whenever I discover one of the picture books that I had borrowed from the library as a child. My first selection, made at the Brodie Library branch at three years old, was The Popcorn Dragon by Jane Thayer. Since that time I have had the pleasure of sharing that same book with many, many children who have come to the library and I admit I feel a bond with those who love it most. This tale of a dragon who learns the hard way that no one likes a braggart is not for everyone's taste, but is perfect for some. For others....there's a book just on the next shelf which I know will get their eyes to light up.

That's what I do now for a living. I am a Children's Librarian and an important part of what I do is to put the right books into the right hands. I am in charge of services and collections for children and young people, and am not only a book and library-lover but an admitted book-pusher. I feel very passionately that libraries play a strong role in a community's overall health and development, and that we support parents' and educators' efforts to develop happy, educated and fulfilled children.

January 27, 2008 will mark the tenth year of Family Literacy Day, a national day to promote the importance of families reading and playing together. Research shows that literacy is the key skill which helps children in all areas of education and that the family is the place where all the early literacy skills develop. Or don't.

Here are my top ten suggestions for ways that the Library can help families develop literacy skills,make reading fun and create life-long readers:

1) Become regular Library borrowers

At no cost, a child's library card gives them access to thousands of stories from around the world, magazines, movies, music and information which can inspire and support their interests, hobbies and schoolwork. Enjoy all this and come back the next week to find more.

2) Check out the Library web site at www.tbpl.ca

Use this site to access the Library catalogue and find out what's available, what's new, what's hot, and also locate recommended reading lists, award-winning lists, author features and databases full of encyclopedia articles, magazine and newspaper stories and much more

3) Try TumbleBooks

It is available on our web site at any time of the day or night from your home computer. With it, children can click on a picture book and have it read to them while they watch the animated illustrations. Robert Munsch reads his own books in his unique way and there are also stories in French, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese to try.

4) Come to a Library Story Time

Children need to hear rhymes, songs and stories before they go to school. Drop-in to “Beginning With Books” with your child and you can share an hour of stories and related fun. Any Wednesday at Brodie and any Thursday at Waverley you just need to drop in at 10:30.

5) Do your homework at the Library

Bring your homework, pick a table and get busy. You won't need to go far to find the books you need to answer questions or get ideas. If you need to access the Internet and don't have a computer at home, well, the Library has them too.

6) Read in another language

There are many children's books in French, but also in Arabic, Chinese, Finnish, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.

7) Borrow a Big Book or a CD Book

You can read to a crowd when you borrow one of the Library's giant-sized picture books. Or you can be an audience of one or more listening to a story when you borrow a CD Book to listen to in your room, in your car, at your camp, on the bus or whenever and wherever you like.

8) Sign up for Readers are Leaders, the Summer Reading Club or the OLA Forest of Reading Programs

These are programs which provide reading practice during the school year or encourage reading during the summer and which combine reading with incentives or other fun so that it hardly feels like learning. But it is.

9) Select from the EZ READ collection

Children who are just beginning to read or who are still practicing their reading and not yet ready for chapter books will find just what they need to get fluent on these shelves

10) Don't give up!

Don't let lack of time, money or ideas prevent you from encouraging your children's literacy. The Library is free and full of resources for your children and for your own pleasure or education. It is YOUR Library and is here for you to enjoy as a family. If there is something we don't have that you need, we want to hear about it. Look at the children's pages on the Library web site for even more ideas on how to celebrate Family Literacy Day on January 27th and how to develop better readers any day.

Angela Meady, Head of Children's and Youth Services