We are excited to finally share our column in YAACING Winter 2015! YAACING is published by the Young Adult and Children’s Services (YAACS) arm of the British Columbia Library Association and if you’d like to catch up on our past columns you can find them here:
Usually we’re all about bringing you all the link love one little article can contain, but this quarter we’re changing things up. We are constantly discovering new blogs dedicated to youth services. Some of these blogs are just starting up, and some of them are well established. In both cases, they’ve made it onto our radar over the past few months, and we want to share them with you. So get your RSS feeds ready!
- Hafuboti: Rebecca’s blog is an absolute must-read! Her monthly displays and passive programs are a sight to behold with recent additions such as Dinovember and Decemberley. This blog is bursting with creativity, from crafts to graphic design projects. Everything you see you’ll want to do in your own library.
- Playing the Hits: Don’t let the byline fool you – Maggie is no rookie! One thing we look for in blogs is a diversity of content and this one delivers. Read about unique storytime themes such as Pizza Dinosaurs, learn about apps she uses in her iTots storytime, or get the rundown on holding a Minecraft club. The Chicago area is lucky to have her!
- Geeked Librarian: Lots of STEM ideas on this blog by a newly minted children’s librarian. Learn how to make squishy circuits or find out how to make a library website with no budget! We also love how she discusses how she tweaks and revamps the programs she’s inherited such as this music and movement storytime.
- Laura’s Library Adventure: We were drawn in by the adorable profile picture, we stayed for the top notch content. With over 10 years experience, Laura wows us with her full spectrum of programs such as her preschool labs, pumpkin palooza, and storytime goodies. We also love her ideas for the after school crowd: hands-on science and sweet snacks.
- Miss Colleen’s Corner: Colleen blogs about all different kinds of storytimes and her posts are very thoughtful and detailed. She explains why she chose the books and songs for each theme. We also love her StoryTech posts which explain how she incorporates technology into storytime. Additionally, she’s blogged about a sensory storytime she offered with the cutest visual cue cards ever.
- LibraryKirsten: While Kirsten’s blog is only a couple months old it is brimming with thoughtful content. Her blog focuses on both her experiences as a Children’s’ Librarian and her participation in the Colorado Association of Libraries Leadership Institute (CALLI). The result is lots of great reflection on topics like screen time, professional goal setting and awesome ideas when it come to books and programs.
- erinisire: We love following Erin on Twitter because she keeps it so real and her blog is no different. Her recent post about what she wants to do highlights her commitment to all things awesome and early literacy. Look no further than her TMNT Passive Program or her Ode to Babytime for original ideas and plain old hilarious writing.
- The Adventures of a Bookgirl: We love Bookgirl’s blog for its well organized content (c’mon we’re librarians too!) and lots of gorgeous pictures. Check out her Tween, Teen and YA programs and display ideas as well as her Sensory Storytime for some neat visual tools.
- The Frozen Librarian: It’s not just because she’s so close to the Canadian border she gets French radio that we’re excited about this new blog. We really like the range of formats she covers in her recommended reads, interviews like this one and did we mention her Taco storytime?! Oh yes, and oh you’re welcome.
- Teeny Weeny Library: First of all check out this list of themes, Andrea’s even got being sick. Love it! Ok, now back to it Andrea writes awesome book reviews and has contributed big time to Flannel Friday. And just to round this out she’s got a growing list of School Age Programming and Young Adult book reviews. All this makes for a blog worth following.
Aw, thank you ladies! You are inspirational to so many of us and I’m just tickled pink (yes, I actually blushed) to be on this list. 🙂
Thank you THANK YOU for the shout out and the compliments on my blog.. The Adventures of BookGirl! You guys are terrific supporters of fellow librarians and the jobs we all do together. 🙂
Nadine, you are most welcome! Thank you for blogging and sharing. We agree with you: it’s what makes our community stronger!