“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”

– Emilie Buchwald

 

As someone whose work involves children’s services in a public library, it is important to delineate two differences between this work and that of a school teacher-librarian.  Firstly, in public libraries, staff help connect readers with the books they want, or with books they don’t know about yet, but which they may come to love; we do not see ourselves as teachers.  The second difference is that we connect not just with the child but with the adult who accompanies the child.  Children do not stay at public libraries by themselves, as they do at day care centres or schools.  They are with a parent or a grandparent.  In public libraries, often the most important connection we can make is with those adults, since we emphasise how beneficial it is for the very young, that the adults in their lives read to them; ideally every day (Djonov,Torr & Stenglin, 2018, p.2).

We see our focus as making reading enjoyable.  Unlike schools, we do not have to deliver a curriculum and tick off lesson plans. Library programs are not a structured “lesson” as such, with expectations that certain tasks be completed, but rather, the programs are about making a visit to the public library welcoming, fun or relaxing; and encouraging adult and child visitors to browse, borrow and continue reading at home together.

It is no small irony, that there is evidence that reading for pleasure is an important indicator of a child’s educational success, more so that the family’s socio-economic status (Clark & Rumbold, 2006 p.6).  It can be argued that while public library staff are not teachers and are not there to formally educate or assess, they are in a position to deliver an educationally beneficial impact on children (and families); thus reading for pleasure “lies at the heart of debates for the provision and development of public services such as libraries” (Burnett & Merchant, 2018, p.62). This role is growing even more significant in these COVID-19 times, as parents are not permitted to enter school grounds at the moment; whereas they can go into their local public library with their children and engage with library staff.  Think of the “have-to” reading culture children encounter at school; and then it becomes especially important that public libraries promote a “want-to” reading culture.   Furthermore, if another lockdown occurs, and children are sent home again and public libraries close too, then access to digital literature through the public library could once again become the only resource for new and extra reading material for children.

Often parents are not necessarily aware of all our collections and the depth of what we have, and so we can show them the huge variety of books in any public library.  During COVID-19 we are seeing behavioural changes occurring: less people are coming into the library and we are not running in- person programs at all, and the return of programs is not likely to happen any time soon. So there is now even more incentive to ensure that we connect with young families so that they are aware of digital books and that there are options to borrow these from public libraries.

As Burnett & Merchant argue there is a benefit for those who interact with children and youth to engage with the digital media that is so much a part of their lives (p. 67, 2018).  This is a worthwhile pursuit for both teachers and public librarians.  Be aware of what children are engaging with, if for no other reason, than to show that you have not lost touch with modern childhood!  Furthermore, inspiration may strike giving adults insights or ways to make a connection between digital literature and reading for pleasure.

I have enjoyed getting out of my comfort zone of print books, and immersing myself in ebooks, both good and bad.

 

References

 

Burnett, C. & Merchant, G. (2018). Affective encounters: enchantment and the possibility of reading for pleasure.  Literacy, 52(2), 62-69. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12144

 

Clark, C. & Rumbold, K. (2006). Reading for pleasure: A research overview. National Literacy Trust research report. https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/reading-pleasure-research-overview/

 

Djonov, E., Torr, J., & Stenglin, M. (2018). Early language and literacy: Review of research with implications for early literacy programs at NSW public libraries. Department of Educational Studies, Macquarie University. https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/early_literacy_literature_review_feb2018.pdf