Wonder Libraries: 20 Expert Perspectives on What Kids Need Now

This title will be available Fall 2024. You may place an order and the item will be shipped when it becomes available. 

ALA Member
$44.99
Price
$49.99
Item Number
979-8-89255-580-7
Published
2024
Publisher
ALA Editions
Pages
168
Width
6"
Height
9"
Format
Softcover

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  • Description
  • About the author

Children's librarians will feel informed and get inspired by this book's many innovative, research-backed strategies for helping kids succeed and families prosper.

Though librarians, educators, and other professionals who serve children and teens continuously strive towards equitable outcomes that help kids heal, grow, and flourish, it can be a challenge to settle upon small, actionable steps for moving forward. This collection shares a rainbow of ideas, initiatives, and activities for promoting joyful, supportive learning for every child. It gathers contributions from thought-leaders and advocates working with youth outside the realm of the public library, collecting their expertise, best practices, and recent research. With examples applicable in a variety of settings, from this book readers will

  • find concrete ways to spark happiness, kindle curiosity, and deepen learning in kids;
  • receive guidance on building authentic relationships and humble partnerships with children and communities;
  • learn about real-world examples that explore becoming a "trusted messenger" to new parents, Reach Out and Read at Lurie Children’s Hospital, food literacy, trauma-responsive library services, nature and Indigenous wisdom, using gaming to foster literacy, countering misinformation in the Black Community, technology-based play, STEM learning, summer programs, and many others; and
  • discover five action items at the conclusion of each essay that will enrich their work and their organizations.

Elizabeth M. McChesney

Recipient of ALSC’s 2021 Distinguished Service Award, Elizabeth M. McChesney has more than three decades of experience in children’s librarianship. In 2012, as the Director of Children’s Services for the Chicago Public Library she led her team through the transformation of the summer reading program to the nationally-recognized Summer Learning Challenge. This achievement earned her a Library Journal Movers & Shakers Award, the Founder’s Award for Excellence from the National Summer Learning Association and the John Cotton Dana Award. Liz believes in the role of STEAM-based library learning and finds great joy in watching children play, read, and learn in libraries and throughout the community in library-led learning. Liz writes and speaks extensively about library service to children, building successful partnerships, and the role of the 21st Century Library. She passionately believes in the public library as a place of learning and education, joy and wonder for America’s kids and is now serves as a consultant in helping empower librarians across the country to do the same.