What would that do to overdue books? To fines? This is just one of the mind-expanding questions we discussed at the YSCON meeting this morning, a discussion forum for youth services consultants in the 50 states. Alaska, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia were represented, and Sara Laughlin, from Interface, showed up as well. We talked about emergent literacy and brain research and library cards and grants and resource sharing and summer reading and loss of funding distance learning and the importance of getting to other conferences besides library ones, such as the principals conference.
And then someone threw out another great idea:
What if ALA bargained not for rent-a-car or insurance discounts, but discounts to other professional organizations? Or got us into other conferences at their member rates? This might be far more valuable than saving 15% on your auto insurance, and encourage the types of collaborations we are always striving for.
Overheard:
The number one reason for parents not bringing their children to the library, and the reason that “using the library” is the lowest pre-literacy activity on the list: FINES
We should be the YES people, not the NO people. Patrons shouldn’t have to take it to a higher level (the director) to get a “YES.”
Call it an “extended use fee” – more positive sound that fine
80% of libraries serve populations of less than 10,000.
I also got several great ideas from my colleagues
- At a weeding workshop, ask each participant to bring a book they are undecided about
- Host a teddy bear sleepover at the library. Children leave a stuffed animal overnight on a Friday, and when they pick them up on Sat morning the animals are in slightly different spots, each with a letter attached about the fun activities they did at a sleepover. Cute!
- Create a Kindergarten Calendar for 4 year olds, with suggested pre-literacy activities each month that parents and children can do at home to get kids ready to read.
