July 6, 2011

OK, I'm late posting this blog but things tend to get away from me at home with the kids. :)

Last, week I had an idea: using Neoreader, I created a code linked to the 2011 Pura Belpre Award winners. The Pura Belpre Award, which falls under the Association of Library Services to Children, a division of the American Library Association, is given to Latin American writers and illustrators.

I thought that during Hispanic-American History Month, Lee Co. Library could showcase some of its holdings which are Pura Belpre Award winners or at least honorable mentions along with a sign containing a code linking to the Web site for a complete list of past winners. Interested patrons could request titles through Inter-library Loan.

However, it seems to me that there's so much more that could be done with these codes: using Google Docs or Sites, we could create an "information scavenger hunt." Groups of children can be paired with an adult who has a smartphone in order to find the codes throughout the library. The codes will link to a question and a clue where to find the answer. The answers would be found using reference materials found in the library. I'm sure the library could come up with some little prizes for the winners.

Also, I'd like attempt to work with local teachers to get an idea of what subject matter they are teaching. Librarians could carefully find and select relevant Web sites, add the links into a Google Docs document, and then link the document to a code.

Additionally, the library could create a list of recommended children's books for the summer reading program to include both fiction and nonfiction. Naturally, the list would include titles from award programs, such as Newbery, Caldecott, and the Orbis Pictus Award lists.

I pitched the idea to Melissa at the library; she loved it. This week, I'll be sharing some of the ideas with Vicky, the Teen Librarian.