Observe and Document a program delivered for Children

Children’s Story Time on You Tube

Many years ago, well before the internet services we have today even existed, I lived with my husband and three young children in a fairly remote and isolated area in South West Victoria. The nearest town was about a thirty minute drive away and the local municipal library only opened two afternoons a week. About once a month the mobile library van would visit my local community. Thank goodness for Play School on the TV twice a day but it would have been terrific to have had high speed internet and be able to watch storytime sessions at more convenient times. So I have decided rather than attend my local library to observe, document and reflect on a program delivered for children I would view a virtual children’s storytime. I searched YouTube for Children’s Storytime Australia but most of the content listed was from the USA. I did find stories, mostly indigenous tales, such as “A Dugong Story”

but not an actual storytime. There were two US public libraries that had reasonably regular storytime posts to YouTube, the Oak Park Public Library and the Scoville Memorial Library. After viewing a number of videos from both libraries I chose to follow a storytime session from the Scoville Memorial Library, broadcast by the Public Access Web TV channel, CATV6.

Scoville Memorial Library, located in Main Street, Salisbury, Connecticut, has an interesting two hundred year history and is the first publicly funded library in the USA. The Children’s

Librarian is Erin Simmons and she is the storyteller for all the storytimes listed (thirteen that I could find on the YouTube search results page). There are also links to Children’s Story Time available on the Scoville Library website but only for the first four episodes. Story Time was first published on YouTube on June the 11th 2012. The Story Time I am reviewing is the latest post on the 1st of May. 2013. 

CATV6 and The Scoville Library Present Children’s Story Time

 

The opening credits have undergone a makeover - much brighter and more professional in appearance than the early Story Times. The introductory music is also different and is quite catchy and distinctive. I think children would like it and I certainly did. The set background is a quilted wall hanging with the words Scoville Library sewn across the centre. It is an effective use of an article associated with the library as a backdrop;

it is attractive, not over busy enough to be distracting and creates a homely atmosphere. Erin Simmons introduces herself and commences with two songs “Come on Everybody” and “Open Shut Them”. Only the second song is familiar to me. Each session is themed and this time the theme is dogs, other themes have included bedtime, night time, and ducks. The first book is then read and it is “Harry the Dirty Dog” by Gene Zion a very well known and much loved book .

She reads with an appropriately animated voice and makes some relevant comments or asides to the listeners throughout the reading. The book is always held up so that the pages can be seen but is hard to make out the details of the illustrations. Following on from the first reading is another song “Bingo” then Ms Simmons reads the second book “Bark George” by Jules Feiffer. I don’t know this book but it is quite amusing and I can imagine children becoming very involved in the story and reacting to George’s many mistakes in attempting to bark and the eventually revealed reason why he is having such difficulty.

Ms Simmons speaks to the audience frequently asking questions about the sounds George is making. The illustrations are a little easier to see this time because the pictures are larger with less detail. Another song is then sung, “Do your ears hang low?”.

The last book is “The Pigeon wants a Puppy” by Mo Willems. This is another book I have never come across before and it is quite delightful. The book’s illustrations and words are large and easily seen and read. Ms Simmons reads this book very well and the story is very relevant to children who often want a cute baby animal without realising how much care it needs and how big it will grow. This story is an entertaining cautionary tale for children - “be careful what you wish for”. The session finishes off with a finger game “The Puppy and the Chicken” then a song “We wave goodbye like this”. The overall length of this Story Time was nearly eighteen minutes.



This Children’s Story Time was read throughout in a lively fashion and was well enunciated. Ms Simmons is not a great singer but it was wonderful to see that she was prepared to sing for her audience of children (I don’t think that they would care). The selection of books was very good with simple to more complex stories presented. The only real criticism I would offer is not being able to see the illustrations and the words clearly for some of the publications. This could be rectified by using the zoom function on the camera. I would love to know the extent to which young children enjoy Story Time and it would have been good to have a real audience present to gauge the effectiveness of the program. According to Barbara Freedman-De Vito, Ms Simmons ticked the following boxes for a successful storytime

• specific theme 
• pace the program alternating between longer and shorter stories
• chose the finest stories available
• quieter and noisier activities
• some activities that are physically active
• chose books with a variety of artistic styles and or colours
• good plotlines and messages
• clear speech and appropriate voice characterisation for dialogue
•  finger games, rhymes and songs  (Freedman-De Vito, 2011, p.11-12)

also there are additional storytime techniques as costumes or puppets that may be included although this was not the case with the Scoville storytime. 

I do have one question though - why aren't Australia libraries doing the same and placing posts on YouTube?

MMilesWHDD. (2013). Scoville Library Presents : Children's Story Time [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azx7jwt_qH8

Robin Hood Radio TV / CATV 6. (2013). RobinHoodRadioTV/CATV 6 [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/MMilesWHDD

Scoville Memorial Library. (2013). Scoville Memorial Library. Retrieved from http://www.scovillelibrary.org/

Highsmith, C. (2011). Scoville Memorial Library, Salisbury, Connecticut [Image]. Library of Congress. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2012631642/

Mannell, R. (2011). The Dugong Story by Alexandra Seddon [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m77UdJj0hTU

My Book Corner. (2013). Bark, George [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.mybookcorner.com.au/book-reviews/search-results.html?dir=4&keywords=Bark+George 

My Book Corner. (2013). Harry the Dirty Dog [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.mybookcorner.com.au/book-reviews/search-results.html?dir=4&keywords=Harry+the+dirty+dog

My Book Corner. (2013). The Pigeon Wants a Puppy [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.mybookcorner.com.au/book-reviews/search-results.html?dir=4&keywords=The+Pigeon+wants+a+Puppy


Freedman-De Vito, B. (2011). Ideas to perk up library storytimes and other children's programmes. School Librarian. 59 (1) p.11. Retrieved from
http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=EAIM&userGroupName=csu_au&tabID=T002&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA252385515&&docId=GALE|A252385515&docType=GALE&role=

Censorship

Analyse a peer-reviewed journal article

Does Labelling Children’s Books Constitute Censorship

Lisa Hunt, a School Library Media Specialist (Apple Creek Elementary School, Moore, Oklahoma) and Melanie Wachsmann, a Reference/Teen Librarian (Lone Star College, Texas), debate whether the placing of stickers or dots on the spines of books in school libraries could be considered a form of censorship. Reading programs such as Accelerated Reading (AR), Read 180 (Hunt & Wachsmann, 2012, p.90) and Lexile Framework for Reading (Lexile, 2013) require students to read books that have been chosen as appropriate for their reading levels. Labels or stickers in some form are used by libraries to assist students with the selection process especially when they, the students, can be confronted by thousands of books from which to choose. “Such labels, their proponents argue, enhance access and improve convenience for readers.” (Hunt & Wachsmann, 2012, p.90). Opponents to labelling argue that “… labeling (sic) practices can lead readers to prejudge books by their labels rather than by their content.” (Hunt & Wachsmann, 2012, p.90). The American Library Association (ALA) agrees with the latter view and opposes labelling because it can predispose people’s attitude to library resources. Censorship can be overt - students are restricted as to the books that they can borrow or covert - students may not consider books outside of a particular level so a form of self-censorship develops.

In the article, Lisa Hunt and Melanie Wachsmann, discuss labelling as a censorship issue from both viewpoints. Lisa Hunt contends that books are already labelled in many ways such as awards, young-adult content level, graphic novel format (Hunt & Wachsmann, 2012, p.90) and that the additional labelling is a necessary tool to be used by students as part of the school reading curriculum program as well as an enhancement to reading “… pleasure and confidence”. (Hunt & Wachsmann, 2012, p.90-91).

Melanie Wachsmann on the other hand, while being sympathetic to the labelling argument, believes that the opportunity for censorship to occur far outweighs all other considerations. She believes that students will hone their browsing skills over time anyway without the use of labelling and not miss out on experiencing “… the original joy of discovering new books to read.” (Hunt & Wachsmann, 2012, p.91). Wachsmann also discusses other negative impacts of labelling, for example, is a book with no label not worth reading or will students with a higher or lower reading level than their cohort be embarrassed when borrowing material or where a library shelves books according to the label code, will students the not have the opportunity learn how to use the Dewey Decimal System? (Hunt & Wachsmann, 2012, p.91) 

Certainly the American Library Association vehemently opposes labelling and believes it contravenes the American Bill of Rights but only if it is an attempt “… to prejudice or discourage users or restrict their access to materials.” (ALA, 2009, para.2), however, it appears that if “Labels on library materials … (are) viewpoint-neutral directional aids designed to save the time of users” then the use of labels is acceptable. 

After searching the ALIA website (ALIA, n.d.) there doesn’t appear to be a corresponding policy document. This may be because the ALIA website is currently being redeveloped and not everything is available for viewing at the moment.

This is an issue that I really hadn't thought about previously and certainly all school libraries that I have been associated with over the years do have some sort of labelling system in place. Sometimes it is dot stickers used in conjunction with a reading program and sometimes it is labels that simply display general reading content such as Junior or Senior Fiction. On balance, I appreciate the many reasons for using a labelling or rating system, and it appears the main objection to labelling is not so much the labelling itself but rather the restrictions that can linked with the labels. Teacher-Librarians do have a responsibility to students to provide choice and "School libraries are concerned with generating understanding of freedom and the preservation of this freedom through the development of informed and responsible citizens." (Boyko & Davey, 2008, p.16) so in some schools it maybe time for the Teacher-Librarian to re-evaluate the use of the sticker. This will mean meeting with Reading curriculum leaders and proposing a more open approach to students choosing material if the current borrowing process is tightly controlled. So does labelling constitute censorship? Yes, it appears it can in certain circumstances, and Teacher-Librarians have an obligation to ensure that the stickers are there as a guide or a tool only and try and keep labels as viewpoint-neutral as possible.

Boyko, D. & Davey S. (2008). Managing priorities when you're 'it' in a primary school library. Retrieved from  http://www.slav.schools.net.au/downloads/08pastpapers/21building/daveyboyko.pdf.

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). (n.d.). Policy and guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.alia.org.au/about-alia/policies-and-guidelines.

American Library Association (ALA). (2009) Labeling and Rating Systems. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/labelingrating.

Hunt, L., & Wachsmann, M. (2012). Does labeling children's book constitute censorship? Reference & User Services Quarterly, Winter, 52(2), 90-92 [Peer Reviewed Journal]. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=ef669895-17b9-46e1-9bb8-bb15b0768e1e%40sessionmgr111&vid=2&hid=108. 

Lexile, (2013, 05, 18), Lexile overview video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/lexile-video/.

Counting Coconuts. (2011) Our School Library [Image] Retrived from http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/our-school-library.html

Amazon.com. (2013). The Dot [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/James-Excellence-Childrens-Literature-Awards/dp/0763619612.

University of Waterloo. (2013). Find fiction in the stacks [image]. Retrived from http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/newsatlib/130509/findfiction.html.

Young People's Book Awards

The Inkys 

Analyse and evaluate a website designed for young people

A review of the "Inside a Dog" youth literature awards webpages "The Inkys"

Inside a Dog (http://www.insideadog.com.au/) is a teen literature website organised through the State Library of Victoria (SLV) as a project of its Centre for Youth Literature (http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/learn/centre-youth-literature). The title of the website “inside a dog” comes from a typically sardonic Groucho Marx quote

“Outside of a dog a book is a man’s best friend.

Inside a dog it’s too dark to read.”

The “Inside a Dog” (IAD) website has many features including Books, News, Forum and Book Club. The Section I will be reviewing is the Inkys. When you click on the Inky Award tab there is a very short introduction to the Inkys and a calendar of important dates as well as a congratulatory section for the 2012 winners:

Shift by Em Bailey (2012 Gold Inky)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (2012 Silver Inky)

The colour scheme for the page is same for the entire IAD website - black, orange and white and of course Inky the dog appears everywhere. This colour combination could be considered somewhat garish by adult standards but from talking informally with young adults the pages were considered “a little bit in your face” and “attention grabbing” and “bright”. The content was “easy to read” in that the words didn't get lost in the background and the font was clear and sized appropriately. The language used was straightforward and there was no information overload located anywhere on the site. The right-hand side of the introductory page has links to past winners and the longlists and shortlists from which these winners were chosen going back to the inaugural year of the awards in 2007. Other links are available on the Introduction page are:

• Inky - who is Inky?
• Call for teen judges to nominate themselves - guidelines as to who can apply and how
• Submissions or nominations for books (closed at the moment)
• Guidelines for selection and eligibility of books and voting rules

           and finally 

• a link to the merchandise page

All links are simple to navigate - one click and the links open in a new page tab so you are not having to continually use the back arrow. Important links such as guidelines can be found in different sections of the opening page, ensuring that they can’t be missed.

My overall impression of the Inside a Dog website and in particular the Inkys Award was a quirkiness of design and an ease of use that was perfect for teenagers. I just loved Inky the dog, a cross between spiky, cuddly and electric, very much like teenagers themselves!

The Inky Awards

The Inkys are Australia’s first national young adult literature awards chosen by teens. This is in sharp contrast with the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Awards (http://cbca.org.au/index.htm) that are chosen by a select group of adults and not the intended readership of the books. The Inkys have two awards, a Gold Inky for an Australian book, and a Silver Inky for an International book. Every year a longlist of ten Australian books and ten International books are selected by a panel from nominations received via the online form on the IAD webpage (the books entered into the CBCA awards are nominated by publishers). This initial panel comprises former judges (mostly teens) and independent experts. The longlist books are then read by a new panel of judges (again mostly teens) and the longlist is reduced to five Australian books and five International books. The shortlists are published on the IAD website and young adults between the ages of 12 to 20 are eligible to vote. The two books (one Australian and one International) with the most votes win the awards. Interestingly only three of last year’s 2012 Inky shortlisted books appeared on the CBCA notable book list and the eventual winner of the Gold Inky, Shift, failed to make the CBCA shortlist.


“The Centre for Youth Literature’s Reader Development Manager, Anna Burkey, says the Inky Awards encourage teens to read for pleasure and share the stories they enjoy. ‘The Inky Awards are distinctive, providing a space for young people to champion the year’s very best YA fiction…” (SLV, 2012 para. 7 & 8)


State Library of Victoria (SLV). (2012). Inky Awards Winner Announced. In State Library of Victoria. Retrieved from http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/about-us/media-centre-7

State Library of Victoria (2013). Inside a dog. Retrieved from http://www.insideadog.com.au/