Janet L. Capps

Library-Based Summer Reading Clubs: Who Participates and Why?

This article reports on a research study designed to identify who participates in library-based summer reading clubs (SRCs) and why they elect to do so. To address this aim, questionnaires were completed by caregivers of 246 children upon enrollment to the SRC of a metropolitan library as well as 480 youth; the questionnaire was designed to learn more about enrollees with respect to basic demographics, home environment, and motivational attributes. Results of this study suggested that those who enroll in SRCs are relatively diverse with respect to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status; however, enrollees also tend to be motivated toward reading and to be capable readers. Implications for broadening community members’ participation in SRCs are discussed.

Early Literacy in Library Storytimes: A Study of Measures of Effectiveness

Across the nation, librarians work with caregivers and children to encourage engagement in their early literacy programs. However, these early literacy programs that libraries provide have been left mostly undocumented by research, especially through quantitative methods. Valuable Initiatives in Early Learning that Work Successfully (VIEWS2) was designed to test new ways to measure the effectiveness of these early literacy programs for young children (birth to kindergarten), leveraging a mixed methods, quasi-experimental design. Using two innovative tools, researchers collected data at 120 public library storytimes in the first year of research, observing approximately 1,440 children ranging from birth to 60 months of age. Analysis of year-one data showed a correlation between the early literacy content of the storytime program and children’s outcomes in terms of early literacy behaviors. These findings demonstrate that young children who attend public library storytimes are responding to the early literacy content in the storytime programs.

Communities of Practice and Connected Learning: Breaking Down Walls through the Use of Information and Communication Technologies

Valuable Initiatives in Early Learning that Work Successfully (Project VIEWS2), is an Institution for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Research Grant with the objective of providing evidence-based methods for planning and evaluating the outcomes of public library early literacy programs. This study, unusual within Library and Information Science (LIS) research, consisted of a two-year experimental design with an online intervention. Forty libraries throughout the U.S. State of Washington were randomly assigned in the two- condition study: control (20) and treatment (20). The focus of this poster is to look at how the design of an intervention, administered during Year Two of the study broke down walls among the experimental librarians through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The existence of an ongoing community of practice across geographic boundaries will be verified by post-intervention surveys and in-depth phone interviews.

Early Literacy in Library Storytimes, Part 2: A Quasi-Experimental Study and Intervention with Children’s Storytime Providers

Within the peer-reviewed literature, there is a shortage of experimental and quasi-experimental studies examining libraries’ impact on children’s early literacy development. Therefore, Project VIEWS2 (Valuable Initiatives in Early Learning That Work Successfully 2) used a quasi-experimental design to understand whether an intervention to train public library storytime providers in early literacy principles makes a difference in children’s early literacy skills. In the experimental group, comparisons of preintervention and postintervention data showed statistically significant increases in the early literacy behaviors of the providers and attendees in the experimental group. There were no significant changes in the early literacy behaviors of control group providers and their attendees. A purposeful focus on early literacy principles makes a difference in storytime programs and in early literacy behaviors when children attend storytime. This article examines the design and delivery of the intervention, its effects on the study population, and its implications for practice.

Connecting collections and cultures by creating a community of children's librarians around early literacy storytimes

Communities of practice are important tools for professional development, encouraging peer-to-peer learning and knowledge creation. This study, which is part of a three-year Institute for Museum and Library Services National Leadership Research Grant, examined childrens librarians’ perceptions of a community of practice they created during an extended online, interactive training program. The librarians shared both positive and negative perceptions of the community that was created during the training. Through the interviews it became apparent that while creating a community of practice the librarians made connections between their collections and shared their library cultures.

Project VIEWS2--Phase 1: Innovation in early literacy

The researchers propose to share first year results from VIEWS2, Valuable Initiatives in Early Learning that Work Successfully, a 3-year Institute for Museum and Library Service (IMLS) National Leadership Research Grant. Year 1 of VIEWS2, using a pre-post text experimental design was proposed to measure the early literacy outcomes for children birth to kindergarten who attend public library programs. Results stem from data collected by 20 iSchool student and faculty researchers in 40 libraries at 120 storytimes attended by 1440 children using innovative researcher-developed tools designed to observe children’s behavior and adult program presentation. High positive correlation occurred between adult practices and developmentally appropriate children’s outcomes at the group level. Some assumed best practices are in place, but some other research-based early literacy principles most important for children to learn to read successfully are relatively rare.