(How) Can we read? Librarians want to help (really!)

June 20, 2024

Jun 20, 2024

Librarians want to help you find books for your kids.

This is the truth.

I used to stress about this — I ask a lot from my librarians — and one day, I just decided to inquire about how annoying I was (am).

Not only did they reassure me that this is their job — helping — they emphasized that they like doing this.

Which may have opened a can of worms, with me, that they regret never being able to close 😉 because if anything I just became even more high-maintenance, but I think it’s worth sharing this information with you, so you know the truth, too.

(Also: I now serve on the board of my local library, thanks to said long-suffering librarians — It has only taken me like ten years! YAY, YAY, YAY! — and I’m the chair of the board of a state-wide library organization that serves every kind of library you can imagine — and there are more than you can imagine — so I’ve had a lot of opportunities to listen and learn about libraries and I am 1000% convinced that indeed, librarians want to help. Basically all they want to do, all the time, is help.)

Libraries are among the most important things in my life. Libraries are non-negotiable — I will never live anywhere without access to a library. Libraries are my church, my holiest place, my sanctuary. I bring my children to the library because I can’t imagine not bringing them to the library, and it’s an integral part of the culture of reading in our home.

“Library Saturday,” written by my then-5yo

There are also libraries beyond the public ones, of course. If you’re a parent or caregiver, you know that there is probably (my god, hopefully) a library in your children’s school.

School libraries are unique, with their own wonderful benefits, quirks, and challenges, but school librarians also want to help.

My Substack friend (and fellow Wisconsinite!),

Katy O.

of the newsletter, The Mindful Librarian, has more to say on this topic, which will hopefully motivate you to approach the librarians in your life and do what they want you to do: ask for help.

person in black long sleeve shirt standing near brown wooden shelf — Photo by Keren Fedida on Unsplash

As a school librarian, there is nothing I love as much as an email from a parent or a family member stopping in during parent-teacher conferences to ask for book recommendations for their child. When Sarah asked me if I would be willing to share my thoughts on this, I jumped at the chance to push the message that librarians WANT to serve in the reader advisory role. It’s part of our jobs, it’s what we are trained to do, and many of us don’t get to do it often enough.

When children are very young, parents and caregivers often find it easy to choose books to fill bookbins and all of the daily reading opportunities that arise with little ones. We often choose books based on our own preferences, nostalgia, and burgeoning child interests and it seems easy to just fill bags and bags of books to bring home! However, as children grow, they begin developing their own tastes and preferences and start the journey toward reading independence. Reading aloud is always wonderful but independent reading definitely deserves a place in a child’s reading life even before actual word-reading skills have been developed fully. I talk about “look books” all the time with kids — those books that they can enjoy via pictures only.

As tastes begin developing and reading levels begin diverging from grade levels, parents and caregivers are often left wondering how to help pick out books. This is especially true if a parent is picking out books without a child present or if the child is reluctant to try anything new. The great news is: your librarian can help!

If your child attends a school with a certified librarian, definitely reach out to them. The best way to do this is usually via email, given how busy school and teaching schedules can be. Another option would be to stop in during an Open House or parent-teacher conferences and make that initial contact — the librarian will often need to do a little research, but can email you with a list, or even direct your child toward specific titles during future library visits.

Your local public library may have a dedicated Youth Services librarian, and if that’s the case, they are the people to talk to regarding book recommendations. The best case scenario is you are able to visit the library when they are working and not leading a program so you can talk directly to them and ask for guidance. If they are busy, or if your library doesn’t have full-time Youth Services staff, talk to any staff member and ask for the correct person and / or email address for Reader Advisory. At many small libraries, all staff members fill all roles and can help you out right away, but if that’s not the case, you may be able to leave a description of what you are looking for and have someone get back to you later.

Librarians have special databases and tools and tricks and lots and lots of experience with a variety of readers that parents and caregivers might not have access to. That’s great news, because it’s an absolute gift to be able to outsource a task to a person who loves to do it at no cost to you.

I love being given a tricky reading request and diving into my rabbit holes of resources and professional sources and coming up with a list of things for a kid to try. With that recommendation, I always ask that the child be willing to have an open mind, give each recommendation a fair shot, and then think about why each recommendation was or wasn’t a good fit for them. That feedback is super important to bring back with the next request for titles, and will help your librarian be more effective and efficient next time around. There is no greater reward for me than being able to see a kiddo walk into the library and having a brand new release set aside for them because I just know they will love it.

So go ahead, make a librarian’s day and ask them for a recommendation!

And, a relevant 📫 Questions from you

It’s Sarah again, responding to a question one of you had in a recent survey that I want to use to piggyback on Katy’s helpful advice:

How much should I get involved in library choices? It’s a balance between giving my 3-year-old autonomy and also not ending up with either 10 books about tractors or no books at all.

Dear Should I Get Involved,

Ask a librarian for help in finding titles that will appeal to your little kiddo!
And: embrace 10 books about tractors.

Choice is the right of every reader, no matter one’s age, no matter one’s taste (even if it’s questionable or just downright junky, and that is entirely normal at 3yo and well, forever).

If you really want to foster autonomy, if you’re really trying to raise a reader, let him pick what he wants. 10 books about tractors is far better than no books at all.

(But be sure to ask a librarian for some help.)

Thanks for reading today,
Sarah