Get ‘em while they're young; that's the motto of several library programs in Maine aimed at drawing babies and their parents into the library. At the Wells Public Library, for instance, recruitment starts as soon as the baby comes home--literally. Scanning the birth notices in the local newspaper, the librarian calls new parents and invites them to come to the library for a "Books for Babies" bag (available from FOLUSA), which doesn't include disposable diapers or baby powder, but does offer parents a "Born to Read" T-shirt for baby, a new book, and a list of suggested reading materials for starting their babies on the road to literacy. What each of the programs profiled in the video share in common is this: all operate from the assumption that reading aloud to children is the singlemost important factor in turning toddlers into eventual readers. There's also no disadvantage to letting new parents (who are also taxpayers) congregate and swap baby stories at the local library. Librarians who would like to start outreach programs for new parents will find useful tips and guidance here. Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)
Libraries Are For Babies, Too!
(1995) 20 min. $59.95. ALA Video/LVN. PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 1-56641-033-9. Closed captioned. Vol. 11, Issue 4
Libraries Are For Babies, Too!
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