INFOhio is Ohio's PreK-12 digital library. INFOhio provides library automation, instructional support, and lots of electronic resources to Ohio's PreK-12 community. It is also an important resource partner for public library staff who serve children. Among INFOhio's offerings is access to Scholastic Bookflix for all Ohio children from PreK-up. Learn how you can use and share INFOhio.
With over 100 sessions on all aspects of early childhood education, the Ohio Early Childhood Conference is a great opportunity for librarians to learn from experts in the field, and to network with early childhood professionals from around the state.
OLC Chapter Conferences are regional, one-day events that focus on practical and perennial topics for public library staff. Each Chapter Conference offers multiple breakout sessions, including a range of children's services topics, as well as HR issues, reference strategies, adult and youth programming, school partnerships, and more. 2017 is the last year for the traditional OLC Chapter Conferences, so don't miss out!
The State Library of Ohio is pleased to offer this special program, through which libraries have an opportunity to apply for LSTA grant funds to expand their collections to include more Ohio book award winners and Ohio authors, incorporate programming, and expand community engagement and awareness of the state’s rich literary offerings and award programs. Early literacy-related projects eligible for this grant may include:
Read Aloud 15 MINUTES is a national campaign to encourage parents and caregivers to read aloud with their children for 15 minutes every day. Read Aloud offers a variety of free downloadable items including posters, parent handouts, bookmarks, and reading trackers.
Digital Storytime: Kids, Apps, and Libraries is a FREE professional development course offered by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
On October 21, 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced that it has issued revised recommendations for children’s use of screen media. The announcement acknowledges the ubiquitous role of media in children’s lives. Among the AAP recommendations:
AWE is offering a multi-state group purchase special rate on its Early Literacy Station™ and AfterSchool Edge™ systems through December 15. All Ohio public libraries are eligible to participate, and there is no minimum purchase per library. The discounted prices are $470-570 off AWE’s regular prices for these products.
Read Aloud 15 MINUTES is a national campaign to encourage parents and caregivers to read to their children daily, for the many educational and developmental benefits that reading brings. The goal of Read Aloud is to make reading aloud, for at least 15 minutes a day, the national standard in child care.
Digital Media Training is coming to a library near you! Attend this FREE one-day train-the-trainer workshop and learn how to be a Media Mentor for families with young children.
The Ohio Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning and School Readiness has released a plan to revise Ohio’s Early Learning and Development Standards (Ohio ELDS). The standards were adopted by the State Board of Education in October 2012 to describe key concepts and skills that young children develop from birth to age 5.
School Library Journal maintains a list of publisher permissions for read-aloud use of their books in your online storytimes and programs. This list is updated as new information is received from publishers:
Are you looking for tips, techniques, and best practices for planning and producing online/virtual storytimes? Two recordings from webinars originally presented in summer 2020 are now available for free, anytime viewing via the Self-Paced Online Courses and Recorded Webinars page of the ORTR website! One is from the Ohio Library Council and the other is from WebJunction.
Find more self-paced learning opportunities for early childhood programming: ohreadytoread.org/recorded-webinars
Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR), a national parent/caregiver outreach initiative, empowers public library workers to share early literacy knowledge with the caring adults in young children's lives. It was first rolled out in 2004, and is very familiar to children's services specialists. But what if you're a new children's librarian or specialist and you're hearing about ECRR for the first time? You've come to the right place!
