Victoria Sanchez and Mary Madigan share the story of how and why the Milwaukee Public Library have shifted the focus of their Summer Library Program to outside the library, positioning the library staff as literacy leaders in the community.

1. MILWAUKEE PUBLIC
LIBRARY
BEYOND THE LIBRARY
WALLS: LITERACY
LEADERS FOR SUMMER
READING

2. MARY MADIGAN & VICTORIA SANCHEZ
LIBRARY EDUCATION SPECIALISTS

3. AGENDA:
• Overview of Milwaukee Public Library Philosophy of Youth
Services
• Scope of Outreach Services
• Child care summer outreach
• School age summer outreach
• Questions/answers

4. READ
LEARN
CONNECT
~MILWAUKEE PUBLIC LIBRARY
MISSION STATEMENT

5. CREATING A CITY OF READERS
LOOKING AT READING THROUGH THE LENS OF A CHILD
Goal:
Create a culture
of reading in the
life of a child.

6. Institute for Research on Poverty
www.irp.wisc.edu

7. LOOKING AT READING
THROUGH THE LENS OF A
CHILD
What does it look like:
• reading material
• adult models
• conversations and reading
out loud
• library cards

8. HOME:
Opportunities:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Classes – Lunch and Learn
Introducing performers
At sign-up
Booklists
Story Time/ Play & Learn
Adult education

9. LOOKING AT READING
THROUGH THE LENS OF A
CHILD
What does it look like?
•
•
•
•
Regular user
Feeling of belonging
Know how to navigate
Support of reading and
the library

10. COMMUNITY:
Opportunities:
Partners promote
library events
• Medical clinics
• Restaurants
• Church bulletins
Partners provide
programs at the library
• Artists
• Theater groups
• Unique groups
Library spaces have a
“customer focus”
• Inviting
• Easy to navigate

11. LOOKING AT READING
THROUGH THE LENS OF A
CHILD
What does it look like?
•
•
•
•
They have access
to books and
someone reads to
them daily
They see library
staff visit
Library posters are
displayed
They participate in
library card drives

12. CHILD CARE, SCHOOL AND
SUMMER CARE:
Opportunities:
• Visits to child
cares and
schools
• Class visits to
the library—
including story
time
• Library card
campaigns
• Booklists

13. READ  LEARN  CONNECT
EDUCATION & OUTREACH
SERVICES

14. BIRTH TO FIVE
OUTREACH SERVICES
Books2Go &
Ready to Read
Deposit
Collections
•
•
Monthly delivery and
pick up of books
•
Ready to Read
‘graduates’.
Special Books2Go
library card for child
care centers.
•
Continuing education
workshops for
providers.
•
Play and Learn for
families.
•
Early literacy experts
model outreach story
times at child care
centers.

15. SCHOOL AGE
OUTREACH SERVICES
• Deposit collections to youth serving agencies
• Outreach events/family literacy events
• After school reading clubs (new in 2012-2013)
• Library card drives

16. SERVICES FOR
SENIORS
• Van service/remote library
• Deposit collections to nursing homes

17. SUMMER READING….

18. READ  LEARN  CONNECT
SUMMER READING OUTREACH

19. SUMMER LEARNING LOSS
Which is especially devastating for children from low income households.

20. CHILD CARE SRP OUTREACH GOALS
Children:
• Love books, “reading,” and being read
to
• Seek out books as an enjoyable
activity.
• Excited about Library story times at
their centers.

21. CHILD CARE SRP OUTREACH GOALS
Child Care Providers:
• Read to class daily
• Reading with their class is a FUN
event
• Model for providers how to conduct an
enriching story time

22. CHILD CARE SUMMER
READING OUTREACH
•
•
•
•
Story time outreach to 80
child care classrooms/
about 1000 children ages
2-5 years.
Enroll the other infant
and toddler classrooms
while we are there.
Track time spent reading
aloud and/or singing to
children 0-5.
Teachers earn books for
their classroom libraries.

23. ACTIVITIES DURING VISIT

24. FOCUS:
PRINT
MOTIVATION

25. A GIFT FROM MPL

26. SURVEYS
ADMINISTERED AT
LAST STORY TIME

27. THE RESULTS:
Based on participant responses:
50% understand what Print Motivation is.
68% understand how to build Print Motivation in
their students.

28. INTERPRETING RESULTS
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
We changed attitudes and behaviors!
~I will follow the steps that Ms. Anna took when she was getting ready to
read to the children and while she was reading. The children were so
happy to see her and from all of us at (child care name), we would like to
say Thank you Ms. Anna.
~The first thing I’m going to do is make a reading area in my class. It’s
going to have chairs, a book shelf and puppets to go along with the
books. Also I’m going to make sure they’re kid friendly.
When asked to list ways to develop Print Motivation, one
provider wrote:
•
•
•
•
Involve the children during story time
Encourage the older children to read to this group
Ask the children to tell me what they learned from the story
Ask the children to tell me what the story was about

29. COMMITMENT TO
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
• Print Motivation still the key
• Child Care providers
appreciate the outside
connection!
• Story Time props and
extension ideas-VERY
useful to the providers
• Staff saw need to go
WEEKLY

30. SCHOOL AGE SRP OUTREACH
GOALS
Children will have:
• Time to read and highly motivating,
age-appropriate reading material.
• A desire to read.
• Knowledge about the library and SRP.
• Understanding of the importance of
summer reading .

31. SCHOOL AGE
SUMMER READING
OUTREACH
•
Children ages 6-12
•
Majority of cost to attend is
subsidized through W-2
•
Enrolled in 4-8 week summer
enrichment programs run
by:
• Community Learning Centers
(CLC) in collaboration with
Milwaukee Public Schools
• MPS Recreation camps
• Community-based programs
such as Boys and Girls Clubs
and YMCA
• Milwaukee Choice and/or
private schools

32. HISTORY OF SCHOOL
AGE SRP OUTREACH
• Started in 2002.
• Was a means to grow SRP
participation.
• Reach children who would not
otherwise have access to the
library and/or reading material
during the summer.

33. MPL’S SCHOOL AGE SRP
OUTREACH MODEL
Visits:
•
Time with students
•
Build relationships with
sites
•
Model reading
•
Accountability
Incentives:
• Reflect the goal of
supporting reading
• Help students build
background needed for
future learning

34. ACTIVITIES DURING
VISITS
• Carry a message
about reading
• Read alouds
• Connect to library
• Book talks
• Reader’s Theater
• Games with a book
focus—Speed Book
Dating

35. OTHER SRP
OUTREACH SERVICES
Deposit collections
Library card drives
MPL checks out and
delivers a collection of high
interest paperback books
based on a profile
completed by the sites.
MPL works with select sites
to get library cards for the
students. Applications are
distributed by the sites and
cards are presented at the
site during the final visit.

36. SURVEYS/EVALUATION

37. 2013 SCHOOL AGE SUMMER
READING OUTREACH
FAST FACTS:
•
•
•
•
81 sites joined the library for the SRP School Age Outreach
5,708 school age children participated
83.3% of children read 4 or more books
44,937 books were ready by children at the outreach sites
RESOURCES FOR SITES:
Books!
• 36 sites received a deposit collection (Tub of Books)
• 4,318 library books were delivered throughout the course of the summer
• 34 of 36 sites with deposit collections had completion rates of 80% or higher
Professional assistance!
• All sites received a resource binder with in-depth descriptions of an ideal reading climate, useful literacy
practices, graded booklists, and a quick-reference guide with tips to incorporate reading throughout the
day.
• All sites received a Book Bundle—a collection of 10 age-appropriate, high interest books including
‘guides’ to encourage staff to read aloud to children.
• MPL trained 160 staff members from various sites in how to use the Book Bundles and shared
strategies for reading aloud with children.
NEW in 2012—continued in 2013:
• All children received a free book at the end of the summer.
• 4,352 books were given to children to help them build their home library.

38. INTERPRETING RESULTS
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
"The Super Reader program motivated students to
read every day.”
~staff member at Camp Fernwood
“How thrilled they were to get their books and popcorn. As soon as
they selected their books, they automatically sat back down at the
tables, munched popcorn and read! After 15 minutes, the teachers
said it was time to stop and the kids moaned.”
~2013 School Age SRP Outreach consultant
What did you like most about being a Super Reader?
“The Library people.”
~response to question on student survey

39. COMMITMENT TO
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
•
Weekly visits
•
• Smaller groups are more educationally sound
• Scheduling will be easier
Book bundles
•
• Make sure site staff has high quality read alouds to share with children
Staff training
•
•
MPL will continue to train the staff at the summer sites so that they:
•
Understand why summer reading is so important
•
Gain confidence in reading aloud to children
•
Teach how to use Book Bundle books
•
Know how match to books to children’s interests
2012 Reading Lounge Project
•
•
•
•
Intensive outreach model piloted through LSTA Grant
MPL staff at summer sites 4 days a week
Created reading areas at sites
Facilitated how to read to children and match books to children’s interests

40. SUMMER READING
OUTREACH IS A
YEAR ROUND EFFORT
•
•
•
•
Work to maintain
year-round
contact with most
sites
Deposit
collections
Library card
drives
After School
Reading Clubs
• Using the concept
of the Reading
Lounges

41. LESSONS WE’VE
LEARNED….
• Understand your community & build
relationships in the community.
• Share your message with your
stakeholders.
• Have a presence year after year—it
makes a difference.
• Public libraries ARE literacy leaders
in the community.

42. Annie E Casey Foundation- click on Kids Count Data Center
RESOURCES
•
http://www.aecf.org/
Ounce of Prevention:
•
http://www.ounceofprevention.org/home/index.php
•
Change the First Five Years and You Change Everything
video
Six Skills for Early Literacy video:
•
http://www.mpl.org/file/kids_b2g_sixskills.htm
National Summer Learning Association:
•
http://www.summerlearning.org/
Summer Learning Loss Video:
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahhj3wxxkdM
Inspirational Book:
•
Igniting a Passion for Reading by Steven Layne
MPL 2013 School Age SRP Outreach:
•
animoto video

43. QUESTIONS

44. CONTACT
INFORMATION
Mary Madigan
Early Literacy Education Specialist
mrmadig@milwaukee.gov
414.286.8420
Victoria Sanchez
School Age Education Specialist
vlsanc@milwaukee.gov
414.286.3904