What's the Point of Story Time? Perceptions of Public Library Directors Versus Parents and Caregivers

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: Designing Learning in Libraries

Abstract

Storytimes for young children serve as a cornerstone of public library programming, yet little empirical research exists to validate how they address the needs of the children and their parents and caregivers who attend. Researchers and state library agency partners collaborated on a multi-year, multi-state, multi-pronged study to investigate how public library storytime programs in densely-, median-, and sparsely populated communities meet stakeholder and community needs. Findings from a needs assessment suggest that the storytime priorities of public library directors mostly align with the values of parents and child care providers of young children; however, directors may not recognize the full potential of storytimes within the context of school readiness.

Authors

• Maria Cahill, University of Kentucky

• Soohyung Joo, University of Kentucky

• Mary Howard, University of Kentucky

• Janet Ingraham Dwyer, State Library of Ohio

• Hayley Hoffman, University of Kentucky

• Krista King Oaks, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives