School Age Programs and Services Committee

Learning Beyond: Twenty-First-Century Summer and Out of School Time Toolkit

Emily Nichols

This fall, library staff serving school-age children have a new ALSC toolkit with a supportive framework that applies year round: Learning Beyond, available online at https://bit.ly/3FR5BUT. Here are a couple key tools from the work that I think especially apply to programs and services during this school year.

Firstly, the case studies in each section show how libraries of different sizes and structures put these tools into practice. This grounded approach ties together the breadth of ALSC membership and illuminates the structure and topics with examples. These examples are from the task force members’ own experiences leading this work and many center on STEAM as a tool for building equity and access. Case studies are handy for demonstrating proven relevant results of investing in scientific and makerspace equipment and programming partnerships to funders in your community and your boss or board.

Secondly, I recommend the tool of reflection, one that is available to anyone at any time and applies in nearly any context. Our communities are so very lucky to have the support of their caring librarians and wonderful library collections and buildings. But how do we activate those “rich learning environments” to meet our patrons where they are on their learning journey?

In section 6 of the toolkit, “Reflection—The Measurement Tool of Why,” Sue Abrahamson from Waupaca (WI) Area Public Library explains that reflection is an essential part of learning in the STEM programs she created for eight-to-eleven-year-olds. She also suggests that reflection by librarians can help with achieving program goals and measuring impact.

Reflection comes in many forms depending on different learning strengths. Writing this column is part of the reflection component of my work in understanding and implementing the toolkit, in the same way that the kids at Waupaca Lego Robotics Camp spend part of their camp day discussing their frustrations and successes.

Talking about what went well and what we might do differently is something that I try to build into each program planning process with my colleagues in the library and on our ALSC committee. Seasonal reflection is suited especially to the librarian’s cyclical programming process, including our autumnal re-engagement with schools and educators. &