PLA Promotes Student Literacy
Library conference highlights programs for children from PreK–12
By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 4/1/2004
"The Early Literacy Project," a two-year study sponsored by PLA and the Association of Library Service to Children, also found that teenage parents and those with low education and income levels showed "impressive significant gains across the board," especially when it comes to reading to children 0–23 months old and gaining a better understanding of age-appropriate books.
Public libraries have also been instrumental in closing the digital divide by providing free, public access to computers and the Internet, particularly to those without access at home or work. "Toward Equality of Access: The Role of Public Libraries in Addressing the Digital Divide," a report released at the conference by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, says that 95 percent of libraries now offer Internet access, which is being used by 14 million Americans. In contrast, only 28 percent of libraries offered public access to computers in 1996.
This year's PLA conference drew a record 8,700 librarians, exhibitors, authors, and guests, and there were plenty of sessions dealing with emergent literacy, teens, and technology. Librarians packed a huge ballroom to hear Clay Roberts of the Seattle-based Search Institute speak about "New Directions for Serving Young People in Libraries." Clay, along with Carmen Martinez of the Oakland Public Library and Wendy Schaetzel of the Maryland-based Youth Activism Project, outlined ways to work with teens, develop community partnerships, and prepare library staff for serving young adults.
Carole Fiore, a youth services consultant at the State Library of Florida, and other presenters from state libraries in Oregon, Washington, and Maryland, spoke at the "State Involvement in Early Learning and Emergent Literacy" session about innovative programs based on research that proves the importance of early learning. And Kimberly Bolan Teney, author of Teen Spaces: The Step-by-Step Library Makeover (ALA, 2003), showed librarians how a little creativity and a lot of teen involvement can turn a drab room into a bustling teen center.
Some librarians were treated to a tour of the new Seattle Public Library, a nearly 363,000-square-foot building with a dramatic glass exterior designed by architect Rem Koolhaas. The library, set to debut in May, will hold more than 1.4 million books and materials and feature more than 400 public computers. A 275-seat auditorium, the building's centerpiece, connects the two main entry levels.
