"SHARING
BOOKS WITH BABIES
BUILDS THEIR BRAIN POWER
HELPS THEM LEARN LANGUAGE
PREPARES THEM TO BE READERS
CREATES A SPECIAL TIME TOGETHER"
--Minneapolis Public Library
For
years, babies were considered too young for the library - especially
in terms of programs. Programming would usually begin with toddlers
ages 2 and up. But more and more evidence shows that babies are alert
and start learning from the minute they are born. This makes these first
2 years of life a very important time to introduce babies to spoken
language, sounds, books, and other emergent literacy skills that will
provide them with the building blocks for later reading and writing.
There
are a multitude of benefits for providing programming and services for
babies in the library. Listed below are goals that programming and services
to babies should strive to fulfill.
v
promote literacy and the love of language
v increase interest
in and enjoyment of books
v
establish reading readiness, which includes understandings that:
- pictures
have meanings
- pictures and words are different
- pages turn from right to left
- books have a front, back and right side up
- stories have structure and development of a sense of story
v
develop and increase emergent literacy skills and vocabulary
v
provide a language enriched environment
v establish routines
and habits for young children and their parents
v model for parents
ways to share the literature experience at home with their child
v
offer a special time for parents to interact and concentrate on their
baby, providing an enjoyable time to bond
v
show the importance of and provide an opportunity for babies to listen,
observe, imitate, and practice language while interacting with books
v
display the impact parents can have on their baby's language development
through singing, speaking and reading
v
present an enjoyable and positive experience so that they will develop
a love of reading and libraries and will eventually share that with
others as they grow up and become adults
These goals should
be included in all services provided for youth in the library but most
specifically, for the purpose of this website, to the youngest of children
- the babies - who are just being introduced to this world of language,
literacy, reading, and books.
The above
information taken from:
Babies
in the Library! / Jane Marino. Lanham: MD : The Scarecrow Press,
2003.
Early Childhood Literature Sharing Programs in Libraries /
Ann D. Carlson. Hamden, CT : Library Professional Publications, 1985.
Lapsit Services for the Very Young / Linda L. Ernst. New York
: Neal-Schuman, 1995.
Every Child Ready To Read
http://www.ala.org/ala/pla/plaissues/earlylit/earlyliteracy.htm
