The city is probably like many older suburbs across the US - there is a significant population that is growing older plus a growing population of young families, including new immigrants.
I am the only children's librarian at our busy branch. Which works out, since we also only have one adult services librarian and one teen librarian (although I suppose since the powers that be combined teen and children's, we're both "Youth Services" librarians now). I'm responsible for all programming for children ages 0-12(ish). I say 12(ish) because if I find a program that might go over 12, I'll still run it, even though it encroaches on my co-workers territory. We're cool like that.
I essentially run on two schedules: September - May and June - August. September - May I primarily focus on storytimes for 0-6, plus special programs for school breaks and occasional evening or weekend programs. During the summer I focus on Storytime for Babies plus Summer Reading Programs, which is mostly performers, buts is occasionally special programs created by yours truly.
Let's break it down:
Yearly Schedule
September 2011 - May 2012
Storytime for Babies (every Tuesday, except December and last 2 weeks in May and August)
Stories, songs, bounces and playtime make this storytime perfect for children newborn to 24 months and their caregiver. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Storytimes generally last 45 minutes.
Storytime for 2s & 3s (every Wednesday, Sept - May, except December and last 2 weeks in May)
Stories, rhymes, songs and activities selected to entertain and develop early literacy skills in toddlers. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Storytimes generally last 30 minutes.
Storytime for 4s, 5s, & 6s (every Wednesday, Sept - May, except December and last 2 weeks in May)
Books, music and movement to help build language and listening skills and preschoolers. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Storytimes generally last 30 minutes.
Storytime for All Ages (not currently in schedule)
Stories and activities ideal for mixed age groups such as childcare groups and families. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Storytimes generally last 30 minutes.
Legos and Duplos at the Library (usually once a month, Monday evenings)
Get your child’s imagination working by exploring the many things they can create with Legos.
Family Game Night (occasionally throughout the year, Monday evenings or daytime during SRP)
Bring the whole family for a fun night of board games.
Movies for Kids (September - May, last Friday of the month)
Enjoy fun children's books in movie format.
Starting next September, I'm going to do two back to back Family storytimes instead of a toddler and pre-school. I was essentially doing the same storytime since families just came to whichever time was most convenient for them, regardless of the age of their children, which I am totally fine with. I'm also going to move the Movies for Kids to the last Wednesday of each month, to give myself a little storytime break to recharge and to keep on the schedule (plus boost my attendance for movie days). I'm already planning next fall, since we have to have the schedule in by mid-May for proofing and printing. More on that later!
June - August 2012
I drop regular storytimes for toddlers and pre-k in the summer, since my schedule is jam packed with SRP performers. I continue with baby storytimes since there's really no other alternative for babies (plus, it's my favorite program to do!)
The schedule for summer follows:
Monday - 1:30 pm Program
Tuesday - 10:15 am Storytime for Babies
Wednesday - 10: 30 am Program
I wanted to make sure to have a schedule so when families knew they can show up at the library on Mondays and Wednesdays at those times and find a program. The only program that doesn't fit is a last minute addition from our professional baseball teams mascot.
Program Scheduling
In the last few years, we've moved to a system wide calendar publication for programming, meaning we have to submit our programs months in advance. We have been working on a quarterly schedule - September - Nov, Dec - Feb, Mar - May, Jun - Aug. This September we are switching to a trimester schedule which will make a lot more sense, but will give us an even greater length of advance planning time - for instance, for the September through December program guide we have to have all programs submitted by the middle of May. Starting in September, our new program guides will be released for September through December, January through May and June through August.
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