News from the Field (November 2006)

Get Ready to Read! in Your Library

After a presentation with children’s librarians on Long Island, NY, the Get Ready to Read! team was approached by a participant eager to share how she uses the Get Ready to Read! activity cards in her library. She found an easy, cost friendly way to get parents and children actively involved in early literacy skill-building.

This children's librarian downloaded all of the activity cards off the Get Ready to Read! Web site. She then assembled the materials needed to use each activity, placing cards and materials for each activity in separate plastic bags. In her children's reading room, she designated a small Get Ready to Read! area for parents and children to work on the activities together. Rotating the activities weekly, this librarian found that parents and children enjoyed trying one or more activities during their weekly visits to the library. Because the activities are easy to understand and focus on specific early literacy skills, she found that parents were willing to take an extra 5-10 minutes during each visit to try a new activity and learn new skills.

Over the years the Get Ready to Read! team has received several requests from librarians in the field asking for resources specifically for children’s librarians, school librarians and reading rooms. The Get Ready to Read! team is happy to announce that resources are on the way! Recently, the Get Ready to Read! team secured a grant from the Petersmeyer Foundation focused on creating resources specifically for librarians. Over the next two years, the Get Ready to Read! team will develop a section of our Web site for librarians. Keep visiting our Web site and reading the Get Ready to Read! newsletter for more information. As always, please let us know if you have any suggestions for content for our new section. You can send your suggestions to .

The Get Ready to Read! team is always happy to hear about how people have integrated the activity cards and resources into their settings and homes. Please continue to write, call and approach us with how you use the activity cards, Get Ready to Read! Web site and screening tool in your area.