Category Archives: Professional Development Office (PDO)

Indiana authors spotlight 

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I love books! As a librarian, that probably doesn’t surprise anyone. I credit my love of books to my mom. She began reading to me as a baby. By the age of two, I had my Little Golden Books memorized and could “read” them to myself. I was very proud to be the only kindergartner that already had a well-loved card when we went on a field trip to the library to get our first library card. Long before I decided to pursue a career as a librarian, I knew I wanted to be writer. I had stories to tell, like all my favorite authors!

I can’t remember I time that I wasn’t writing. A notebook and pen graduated to a typewriter, then to a desktop computer and now a laptop. Five years ago, I decided to get serious about making my dream of holding in my hands a book that has my name on the cover a reality. I had no clue how to accomplish that. I turned to posting my work on platforms like Wattpad and Archive of Our Own and building up a community of support. The friendships that I cultivated gave me the courage to take that next step, self-publishing, but I still didn’t have a clue. Thankfully, I had a friend from high school that knew what she was doing and lead me on my journey to publishing my first book.

What a journey it has been! One of my favorite parts has been participating in local author fairs at libraries and other events around Indiana. Not only have I met some amazing readers, but many wonderful Indiana authors. I’m excited to cast a spotlight on three of these authors in this article.

Ben Oneal

Ben Oneal is the author of The Benjamin Kroh Series, The Serpent’s Gift Series and multi-genre short stories. Oneal started writing down his thoughts in his early 20s, but it wasn’t until he was older that he decided to get serious about turning those thoughts into books. His favorite part about being an author is the storytelling and sharing his stories with the world. Oneal tried in the beginning of his career to traditionally publish but soon decided to self-publish.

The Benjamin Kroh Series books are crime thrillers that follow Agent Benjamin Kroh of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit as he tracks down serial killers in various parts of the country. The first book finds him in Central, Indiana. For this series, Oneal said that he has always been interested in why people do the things they do. When he worked at General Motors in Anderson he worked with the man that was dubbed the Indiana Bluebeard. He killed his mom, probably his dad and three wives. Oneal actually dated the sister of the third wife that Bluebeard killed. That caused an interest in the mindset of serial killers.

For The Serpent’s Gift Series, Oneal was inspired by his love of the game “What If” to fuel the words that poured from his mind. For his short stories he was able to explore genres that did not lend themselves to novels. Oneal has had a lot of fun exploring the genres of horror, environmental, romance, and many more.

For more information on Ben Oneal, check out his website.

Mark Edward Langley

Mark Edward Langley is the author of the Arthur Nakai Mysteries and The Skye Roanhorse novels. Langley realized he wanted to be an author after reading Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series and Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee series. It stirred something inside him that told him this is what he needed to do. His favorite part of being an author is doing the research for each novel. He lives for delving deep enough into finding exactly what he needs to create the novel he is beginning and make his readers feel as though they were a part of it. Langley’s first two books were traditionally published and he then self-published his third book. His latest book, “Bloodlines: A Skye Roanhorse Novel” is being submitted by his new agent to the “big five” publishing houses.

Langley’s novels are contemporary southwestern mysteries. His Arthur Nakai series follows Arthur, who is a former Marine and CBP Shadow Wolf who now runs his own outfitting business in Northwest New Mexico. Between giving tenderfoots back country rides, he focuses on helping the Navajo people where they police and FBI cannot.

The Skye Roanhorse novels follow Skye Roanhorse. Roanshorse is a man with a troubled past. Three years ago, as the result of an officer involved shooting, he lost not only his position as a sergeant in the New Mexico State Police, but also his family and, ultimately, himself. Two-and-a-half years later, after being given a second chance by his close friend and deputy director of the New Mexico Livestock Board, Troy Riggs, Skye is assigned to remove three horses from a crime scene where a Hopi elder was found murdered. A few days later and 50 miles from that location, a prostitute is found murdered in the same way. Putting the elements of those two cases together Skye begins to put the facts together and comes to believe the murders may have a somewhat darker connection to the death of a renowned horse racing trainer in Santa Fe. As he navigates the facts of the three cases, his old intuitions and instincts reignite, leading him to reveal the killer’s identity and an even bigger revelation. “Bloodlines: A Skye Roanhorse Novel,” book one, is coming out this year.

For more information on Langley’s books, check out his website.

Amy Brailey

Amy Brailey is the author of The Ideal Courtship Trilogy, a young adult series. Brailey won her first author contest in fourth grade and was able to go to the Young Author’s Conference. It was an amazing experience, and really fueled her love of writing. She’s always been a reader and thinks that being a reader and writer, to a degree, goes hand in hand. Brailey’s favorite part of being a writer is hearing from readers about how her books have impacted them. Brailey says that it is an amazing experience when readers share something meaningful or connects to her writing in an emotional way. There is truly nothing like it when readers take the extra time to share their experiences with her.

When Brailey decided to publish, she did consider traditional publishers, but when friends who were published shared how editors had changed the words and intent of their writing, she decided the message of the series was too important for someone else to have any control over. She does have future projects in mind that she would consider publishing traditionally because she isn’t tied to specific wording. For her, it will be a book-by-book decision.

Brailey got the idea to write The Ideal Courtship Trilogy when an eighth grader in her class was pregnant. It was around the time when all the young adult books like “Twilight,” “Hunger Games” and “Divergent” were coming out. All portrayed romance as making out in bed and in the books that is where it ended. In real life, not so much. She felt society was in part to blame for presenting that concept of romance to young girls. She wanted to write something romantic that wasn’t so sexual and really looked at our choices.

Brailey’s other books include a book about George Washington in the French Indian War that she wrote for boys who aren’t interested in history. She also wrote a parallel Shakespeare for use by teachers. She has a collection of “finish the stories” she’s working on for English teachers to use to prompt Free Write Fridays. Additionally, she is working on a collection of the hilarious and true things junior high students have said. The Ideal Courtship series is the only one currently out – she’s finishing the third book in that series – and then she will have time to pursue getting the others out there.

For more information on Brailey’s books and future projects you can follow her on Facebook.

I had a chance to ask each author this question, “What advice would you give an aspiring author?” This is how they replied.

Ben Oneal: “Keep writing. Believe that what you have to say, is important. Find an editor that you trust. One that will not just tell you what you want to hear but will edit your work in the most professional way possible. You may have the greatest story the world has ever known, but too many mistakes turn off even the most loyal reader. Just put your heart and soul into your words, trust your editor and keep writing.”

Mark Edward Langley: “Never give up. It is your dream; your goal. Do not let anyone talk you out of living it. Also, know that even if you have an agent and a publishing house, it is still up to you to market your book. Find a qualified publicist and let them promote your novel.”

Amy Brailey: “Write the books you want to read. John Green talked about the fact that you don’t write for everyone. You write for a specific group that will love what you do. I’m paraphrasing; his quote is better. But, I agree. Not everyone will like what you write. But, for those that do, it will dramatically impact them. Most importantly, write for yourself. Write because you have a voice and something to say. Write what you’re passionate about. And I’m cheering for you!”

To find more Indiana authors and their books visit, Indiana State Library: Indiana Center for the Book.

This blog post was submitted by Lacey Klemm, Northwest regional coordinator in the Professional Development Office of the Indiana State Library.

Summer reading 2024 resources

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The year has just begun, but library staff are already looking toward summer reading 2024. The Collaborative Summer Library Program theme this year is “Adventure Begins at Your Library,” and libraries are excited to plan adventures of all types for their communities. I’ve put together several resources to help with public library staff’s summer planning.

Webinar: The best place to start is with the webinar I did in January 2024. This webinar covers updates about the 2024 Adventure Begins at Your Library program and highlights a variety of resources that should help you with program planning. You can view the webinar here.

Resource Website: Speaking of resources, I pulled together some of the most helpful resources for planning your summer reading program here. Included are all of the resources discussed in the above webinar, tutorials on navigating the online manual and planning summer reading, a list of adventure-themed topics to jump-start your creativity and much more.

CSLP Website and Manual: I highly recommend taking a look at the 2024 CSLP Online Manual for a ton of fully developed, ready-to-go program plans revolving around adventure. To access it, visit the CSLP website, go to “Manual Downloads,” and select “2024 Adventure Begins at Your Library!” You’ll be prompted to enter the manual code (Indiana public library staff may request the code here), and then you’ll have access to this wonderful resource!

CSLP Shop: Need shirts, decorations, incentive items and other gear with the trademarked CSLP artwork? Visit the CSLP Shop. CSLP is a nonprofit, and all of the money earned from shop sales go back into what the shop can sell next year. Just note the timelines – you must order by March 1 to receive your items by May 1.

Program Ideas: This winter, I’ve been facilitating workshops across the state about the “Adventure Begins at Your Library” theme, and at each training I collect program ideas from the participants. I post those program ideas under “Summer Program Ideas for Current Year,” so check them out if you need help with your own idea creation. You can also view program ideas from past years here. Of course, you can use most of these ideas year-round! I recommend bookmarking them in your browser for quick access.

CSLP Summer Symposium: The CSLP Summer Symposium is a national, virtual, free mini-conference which takes place in December. The third annual symposium took place on Dec. 7, 2023, and the recordings are now available! There were four one-hour sessions, each worth one LEU, that may be helpful to you; the topics were simplifying summer reading, manual highlights, promotion and outdoor programming partnerships. You can view the recordings and access the supporting materials here.

As you begin to plan for summer 2024, I recommend keeping things simple for you and your patrons. Summer reading programs can be organized in a million different ways, so do what’s best for your community, but try not to over complicate it. You’ll thank yourself once summer rolls around. Happy planning!

Submitted by Beth Yates, Indiana State Library children’s consultant.

Remaining 2023 Indiana State Library LEU opportunities

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Believe it or not, 2023 is coming to a close, but we still have many opportunities for you to get LEUs this year, in-person and online.

“Every Child Ready to Read & School Readiness in Storytime” – in-person:
Dubois County Public Library – Jasper Branch, Nov. 17, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. EST
Talking, singing, reading, writing and playing! Parents who do these five things (while sprinkling in early math & science skills) can set their children up for success in school. This workshop will introduce attendees to the Every Child Ready to Read program, as well as the basic tenants of the Reimagining School Readiness program, and will discuss ways to encourage reading and school readiness during storytime. Join us for this interactive workshop that will provide you with concrete examples for using ECRR in your library.

Note: This workshop includes a lot of crowdsourcing and brainstorming! If you are a storytime practitioner, please reflect on your storytime favorites (books, songs, rhymes, etc.) before the workshop and come prepared to share!

Webmaster Roundtable – virtual:
Nov. 28, 2-3 p.m. EST
Would you like to connect with other library staff members in Indiana who are tasked with their library’s webpage? This roundtable shares skills, brainstorms and mentors each other.

“What’s Up Wednesday – Anatomy of a Book Challenge” – webinar:
Nov. 29, 10-11 a.m. EST
As the pressure to remove and censor books from our libraries increases, librarians have to be prepared to defend everyone’s right to read. Learn how one school corporation has dealt with several recent challenges to their school library collections and has been able to educate their staff and community on the tenants of intellectual freedom. While challenges can be stressful situations, the presentation will offer you several tools, resources and guidance to help you find some unintended positive outcomes when these contentious situations find their way to your library.

Adventure Begins at Your Library – CSLP 2024 Training & Roundtable – in-person:
Lawrenceburg Public Library District, Dec. 1, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. EST
Warsaw Community Public Library, Dec. 8, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. EST
Porter County Public Library – Valparaiso Branch, Dec. 15, 10:00 a.m.-12 p.m. CST
Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library, Dec. 18, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. EST
Brown County Public Library, Dec. 19, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. EST

Get started planning your 2024 Summer Library Program by attending one of our Collaborative Summer Library Program trainings/roundtables across the state!

Join the Indiana State Library for this training where you will be introduced to and receive updates about the 2024 CSLP Summer Reading Program “Adventure Begins at Your Library,” followed by a round table discussion of programming ideas.

What does this mean? Bring your program ideas! Each participant should bring at least one program idea to share with the group. Program ideas may or may not be related to the CSLP theme “Adventure Begins at Your Library,” and can be geared for any age. We want to hear what your library is up to and what you’re excited about!

CSLP’s Summer Symposium (FREE National Virtual Conference on Summer Reading) – virtual:
Dec. 7, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. EST
The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) will host the third annual CSLP Summer Symposium on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023! This half day FREE & virtual offering is for public library staff to connect, learn and collaborate as we plan for summer library programming around the upcoming theme of Adventure Begins at your Library.

Sessions will include:
“Simplifying the Adventure of Summer Reading: Observations from a Seasoned Storyteller,” presented by Jenifer Strauss.
“2024 Manual Highlights: Adventure Begins at Your Library!,” presented by Alyssa Graybeal and manual committee chairs.
“Once Upon an Adventure: Practical Tips for Gathering Stories to Promote Your Library,” presented by Angela Hursh.
“Taking Adventure Outdoors: Programming and Partnerships,” presented by Amanda Raiche.

“Navigating Privacy Issues in the Public Library” – webinar:
Dec. 12, 10-11 a.m. EST
The library is a public place where individuals go to seek information and resources for reasons and purposes that they may want to keep private. It’s no surprise, then, that privacy issues arise every day in the public library. In this webinar, we will answer some common questions about privacy, including: What patron or employment records must be disclosed and to whom? Can a citizen take video of staff and other patrons – and the materials they are accessing – in the library without their consent? Can a staff member post cute photos of children participating in library programming on the library’s social media? This webinar will provide you with an overview of various state and federal laws that address privacy in the library and considerations for crafting related library policies.

Don’t forget, you can also earn LEUs for watching Indiana State Library archived webinars. Information on how to obtain your LEU from the recordings can be found on our Continuing Education site under LEU Policies.

This blog post was written by Courtney Brown, Southeast regional coordinator from the Indiana State Library’s Professional Development Office.

International Games Month

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International Games Month 2023 is fast approaching, and Indiana has already played a big role in shaping this year’s activities! The annual November event is presented by the American Library Association’s Games and Gaming Round Table. Not only am I the chair of the committee again this year, but I am currently serving as the Round Table president. I am joined this year on the committee by Matthew Stephenson from Pendleton – who also serves as a member-at-large for GameRT – and Jennifer Taylor from Hagerstown, who is the GameRT treasurer. I also want to thank Danielle Acton of the Hamilton East Public Library who will be joining me for a webinar about IGM on Oct. 11. Those reading after Oct. 11, 2023 should be able to find the webinar on the archived webinar section of the Indiana State Library’s continuing education website, or in the playlist on YouTube with all the games related webinars.

What is IGM? Well, it is a celebration of games and gaming in libraries. GameRT encourages libraries to play, talk about, teach, promote and even create games during November each year. We work to connect libraries and their patrons with free resources that can found on our website. We also strive to get sponsors to give games away to libraries. While the deadline has passed to be registered for the giveaways of physical games, there is still time to register for the drawings of discount codes from some of our sponsors. If you are interested in registering, you can use the following form.

This year we will also be announcing a new initiative during International Games Month, the creation of a Library Gaming Hall of Fame and an award for games that are inducted into this hall of fame! I know how Hoosiers love a good sports hall of fame debate, so hopefully this will generate good discussion. The Round Table is looking to create a list of top tier games for use in libraries. We will be calling on everyone to submit nominations to this hall of fame, so stay tuned for all of the exciting details.

This post was written by George Bergstrom, Southwest regional coordinator, Professional Development Office, Indiana State Library.

Indiana Library Leadership Academy 2023 wrap-up

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The Professional Development Office, along with the Professional Development Committee, recently wrapped up the 2023 Indiana Library Leadership Academy. We had 13 participants and five coaches this year. Our facilitator for the Academy was Cathy Hakala-Ausperk, who has written several books about library leadership. She also teaches for the iSchool at Kent State University in Ohio.

The five coaches shared their library leadership journey with the participants and gave tips for growing as a leader. The 13 attendees will be working on and completing a project they have chosen to help their library and community. There will be three check-in meetings with the coaches and attendees where they can share their progress as well as ask for advice, if needed. The attendees were divided into groups and each group worked with one coach. These relationships will be ongoing as they work on their projects throughout the year. I feature the projects in additional blog articles as they complete them as well as our Indiana Library Leadership Academy webpage. The projects are due by May 2024.

The Indiana Library Leadership Academy participants come from all over the state of Indiana and allow valuable networking experience, not only with their coach but also the other INLLA participants. These relationships last and the benefits to the Indiana library community are great as they grow in their career. We have had several participants go on to be library directors or managers and the ripple effects and benefits of the Indiana Library Leadership Academy continue long after the program is finished.

This blog post was submitted by Kara Cleveland, Professional Development Office supervisor at the Indiana State Library.

Solar eclipses on the horizon

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The coming year is a big one for astronomy enthusiasts – the United States will see two solar eclipses in the span of just six months! An annular eclipse will occur on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, and a total eclipse will occur on Monday, April 8, 2024.

An annual eclipse takes place when the moon is further away from the earth in its orbit, and it cannot completely cover the sun. In this case, while most of the sun is covered, there will be a bright ring around the moon. This October, the western U.S. will be in the path of this annular eclipse; in Indiana, it will appear as a partial eclipse, meaning a large portion of the sun will always be visible.

2023-24 eclipse map, courtesy of NASA.

In April 2024, however, Indiana is directly in the path for a total eclipse. A total eclipse takes place when the moon is just the right distance from the Earth, and it covers the entire sun when it moves between the sun and Earth. In this case, the path of the total eclipse will move from Northeast to Southwest Indiana; just after 3 p.m. Eastern Time, Indianapolis will experience the total eclipse. See what time the eclipse will occur over your town, as well as whether it will be a total or partial eclipse from your position, on this website.

Eclipses capture the attention of everyone, young and old alike, and many libraries want to offer programming surrounding this exciting event. STARnet, part of the Space Science Institute, has created a program called SEAL (Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries) to assist with this. Funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, SEAL is offering in-person and virtual trainings that highlight activities libraries can do with their patrons.

While Indiana’s in-person SEAL training is now full, library staff can access virtual resources provided by SEAL in several places:

Additional resources include:

  • This webpage about the eclipses on NASA’s website.
  • Info on the eclipses, including an eclipse simulator, can be found on the Eclipse2024 site.

No matter where your library is located within Indiana, you’re sure to have patrons interested in the eclipses. With STARNet’s resources, your library’s programmers can “shoot for the stars!”

Submitted by Beth Yates, Indiana State Library children’s consultant.

Helpful tools for libraries

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As a library employee, do you ask yourself these types of questions:

“I wonder what website development software other libraries are using?”

Or…

“I know I heard about a new tool for tracking reading logs – what was the name of it?”

Or…

“What are some platforms for e-books, e-magazines and digital videos?”

We all know that in this ever-changing technological world, it is hard to keep up. Especially, if you have a zillion things on your to do list. And you might hit a brick wall when doing a Google search for library-related tools.

I was having a hard time keeping up with of all of the new techy tools. I had an idea brewing in my head – kind of a one stop shop for a list of techy tools. So when the world stopped meeting in person back in 2020, I had some extra time to put my idea into practice.

In August of 2020, I started the Helpful Tools for Libraries webpage on the Indiana State Library’s Continuing Education page.

This is a list of tools that might be helpful to your library. I wanted to curate a list in one place of these tools. It has since broadened to include things like a link to library internships, library security videos and much more. These tools aren’t endorsed by the Indiana State Library and there are certainly other tools out there that I don’t know about. Some of the tools are free and some have a cost. But, they are used by many libraries in Indiana.

This list is not meant to take the place of the library Listservs. Those are invaluable to being able to ask questions in real time and to collaborate with other library staff.

If you know of a tool that you have found to be useful in your library job, just let me know and I might add it to this list. I can be reached via email.

Enjoy the tools!

This post was written by Northeast regional coordinator Paula Newcom of the Indiana State Library Professional Development Office.

Adult literacy resources

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I recently had a request for adult literacy kits that could be checked out for use by public libraries. Although that is a great idea, it is not something that the Indiana State Library currently offers. So, I started searching the internet and found online resources that could be helpful for libraries wanting to start an adult literacy program or wanting to offer additional free online adult literacy resources.

According to a study completed by the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies in 2019, 43 million people in the United States have low literacy skills. The good news is Indiana has one of the highest percentages for literacy rates at 92% giving it a rank of 12th-highest in the United States. But this doesn’t mean we should stop striving to raise literacy rates in our communities. Research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health that found a mother’s reading skill is the greatest determinant of a child’s future academic success and focusing on literacy education for mothers can pay off with dividends lasting into the future. Adult literacy lessons can also be geared to help English language learners.

The resources listed below come from the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy website.

ReadWorks
ReadWorks is a free supplemental resource that provides K-12 and adult educators with a library of curated non-fiction and fiction passages, as well as interactive vocabulary supports, text-dependent question sets and teacher guidance. They offer free webinars to help you get started implementing ReadWorks into your classroom.

Click here to view ReadWorks’ content.

Marshall Leveled Reading Program
This program offers an app that contains over 1,000 customizable, mobile-friendly reading resources based on the Reading Skills for Today’s Adults leveled reading library.

LINCS Learner Center – Adult Education and Literacy – U.S. Department of Education LINCS is an acronym that stands for Literacy Information and Communication System. It’s geared toward adult learners and offers a variety of learning options. Users can also learn math, science, English, job skills, how to become a U.S. citizen and ways to stay healthy.

TED-Ed
TED-Ed works with expert educators and TED speakers from around the world to offer high-quality, interactive, video-based lessons every day at no cost.

Click here to view the TED-Ed collections.

TeachRock
TeachRock is a standards-aligned curriculum designed to support arts integration using the history of popular music and culture to interest students through a variety of free lessons. Their lesson plans are arranged by grade, subjects, genre, activities and topics.

Click here for TeachRock lessons.

Unite for Literacy
Unite for Literacy offers a free digital library, with hundreds of books that are written in English or Spanish text and narrated in over 50 languages.

Hopefully, these resources will help libraries in their quest to expand adult literacy offerings.

This blog post was submitted by Kara Cleveland, Professional Development Office supervisor at the Indiana State Library.

Indiana Games Roundtable to hold first in-person meeting

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While the summer of 2020 may hold a lot of traumas for many library employees across the state, it also was a perfect storm of events for me personally. I had just begun my term on the American Library Associations Games and Gaming Roundtable as treasurer and chair of the International Games Week (now Month) Committee. We had seen the Indiana Library Federation, Midwest Collaborative for Library Services and Indiana State Library hosting countless virtual discussion groups to support one another through the early days of the pandemic. Lastly, the State Library switched the systems for hosting Listservs. Now, that last one might not seem too earth shattering, but as someone who was new to my role at the State Library, it sparked a question about these Listservs… can we have new ones? And thus, the Indiana Games Roundtable was born.

After almost two-and-a-half years we are ready to meet in person! This meeting will be for anyone around the state, whether your library already has games or not, to come together and talk and learn from each other. Here is our current plan, but we are interested in building this learning opportunity with you.

The Indiana Games and Gaming Round Table is planning our first in-person event! Come join us for “The Benefits of Library Gaming” on April 17, at the Pendleton Community Public Library. We will have a keynote presentation in the morning and two break out discussion opportunities, so the event will be eligible for three LEUs for Indiana Library Staff. Registration will be capped at 40, so be sure to sign up before April 5 by 5 p.m. The Pendleton Community Public Library will be providing lunch from Fazoli’s.

Tentative schedule:

Registration/opening:     9:30-10 a.m.
Keynote:                        10-11 a.m.
Bio break:                      11-11:10 a.m.
Discuss topics:              11:10-11:30 a.m.
Lunch:                           11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Breakout 1:                   12:45-1:30 p.m.
Bio break:                     1:30-1:40 p.m.
Breakout 2:                   1:40-2:25 p.m.
Play games:                  2:30-3:30 p.m.

Please note that all times are Eastern Time.

Feel free to post questions to the Listserv, and if you would like to reply with any games you would be willing to bring let us know that as well. If you are not yet a member of the Listserv, visit the Indiana State Library’s webpage to sign up.

This post was written by George Bergstrom, Southwest regional coordinator, Professional Development Office, Indiana State Library.

TALK early literacy text program launched

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The Indiana State Library is working with the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services and pilot libraries in Michigan to launch a new program called TALK – an acronym for Text and Learn for Kindergarten – for Indiana parents and caregivers. TALK promotes early literacy and kindergarten readiness through fun activities texted to parents each month. TALK has been developed using grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Although this program started in Michigan with Indiana coming on board recently, the hope is that this program could be replicated in states across the nation.

TALK sends texts with fun activities parents can do with their babies, toddlers and preschoolers to make any time learning time. The program was developed by librarians and is based on the already well established Every Child Ready to Read program which encourages parents to read, write, sing, talk and play with their children every day. TALK activities are designed to prepare kids, ages up to 5, for school success.

After signing up for TALK, the parent will receive up to 8-10 text messages per month with entertaining activities they can do at home with their child. TALK activities increase back and forth parent and child conversations. Research shows that when parents and caregivers talk and listen to young children, they develop cognitive and language skills they will need to succeed in school. Parents may sign up for messages in English or Spanish. The activities are then geared for their child’s developmental level and age. To see example texts for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, click here.

Public libraries can sign up as well to promote the TALK program in their communities with promotional toolkits provided for their use. Libraries who sign up can send texts about library events such as story times to parents.

The Indiana State Library will be hosting an informational webinar on Wednesday, Jan. 18, titled “Launching TALK in Your Community,” for Indiana public libraries interested in signing up for the program. The webinar will show how to use the online toolkits to access promotional materials and give tips on how to reach parents who aren’t regular library users. There will also be a demonstration of the TALK portal used to send text messages about upcoming library events. Libraries interested in learning more may register here. For more information about the TALK program, visit here. You may also contact Beth Yates, children’s consultant, or Kara Cleveland, Professional Development Office supervisor – both of the Indiana State Library – with any questions.

This blog post was submitted by Kara Cleveland, Professional Development Office supervisor at the Indiana State Library.