www.ala.org/alsc/dia

Oralia Garza de Cortés odgc@aol.com

ALA Annual Conference June 24,2007

Washington, D. C.

The Context for Our Work with El día de los niños/ El día de los libros

ORIGINAL DÍA GOALS

• To promote literacy and the importance of linking all children to books, languages and cultures

• To honor children and their childhood

• To honor a child’s home language and culture

ORIGINAL DÍA GOALS

• To promote global under-standing through library collections that reflect our plurality

• To connect the public and school library to families and to the community

• To Promote bilingual and multilingual literacy in a multicultural society

Historical Context for Día in the U.S.: A REFORMA Perspective

• To address low literacy rates of Latino and poor children in the United States

• To provide children and families’ access to books and entr’eé to the library

• To address inequities in library services to Latino and other children and families of poverty

ISOLATION IS THE WORST POSSIBLE COUNSELOR.

Miguel de Unamuno(1864-1936)

How Día Benefits Children • Children First/ Los niños primeros • All children have equal access to library• All children have opportunity to experience fun learning

experiences • Families recognize libraries as essential to their learning• Every child and family feels welcome at the library and

learns about quality programs available at the public library

• Library partners with parents and other professionals in developing children’s literacy

•  

Día helps Libraries to:

• Honor cultures, traditions and languages of the communities that they serve

• Reach out to underserved populations

• Develop strategies for increasing library use among traditionally under-served populations

Día Provides Libraries Opportunities to:

• Develop library collections that mirrors and reflects the diverse communities that they are/should be serving

• Collaborate with other literacy-based organizations and professionals

Día Provides Librarians with Leadership Opportunities

To develop outstanding services and program for ALL children and families

To develop outstanding multicultural collections, resources, and services that reflect the needs and face of the community

To be innovative in providing high-quality services and programs that meet educational needs

 

Developing Networks of Relationships

Family Community

School

CHILD

ChurchSocial Networks

Public Library

A person working alone has all the power of social dust. Saul Alinsky. 1909-1972. Community activist

Relationship is a pervading and changing mystery

Eudora WeltyAmerican Autor

OUTCOMES

To institutionalize Día

(i.e. to make Día a permanent part of the library’s:

• Strategic plan

• Outreach Services

• Programming

• Our work as librarians serving

children and families

Core Ideology

To Create a Better Future for Children through Libraries

Día and the Día and the

ALSC Strategic Plan ALSC Strategic Plan (Approved 2006) (Approved 2006)

DÍa meets ALSC Criteria for Core Organizational Values

Member Services Collaboration Integrity and Respect Leadership Community Equity of Access Excellence and Innovation

Envisioned Future

Primary Goal: To lead the way in forging excellent library service for all children

Members are actively involved in the association and feel a part of

the ALSC community. Members are actively recruiting other members. Through the association, members have grown in their knowledge

and leadership skills in order to reach their full potential. Members are actively engaged in providing excellent services to

children. Association members are politically active.  

Opportunities for ALSC Members

Collaborative ventures are synergetic and

results exceed expectations. ALSC is recognized as successfully

advocating for children and children’s service within ALA.

ALSC is considered an innovator for future library service.

There is an ALSC presence in every community.

ALSC is aggressively pursuing collaborations to benefit children’s literacy.

ALSC is viewed as a significant player within ALA.

Characteristics of Collaboration

• Individual Group• Independent Community• Dialogue• Creative Problem Solving• Opportunity for reform• Opportunity to Involve many in complex

educational problemsSource: Towards a Theory of Collaboration for Teachers and Librarians. Patricia Montiel Overall. www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/volumume82005/ALA/_pr…

Learning

• Socially constructed experience involving more capable people guiding those less capable to understand ideas beyond their development level.

Vygotsy (1962, 1978) cited in Montiel Overall Towards a Theory of Collaboration…)

Día Meets Two of Four ALSC Advocacy Objectives

Objective 1:

Increase awareness of the value of excellent

library service for all children.

Objective 4:

Increase access to library services.

“ Service is what life is all about.” Marian Wright Edelman

President, Children’s Defense Fund.

Día as a Tool for Collaboration

* GOAL: ALSC will work collaboratively within ALA, the profession, and the wider community to ensure excellent library service for all children.• Objective 1:  Increase the effectiveness of

ALSC’s current collaborative efforts.  Objective 2:  Increase opportunities to work in

coalition with other related groups.• Objective 3:  Increase public awareness of the

value of library service to children.

Leadership Opportunities for ALSC Members @ the National Level

We must do the things we think we cannot do. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Eleanor Roosevelt ( 1884-1962) Humanitarian, U.N. Delegate

National Partnership Opportunities

• Children’s Defense Fund • Reach Out and Read• First Book • Web Presence

Colorín Colorado Reading Planet

Reading Rockets

Courage happens when Courage happens when people unite.people unite. AnonymousAnonymous

Partnership Opportunities at the National Level

The Library Profession PLA, Ethnic Caucuses, OLOS,AASL

National Council of La Raza-NCLR RIF-Reading is Fundamental NAEYC-National Association for Education of

Young Children Head Start

Strategies for Implementing Día at the State Level

Through State Library or State Library Association

• State-wide Steering/Planning Committee

Example: Ca. Planning Grant-LSTA

• Partnership with State Division or Round Table

• Partnerships with local REFORMA Chapters

Teacher Organizations

International Reading Association-IRA National Education Association-NEA NCTE –National Council Teachers of English State Teachers’ Associations State Bilingual Educators’ Associations

CABE/TABE State Affiliates of NAEYC Head Start, NCLR

Other State Partnership Opportunities

Developing a Culture of Literacy in the Community Through Día

Día helps libraries to:• Celebrate cultures and traditions • Outreach to underserved populations• Develop strategies for increased library use

among traditionally under-utilized populations• Develop library collections that mirrors the

communities that they are/should be serving

Community Outcomes A community that embraces reading as the key to a better future Children who love to read and be read to A library-going culture A college-going culture College graduates and beyond An educated community An educated citizenry A Strong Democracy

“ The reader, much like the writer before him will reach the

universe of words, “ not so that everyone can become an artist” as Rodari once said- but so that no one remain a slave.”

El lector, igual que antes lo consiguío el escritor, acederá al universo de las

palabras ‘no para que todos sean artistas’ decia Rodari-sino para que nadie sea esclavo.”

Ana María Machado in Antonio Ventura.Prologue. Lectura, escuela y creación literaria. Madrid: Grupo Anaya, 2002. Quote translated from the Spanish by Oralia Garza de Cortés.

Illustration by Raul Colón from Doña Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart. Random House/Knopf, 1995.

WWW.ALA.ORG/ALSC/DIA