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Presentations for Parents

These books are given to babies at Book Time programs.

More convincing than any formal presentation about the importance of reading to babies is the reaction of the babies themselves. Babies' reactions to books amaze the parents who have not yet begun reading to their infants. Parents who already read to their babies are usually eager to share stories of their experiences. Crying babies at the programs are often soothed with a book.

There are Book Time-related programs held every month for parents or caregivers with infants and toddlers. Baby & Toddler Time is a storytime program held weekly at the Main Library (click here for the schedule). For about twenty minutes, a Youth Services staff member of the Book Time team presents a program that includes stories, songs and fingerplays appropriate for infants and toddlers.

"Lots of Love in the Room"
Community Baby Showers were held monthly (except in June and December) at one of the Duluth-area Family Resource Centers from 1999 through 2003 and were discontinued only when the Resource Centers closed due to a lack of funding. Duluth parents with new babies received an invitation in the mail to a shower when their babies were two or three months old. A list of other upcoming shower dates and locations was found on the back of the invitation, for parents unable to attend on that date. Grandparents and older siblings were also welcome, and childcare was provided for older kids. Library staff or volunteers presented a brief program on why, what and how to read to babies, and then did a storytime that illustrated those points. Each baby at the shower received a Book Time With Your Baby bib and a board book. There were door prizes (including baby toys, handmade baby quilts and handknit sweaters) and then refreshments with an opportunity for socializing. Many parents said they attended the shower so their babies could interact with other babies and so they could make contact and share experiences with other parents. A comment after one shower with many babies present was that there was "a lot of love in this room."

Since September, 1999, auxiliary organizations at St. Luke's and St. Mary's Hospitals in Duluth have presented a new board book, a Book Time With Your Baby brochure and "Baby's First Library Card" to the family of each baby born in their facilities. The "library card" encourages parents to visit the public library and apply for their child's first real library card. In the first two years of the project, over 4400 books were given to newborns by hospital volunteers.

What else?

• ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) staff present Book Time information at pre-natal classes.
• Subscriptions to Babybug (a board-book-like magazine of simple stories, rhymes and colorful pictures for toddlers) are being provided to a variety of community sites, including pediatricians' offices and selected agencies serving at-risk families.
• In some cases, Library staff have provided materials and trained others to deliver the project's message. Packets of books and other materials have been provided to the St. Louis County's Nurse-Family Partnership and the Center for American Indian Resources for nurses to deliver to young families in intensive series of home visits.
• Library staff conduct baby storytimes and parent presentations at various community locations, including teen parent programs and childcare centers.
• New board books have been given to participants at selected programs to take home and share with their babies, encouraging families to establish home libraries and have reading materials available in their homes. Comments from recipients indicate that the books have been well-received and are one of the most effective ways of making the Book Time project and message memorable.
• Community Education classes, "Reading to Babies: Tips & Tricks," presented methods, reasons and resources for sharing reading with infants and toddlers.

8/2/05
Duluth Public Library, 520 W. Superior St., Duluth, MN 55802