April 2011: Sara Howrey, Children's Librarian, Retired, Kenton County Public Library (KY)
April 2011: Lise Tewes, Children's Librarian, Kenton County Public Library (KY)
March 2011: Alma Ramos-McDermott, Media Specialist, Pollard Middle School, Needham (MA)
February 2011: Mark Smith, Administrator, Riverside County Library System (CA)
January 2011: Lydia Breiseth, Manager, Colorín Colorado, Learning Media Department, WETA
December 2010: R. Joseph Rodriguez, Ph.D., Center for Teaching and Learning, The University of Texas at Austin
November 2010: Jeanette Larson, Consultant , trainer, and writer formerly with the Austin Public Library (TX)
October 2010: Lucia Gonzalez, Author, Storyteller, Librarian, 2010-11 President of REFORMA
September 2010: Meryle Leonard, Outreach Manager, Community Engagement Department, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
August 2010: Elva Garza, Regional Operations Branch Manager, Austin Public Library
July 2010: Oralia Garza de Cortes, Latino Children's Literature Consultant
June 2010: Rose Treviño, Librarian
April 2010: Bobbie Combs & Laurina Cashin, We Love Children's Books
February 2010: Beatriz Pascual Wallace, Children's Librarian, Seattle Public Library
December 2009: Ana Schmitt, LIBROS Group, Multnomah County Library
March 2009: Flo Trujillo, Youth Services Coordinator, Farmington NM Public Library
April 2011: Sara Howrey
When and how did you become interested in sharing bookjoy?
As a reluctant but competent reader, I didn't think much about bookjoy until I attended a REFORMA meeting in San Francisco while I was still in library school (2001). At that meeting the REFORMA librarians said it was possible to do bilingual storytime without reading or speaking Spanish. What fun! What a challenge! And, believe me, those librarians demonstrated bookjoy that day as they read a picture book page by page in two languages (English and Spanish). The room was electric with enthusiasm for bilingual storytime. Then I met Pat Mora, and she convinced me we not only have the opportunity but the obligation to share the pleasure of reading with children and adults regardless of their native and home languages. For me, bookjoy began with bilingual picture books, and I still believe bilingual storytimes are the pinnacle of bookjoy today.
How did you first learn about Día and what has been your experience with Día?
As soon as I was hired as a children's librarian and allowed to write a grant for bilingual storytime, I was involved in celebrating El Día. For many years I enjoyed the indescribable rewards of planning and presenting El Día in our tri-state area, which is rich with many nationalities and languages. I treasure my ever-growing list of friends who are always willing to help with Día by reading in their home languages.
What are your hopes for Día 2011, Día's 15th Anniversary?
Wouldn't it be grand if every single public library and school library in the United States celebrated Día? If not now, when?
What helpful tip(s) do you have for those organizing a Día event for the first time?
Make certain your celebration features the joy of literacy in all the home languages of your community. Search for native speakers of foreign languages and select simple bilingual picture books for them to read . . . don't be afraid to ask these willing and enthusiastic new friends to help with your event. (You can find new foreign language friends everywhere: ethnic bakeries and restaurants, universities, health care centers. Seek and you shall find!).
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy as either a child or an adult?
I tutor children with dyslexia and experience bookjoy every time a once-struggling reader begins to read fluently. I'll never forget the expression on a young man's face as he truly experienced bookjoy for the first time while reading Heat by Mike Lupica. As he completed a particular passage, he stopped, looked up, and searched my face to see if I had noticed the critical and surprising turn of events in the story. I'm glad I was there to witness his miracle of reading with understanding and pleasure.
What are you reading now?
In addition to the books my students are currently reading aloud (Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech, Baseball Great by Tim Green, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien), I am reading:
Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1, edited by Harriet Elinor Smith and the editors of the Mark Twain Project; and Rise to Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution by Jeff Shaara.
April 2011: Lise Tewes
When and how did you become interested in sharing bookjoy?
I have always been an avid reader, but I guess my first experience sharing bookjoy was as a mother reading with my 7 children. Reading together was part of our everyday activities, and my children, who now range in age from 26 to 16, still remember their favorite children's books and the special closeness of those times spent reading together.
How did you first learn about Día and what has been your experience with Día?
I first learned about Día through working at the Kenton County Public Library, from my colleague Sara Howrey. Sara was the driving force in the KCPL's involvement with Día. She organized the first Día celebration at our Covington location in 2004, all on her own. In 2005, Sara joined forces with a neighboring library and the local Catholic Diocese Hispanic Ministry to present a joint Día celebration. I was part of that cooperative event. The partnership with other libraries grew through 2009, including up to 7 different libraries and a dozen community partners celebrating Día at one location together! This experience of networking and supporting each other, financially as well as emotionally, gave us all confidence and commitment to Día. While the partnership has dwindled in the past two years, each library is now offering its own Día event in its own community, so the presence of Día in the Greater Cincinnati area has actually grown.
What are your hopes for Día 2011, Día's 15th Anniversary?
I hope that there can be a greater awareness of the importance of reading with children, in all languages, and that public libraries will take the lead in using Día to promote that important literacy message.
What helpful tip(s) do you have for those organizing a Día event for the first time?
Look around your own community. Identify the diverse populations that live in your area and reach out to them. Invite them into the Library and ask them to participate in Día. When people are personally invited they feel welcome and committed. Most people from other cultures and countries are pleased as punch to have an opportunity to share their culture and language with others, and Día can be the way to make that initial contact and let all your diverse populations know what the Library can offer. Find partners in your community who are already working with those target populations, and get them involved. Don't forget to include your "regular" patrons, who may not represent diversity but who still need to be encouraged to share bookjoy with their children! And network, network, network!
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy as either a child or an adult?
I still remember the sound of my first child, barely two years old, "reading" aloud to me! We had read the same book so many times that she had memorized it. She "read" it perfectly, without mistake, and I was the proudest mom on earth! Today, she is a high school English teacher, sharing bookjoy with her students, and I'm still the proudest mom on earth!
What are you reading now?
The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood. It's the second book of a new series called "The Incorrigible Children of Aston Place." It's very clever and funny!
March 2011: Alma Ramos-McDermott
When and how did you become interested in sharing bookjoy?
I was always a loner because my family moved at least twice/year, which made me the "new kid on the block" for my entire K-12 school experience. When I received my first public library card at age 11, a new world opened up for me. I experienced true bookjoy, as books became the friends I didn't have and the one constant in my life. As a school librarian I love sharing bookjoy with students, watching books and children connect.
How did you first learn about Día and what has been your experience with Día?
I first learned about Día 2 years ago. I have a student population made up of non-Hispanics, and wanted them to be aware of the availability of Latino literature, as well as learn about the Latino culture, using literature to bridge that gap. I have enjoyed teaching students about the importance of literacy through Día activities, and the students/teachers have enjoyed learning/participating in Día.
What are your hopes for Día 2011, Día's 15th Anniversary?
I am hoping Día 2011 will be the beginning of great collaboration between school librarians in the United States. As a teacher and school librarian, I see the literacy gap that exists in many schools and know that participating in Día can help bridge that gap. A Quinceañera is a "coming of age" time, and I feel it's time for Día to "come of age" with school librarians.
What helpful tip(s) do you have for those organizing a Día event for the first time?
Tip number one is don't worry if you can't speak Spanish. Día is not just for Hispanics - it's a Literacy Bridging event. Tip #2 would be to think of a way to bring literacy to your school or public library. Tip #3 is to just go out there and do it! Día events can range from the extremely elaborate, which involve hundreds, to something as simple as sharing puppet stories to a small group of children. Your only limitation is you, so "go for it!"
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy as either a child or an adult?
My favorite example happened last year when I connected an 8th grade reluctant reader with a book. Previous to that, she'd only read Manga. That book about someone who liked Manga led to another book. Over the summer, she became a reader. In September, I met up with her in the hallway, during passing time, and gave her part two of a book she'd just finished reading. She jumped up in the air - in front of her classmates, and shouted "Yes! That's just what I like to hear!" To that, I respond "Me too!"
What are you reading now?
I just finished reading Three Black Swans by Caroline B. Cooney, and am starting Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes by Lisa Greenwald. Two days ago I read Starlighter by Bryan Davis and two days before that I read A Million Miles from Boston by Karen Day. With a personal stack of 250 ARC's and 44 bound books waiting to be read, I'll be reading something else by the time you read this. Suffice to say I'm never without a tween/YA book in my hand.
Visit Alma's blog about her Middle School Library Teacher position at Pollard Middle School in Needham, Massachusetts.
February 2011: Mark Smith
When and how did you become interested in sharing bookjoy?
I have been convinced that books and reading can change lives since I was a teenager. I loved reading when I was a child and my love of books has always been a sustaining part of my life. My work as a librarian has given me the perfect opportunity to work in a career where I can encourage and promote reading on a systemic level.
How did you first learn about Día and what has been your experience with Día?
I first learned about Día when I worked for the Texas Library Association and met Pat Mora, Oralia Garza de Cortes and others who were using Día as a vehicle to encourage reading as well as a respect for multicultural expression in children's books. In moving to California and working with libraries here, I was eager to try to promote Día in our communities and on a statewide basis. 2011 will mark the 8th annual Día celebration in the Riverside County System and we hold Día events in all 33 of our libraries here, organized by our very talented outreach coordinator, Arlene Cano. I have also worked with other librarians in California to try to promote a statewide Día celebration through the California State Library.
What are your hopes for Día 2011, Día's 15th Anniversary?
I continue to hope that more and more libraries will participate in this important celebration. I hope that more states will become so-called "Día states" and I remain hopeful that the Association for Library Services to Children, the American Library Association and other library associations will recognize the huge potential of Día and actively promote and encourage Día celebrations in all libraries in the U.S.
What helpful tip(s) do you have for those organizing a Día event for the first time?
Keep it focused on books and reading first and remember that a modest program is much better than no program at all.
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy as either a child or an adult?
I will never forget the experience of seeing Pat Mora reading to a group of parents and children at our first annual Día event under a shady tree at our Coachella Library. While they were transfixed to have a real published author read to them, I clearly observed the full transformative power of Día.
What are you reading now?
A Swedish mystery novel called Three Seconds, but in my defense, I just finished Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa.
January 2011: Lydia Breiseth
When and how did you become interested in sharing bookjoy?
I was an avid reader as a child, partly because I was the youngest in my family and had lots of people to read to me! Whenever my oldest sister arrived home from college, the first thing she would do was drop her bags on the floor and curl up with me to read on our green couch in the living room.
Now in my work at Colorín Colorado, I have the great privilege to recommend children's books that reflect a wide variety of cultures and experiences.
How did you first learn about Día and what has been your experience with Día?
I first learned of Día when I came to Colorín Colorado, and every year I track Día events around the country. It has been wonderful to see Día spread like wildfire as more communities look for ways to bring Latino families together around reading.
Día is great for all libraries because it gives educators and librarians who may be new to working with Latinos a model that can serve as a multicultural/multilingual bridge. It also encourages librarians to take a fresh look at their bilingual/Spanish-language books, resources, and literacy programs.
What are your hopes for Día 2011, Día's 15th Anniversary?
I hope that it brings a renewed sense of focus to the importance of serving immigrant/bilingual families at the library. The library may be the most important - and only - link that our families have to their community and ESL classes, as well as to the importance of reading and sharing books.
What helpful tip(s) do you have for those organizing a Día event for the first time?
The most successful Día events are those that embrace everyone and match the community and its needs! It's ok to:
- start small
- ask community members for input
- remember that not all Día events will look the same!
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy as either a child or an adult?
When I was an ESL teacher in Ecuador, I decided that my intermediate adult students would read Charlotte's Web. It was challenging with words like "trough" and "gosling!" My students treated me to a picnic shortly before I left Ecuador, and as we waited for the bus on our way, we saw an indigenous woman herding some geese and goslings down the street. One of my students looked at me and said with a grin, "Terrific, terrific, terrific!"
After all of our struggles with the book, it was so wonderful to know that the humor and joy of the story had still reached my students!
What are you reading now?
I recently finishedMiracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen, which won the 1957 Newbery Medal. Sorensen's exquisite descriptions of Pennsylvania's changing seasons and the magic of making maple syrup struck a chord with me since I helped with the sugaring at a farm camp in a similar setting where I grew up in Pennsylvania.
The book also captures the pain and confusion of a young girl coming to grips with the ways her father has changed after returning from war (World War II). Even though the book is more than 50 years old, her emotions and those of her family ring as true today as they ever have, and they may provide an important bridge for military families who are adjusting to big changes.
December 2010: R. Joseph Rodriguez, Ph.D.
When and how did you become interested in sharing bookjoy?
In 2001, a group of community organizers and I got together to advance family literacy and promote college readiness. We founded the East End Education Project in Houston, Texas. We established "Bookjoy in the East End," an annual program to celebrate the power and joy of languages, books, and storytelling. We established partnerships with the Children's Museum of Houston, Houston Chronicle, Houston Community College, Houston PBS Channel 8, and Houston Public Library, among others.
How did you first learn about Día and what has been your experience with Día?
I learned about Día in 1996, and since then I have worked with literacy teams and volunteers to adopt and promote Día. I have seen Día grow in the lives of children and families in places where I have lived: Gambier, Ohio; Willimantic, Connecticut; Houston and Austin, Texas.
What are your hopes for Día 2011, Día's 15th Anniversary?
I hope that more organizations and schools adopt and promote Día - even on a daily basis - and recognize how relevant multiple literacies are to create and interpret meaning across world languages and human cultures. Literacy has been my passport to discover worlds beyond my own, and I want to share this experience and Día with more generations of readers and thinkers.
What helpful tip(s) do you have for those organizing a Día event for the first time?
My recommendation would be to adopt the practice of collaboration with organizations and businesses committed to linking families and children to books and diverse languages. Our Día work in many towns and cities across the country has been strengthened with people who recognize the benefits of literacy and multilingualism in the lives of readers of all ages, colors, and abilities.
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy as either a child or an adult?
A few years ago, I explained to an editor at the Houston Chronicle how our family would sit together in our living room to work on puzzles and board games or we would find our favorite reading spot in our house, including the front patio and backyard. Literacy happened everywhere and even in public spaces: riding on Houston's MTA buses to the supermercado or neighborhood library or even while eating a raspa at the park. Words and ideas were alive - then and now. I am fascinated at how interconnected the word libre is to libro.
What are you reading now?
Every day, I read and reread to shape my thinking and creativity.
I just finished reading Pat Mora's letters to teachers in ZING! Seven Creativity Practices for Educators and Students (2010). As an educator, I am motivated to practice my personal creativity with my students.
I am enjoying Evidence (2009), a volume of poems by Mary Oliver.
A native of Wisconsin recommended Rascal (1963) by Sterling North, and I am learning about a young boy's adventures and how animals can become our best friends.
Since I was a young boy, I have been interested in the Statue of Liberty, which was originally named "Liberty Enlightening the World." (Isn't that a great name for a statue that also describes the power of literacy?) At a school book fair in Creedmoor, Texas, I found Lady Liberty: A Biography (2008) written by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Matt Tavares. The words and art capture the detail and history of this gift to the U.S. from the French.
November 2010: Jeanette Larson
How grateful I am to my friend Texas librarian Jeanette Larson who has been an active Día supporter from the beginning. The key word in that first sentence is “active.” Jeanette is a do-er. Long before I was that familiar with the Web, it was Jeanette who said, “We need to get Día on the Web, and we need a Día booklet.” What a gift to me and Día. As you’ll see in her answers, through the years, Jeanette has been helping Día grow, and now she has completed an ALA book, El día de los ninos/El día de los libros: Building a Culture of Literacy in Your Community Through Día. Gracias, Jeanette.
When and how did you become interested in sharing bookjoy?
My parents both were big readers and they shared bookjoy with all of us. I remember being about 6 or 7 years old and teaching my younger siblings to read. As I recall, or have been told, I did that primarily by sharing books and reading to them. We always received books as gifts.
How did you first learn about Día and what has been your experience with Día?
It was very early in Pat's planning and promotion. I don't even remember how or where I met Pat but I was working at the Texas State Library when she was starting Día. Part of my work included helping libraries plan programs and services. Pat mentioned Día and her desire to encourage libraries to participate. We had just finished creating a resource guide for Read to Your Bunny, an early literacy project started by author/illustrator Rosemary Wells and I suggested to Pat that we create a similar manual for Día to help libraries get started. We gave that manual, which is still available at http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/projects/ninos to hundreds of libraries in Texas and also made it available to libraries in Florida and any other libraries that wanted it. I also worked with Austin Public Library on several of their celebrations and served on the Texas Library Association's committee to create the Día Toolkit. Even as a professor for Texas Woman's University I include Día in my classes and encourage students to create sample programs for libraries. My latest Día project is a book for ALA/ALSC that will be published in April 2011.
What are your hopes for Día 2011, Día's 15th Anniversary?
I really hope that like a Quinceañera, the 15th anniversary marks a "coming of age" for Día. It has flourished and has many friends and supporters but it can now mature and reach its full potential. I'd like to see more libraries, especially school libraries, celebrating bilingual literacy and my hope is that more languages can be encompassed in that celebration.
What helpful tip(s) do you have for those organizing a Día event for the first time?
Start small and grow. Don't be afraid to ask for support and assistance. People are very willing to help. Read El día de los ninos/El día de los libros: Building a Culture of Literacy in Your Community through Día (ALA, 2011) as it provides tons of information on organizing and expanding Día events.
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy as either a child or an adult?
At Halloween I give out books along with the candy. It's wonderful to see the delight in a child's face when he or she gets to pick a book. Sometimes the kids are not even interested in the candy; they know that the book is the real treat!
What are you reading now?
I am on a non-fiction award committee so I'm reading a lot for that. I usually read a least two books and listen to an audiobook at the same time so there are really too many titles to list. I just finished Border Crossing by Jessica Lee Anderson and The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler. I love mysteries so am reading Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery edited by Sarah Cortez and Liz Martínez. For my book discussion group I'm reading The Birthing House by Christopher Ransom. Another type of bookjoy is the joy of discovering a book I might not have read without some encouragement.
October 2010: Lucia Gonzalez
I feel so fortunate to be working on Día's 15th Anniversary plans with my friend Lucia Gonzalez during her year as REFORMA's President. As you'll read in her interview, Lucia has been a Día champion for years. She's not only a wonderful advocate but also a fine storyteller and author.
When and how did you become interested in sharing bookjoy?
I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing bookjoy in all the story-hours, family programs, book-talks, and literacy programs I've presented in libraries everywhere throughout my career as children's librarian. I was a children's librarian at the Hispanic Branch Library of the Miami Dade Public Library System when I hosted my first Día de los niños celebration in 1998. Since then, I've never stopped celebrating Día or helping others celebrate Día and share bookjoy. I also share bookjoy through the books I write.
How did you first learn about Día and what has been your experience with Día?
I heard about Día through my friend and colleague Oralia Garza de Cortes during the Annual Conference of ALA in 1997. I haven't stopped celebrating since that year. It has been very gratifying to see Día grow to a national initiative supported by librarians across the nation. In 2003, while working as Youth Services Coordinator for Broward County Libraries, I was able to establish Día as a system-wide, month-long celebration that culminated with a Children's Reading Festival at the Main Library and three other Regional libraries in the County. Since then, Broward County Libraries continue to celebrate Día each year. In 2007 our celebration was honored with the Mora Award. That year the event was supported with a mini-grant awarded by the Association of Library Services to Children (ALSC) and Target. Our library system gave away some 3,000 free books.
What are your hopes for Día 2011, Día's 15th Anniversary?
I am lucky to have the honor of serving as REFORMA President during a year of great celebrations when we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the founding of REFORMA. We will have a great Día celebratory program at ALA Annual in New Orleans in June 2011 and at the Fourth REFORMA National Conference (RNC IV) in Denver, Colorado, September 15-18.
What helpful tip(s) do you have for those organizing a Día event for the first time?
Celebrating Día is a community event that requires reaching out to as many community groups as possible. A way to guarantee the involvement of parents is to invite the children to present. This can be coordinated with the support of local schools, or by organizing a talent show where children tell stories, do magic shows, dress up in their favorite book character costume, etc. If the children are directly engaged, the parent will come. The top administration of the library, city officials, and prominent members of the community also need to be engaged. Let them know what Día is about and they will support the organizer's efforts.
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy as either a child or an adult?
As a child, I read to my best friend, mi amiguito Jose Manuel, from the only book I owned, a pop-up book Puss in Boots (El gato con botas). My friend was asthmatic and whenever he stayed sick in bed, I went to his house with my book to read it to him and enjoy the magical and luxurious illustrations. When I left Cuba, I gave the book to him to keep it until I came back. Many years passed before I returned to Cuba. We were 26 years old when we saw each other again. He went to see me as soon as he found out I was back and gave me a very special gift, our beautiful book. He kept it all those years, wrapped in cellophane paper, waiting for my return.
As an adult, my greatest bookjoy has been reading to my two children, Anna and Jose Antonio. We cherish all the moments we spent reading together. Now that they are grown, the characters from those stories are part of our lives, common friends.
What are you reading now?
I am reading a very beautiful book, a fictional work, about the childhood years of my favorite poet, Pablo Neruda, written by Pam Muñoz Ryan. The dialog and the scenes are very poetic. I am enjoying it thoroughly.
September 2010: Meryle Leonard
I have good memories of visiting NC schools in 2004 thanks to the Novello Book Festival sponsored by the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. When I returned to Novello in 2007, I had the pleasure of meeting gracious Meryle Leonard. Meryle quickly took an interest in Día and has been a champion ready to strengthen the celebration in Charlotte and also ready to share her ideas and commitment locally and in her region. Thanks, Meryle!
When and how did you become interested in sharing bookjoy?
My interest in bookjoy began when I received an invitation to view the site from Pat Mora. I found it a wonderful resource to get information, resources and activities to celebrate Día all year long.
How did you first learn about Día and what has been your experience with Día?
When I returned to work at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library almost four years ago, I learned about the wonderful Día celebration the library had been hosting for the past six years. I was lucky enough to be in the department that hosted the Día activities. My goal was to bring in an author for the event to connect the literacy aspect of Día with the celebration. Lulu Delacre, Yuyi Morales, Arthur Dorres and Keizo Kasza enhanced our celebration with school visits and parent/teacher workshops.
What are your hopes for Día 2011, Día's15th Anniversary?
Like most library systems, we are facing financial challenges. With that said, I hope that we can continue our Día celebration, with limited resources and continue to expand our celebration to all children and all cultures. Día for our library system means, "Diversity in Action!"
What helpful tip(s) do you have for those organizing a Día event for the first time?
Start planning for your April Día celebration in September and collaborate with other community agencies to expand resources and reach all populations in your community.
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy as either a child or an adult?
As a child, I enjoyed listening to my mother read fairytales to my older brother and me. She read the classic versions, Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm. I enjoyed the suspense and I enjoyed being frightened. Most of all, I loved the happily ever after endings. My mother died when I was six, but I still have the fairytale book she read from and I share this "bookjoy" with my children. I still cannot read The Little Match Girl without crying.
What are you reading now?
I just finished reading More Church Folk by Michele Andrea Bowen. The author is visiting our library next week and I cannot wait to participate in the book discussion.
August 2010: Elva Garza, Regional Operations Branch Manager, Austin Public Library
I'd like to honor librarian Elva Garza for her faithful support of Día since its beginnings. Elva has advocated for Día on local, state and national levels, has planned celebrations, and has participated in conference programs that educate others and extend Día's reach.
Tell us about your path to librarianship and your work in libraries.
I had never thought about being a librarian until I got a job my sophomore year of college as a work-study student in the reference department at Southwest Texas State University. I was amazed at how the librarians could find the answer to any questions that came across the reference desk and I wanted to be able to do that. I went off to library school at the University of North Texas with every intention of being an academic librarian but got my first job working for San Antonio Public as a reference librarian. After 5 years, I came to work for the Austin Public Library as a Branch Manager and I am currently working as a Regional Branch Manager overseeing five branches.
In Austin, I have always worked in communities where visiting a library for enjoyment is not necessarily something families do, so it has been my job and the staff I work with to introduce families to what libraries have to offer them. Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros celebration has been one of the programs we have used to do this.
What to you is the biggest reward of being involved with Día?
I think my biggest reward from being involved with Día has been the friendships and partnerships that I have seen develop over the years. These partnerships have brought new learning opportunities for the families we serve all year round. One of these programs has been the Family Learning Nights held in schools throughout Austin. Several of our Día partners get together to provide literacy based activities for families learning math, reading, or science skills. Families receive free books along with library cards.
What ideas do you have for Día 2011 and what are your hopes for the 15th Anniversary celebration?
From [a small event in a church] we have grown to a citywide event where we have seen as many as 6,000 attend one year. We are just beginning the planning for this year's Día celebration. We are talking about a month long celebration with events going on in our schools and libraries.
What are you reading now?
I am currently reading The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. I have a ten-year-old buddy and this was his pick. He is a reluctant reader so when ever he asks me to read something with him I jump up and read.
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy either as a child or as adult?
I was never a big reader as a kid; it was not until in college when I first discovered books written by Latino authors that I felt an excitement in reading. When I first read books by Tomás Rivera, Rudolfo Anaya, and Gabriel García Márquez, I was recognizing my family's stories. These were the stories I heard from my grandfather and father -- the stories of the curandera, of living in a migrant camp and working in the fields, of brothers going off to war.
July 2010: Oralia Garza de Cortes, Latino Children's Literature Consultant
This month we honor Día’s madrina, godmother in Spanish, a person traditionally chosen because of her commitment to the well-being of a child. In 1996, minutes after I was first zapped by the Día idea, the Tucson REFORMA Chapter quickly volunteered to help. Soon after, my friend and literacy advocacy colleague, the respected Oralia Garza de Córtes, committed to connecting the Día concept to Reforma nationally. REFORMA, of course, became the first organization to partner with me in growing Día. Gracias, gracias, Oralia, for your commitment to Día nationally and internationally.
Tell us about your path to librarianship and work in youth services.
I grew up in Brownsville, Texas during the fifties and sixties, and although the town had a city-college library, it's major objective was to serve the junior college students who primarily used the library. It did not have children's books when I was growing up. My earliest memory of a library is my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Garcia's makeshift library of books that she made available to us. Today they call them 'classroom collections'. And although I was a member of the library club in both junior high and high school, doing voluntary work at both, and I worked at the junior college library while on college work-study, it was not until I became a mom that I fell in love with the fairy tales and the picture books that I read to my children when they were very young. As I read these beautiful books I kept wondering where I could find such beautiful books and stories with Chicanito characters and faces, or books that depicted children like mine in their own cultural setting, or books in Spanish from Mexico written for North American children. While I did find a few gems, there were so many more mediocre titles published in New York with demeaning stereotypes that should have never been published or should have been weeded years ago. The librarian at the Heights Branch, my neighborhood library in Houston, Texas suggested that I go visit the Carnegie Branch, where most of the Mexican Americans lived at the time. It was there that I befriended the children's librarian at the newly reconstructed Carnegie Branch in Houston. Louise Yarain Zwick had just returned to the states after spending some time in El Salvador. She was the one librarian who influenced me, mentored me and passed on her love of children's literature and children's librarianship. She truly understood how important it was for children to have a librarian who looked liked them and who understood their culture and spoke their language. She also imparted her vast knowledge of the classics of Spanish children's literature. I soon found myself working part-time as Louise's assistant in the children's section at the Carnegie Branch, conducting bilingual and Spanish children's story hour programs and planning and conducting with Louise workshops for parents about children's literature. They were among the first family literacy programs in the country. It was Louise who encouraged me go to library school, along with Dr. Billie Grace Herring, a professor from the University of Texas' Graduate Library School who literally tracked me down in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, where we were living at the time, offering me a scholarship to pursue library school.
My first job as a professional was as a children's librarian at the Terrazas Branch of the Austin Public Library, actively promoting Spanish and bilingual storytimes, programs and services for the neighborhood children and their families. I also doubled as the children's librarian and branch manager at the then Dove Springs Branch in Southeast Austin where I filled the makeshift branch with literally hundreds of multicultural books that reflected the make-up of the children of that community. At the TLA conference in 1996, I ran into our dear Rose Treviño, who flagged me down and invited me to apply for a position at the San Antonio Public Library. I served as the manager of the Children's Department, the magical space that was the third floor of the fabulous new central library built by the ingenious Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta for the children of San Antonio.
How long have you been a member of REFORMA, and why did you become a member?
I joined REFORMA over twenty years ago, at the same time that I joined the American Library Association (ALA), ALSC, the Association for Library Services for Children and the Ethnic Materials Information Exchange Round Table, EMIERT. I was a graduate student attending my first library conference. Louise had organized a program on Spanish Children's Literature through EMIERT and invited me to participate. It was there that I met Sandra Ríos Balderrama, a newly hired children's librarian from Berkeley Public Library. We became fast friends and true collaborators, working on REFORMA's behalf to establish the children's section of REFORMA. CAYASC, the Children's and Young Adult Services Committee, provided us with the public space we needed to dream, plan, create and incubate a committee that would be charged with planning and conducting programs that addressed the library needs of Spanish speaking children. It was through CAYASC that we developed the Pura Belpré Award and where we were able to get REFORMA to formally endorse Día in 1992 and enthusiastically promote Día in our communities and in our profession to this day.
What ideas do you have for Día 2011 and what are your hopes for the 15th Anniversary celebration?
2010 has been a banner year for promoting Día at the international level. CAYASC members have begun to write and publish REFORMA's role in the Día story and are introducing Día to the international community through IFLA, the International Federation of Libraries Association, through IBBY, the International Board of Books for Young People world congress to be held in Santiago, Campostela in Sept. of 2010, and to AMBAC, the National Association of Mexican Libraries, where Día has been wildly embraced. We hope to continue building Día at both the international and national levels. I am also curious about exploring ways for our libraries to promote 'Stories without Borders' as a way to challenge the nativism that is accosting our national conversation on immigration. As an organization we will be enthusiastically promoting Día and the Pura Belpre Awards' fifteenth anniversaries by encouraging Quinceañera celebrations throughout the community. At ALA annual in 2011, REFORMA and ALSC will debut Día and the Belpre's Quince (fifteenth) birthday celebrations in New Orleans.
What are you reading now?
I just finished reading Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush, a graphic novel by Alberto Urrea (Cinco Puntos, 2011). The illustrations are stunning, and the story is brilliant. It has stayed with me still. I'm also reading Urrea's Into the Beautiful North. I am thoroughly enjoying Grace Lin's Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009), a wonderful magical fairytale in novel form.
I'm also trying to understand the roots of our country's obsession with nativism in Not Fit for Our Society: Immigration and Nativism in America by Peter Schrag (University of California Press, 2010) and how to keep caring about what we care about the most through To Heal A Fractured World: The Ethics of Responsibility by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (Schocken Books, 2005).
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy either as a child or an adult?
Years, back, I found my eight year old son quietly searching through the hall closet. I asked if I could help, but he was deep in thought. As I observed him, I realized that he was looking for a magic path much like the children he was reading about in the C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950).That was a Bookjoy moment I will long cherish. When I saw my own name in print for the very first time in Sandra Cisneros' novel Caramelo (Knopf, 2002), I felt Bookjoy; when I find myself identifying with characters like Doña Flor (Random House, 2005) the passionate, caring woman who acts on behalf of the children in her community, I feel Bookjoy. When I share El Sapo Distraido [The Absent-minded Frog] (Kane/Miller,1995) with parents at family workshops and soon begin to relate similar experiences of my own - like the time I went to work with two mis-matched black shoes- the closet was so dark and I hadn't bothered to turn on the light- they laugh with me and they soon start sharing their own absent-minded experiences -- these are wonderful 'bookjoy' moments that come out of the shared reading experience. It is as if an infectious good enters our RNA and our DNA and we are forever changed by that.
June 2010: Rose Treviño, Librarian
At the end of April, my friend Rose died. I’d met her years ago thanks to our mutual friend Oralia Garza de Cortés and thanks to ALA. Rose was an early supporter of Día and served on its National Advisory Committee at ALSC. A Texas librarian deeply committed to all children including the under-served, Rose promoted Día when she was head of children’s services at the San Antonio Public Library where she discovered bookjoy as a child, and later championed Día at the Houston Public Library. I believe it was Rose, who when she was on the ALSC Board, was a grand champion who encouraged the Board to offer to be Día’s national home.
Rose will be remembered by many for a host of reasons: because she was an exemplary librarian and the first Latina to chair the Newbery Award Committee, for her books: Read Me a Rhyme in Spanish and English (2009) and The Pura Belpré Awards: Celebrating Latino Authors and Illustrators (2006), and for the gracious way she treated all who knew her. I miss my friend Rose with whom I could always talk deeply about Día’s purpose and importance. From personal experience, Rose knew how hard it is to be a literacy advocate for families not viewed by all as important. She always cheered me up and assured me that better days were ahead, that Día mattered and would grow and grow.
April 2010: Bobbie Combs & Laurina Cashin, We Love Children's Books
Meet my web team who help me with my site, blog and e-newsletter. Enthusiastic Día supporters, in 2010 they not only proposed the creative idea for having the first Díapalooza on my blog, they offered to donate their time to help make this venture a success.
How did you first learn about Día?
Laurina: I was working on a Spanish language focus group for a publisher client, which led me to information about the 2004 Mora Award winners and in learning about the winners, I also learned about Día.
Bobbie: I heard Pat speak at a conference, and I was simply dazzled by her and by Día.
What has been your experience with Día?
Even though we've spent a lot of time on Día projects, we haven't yet had the pleasure of attending an official Día event…as you can imagine, we're quite busy in April! This year, though, we had the honor of having an April 30th Día dinner in Santa Fe with Pat herself!
You creatively suggested the first Díapalooza for 2010 to Pat. What gave you that idea?
We do some of our best brainstorming in the car while on road trips. In February we were talking about Día, thinking about various things bloggers do to publicize themselves and wondering how to make a big splash about Día this year. Bobbie had the idea of doing something on the blog EVERY DAY in April, and Laurina quickly supplied the catchy name.
What ideas do you have for Día 2011 and what are your hopes for the 15th Anniversary celebration?
We'd like to build on the success of our first Díapalooza. We'd like to see Día become more established as a literacy initiative and especially would like to see more schools participate. We hope that the anniversary will spur further involvement from sponsors, publishers and libraries.
What are you each reading now?
Bobbie: Bobbie: I just finished Linger, a YA fantasy by Maggie Stiefvater. I loved fantasy as a child and as a teen and I have never outgrown it!
Laurina: I often read more than one book at once - my two current ones are an Irish mysteryLake of Sorrows, by Erin Hart and Tell Us We're Home, YA fiction by Marina Budhos.
What is a favorite bookjoy memory for each of you?
Bobbie: When we first met, of course we spent time talking about our favorite children's books. Laurina described her "lost favorite," a book she'd loved as a child but no longer remembered the title of, but it rang no bells for me. Very soon after, a friend of mine gave me a wonderful old children's book which I ADORED and immediately sent to Laurina to read…you guessed it! It was the "lost favorite": A Spell is Cast, by Eleanor Cameron.
February 2010: Beatriz Pascual Wallace, Children's Librarian, Seattle Public Library
Beatriz served on REFORMA’s 2009 Mora Award Committee and is the 2010 committee chair and is doing an outstanding job. She took some time to answer questions for us.
Tell us about your path to librarianship and work in youth services.
It was a long and winding road! I worked in newspaper publishing, children's book publishing and independent bookselling before hitting on the idea of going back to school to become a librarian. Now that I'm a librarian, I wish I had come up with the idea 20 years ago but ultimately, the path I took ended up fully informing my library career. As for focusing on youth services, I've always had an affinity for children's and YA literature, and in general, I'm kid-oriented at heart. When asked my age, I always have to think a moment how old I am because I definitely don't feel that old!
What do you like most about your work?
There is nothing proprietary or competitive about librarianship. We enthusiastically share information with our patrons and with each other as professionals. It's a collaborative and cooperative profession which I really appreciate!
How long have you been a member of REFORMA, and why did you become a member?
I became a member of REFORMA ten years ago while in library school and it was one of the best memberships for supplementing my library school education. I remember attending RNC2 (REFORMA's second national conference) and coming away inspired and jazzed by all that I learned about serving Latino and Spanish-speaking patrons.
Why did you agree to be the Mora Award Committee Chair?
I really appreciate that the award promotes reading in all the languages we speak. I think it's an important message to all families that their cultures and languages are valued and that they are celebrated and reinforced in books.
Can you tell us about your favorite Día memories?
My favorite Día memories include the first Dia I ever hosted when I worked at Multnomah County Library. In my little branch, we had a festive celebration, with Head Start families in attendance, live music, and a visit with Maisy. Last year at my Seattle Public Library branch, we hosted a visit with the local Univision news anchor who is a terrific advocate for libraries and reading with kids. He read aloud from Pat Mora's Book Fiesta. And two years ago, Seattle Public Library hosted Pat Mora. She spoke to kids at an elementary school near my branch and it was great to see the kids come to the branch asking for her books.
What are you reading now?
There is so much to keep up with in children's and YA lit! I usually am listening to two and reading two all at once. At this moment, I'm also catching up on the recent award winners. I'm listening to Going Bovine by Libba Bray, reading Truce by Jim Murphy, and just finished Back Home by Julia Keller and Bad News for Outlaws by Vaunda Michaeux Nelson.
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy (either as a child or adult?)
For me, my moments of Bookjoy happen when a child or teen visiting the library tells me about a book they liked and we get into a conversation about it. I love seeing when a young person is profoundly affected by a book he or she read and they just can't tell me enough about it!
December 2009: Ana Schmitt, LIBROS Group, Multnomah County Library
In typical Ana style, she insisted on sharing this recognition with the LIBROS staff at Multnomah County Library, winners of the 2002 Mora Award. Ana and her colleagues are full of Día ideas they share generously. Thanks to Ana and the LIBROS team!
Tell us about the work that you and the rest of the LIBROS group do. How did LIBROS get its start? How many people are part of the LIBROS staff?
LIBROS is a systemwide initiative at Multnomah County Library that connects the Spanish-speaking community with library services. It makes services available within its libraries and in the surrounding community to a population that is underserved because of cultural and language differences. LIBROS got started backed by the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) grant; MCL hired a Spanish-outreach specialist to coordinate the program and to expand library services to Spanish-speaking Latino children and their families. A survey sent to community agencies, school programs, and members of the community identified information needs and obstacles to library use. Their findings showed, among other things, a lack of understanding by Latinos about the role of the library and its mission (public libraries were practically non-existent in most Latin American countries); lack of Spanish-language materials in the collection; lack of adequate programming for Spanish speakers; the existence of a transportation barrier which prevented access to the library; and the inability of library staff to communicate, verbally and culturally, with the Spanish-speaking patrons.
LIBROS began in 1998 and since then has been responsible for numerous changes to improve service to Multnomah County Library’s Latino community. During the first year of the LIBROS program, more programs for Spanish-speaking families were established, including bilingual storytimes at three of its branches; a collection of Spanish and bilingual books was created; and connections were made with other youth outreach programs for summer reading programs. In addition, library-card campaigns, library tours, parenting programs and presentations about the library were made available to agencies serving children and to local schools. Since it began we have increased the number of bilingual Spanish employees from one person to more than 30 employees in 11 of our 18 locations. The outreach staff makes contacts with the Latino community through our events and programs for adults and children both in the library and in the community. These include:
- Spanish and bilingual storytimes
- Computer classes in Spanish
- Intercambio language exchanges
- Regular music and craft programs in Spanish
- Parenting and literacy classes for adults and children
- Special events like Hispanic Heritage and Día de los Niños
Please share your 2010 Día plans with us. Are you trying anything new?
For Día 2010 Multnomah County Library is planning 8 celebrations at multiple Spanish bilingual library locations. Each celebration will have 1 live performance as well as students' group performances from local schools. We will have 2-5 literacy activities and a few crafts at each celebration.
In an effort to continue to make Día more literacy oriented we are trying something new and different for 2010. We are planning to gather around a book character and listen to stories. We will have Latino leaders from the community read to the children. And we will be having 20 minute parents' workshops during Día. 1-2 workshops per location targeted to 0-6 years old, and another one to elementary school age children. For instance, we'll share and show the 6 Early Literacy skills and give parents resources to use at home like ideas to help their child get ready for school and a print out of CDs and children's books from the library collection.
What advice do you have for libraries planning Día events for the first-time?
- Plan well in advance; at least 6 months. It helps to have a planner with tasks, due dates and name of person responsible for each task.
- Make sure you have early literacy activities and performers that reflect the culture of the community.
- If your location is near schools (Head Starts or elementary), it might make sense to plan your celebration on a weekday. Talk with local teachers prior to see about possible weekday attendance.
- Promote your Día inside your library and out. Promote it during Storytimes and other events as well as through local schools, housing complexes, media, and in any other way possible.
- Get lots of help for the day of the event.
- Involve your community and include cultural components that draw the immigrant populations you want to reach.
Ways to involve the community include:
- Having volunteers to prepare for Día de los Niños activities and events as well as to help on the day of the event.
- Making Milagros, piñatas or other crafts to be displayed in the library is helpful in involving schools, children, and through them, families. Students' creations could be exhibited in the library before, during and after Día de los Niños. Families will come to the library to view them.
- Including local businesses strengthens community relationships and expands the resources available for Día de los Niños. Community businesses could donate raffle items, food, services and cash.
- Having service providers with resources and education to share. The neighborhood police chief could host a craft table, firemen could give tours of their truck and educate kids about fire safety, and health services providers could bring health games and information.
- Having after-school Ballet Folklórico classes perform is free and delightful for everyone.
- Since bilingual households are diverse, and there are many different communities with many different immigrant populations, it follows that the choice of performers or other cultural elements will be unique for each community.
What’s the best part of your work?
Helping patrons find the information and materials they need as well as providing programming and events which they enjoy and that promote literacy and welcome them to the community.
Seeing the joy on people's faces as they participate in programs and crafts at our events.
Introducing everything that is wonderful about the public library to folks who have not had access to a library before -- board books, information on school subjects, learning English materials, computers for job-hunting, typing up school reports, etc.
How do you share book joy?
We love books and enjoy sharing that joy for books and libraries through fun storytimes and encouraging kids to read whatever they're interested in. Día is a wonderful way to reach out to the community, make families feel welcome and enjoy all the library has to offer while they connect with the community.
March 2009: Flo Trujillo, Youth Services Coordinator, Farmington NM Public Library
Meet our first Día Dynamo Flo Trujillo, Youth Services Coordinator at the Farmington Public Library (NM) and the state Afterschool Ambassador (an Afterschool Alliance program). Thanks, Flo!
In San Juan County the Farmington Public Library will host the Día celebration on April 30th with a tailgate party. It is not mandatory but toddler through elementary participants
will be asked to bring a book wrapped
as a gift. When the music starts the books are exchanged until the music stops. Through donations, everyone will leave with a book on that day! Middle school students will participate through 21st Century, by making available an activity for the toddlers and elementary students. Middle and High school students will participate in a Poetry workshop and Slam. High school students can join the celebration of the Blended Zine release party – a magazine published by teens for teens. Families can enjoy a game of Frisbee with the Navajo, Spanish, Italian and French words for El día de los niños/El día de los libros displayed on the Frisbee to celebrate the multicultural celebration of Día.
As an incentive for libraries and community centers to register their activities with ALSC's national registry site, the New Mexico Library Association is giving five $100 awards to random selected libraries and community centers who register.
Flo knows "school and public libraries are an essential resource In these economic times – they provide a safe place for youth and inspire youth to learn using up-to-date technology for homework help. But, the celebration is not only for school and public libraries...it is for the whole community! Join an organization that is celebrating Día and develop a new partnership or volunteer your time to help organize an event for youth."
In her role as Afterschool Ambassor, Flo is uniquely positioned to promote Día throughout the state. She "believe(s) that with our new partnerships, next year will be bigger and better! Investing in programs for youth during afterschool and out of school time strengthens our community!"
