Together, Learning More! Interactive Family Learning in California's Libraries

Across California, libraries offer valuable experiences for young children and families. Storytime programs, with their focus on early literacy development, remain central and important to children’s library services. Yet, libraries are thinking beyond the traditional storytime as they work to engage new audiences and responsively serve their communities. A shift from storytime to learning time is particularly important as children move from preschool to early elementary school.

A newly published report, Together Learning More! Interactive Family Learning in California’s Libraries, highlights a few of the many examples of high-quality interactive learning happening in libraries across the State. The report shares insights from a survey conducted with library staff, as well as interviews with library leaders across the state; these findings from the field are connected to academic research on social-emotional and cognitive development.

This webinar will discuss key components of interactive learning, the research-backed value of play, the role of social-emotional development, and priorities related to the training of library staff.

This webinar will be of interest to: All library staff who work with children, ages zero to eight, and their families/caregivers.

Questions? Please contact Christian Theyer, Early Learning with Families Project Manager, at [email protected].

The Early Learning with Families (ELF) project is supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. The Together, Learning More! report was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

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