Outcome 1C: Participate in professional activities and associations, such as professional conferences and meetings, internships and practicums, and professional email discussions and social media.
When I started at my library as a children’s associate, I relied heavily on the blogs of other children’s librarians for ideas, songs, rhymes, flannels, and activities to incorporate into my programming. In December of 2017, I started my own blog so I could give back to the professional learning community that continues to be such a strong support network for me. I share plans and activities on my blog from the wide range of programming I facilitate at my library - including toddler storytime and a “Book and Cookie Club” discussion group for 3rd through 6th-grade students - and include downloadable versions of handouts that other librarians can use in their own programming. I believe it is important for children’s librarians to use various social media platforms to share ideas so we can collaborate, learn from one another, and move our profession forward.