Fun fact: next week, I’m going to be running a storytime at my library! It’s not something I thought I’d be interested in when I first started working in libraries, but something I grew to appreciate. I was asked to take on occasional storytimes at my branch, and from there, the journey to learning what a “quality” storytime started. In a matter of months (accompanied with a lot of shadowing and practice), I learned about how storytimes weave together literacy and community. I was able to observe how different each librarian’s take on a storytime could be – in fact, when I asked library staff on how to conduct a “good” storytime, the overwhelming consensus was that a good storytime (or program, for that matter) didn’t have to be anything but genuine.
One coworker even told me
“Whatever you think the ideal storytime is, it won’t be for another family. Bring yourself, because there will always be a family that likes the way you do it. We have families that like quiet and reserved storytimes, and we have families that prefer more energizing ones.
I was surprised – I didn’t have to force myself to include as many props as possible or take on a different theatre persona. Instead, I was encouraged to try things that encouraged literacy, but in a way that was comfortable for me. As I was trying to extend as much compassion and effort for our patrons, I realized I also needed to practice that compassion on myself to create my own storytime program.
My own experience ties in well with Library 2.0’s The Power of Stories webinar, which spoke about incorporating elements of accessibility in storytimes. While it may be the general sentiment that teaching children how to read and speak has always been the same, working in libraries has taught me that there will always be ways to meet the community that haven’t been done before.
Specifically for my system, we are exploring the potential that play has in literacy. While the traditional storytime has someone reading or singing to a room full of children, libraries have started to explore how to include elements of play. One of my systems hands out props to children so they can participate during songs. They have also started construction on creating playground-like structures in our Children’s areas so that children can interact with the physical library as a source of play while they are learning how to read. In this manner, play is interwoven with literacy in our programming and space. In another system I work with, where budget is more of an issue, we bring out donated toys at the end of storytimes so that children can interact with them in the presence of the community. Play in libraries has obviously been done before, but in both my workplaces, they were adapted in ways that accounted for each system’s constraints and their patrons’ needs.
So what will my quirk be next week when I get to perform? At least this time around, I wanted to incorporate a lot of dancing for my storytime! I’ve always been a very animated and musically-inclined person, so I’d love to share that with the patrons. However, I would love to explore ways I could create a sensory storytime for my workplace, especially in trying to implement sensory aids across all of our storytimes.
References
Library 2.0. (2020). The Power of Stories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvZlTRTVX10&t=1651s
Roos, C. (2023). Why we need sensory storytimes. Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Blog. https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2023/04/why-we-need-sensory-storytimes/
Roskos, K.A. (2023). Play’s potential in early literacy development. Encyclopedia on Early Child Development [online]. https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/play/according-experts/plays-potential-early-literacy-development.
Santa Clara County Library District. (2025). Storybook SCCLD. https://sccld.org/storybooksccld/
Santa Clara County Library. (2025). Storybook SCCLD children’s play space grand opening at Saratoga Library. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fRZqVZDDLs