# Archived Information 

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# A SMARTER SUMMER: 

# Revolution at the Library

**By Carol H. Rasco, Director, America Reads Challenge**

Imagine entering a plain brick building on a lovely summer day. You pass
a dozen parked strollers and hear the giddy laughter of babies. To your
right, toys are strewn on a soft carpet where mothers and toddlers play.
Young voices sing "Four and Twenty Blackbirds" with gusto.

At computers to your left, three boys work on their own online sports
magazine. Two girls solve the design problems of a machine they created.
An instructor guides some parents through the Web, in Spanish.

In a corner, caregivers are coached on reading aloud "The Three Bears"
with dramatic flair. Small children color the alphabet while their
mothers learn about childhood nutrition. A woman arranges to send a
Story Van to a housing project for a cultural festival.

In a meeting room, a half-dozen teachers learn how to make better use of
the Internet. In an adjacent room, a toddler with frequent ear
infections is tested for speech delay.

And, oh yes, you see books. Lots and lots of books.

What is this place, you ask? An expensive child care center? A private
computer school? A bilingual community center?

It's the local branch of a public library.

A lot has changed at the library. It's been a quiet revolution until
now, librarians being the brilliant but modest folks we've always
admired.

But a buzz is building. As old barriers crumble, the image of the staid
old library is giving way to the noisy, online, family-friendly learning
center that is the destiny of libraries of the future.

Summer is the perfect time to see where your library is heading on this
revolutionary trail. While not every library offers all the
opportunities I've described, many now offer far more than stacks of
wonderful books. For example:

(more)

**U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 400 MARYLAND AVENUE S.W. WASHINGTON, DC
20202-0107**

Tel: 202/401-8888 Fax: 202/260-8114 E-mail: AmericaReads@ed.gov Web:
www.ed.gov/americareads

**A Smarter Summer: Revolution at the Library (continued)**

-   Free parent workshops on how to raise a reader

-   Videos, CDs, and toys to take home

-   Ideas for kids on fun summer reading

-   Summer reading programs with goals and rewards

-   Opportunities to pair children with adult reading tutors

-   Access to computers for those already skilled

-   Training on computers for those seeking skills

-   Arts activities to help children communicate

-   Toys and books for children with special needs

-   Books and classes in a family's home language

-   Literacy workshops for teachers and child care providers

-   Free materials on child nutrition and development

-   Adult literacy support, so parents can teach their children

Sound good? For a smarter summer, drop by your local branch and see
what's cooking. Maybe your kids can borrow toys, go online, or sign up
to win a pizza for reading a dozen books. Maybe you can sign up for a
computer class, learn how to better buckle a car seat, or pick up a
schedule of literacy activities for your childcare provider. You might
even borrow some good books!

There's a revolution going on at your community library -- check it out!

*Find the booklet \"Helping Your Child Use the Library\" at
www.ed.gov/pubs/Library. For more information on children and reading,
call the U.S. Department of Education at (800) USA-LEARN, or visit
online at www.ed.gov/americareads. For library resources, contact the
ALA's Association for Library Service for Children at (800) 545-2433
ext. 2163 or online at www.ala.org/alsc; and Libraries for the Future at
(800) 542-1918 or online at www.lff.org.*