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Carey Hagan on the Digital Public Library of America

A reference librarian at the Fairfax County Public Library in Virginia, Carey Hagan works closely with patrons, assisting them as they search for informational, instructional, and recreational reading materials. Previously, Ms. Hagan served as an assistant cataloger at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. On April 18th, the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) became available online. The first library of its kind, the DPLA exists solely on the Web and offers the public access to noteworthy archives and digital collections from collaborators across the country. Thanks to partnerships with the Smithsonian, the New York Public Library, Harvard University, and the University of Virginia, among other institutions, the library presently boasts more than two million items and expects to gather millions more in the coming years. Led by Executive Director Dan Cohen, the DPLA strives to complement the mission of thousands of traditional public libraries across the country: to provide access to written materials and promote intellectual engagement among all citizens. Learn more about the Digital Public Library of America and start searching its archives by visiting DP.LA.

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The One and Only Ivan: 2013's Newbury Medal Winner

Carey Hagan, a reference librarian at Fairfax County Public Library in Virginia, enjoys sharing her love of books with children as a leader of library story-times. Carey Hagan maintains an in-depth familiarity with the current top books for children and young people, including award-winners such as The One and Only Ivan. Each year, the Newbury Medal honors a children's book that has made an outstanding impact on literature for young readers. The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), part of the American Library Association, makes the determination and presents the award. The ALSC chose Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan as the 2013 medal recipient. Based on a true story, The One and Only Ivan tells the tale of a gorilla who lives in a glass cage at a circus-themed shopping mall. The mall has fallen on hard times, and Ivan the Gorilla's friend Stella the Elephant has become ill. The mall owner buys a baby elephant, trying to bring in crowds and save the mall, but help comes too late for Stella. Her dying wish, she tells Ivan, is to save the baby elephant that she has adopted as her own. The book explores themes of animal rights as well as heritage, identity, and freedom while presenting a touching story that children are likely to love.

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Carey Hagan: The Benefits of Child Literacy

Since 2007, Carey Hagan has served as a research librarian in Virginia who holds responsibility over the majority of front desk duties. Moreover, Hagan writes about children's and young adult literature on her personal blog, BooktalkThree (www.booktalkthree.blogspot.com), and promotes child literacy. Literacy plays an important part in a person’s personal and professional success, and one of the best ways to discover reading is to start at a young age. Recent evidence suggests that parents should commence this process when their child is between the ages of two and five. Reading books aloud to toddlers improves their intellectual and social development before they enter school. Along with enhancing their capability to learn in multiple areas, it teaches basic speech skills by enabling them to understand and repeat sounds. By focusing on sentences and stories, youths bolster their attention span and memory while acquiring self-discipline. Additionally, early readers start ahead of their peers by knowing basic concepts and the proper method of interpreting books. Moreover, it allows parents and children to spend time together, form trust, and develop better relationships.

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"Five Ways to Encourage Children to Read," Five Ways to Encourage Children to Read

As a Librarian and Youth Literacy Program Coordinator for the Fairfax County Public Library in Fairfax, Virginia, I endeavor to make reading a fun and enjoyable activity for children of all ages. However, certain habits formed at home can go a long way in encouraging children to want to read. Parents should try to follow the below suggestions:

1. Talk about reading and books with your children. Parents who show interest—and, better yet, excitement—about books will find their kids developing the same trait. Make reading a family affair, both aloud to your children and on your own. This modeling will be passed on to them as they learn to read by themselves. 

2. Give books as gifts. Books make great, easy gifts, whether for birthdays, holidays, or other occasions. In general, children cherish gift books even more. Help them start a personal library and they will make gathering and reading books an important part of their lives. 

3. Take your children to the library regularly. What better place to surround them with books and encourage them to read? Enroll your kids in a children’s group reading program at the library to help them get into the habit even more. If they prefer reading on their own, ask the librarian for suggestions based on their favorite subjects. 

4. Read to your children regularly, preferably daily. Better yet, make reading a fun activity. Use different voices for the speaking bits, act out different characters, and show them that you, too, are enthusiastic about reading. Young children will especially get a kick out of this. 

5. Purchase kid-friendly magazines. Just like their parents, children want to read magazines. Encourage this habit by subscribing to children’s titles like Ranger Rick, National Geographic Kids, American Girl, or others.

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Carey Hagan on the Virginia Readers’ Choice Program

by Carey Hagan

As a Librarian with the Fairfax County Public Library system and the founder and administrator of the blog BooktalkThree (booktalkthree.blogspot.com), I closely follow literary awards programs for children’s and young adult books nationwide. In these capacities, I read and recommend books to children and teenagers, writing booktalks to interest and motivate young people to read. Additionally, I help encourage them to learn and share the ideas and messages in the books they have read. On my blog, I recently posted booktalks for several award winners from Virginia Readers’ Choice, a program founded in the early 1980s to identify quality young adult and children’s books. Part of the Virginia State Reading Association, the Virginia Readers’ Choice awards were founded to recognize popular books and their authors; identify contemporary books with strong learning and literary appeal; and encourage reading among young adults and children. First awarding prizes during the 1981-1982 school year, the program began recognizing book winners at each of the elementary, middle, and high-school levels in 1987. Each year, the Virginia Readers’ Choice honors 10 winners at each of the 3 levels, along with 10 at the primary-school level. The Virginia Readers’ Choice program encourages students to partake in the voting process, as well; in order to qualify to vote, youngsters must read—or have read to them—four nominated books from each of the four grade levels. Students then select their favorite titles, voting at either participating schools or public libraries. In the spring, the winning books are identified, ranked by most votes to least. The unique Virginia Readers’ Choice program not only encourages students to read, but also to share their thoughts on books and recommend their favorite titles. As a result, children and adolescents grow even more excited about reading. For more on Virginia Readers’ Choice, visit my blog or log onto www.vsra.org.

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Louis Sachar

by Carey Hagan [Posted by Howcheng] Newberry and National Book Award winner Louis Sachar was born on March 20, 1954. A New York native, Louis Sachar moved to California with his family at the age of nine. Growing up, Louis Sachar lived what he describes as a normal suburban childhood and did not become interested in reading and writing until his high school years when he became fascinated with the works of J.D. Salinger and Kurt Vonnegut. Following high school graduation, Louis Sachar enrolled at Antioch College before returning to California and matriculating in U.C. Berkeley. One of Louis Sachar's professors required him to work at an elementary school for course credit, an experience which he refers to not as a mere class, but a life-altering experience. Louis Sachar quickly fell into the routine of lending aid in the classroom as well as becoming "Louis the Yard Teacher" to the children, who liked and admired him. Graduating with a degree in economics, Louis Sachar attained employment and began working on his well-received children's classic, Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Louis Sachar wrote at night, as his days were consumed by work at a sweater warehouse. Nine months later, he completed writing the book. Louis Sachar released Sideways Stories in 1978, but it did not gain popularity quickly; instead, the author slowly built up a fan base among young readers. By far Louis Sachar's most popular work, Holes, was published in 1998. Much darker in tone than his previous books, Holes is a young adult novel that follows protagonist Stanley Yelnats, a boy wrongly accused of theft and sentenced to time in a detention center. Shortly after Holes was published, Louis Sachar won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 1998 and the Newberry Medal in 1999. To date, readers have purchased more than 5 million copies of Holes, the only book to have received both renowned awards.