Excerpts from: A Family Lending Library: Promoting Early Literacy Development
This article breaks down the potentially baffling process of starting a lending library into a series of simple steps for a busy director. It encourages centers to try it out, even if you start small with one library shelf in the lobby. The advantage here is that you can guarantee the quality of home reading by making judicious choices, whether you have five books or 500. -Collage Editor
Gathered around a table in early February, parents were discussing the changes that had taken place during the school year since their children had been attending a program for at-risk four-year-olds. Particularly noteworthy were the comments made by Sam’s mother. She said that he wanted to read all five library books he had recently checked out and could re-tell many of them. Before participating in the program, she recalled, Sam would hold the book upside down and backwards and turn the pages the wrong way. She volunteered that he “reads” to her now and that she’s learned to ask questions and let Sam predict parts of the stories. Becker and Epstein (1982) report that teachers of preschool and elementary school children frequently recommend that parents read to their children at home. However, many parents indicate the lack of quality reading materials and specific knowledge of the reading process. Because of the diversity of today’s families, it is vital that teachers work with all parents to furnish books and materials tailored to their lives and cultures. Multicultural books and materials not only promote early literacy development but also celebrate and strengthen young children’s socialization, acculturation, and personal and moral development (Cullinan, 1989). A Family Lending Library is one way to enhance early literacy development at home—school connections. Through a Family Lending Library, teachers can make available explicit knowledge on the reading process; a variety of books and materials can be provided to address the uniqueness of each family; and parents and teachers can collaborate on ways to nurture reading and writing in young children.
Focus on families
The first step in establishing a Family Lending Library is to focus on families. Questionnaires, surveys, interest finders, conversations, conferences and home visits are excellent ways of gathering information. A “Family Literacy Profile” will provide insight into the home environment concerning the availability of reading and writing materials and the literate behaviors modeled by adults and others in the home. Information on family type, family members, age ranges, ethnic backgrounds, languages, occupations, education, and hobbies will assist teachers in tailoring the Family Lending Library to meet the needs, interests, and concerns of all families involved. As this information is organized, it can be used to set objectives for the Family Lending Library, collect quality books and materials, select a location, schedule hours for operation, and establish partnerships between parents and teachers.
Collect books and materials
The purchase of quality books and materials for check-out by parents and children is the second step in establishing a Family Lending Library. In considering materials for parents, a survey on specific topics related to early literacy development can be used as a guide. Parents also may be interested in topics such as child 
development, discipline, and social issues facing families (e.g., working mothers, child abuse, divorce, blended families, war and death). Various professional organizations (e.g., National Association for the Education of Young Children, Reading Is Fundamental, Raising a Reader, International Reading Association, American Library Association) publish books, pamphlets, and brochures that offer parents easy-to-read tips in English and other languages on fostering emergent literacy at home. Through the use of audio and video cassettes (commercial or teacher-made), teachers can model techniques of reading aloud to children, share specific knowledge on the reading/writing process, and supply information in a non-threatening way to parents who request more direction in helping their children at home. Parents often ask teachers to recommend good books to read to their children; therefore, a wide variety of children’s literature should be available for check-out. An inviting array of books displayed so that the covers can be easily seen will attract both parents and children to the delights of reading aloud. Picture books with rhyme, rhythm, and repetition, such as The Napping House by Audrey Wood and “More More More,” Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams, are popular with young children and offer ample opportunities to experiment with language in a relaxed setting. And, of course, children and parents alike are entertained by the wit and whimsy of an old favorite like The Real Mother Goose, illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright, as verses are shared and chanted together. A plentiful selection of wordless picture books—perhaps with related puppets or props—will allow parents alternative ways to engage in successful story-reading/storytelling activities with their children. Parents report that children often ask for repeated readings of favorite storybooks, which provide numerous occasions throughout the year to foster early literacy development at home. When selecting children’s books for the Family Lending Library, the following will ensure quality and variety: concept, alphabet, and wordless books; folk and fairy tales; song and poetry books; multicultural literature; and books about families.
Plan operational procedures
The third step in establishing a Family Lending Library is to plan operational procedures: identify resources for funding, select a location, schedule hours of operation, determine check-out procedures, collect items for transporting books and materials between school and home, and plan strategies for advertisement. Support for funding may be solicited from sources such as: Parent-Teacher Associations, community agencies, businesses, families, libraries, local school districts, and fund-raising projects. Funding may also be available through state or federal grants. The Family Lending Library should be easily accessible to parents and children…books and materials can be arranged on open bookshelves…small cabinets can be added for storage. Rocking chairs and large cushions encourage families to take a moment and practice reading stories aloud together. Hours of operation should be determined by both teachers and parents, taking into consideration the work schedules and lifestyles of participating families. Blocks of time provided before and after school, as well as extended hours one day a week, will give families ample opportunities to browse among the selections of books and materials. A simple check-out system with written directions posted nearby will provide easy access to books and materials. Library pockets glued on the inside of each book, folder, audio/video cassette case, or game will accommodate identification cards. These cards can be used to determine which books and materials are the most popular. As a result, multiple copies can be supplied when needed. Books can be carried home in canvas book bags. Audio and videocassettes can be stored in plastic zip-lock bags…. items can be transported between school and home in a traveling suitcase or backpack.
Evaluate the overall effectiveness
After the Family Lending Library has been in operation for three or four months, a program evaluation with children and parents will help assess the ways in which families are being served and the perceived benefits of the program. Additional questions could be addressed to the teachers of the children whose families are using the Family Lending Library. Responses from teachers, parents and children concerning various aspects of the program can be collected through the use of surveys, questionnaires, conversations, and interviews.
Conclusions
Parents play a key role in nurturing children’s early literacy development. Cullinan (1992) refers to it as planting the seeds of literacy. Many parents want to plant those seeds but do not know how to begin. A Family Lending Library is one way teachers can collaborate with parents to share specific knowledge about reading, as well as the joys of reading, which will enable children to grow and blossom into lifelong readers.
Reprinted, with permission, from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. All rights reserved. www.naeyc.org
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