Youth Services Librarians from 12 libraries in the Northern Illinois Library System (NILS) agreed after a meeting in late 1998 that each community shared a need to better serve home instruction families and day-care providers, along with elementary and preschool students. Also meriting attention from the group were English as a second language (ESL) families, adult day-care providers and family education/literacy partners.
Because home instruction families and students many times are working simultaneously on the same unit, it becomes very difficult to provide the number of needed materials. The libraries proposed a service, which would alleviate this need. Each library would develop three thematic kits, one preschool level, one elementary level, and one promoting the works of an author. Preschool or elementary teachers and home instruction/parent instructors would be able to borrow an already assembled kit on the needed subject. The kits would be borrowed in whole. They would contain a variety of materials including five or six books, a video, puppets, puzzles/games, and a binder with reproducible craft ideas, bookmarks, work sheets, and color sheets. In each binder would be a complete list of all kits and which library will house it.
Funding for so large a project by a group of 12 libraries all with small rural patron bases as well as small budgets, immediately became a concern. It was suggested the group apply for a Library Services and Technology (LSTA) grant. A grant in the amount of $7,700 was awarded in March 1999 by Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White, administered by the Illinois State Library. Included in the grant funding was the ability to offer a workshop to display the kits and present ways to utilize them. Eventually the workshop was held at three locations, each location representing four different libraries. A total of 36 kits were purchased and the contents of all 36 were fully displayed grouping them in level interest. Eighty-four people attended the workshops. The presenter was an early childhood educator. The presentation promoted ways parents and caregivers could instill a love of books and reading in children. The presentation was followed by a discussion of the contents of the kits and how they would be borrowed or interlibrary loaned and the way they should be used in classroom settings and at home.
The "Kits for Kids" are available to any library cardholder in Illinois through interlibrary loan. The kits have been catalogued and are retrievable on NILSCAT, the Northern Illinois Library System Catalog. By November 1999, kits were in circulation and have been in great demand ever since, according to Project Director, Anita Elgin, Youth Services Director of the Sterling Public Library. After a full year of operation, a survey on the use of each kit will be conducted. But so far, the entire program has become a big hit.
One of the most rewarding and surprising elements of the program, according to Elgin has been, " three to four good quotes, especially something that you did not initially foresee,…..who uses them the most, …., does one segment of the target audience use them more than others, why, what do educators say, any feedback from kids, what do you perceive in their answers????????
For further information on this grant contact Anita Elgin, Youth Services Director, Sterling Public library, 102 West 3rd St., Sterling, IL., 61081-3504 Telephone 815-625-1370 Fax 815-625-7037.
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