As families are looking for better ways to educate their children, more and more of them are becoming interested and engaged in alternative ways of schooling that are different, separate, or opposite of the traditional classroom. Homeschooling has become ever more creative and varied as families create custom-tailored curricula, assignments, goals, and strategies that are best for each unique child. This presents a multitude of challenges and opportunities for information institutions, including public, academic, school, and special libraries. The need for librarians to help homeschool families become information and media literate is more important than ever. This collection of essays provides a range of approaches and strategies suggested by skilled professionals as well as veteran homeschool parents on how to best serve the diverse needs and learning experiences of homeschooled youth. It includes information on needs assessments for special needs students, gifted students, and African American students; advice on how to provide support for the families of homeschoolers; case studies; and information on new technologies that could benefit libraries and the homeschooler populations that they serve.

Here is a highly readable guide to strategies and projects that have helped over 100 public libraries gain community support and funding during challenging times. Marylaine Block integrates survey responses from innovative library directors with her research, analysis, and extended interviews to showcase hundreds of winning programs and services. The strategies explored include: Youth Services; The Library as Place; Partnerships; Marketing; Stressing the Economic Value; Library 2.0; Outreach; and Helping the Community Achieve Its Aspirations. Projects are described in practitioners own words, with additional examples drawn from libraries long-range plans, annual reports, programs, and Web sites, as well as from news stories and library literature. The result is a rich source of ideas and inspiration for those who want their libraries to thrive, not merely survive. Supported by the author's Web page.

Library Services to Homeschoolers: A Guide will help librarians understand and serve their homeschooling community. Chapter 1 covers the early history of homeschooling and how compulsory education changed how our children were schooled. Chapter 2 explores the homeschool revolution, when parents began to take back the education of their children. Chapter 3 looks at homeschooling today and the way laws, advocacy groups, and COVID-19 all contributed to a surge in homeschooling families. Chapter 4 examines the various methods parents use to educate their children at home. From an at home classrooms to travelschooling, parents are creative in teaching their children. Chapter 5 is the how-to-do-it for libraries. Learn how public libraries can help parents and caregivers teach their children by providing a place, materials, programs, and more. Chapter 6, explores various ways of reaching the homeschooling community we want to serve. Chapter 7 looks at the growing diversity in home education. Finally, Chapter 8 peers into the future of homeschooling, helping us prepare for the needs of future homeschooling families.

A call to action for libraries serving children. Honouring the accomplishments of children's services pioneers of the past, Virginia Walter evaluates the current situation and envisions futures where children, technology and libraries intersect.

In this book, nine librarians from across the country describe their libraries’ best practices in this key area. Their contributions range from all-encompassing customer service policies and models any library can both adapt and be proud of to micro-approaches that emphasize offering excellent user-focused technology planning, picture book arrangement with patrons in mind, Web 2.0 tools to connect users with the library, establishing good service delivery chains, and making your library fantastic for homeschoolers. As past Public Library Association President Audra Caplan writes in her introduction to this book, “There is nothing magical about providing excellent customer service; it just takes the right people, the right philosophy and the passion to make it a reality.” If you’ve got all that, here are the best practices to make stellar customer service a reality for your library’s users.

Today more than a million students are being educated at home; and that figure increases at a rate of 7-14% annually. Homeschooling is a growing trend in our society, and public librarians are being called upon with increasing frequency to serve the needs of homeschooled students. So, just what are the needs of the homeschooled teen, and how can you and your library meet those needs? A former young adult librarian and a homeschool parent have joined forces to create this insightful guide and answer that question. After reviewing the developmental and social needs of teens, the authors demonstrate how those needs may be met in the public library setting. You'll find a wealth of ideas for adapting every facet of your library service for this growing population—from developing a homeschool collection to expanding services and creating special programs. You'll also find suggestions on how to market what your library has to offer to homeschoolers. You may even discover some new ways to employ the talents and time of these students and their families. Extensive resource lists conclude the volume, they will help you better serve home-educated teens and their parents.

Libraries are integral parts of communities, and patrons have visited them in record numbers over recent years. According to the American Library Association, 64 percent of people surveyed in the United States have visited their local libraries in the past year. Branch librarians especially are striving to meet the various needs of their communities—in addition to books and Internet access, many branch libraries have videos, books on tape and CD, DVDs, and even art prints available to their patrons. This handbook covers a wide variety of issues that the branch librarian must deal with every day. Chapters are devoted to mission statements (the Dallas Public Library and Dayton Metro Library mission statements are highlighted as examples), library systems, boards of trustees, friends of libraries, administration, bosses, professionalism, professional organizations, time management, effective supervision, staffs, security guards, computer databases, courier services, branch management, collection development, service desks, homeschoolers, Spanish-speaking patrons, homeless patrons, problem patrons, community, programming, and outreach.

Homeschool with confidence with help from this book Curious about homeschooling? Ready to jump in? Homeschooling For Dummies, 2nd Edition provides parents with a thorough overview of why and how to homeschool. One of the fastest growing trends in American education, homeschooling has risen by more than 61% over the last decade. This book is packed with practical advice and straightforward guidance for rocking the homeschooling game. From setting up an education space, selecting a curriculum, and creating a daily schedule to connecting with other homeschoolers in your community Homeschooling For Dummies has you covered. Homeschooling For Dummies, 2nd Edition is packed with everything you need to create the homeschool experience you want for your family, including: Deciding if homeschooling is right for you Developing curricula for different grade levels and abilities Organizing and allocating finances Creating and/or joining a homeschooling community Encouraging socialization Special concerns for children with unique needs Perfect for any current or aspiring homeschoolers, Homeschooling For Dummies, 2nd Edition belongs on the bookshelf of anyone with even a passing interest in homeschooling as an alternative to or supplement for traditional education.

As Dr. Josey and Ms. DeLoach wrote in their Introduction to the second editionof The Handbook of Black Librarianship: “In designing the second edition of The Handbook of Black Librarianship, the editors felt that this work should be a reference tool related to the various aspects of African Americans in librarianship and their work in libraries.” That first edition covered issues faced by black library professionals in the various fields of librarianship; organizations formed; black library collections and books; resources and other areas of progress. The second edition, published twenty-three years later, highlighted more current events in Black librarianship: early and contemporary library organizations, vital issues, African American resources, discussions on and about librarianship, a focus on health librarianship, and information resources and education. It has now been another twenty-two years since the last edition and time to reflect on “various aspects of African Americans” in our profession as well as the advancements over the past two and a half decades and to review those issues African Americans still face and how modern technological advancements have impacted our profession and the lives of Black librarians. This third edition’s coverage includes: Pioneers and Landmark Episodes A Chronology of Events in Black Librarianship African American Forerunners in Librarianship Modern Day Black Library Organizations Vital Issues in Black Librarianship Library Service to Our Communities Library Technology and Black Librarianship Pearls from Our Retirees Issues in Diversity, Inclusion and Multiculturalism African Library Resources and Education Banned Books Significant Books and Periodicals for Black Collections