Flexing - From Baby Time to Tot Time

Youth librarians are great at creating programs. But what happens if we create a new program and the result is... crickets. Minocqua Public Library's Youth Services Coordinator Erica Dischinger shares how she pivoted and created a successful program from a new one that just wasn't working. 

Reprinted with permission from the December 2024 issue of the WVS Newsletter:

Minocqua Public Library

Sometimes a library service needs minor adjusting before it hits its stride.

Such is the case with the Minocqua Public Library, who recently pivoted a recent program, BabyTime.

In this edition of the WVLS Newsletter, Youth Services Coordinator Erica Dischinger spoke about a programming change and why it was necessary.

Tell me more about BabyTime. When did it start and what ages was it geared toward?
I noticed a high number of babies that attended our regularly scheduled StoryTimes, so I wanted to start an activity just for babies.

In September, we started BabyTime. This was a shortened version of StoryTime with finger plays, lap play, and games. The caregivers held their babies on their laps and it was geared toward babies zero to 18 months. It started at 9:30 on Mondays, because I thought that was a good time for caregivers and babies to attend.

That sounds fun! How many people participated?
We had the same three families attend in September. In October, we didn’t have any families participate.

After no one attended in October, did you want to keep trying it or find other ways to promote it? I’m in a mom’s group on Facebook and I asked them what they thought. They liked the idea of BabyTime, but many of them have older kids, so BabyTime left out this age group. The caregivers didn’t want to or couldn’t leave the older kids at home. They also didn’t want the older kids roaming around in the library.

Did they have any suggestions?
Yes! They asked if we could open this program up to anyone ages 0 - 4. I also asked if starting it at 10 a.m. would be a better fit.

What was the feedback for the time change?
They overwhelmingly said yes to the later time. I learned that many of their babies nap around 9-9:30, so a library program for them at 9:30 a.m. was not ideal.

So you changed the program to TotTime? When did that start and how many people participated?
The first one was held in November and 36 people participated. Now, we are regularly seeing between 25-35 attendees.

Minocqua Public Library

What activities happen at TotTime?
We have free-play stations, such as art making and paper with water color paint. We have bins with toys, a basketball hoop with balls, dramatic plays, stuffed animals with blocks, and more. It lasts a full hour and the kids can rotate to as many stations as they want. The caregivers can chat and the children can interact with each other.

What is the feedback from the caregivers?
They are so thankful! They told me that it’s nice to be able to bring more than one kid to this program. They feel fortunate that the library has something for kids most mornings during the week.

Was it difficult to make the change? Did you want to try to make BabyTime work?
I knew something was up when no one attended for four weeks in a row. I thought, what can I do to make it work for them? I better get some feedback. I want to serve as many people as possible.

What advice would you give to other librarians if a program or service has low attendance?
As a library programmer, don’t be afraid to “be wrong.” Reach out to your library’s patrons and find out what they want. I’m fortunate in that as a parent, I was able to easily reach out to this target audience via Facebook. Start conversations and have one-on-one conversations with people.

For more information on TotTime, contact Erica at edischinger@minocqualibrary.org.

It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect

It's hard sometimes to cut ourselves a little slack. We want everything to to be just right in our programs, services and spaces. In two recent ALCS blog post, Mary Fellows and Jaime Eastman help us take a deep breath to put things in perspective and manage our time wisely.

Mary writes: "Do you nurture your work self by experimenting with new ways to meet the library’s mission? Are you known for your clever new programs? If so, like most youth services folks, you’re an idea person. We like variety. We stay current on kid trends. We keep it fresh.  There’s a downside to being an idea person, though: the alluring possibilities always exceed the time to try them. “There are never enough hours to get everything done,” we might bemoan to coworkers. We feel caught between what we need to do – like scheduling – and what we want to do: projects that move the library closer to our youth services vision. This dissonance may cause us to feel perpetually behind. Or to struggle with uncertainty about whether we’re doing the “right” things. Each diminishes our energy and equilibrium, and affects our job satisfaction. What’s to be done?"

For her bravura suggestions on learning to accept less than perfect, stop here. [Time Management: Practice Strategic Underachievement. Fellows, Mary. ALSC blog. March 21, 2024.]

Jamie writes: "It’s hard for me to admit, but perfection isn’t realistic or attainable. Library work requires our passion. We love connecting patrons with resources, sparking a lifelong love of reading, or supporting community needs. We feel strongly that we can, should, and will make an impact. When reality doesn’t match our expectations, we feel like failures. Spoiler alert: perfect isn’t necessary for success. Putting your imperfect heart in your work means you make an impact. And when you’re willing to learn and do better, you’re making progress."

For all her tips and supportive ideas, stop here. [Progress Over Perfection: Embracing Imperfection in Library Work. Eastman, Jaime. ALSC blog. January 26, 2024.]