Storytime Resources


As a (fairly) newly-minted librarian working with children for pretty much the first time, there have been innumerable resources so far that have helped me through my program-related anxieties and issues. And so I've scoured my personal bookmarks, Delicious links, and my own Pinterest board for my most-loved links. This is far from a complete list though, and I'm always on the lookout for new resources to help me grow as a librarian, so feel free to leave a comment with your go-to resources for storytime!


Blogs & Websites

ALSC. Storytime [blog archives]. This link just goes to the archives of the storytime tag on the ALSC blog, but in general the whole darn thing is a great source of information for tips, outlines, and really anything you can think of.

Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy. Online Resources for Planning Baby Storytime.
A collection of resources to help plan for baby-focused storytimes.

Iowa Library Services. (2010). How to do a Lapsit Storytime.
This site provides information specifically regarding storytime aimed at babies, including helpful tips and resources.

Jbrary.
This is my most recent blog discovery - and I love it so much! I like the fact that they are new-to-the-field librarians (and Canadian, to boot!). You can find general posts about storytime, but I really love their posts about things like multilingual storytimes as well.

Storytime Katie.
This is always a great read when I need some inspired ideas for storytime. Katie covers each of her storytime posts using themes - noting songs, books, fingerplays and so on. It always seems to be the first site I stop at if I'm in need of ideas for a specific theme - if I've thought of it, chances are that Katie's done a storytime on it!

Storytime Underground.
This is a relatively recent discovery for me, but I've been really liking the posts that are tangentially related to storytime and cover issues outside of the regular storytime program outlines.

Storytimes Online. Songs & Fingerplays.
This is a great site organized by theme If I'm looking for songs or rhymes to go along with a specific theme.

Sunflower Storytime.
Another blog that posts storytime related outlines and ideas. I really enjoy the crafts that are posted as part of storytime themes - as I'm always interested to see what new things are out there in DIY-land.

Books & Articles

Colburn, Neil. (2013). SLJ. Secrets of Storytime: 10 Tips for Great Sessions from a 40-Year Pro.
This was one of the first articles I stumbled across when I was hired in the children's department. Some of the tips aren't always feasible for me to, but I always try to take these times to heart.

Ernst, Linda L. (2008). Baby Rhyming Time.
This book is written and directed for librarians, and good to reference to learn about topics such as librarian/parent interactions and how to set up sessions. It also includes a great list of various rhymes and indexes the multitude of songs and baby-appropriate books noted throughout the book.

Fairfax County Libraries. Early Literacy Storytimes.
A very thorough resource that discusses the nature of early literacy. Provides tips for communicating to adults/parents about early literacy qualities and tips regarding activities, crafts, and planning storytime.

Other Resources

Calgary Public Library. Grow a Reader. [app]
This is such a great app for both librarians and parents! CPL took great advantage of new technology in this app to bring users handy ideas for storytime books, songs, rhymes. It's bright, well-designed, and really fun to navigate.

Jbrary, YouTube.
An extension of Jbrary's blog that was previously mentioned - their YouTube channel serves as an excellent source of all the different songs/rhymes/fingerplays/whatnot that they talk about on the blog. I love the vlog aspect of it - as often times the hardest part of learning a new song or rhyme (for me, anyway) is mastering the tempo.

This isn't an extensive list of resources - what are your go-to places for storytime ideas and inspiration? Or, comment with some helpful tips and tricks of your own!

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