Family Place Symposiums
This biannual national event brings together Family Place colleagues from around the country as well as staff from those libraries interested in learning more about the Family Place Libraries™ initiative. Participants have the opportunity to network and exchange ideas with one another and hear presentations from experts in the fields of early childhood, parenting and early literacy.
Past Symposium presenters include author, educator and developmental psychologist, Betty Bardige; Charlotte Huck Professor, Barbara Kiefer; and parenting and child development expert, Jennifer Birckmayer.
Vicki Hawley is an early childhood teacher, coach, trainer and consultant. Her current work at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) includes supporting families and teachers, primarily in low income communities, in the area of early language and literacy development
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At the 2008 National Family Place Symposium, held at the Minneapolis Central Library, Vicki Hawley discussed why play is integral to early childhood development, literacy and learning. To view her powerpoint, click the link above.
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 Jeffery A. Scherer, Principal Architect of Meyers, Scherer and Rockcastle, ltd. and President of Libraries for the Future's Board.
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Jeffery A. Scherer, Principal Architect of Meyers, Scherer and Rockcastle, ltd. and President of Libraries for the Future's Board, discusses Libraries for the Future and the importance of the Family Place Libraries™ initiative.
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 Kathy Deerr, National Coordinator, Family Place Libraries™.
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Kathy Deerr, National Coordinator, Family Place Libraries™ shares highlights of Family Place expansion and impact in libraries across the country.
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 Susan Pannebaker, Youth Services Coordinator, Commonwealth Libraries of Pennsylvania.
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Susan Pannebaker, Youth Services Coordinator, Commonwealth Libraries of Pennsylvania discusses the development of Family Place as a state supported initiative in Pennsylvania.
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Dr. Bardige is a developmental psychologist, educator, child advocate and author of numerous publications. Her most recent title is At a Loss for Words: How America is Failing Our Children and What We Can Do About It.
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Betty Bardige provides an urgent argument for infants and toddlers to experience language in an interactive, relational way to establish crucial language skills. She offers guidance on what works—at home and in society to reduce the achievement gap that begins before three years of age, and the vital role librarians play in this process. |
 Norm Maas is the director of the Norfolk Public Library. |
Norm Maas provides an administrator’s perspective on the impact Family Place has on libraries and the reasons why he brought Family Place to three library systems. |
How can we ensure that our toddlers and our three year olds get those content rich, congnitively challenging, language building experiences that they need, so our four and five and six year olds ... don't have to catch up? Family Place Libraries can be a model, a training site, an information source and a catalyst. You can start by providing a language rich setting ... that [parents and child care providers] can replicate in their own homes or child care centers.
