In Her Own Words



Intern Carmella Morrison working at the Job Help Center



Our summer outreach intern, Carmella Morrison, reflects on her first month working at the library.

While being in this internship, I have a wonderful opportunity to work with almost all the staff in the Outreach Department. I have also worked in the Job Help Center, and the Spangler Children’s Library in ImaginOn. With each experience, I learned a little something more about how the Outreach program helps the community by providing library resource outside of the Library.



Job Searching at the Job Help Center



One program I was fascinated with was one where the staff goes out to Spanish speaking families’ neighborhoods and tells them about the Library’s resources. They also provide children with early literacy skills. I had the opportunity to go to this program at the Latin American Coalition with staff member Veronica Corral. She had story time with the Spanish speaking families, and engaged their children in early literacy activities. Learning these skills will allow the children to be better prepared when they enter school. I was able to read a book to them as well.



I also love working in the Job Help Center. I help people with whatever question they may have about their resume, job application and job searching inquires.



I really do believe in this internship. My goal is to be involved in projects that support social capital and community building. I am going to enjoy reaching my goal and I am definitely going to have fun doing it. The staff members are really respectable and sweet people. I love what they are doing for the community.





Welcome Carmella Morrison

Carmella Morrison

The Outreach Department welcomes Carmella Morrison.  She is a student at UNC Charlotte. Carmella Morrison is a summer intern who comes to us through Crossroads Charlotte. She will be working on community building and social capital projects. Miss Morrison has been working in the department for two weeks and she has already assisted in our Job Help Center, which is our Crossroads project and  the Career Cruiser; the Library's Crossroads initiative. Carmella has also worked in other community building projects such as the Reid Park summer reading initiatives and she participated in early literacy programs at the Bilingual Preschool. On Thursday, June 30, Carmella had the opportunity to meet a delegation of Russian Librarians. She heard how library services are offered in a different countries and how they serve their patrons and volunteers.

We hope that Carmella has a wonderful experience that will assist her with her education and career. We also want to give Carmella an opportunity to make a positive difference in the community. To learn more about Crossroads Charlotte go to http://crossroadscharlotte.com/.

Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library...Again

The American Library Association researched based curriculum, Every Child Ready to Read at Your Library® has been updated. The expanded 2nd version; ECRR 2 incorporates simple practices designed to help parents and  caregivers develop early literacy skills in children from newborns to five. The curriculum has changed form six building blocks to five simple practices, which includes talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing and developing  language and pre-reading skills in children.
The new edition also includes fun with science and math. ECRR 2 still stresses the importance of parents being their child’s first teacher and it promotes the library as a resource for developing early literacy skills in children from birth to age five.
The new ECRR 2 will be used in our Spangler, Jump Start Reading at Home Program. The curriculum is scheduled to be used with our third group of Spangler participants beginning June 2011.  Outreach staff Jump Start facilitators participated in a day-long workshop and webinar on the new curriculum and they are prepared for the roll out! Check us out soon, we will have information and pictures on the new curriculum a long with parents and caregivers reaction to the new curriculum.

Dia de Los Ninos; Dia de Los Libros



Illustrator Robert Casilla

On Friday, April 29, students at Sterling Elementary school and Irwin Avenue Elementary school had the opportunity to meet the illustrator Robert Casilla. Robert is an artist and illustrator. He has illustrated many multicultural children's books such as  JALAPENO BAGELS and FIRST DAY IN GRAPES. He has also illustrated a number of biographies, including ones about Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Rosa Parks and Simon Bolivar.



Quinceanera Program



Mr. Casilla visit was part of the library's annual Dia de los Ninos, Dia de los Libros celebration. For the past 15 years, the library has celebrated and honored children, books and programs by offering literacy programs at our branch locations, schools and within our community. Dia emphasizes the importance of advocating literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.



Storytelling at the Asian Library



This year was the fifteenth anniversary of Dia and we celebrated the anniversary by providing fifteen different activities throughout the month of April.  Highlights from the month  included Quinceanera programs, Cinderella Around the World, which was a collaboration with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and the Asian Library and of course, the opportunity to meet artist/illustrator Robert Casilla. Dia de los Ninos, Dia de los Libros is one of many ways the library supports literacy, honors and recognizes the diversity in our community and create opportunities for learning.



Honoring Literature and Culture

There are several aspects of Charlotte Mecklenburg that makes it a unique city for families and businesses. Of course I believe our library system is one aspect, but the diversity in our community is another important aspect. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Internatinal Advisory Council recently honored the diversity in our community with the Global Family Series. The series was held on March 26 at ImaginOn. It was a continuation of the four-series festival that took place last year honoring literacy, the arts and culture. Approximately 350 came to ImaginOn to celebrate different cultures and honor their heritage. The afternoon was free for all who attended. Artist donated their time and the library staff introduced hundred of people to our collection filled with books that represent the diversity of our community. As a result of this event, we have new library users, patrons have a better understanding of our collection and the library continues to be recongnized as a valuable institution in our community.