When Libraries Are Closed: Reading Resources for Families in East L.A. and Beyond
This story is part of a series of stories and education resources featuring East L.A.and its surrounding neighborhoods and communities.
Many libraries have scaled back hours and suspended storytimes with the recent surge of coronavirus cases due to the Omicron variant. Even in places where libraries have not suspended these programs, some parents of children under age 5, the group still awaiting the approval of a COVID-19 vaccine, may be hesitant to take their children places where they’ll encounter large groups and could catch the virus.
Local bookstores and nonprofit organizations are helping fill in some of those gaps for families in the greater East Los Angeles area. Additionally, experts remind parents and caregivers that there are opportunities for reading everywhere at home — and everywhere in the community — whether a child is reading a recipe or interpreting the symbols on street signs. Libraries across Southern California have also been adapting and offering parents online resources since the beginning of the pandemic so children can access reading materials and programs from home.
“It’s similar if you were going to the library and looking at the different (book) shelves,” said Joanna Fabicon, a senior librarian with the Los Angeles Public Library’s children’s services.
The Importance of Reading
Being exposed to books and reading from an early age is essential and not just because it prepares kids to enter school, said Oona Fontanella-Nothom, an assistant professor of early childhood education at Cal State Los Angeles who holds a doctorate in learning, teaching and curriculum with an emphasis in early childhood education.
Reading does several things in children’s development, starting with allowing them to see themselves as readers and writers, Fontanella-Nothom said. Reading also helps children see the role of reading in life. As they learn about and explore the world around them, they begin to understand that reading provides answers to their questions and helps them better understand their environment.
“They see reading as integral to their lives,” Fontanella-Nothom said.
The books children read can also affect their future reading habits. When children have access to culturally relevant books – books where they can see themselves, their customs, language, race and ethnicity – the materials can bolster a child’s interest in reading. If books are about topics or characters unlike themselves, children can lose the desire to read because “they can’t really connect that to their own lives,” she said.
Libraries Aren’t the Only Sources of Books
Families looking for options outside of traditional libraries can turn to independent bookstores and nonprofits, such as the bilingual Libros Schmibros Lending Library in the Boyle Heights community of Los Angeles.
The nonprofit, which is not a bookstore, has a mission of providing books at low cost and no cost to residents of Boyle Heights and neighboring communities, said co-founder David Kipen.
Libros Schmibros does not compete with the nearby Benjamin Franklin branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, Kipen said. Instead, Libros Schmibros complements the services of the library branch. And, like the library branch and other establishments, Libros Schmibros is taking precautions to protect the health of readers and its staff.
Parents are welcome to stop in and go over the children’s book collection. After notifying staff, parents can step outside, take a seat at the table by the door and make a final book selection with their child, Kipen said.
Parents can also review the Libros Schmibros collection online, select a book and arrange to pick it up, he said.
“Our staff is happy to meet somebody out front and hand off the book,” Kipen said.
Libros Schmibros, located in the Mariachi Plaza, is steps away from the Metro Gold Line Station.
For area residents “we are an option and a walking distance option in Boyle Heights,” Kipen said.
If readers don’t find what they’re looking for, staff will offer suggestions where they might locate what they’re seeking, he said.
Other Reading Materials
Books aren’t the only tool for learning, according to Fontanella-Nothom.
It’s important to have “an expansive view of literature,” she said.
A merchandise catalog, a take-out menu or a recipe can all become reading materials, Fontanella-Notham said. Reading descriptions of the items in the catalog, the meals listed in the menu or ingredients in the recipe are all valuable.
“Reading the recipe out loud increases those reading practices,” Fontanella-Nothom said.
Pointing out street signs or a poster for a lost dog are also reading opportunities, she said.
Take advantage of Little Free Libraries that may be in the neighborhood, Fontanella-Nothom said. Little Free Libraries often have children’s books available for loan or exchange. They also serve to instill the concept of giving back in children.
Introducing reading materials in other languages to children is valuable. It exposes young minds to different languages, and research shows bilingual and multilingual children develop enhanced memories and have sharper cognitive abilities than their monolingual counterparts, Fontanella-Nothom said.
Bilingual and multilingual children react quickly to ideas and concepts.
“They are able to do that hard work of switching languages” swiftly, Fontanella-Nothom said. “That’s just a great skill… It’s an advantage professionally.”
What Libraries Offer
The Los Angeles Public Library and the Los Angeles County Library systems both have children’s collections that include books in English, Spanish and other languages.
County libraries continue to provide sidewalk services, said Debbie Anderson, assistant director of education and engagement with the Los Angeles County Library system. Parents can go online, order books and pick them up. Booklists are available to help make selections.
Anderson said that reading physical copies of books does more than help children expand their vocabulary and prepare to start school. Books help develop motor skills by helping children learn to handle them and practice turning pages.
The Los Angeles County Library system has numerous resources available through its website. The Los Angeles Public Library also offers an assortment of services through its website.
- The County system offers virtual storytime through its Facebook page, making it possible for kids to enjoy being read to at home.
- In addition, the county library has the TumbleBook Library which consists of a collection of read-along and picture books for different age groups and reading levels.
- The Parenting Tips site provides tips and other resources designed to help parents work with their children on various issues.
- Ready Rosie is available in English and Spanish. The early education resource contains videos and other materials meant to give parents and other caregivers activities that prepare kids to start school.
- Positive Parenting Consultations is a unique service that allows parents to request one-on-one conversations with accredited Triple P Positive Parenting Program Librarians. They help them explore solutions for common parenting concerns across different age levels, such as bedwetting or tantrums around mealtimes or chores.
- For families who don’t have access to computers or lack an internet connection, the county library can help overcome digital barriers, Anderson said. Through the county library website, parents can check out laptops and WiFi hotspot devices for three-week periods.
All these services are free, but most require a library card. People who don’t have one can apply for one online.
The assortment of services is meant to help families.
“We really tried to be responsive to what parents need,” Anderson said.
The Los Angeles Public Library lists an array of children’s literacy programs under its Kids Path web pages.
- Among the services available are Book Bundles to Go. Parents can submit a request asking a librarian to assemble book bundles. Parents can go to the library’s website, select five books, and they will be pulled from the shelves and prepared for a parent to pick up. Parents can also enter information about their child, including age and areas of interest, and librarians will create a bundle for them, according to senior librarian Joanna Fabicon.
- The city library system is conducting live storytimes streaming through Facebook and YouTube and offers different types of storytime programs designed for different age levels.
- Accompanying the storytime sessions are the storytime kits, Fabicon said. Parents can visit their local Los Angeles Public Library branch and request the kits containing all the materials needed to complete an activity that ties in with the story. For example, an upcoming kit for Valentine’s Day will be available at the Little Tokyo Branch Library.
- A broad range of reading materials is available online, including the Tumble Book Library and MakeMake, a digital platform containing Latin American books written in Spanish.
- A list of award-winning children’s books, along with activities for children ages 0 to 5 are also available by going online. The website also includes a schedule of reading activities.
