Understanding how children's brains grow and develop is a crucial part of early literacy. But for children who have undergone trauma or toxic stress, regular brain growth can be altered, leading to developmental delays. We will share insight into trauma informed practices at story time and other early literacy-based library programs. Drawing from both professional expertise and personal experience, we will share practical strategies for creating safe, inclusive, and supportive library environments for young patrons.
In 2023, Grand County Public Library opened a Teen Center off-site. This move has resulted in the amazing opportunity to provide teen services while allowing teens to behave like teens. We've been able to partner with numerous community organizations to reach an often-overlooked (and often unappreciated) population. During this session we will discuss the logistics of making it happen and what we’ve accomplished in the last few years.
I have been the Director of the Grand County Public Library in Moab, UT since 2007 although I have worked at the library for almost 24 years. I have a MLS from the University of North Texas and a Bachelor’s in Human Resources. I have lived in Utah all my life (except for a brief... Read More →
Orem Library's focus on inspiring lifelong learning and creating enriching opportunities has led us to create a monthly storytime for patrons in grades k-2. This presentation will reflect on our best practices and learning opportunities over the past three years of stories, songs, STEAM, yoga, games, and critical thinking in the hopes that other libraries might consider how to provide regular programming for the kids in their communities who are too big for storytime and too young for tween book clubs.
Utah has also been one of the more active states in legislating for the removal of books from school libraries. Signed in 2024, Utah’s HB 29 requires that a book be immediately removed from all school libraries if 3 districts deem the book as containing sensitive content which has led to the removal of 19 titles from school libraries. This dramatic rise in censorship begs researchers to ask questions about the feelings and motivations of those involved towards censorship. We need to answer these questions with the hope of finding answers that can bring disparate voices together so that the development of shared values can help us learn to work together. In this presentation we will present conclusions from a qualitative research study about Utah parents' thoughts and experiences with the removal of books from school libraries. This study is helping us to identify parental involvement in and awareness of what constitutes a need for censorship in libraries and homes as we critically engage with a variety of opinions on the validity of book removals to determine what influences, personal or received, create the environment in which we find ourselves.
I have been a librarian in the Harold B Lee Library at BYU for 28 years. I've served in many professional capacities in library organizations including the American Library Association, the Utah Library Association, and the Children's Literature Association of Utah. I have written... Read More →
Wednesday May 20, 2026 3:30pm - 4:20pm MDT Cascade C
