Story Time Success: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Katie Fitzgerald (review)

Fitzgerald, a former librarian in New York and Washington, D.C., provides a resource, especially suited for beginning librarians or paraprofessionals as she covers the key points of creating, promoting, and performing storytimes. While some of the material about designing themes and selecting books for storytimes has been covered elsewhere, Fitzgerald adds value with detailed information about setting up a room for more effective audience participation and using props and crafts to provide social opportunities for listeners. The section on outreach mentions making connections with schools and daycares and also suggests looking into local business, rec centers, hospitals, and religious organizations as possible places to actively bring storytime into the community. Advice on the actual performance, such as dealing with performance anxiety, managing audience behavior (with specific examples), and controlling your voice, provide tips pointed towards the first-time storyteller, while guidance on issues such as program registration and cancellations, safety and security, and addressing concerns with caregivers speak to larger challenges a librarian may face. Suggestions for themes and books, program templates, and an index are included.