When was the last time you visited a public library?
How was it different from the library you might remember from when you were growing up?
What did you see?
               
If you've been in a library recently, you might not be surprised to learn that they are in the midst of major transformations. No longer are libraries simply about collections of books. They are increasingly a space that engages families. Families come to libraries for training and support to meet their expressed needs; to learn about the latest digital media and technology; to connect and build their social networks; to acquire knowledge, skills, and confidence to support children's learning; and to spend quality time in constructive and mindful ways. And as the disparities between how much money families from high- and low-income homes are spending on their children's out-of-school time continues to grow, libraries --- free, trusted, safe, and welcoming places in virtually every community - --are being called upon to help counterbalance these inequities.

Harvard Family Research Project and the Public Library Association have partnered to explore family engagement in children's learning in public libraries, and we dedicate this issue of the FINE Newsletter: Family Engagement in Children's Learning Through Libraries to this topic. Over the next three weeks, we will bring you a variety of resources that highlight the results of our work. This week we provide two of the new resources.

Public Libraries_ A Vital Sapce for Family Engagement 
In this Call to Action, Harvard Family Research Project and the Public Library Association call for libraries to join together with schools and community organizations to establish a system of family engagement that extends throughout a child's life, supports children and families, and prepares children for success. Read more... 
Felton Thomas_ Jr.  
Public Library Association president Felton Thomas Jr. writes about the importance of public libraries in engaging families, and reflect s on the partnership between the Public Library Association and Harvard Family Research Project to support libraries in this work. Read more... 
This project would not have been possible without the ideas and vision of librarians around the country who have shared their ideas and stories with us. If you have a story or idea about family engagement in libraries, please tell us about it by visiting our project page, Libraries for the 21st Century: It's a Family Thing .  

Happy reading!
Harvard Family Research Project
Harvard Gradute School of Education logo
Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) has served as a national platform for forward-thinking perspectives on family and community engagement research, practices, policies, and strategies since 1983.
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