PARSIPPANY-TROY HILLS — The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has awarded the 2017 Penguin Random House Young Readers Group Award to Katy Halpern, Children’s Librarian at the Lake Hiawatha Branch of the Parsippany-Troy Hill Public Library. Katy was one of four children’s librarians selected to receive this award.
An annual gift made possible from Penguin Young Readers Group and Random House Children’s Books, enabled Katy to attend her first American Library Association’s Annual Conference as well as the Newberry-Caldecott-Wilder banquet held in Chicago in June. This was an opportunity for “four hardworking, dedicated librarians who want to learn, network, and celebrate their profession.” stated Adrienne Waintraub, executive director of school and library marketing, Random House Children’s Books.
Katy has been a children’s librarian since 2012 in her first library position at the Lake Hiawatha branch of the Parsippany Library System. She created a Sensory Storytime program to provide children with special needs the opportunity for monthly field trips to the Lake Hiawatha Library. Katy also won the 2013 Best Practices in Early Literacy Award from the New Jersey State Library. In addition to the Sensory Storytimes, Katy has offered Preschool Math programs, Music and Movement Storytimes, and Book Bundle projects. Her programs are very well attended and as a result both circulation and attendance at the branch have increased. Katy serves with the Morris Area Youth Services committee involved in a number of programs including Best Books for Children and a Preschool Workshop for teachers.
Katy was excited to attend the Newberry – Caldecott banquet, and meet with the Newberry Committee those who select the titles for the warded winning book.
She also met her favorite Young Adult author Sarah Dressen!
Katy also enjoyed the opportunity to attend various sessions and talks and came away with many exciting and great ideas to implement at the branch and share with her colleagues. One is the importance for creating play spaces in the library for parents and children to drop in the library to interact together in a play situation, such as building, coloring, and working on puzzles. Many of these materials, Number Tiles, Animal Counters, and Early Literacy kits such as flash cards, puzzles, books and number and letter matching games have been generously donated by the Friends of the Parsippany Library.
Penguin Random House children’s division partners with ALSC to “support youth librarianship and innovation in the field” Carmela Laria, executive director of school and library marketing, Penguin Young Readers.
The Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library services to children…ALSC is committed to creating better future for children through libraries” ALA.
The Lake Hiawatha branch of the Parsippany-Troy Hills Library is located at 68 Nokomis Avenue.
