5/12/2026
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Eastern

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Recorded 5/12/26

 Libraries continue to face challenges in rebuilding attendance and sustaining meaningful relationships with children and caregivers. This interactive session offers practical, field-tested strategies for designing programs that attract families, foster literacy, and position the library as a vibrant hub for community life.
 
Participants will explore what today’s families are truly looking for from libraries, program models that succeed across different community sizes and strategies for engaging reluctant or hard-to-reach participants. We will discuss low-cost, high-impact programming ideas staff can implement immediately, ways to strengthen partnerships with schools and community organizations and approaches to measuring success beyond attendance numbers. The session is designed to be immediately applicable for both large systems and smaller branches.
 
Learning Objectives:  

• Identify needs and expectations of families in order to design library programs that effectively attract and engage children and caregivers.
•  Apply practical, low-cost programming strategies and adaptable program models that foster literacy and increase participation.
•  Develop approaches to evaluate program success using metrics beyond attendance, with a focus on strengthening community relationships and long-term engagement.

Presenter: 
 
Annisha Jeffries is a seasoned public librarian and Early Literacy expert with over 30 years of experience. She founded Born Readers, LLC Consulting, to help libraries, schools, and community groups create effective literacy programs that reach families in everyday settings. Annisha is passionate about connecting children with literacy from birth to elementary school and has been recognized nationally for her advocacy. She holds degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and Cleveland State University, and has received awards including the American Library Association’s Spectrum Scholarship. She also served as Chair of the 2021 Caldecott Committee.
 

Online via Zoom
UNITED STATES

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5/12/2026

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