Library Love: A Heart-to-Heart with Head of Children’s Services Olivia Bruno

On today's episode of the "Helping Families Be Happy" podcast, host Adina Oberman, talks to Olivia Bruno. Olivia is the head of children's services at her local library, which includes supervision of children's programming, children's librarians, the readers advisory program, and so much more. We're fortunate to have Olivia joining us today because February is the library lover’s month and she's the perfect person.

 

Episode Highlights:

• 1:29: Olivia shares her lifelong passion for libraries, having started volunteering at age 12 and progressing to become the Head of Children's Services.
• 2:50: Adina and Olivia discuss how families can make the most of their local library's resources and programs, emphasizing the importance of visiting the library, exploring calendars, and engaging with online platforms for event listings and book recommendations.
• 4:19: Olivia encourages families to ask questions, assuring that library staff are eager to help patrons discover resources and programs tailored to their needs.
• 6:55: Adina emphasizes the importance of being prepared in advance when visiting the library and asks Olivia about underutilized resources. Olivia mentions the Museum Pass Program, where patrons can check out passes to local museums for free, highlighting its educational and cost-saving benefits.
• 8:23: Olivia also discusses libraries offering free homework printing services for kids, addressing challenges faced by families without printers.
• 10:02: Olivia expresses her love for picture books and shares her initiative of showcasing picture books on social media to encourage people of all ages to enjoy them.
• 11:07: Adina commends Olivia's thoughtful curation of book content on social media, particularly noting the interesting and fun nonfiction titles. Olivia mentions "Strictly No Elephants" by Lisa Mantchev as a moving book promoting kindness and inclusivity.
• 13:14: Olivia also recommends books by Tom Percival for addressing social and emotional health in an accessible manner and discuss the importance of picture books in conveying social-emotional learning to young children.
• 14:38: Adina then inquiries about Olivia's favorite books about books or libraries, referencing "So You Want to Build a Library." Olivia shares her love for "The Book Hog" by Greg Pizzoli, a touching story about a character who hoards books until discovering the joy of reading at the library.
• 16:33: Olivia emphasizes the importance of doing things together at the library and participating in events, such as story times. She encourages caregivers to bring their children even if they may not seem interested at first, underlining the value of the shared experience for child development and caregiver-child relationships.
• 17:23: Olivia refers to a study from the '90s about the positive impacts of families eating meals together, stating that shared activities, even seemingly simple ones, contribute significantly to family happiness.

 

Key Points:

1. Families should actively engage with their local library, exploring programs and resources offered.
2. Picture books play a vital role in teaching social-emotional skills, with recommended titles including "Chrysanthemum" and "Strictly No Elephants."
3. Quality family time, such as eating together, has significant positive impacts on well-being and should be prioritized.

 

Tweetable Quotes:

• "I think picture books are just the purest, most wonderful form of art that exists." - Olivia
• "The simple act of being together, being with other caregivers and children, is so valuable to their development and the caregiver-child relationship." - Olivia
• "Come to the library, do things together. If you want to make the library part of that, come to our events, come to Storytime. The act of being together is so valuable to them and their development." - Olivia

 

Resources Mentioned

• Helping Families Be Happy Podcast Apple
• https://www.instagram.com/just.add.glitter/
• Podcast Editing

• https://www.instagram.com/oliviathelibrari