Caroline Gooden Staff Photo

HDI Program Administrator to serve as Co-Investigator for IMLS National Libraries Leadership Award

Dr. Caroline Gooden, Disability Program Administrator at the UK Human Development Institute, will serve as a Co-Investigator for the “Services for Children of All Abilities in Libraries: An Exploration (SCALE) project”. She will collect and analyze state-wide child data to measure child progress; consult with and coach local, state, and national staff that serve young children with disabilities, and conduct focus groups to guide technical assistance.

Dr. Maria Cahill, Associate Professor at UK’s School of Information Sciences in the College of Communication and Information and the Department of Educational Leadership Studies in the College of Education, will serve as Principal Investigator for the project which will research the value of libraries as community resources for young children with disabilities and developmental delays.

The research team will consist of six researchers representing the University of Kentucky, University of Missouri and Emporia State University. They will partner with state education and library agencies in their respective states to investigate the effectiveness of library services, practices, and behaviors for serving children with disabilities and/or developmental delays from infancy to five years old. The team will also develop webinars and instructional materials that address program management, engagement strategies, and tools that enable librarians to tailor programs and services that better meet the needs of this community.

Anticipated outcomes include increased public library programming; improved public library outreach to preschools serving children with disabilities and developmental delays; and increased awareness among families, caregivers, and service providers of educational and social opportunities available through public libraries.

Contact Caroline.Gooden@uky.edu for more information.

Photo of two children playing together at the library.

HDI and the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA) Work to Create School Ready Libraries

By Mary Howard and Stephanie Meredith

HDI and the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA) have worked for the past three years to prepare Kentucky libraries to be “School Ready Libraries” through funding  from a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant at the Institute of Museum and Library Science. To fulfill the goals of this grant, HDI and KDLA have worked with Kentucky public library staff to provide them with the training and skills needed to implement successful school readiness programs. Through this project, KDLA hopes to provide access to essential knowledge of early childhood development to librarians so they can help students get ready for school at a young age and have the best chances for success. Check out the Kentucky School Ready Libraries website.​

“This was a wonderful opportunity to strengthen our relationship with an important community partner. This collaboration provided a chance to help educate on effective early childhood practices and also share information about what we do at HDI. A great opportunity that will hopefully lead to further work with KDLA in the future.”   —Mary Howard, HDI Research and Development Associate

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