Smart phones and other digital devices are the fastest growing tools with which our patrons of all ages engage. The rapidly increasing number of children, parents and care-givers using smart phones creates both a need and an opportunity for a mobile application presence that directly addresses this audience, inviting them into the life of the library. In order to attract young parents and their children to our brick and mortar libraries, thus securing their future support, we need to relate, interact, and engage with them in the ways in which they relate, interact, and engage with each other. We establish a relationship with young adult parents who find their way back to the library because of their young children. Building a relationship with families keeps them coming back. We interact with parents using technology that is comfortable and familiar to them – the ubiquitous smart phone. It is no longer sufficient to use print materials and social media with the hope that our patrons are attracted to them and will respond to them.

The ACPL Family App is targeted to families, care-providers, children and others interested in children’s literacy. Key elements of the app are: o Parents and caregivers may sign up for push notifications with early literacy tips for parents of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, as well as fun facts to share with school-age children. o A reading timer is included to help teachers, caregivers and families keep track of time spent reading. This feature has the ability to log multiple users. o Librarian-created booklists provide users with titles to share with children on topics ranging from difficult family issues to fun stories for preschoolers. These lists are linked to location information and as well as hold capabilities to make the titles as accessible as possible. o Video and audio clips of original material produced by local staff provide examples of ways to incorporate reading, talking, singing, playing and writing into every day life. o An intuitive library events calendar, specifically for children’s programming, is searchable by library location and age group and includes the ability to be added to a user’s personal calendar and notification system.

The ACPL Family App is a tool that will extend the reach of the library beyond its physical walls. Rather than simply being a form of entertainment, the ACPL Family App is an intentional use of technology for effective adult/child interaction, promoting learning and development in the following ways: o By interacting with video and audio clips produced by local staff, families will enrich their library experience and deepen their relationship with the library. Adults will be given tools to help them create a strong early literacy foundation with and for their children age newborn to six. o Via the ACPL Family App, families choose to receive notifications with age-appropriate literacy tips. This will be an incentive to engage with the library to meet the literacy needs of children. o Patrons will receive notifications from the events calendar that will tell them what’s going on for children at their branch or in the entire library system. This will help busy parents stay informed. It will also increase program attendance at ACPL. o Many schools require that children read daily for a certain length of time. The ACPL Summer Reading Program is also based on tracking reading time. The ACPL Family App will provide a way to log this time, affirming the relationship between school, library, and home. o Parents and teachers will use the library’s booklists to find topical, quality children’s books. With the ACPL Family App, librarian-recommended titles and their locations within the library will be at patrons’ fingertips.