In response to an explosion of child-centered apps, questions from storytime parents about appropriate technology use with children, and the local school district implementing a one-to-one device technology plan, Carissa has tested new programming models and curated app collections in a variety of innovative ways at Madison Public Library. She shares her expertise locally as well as nationally with the library profession through presentations, app reviews in Beanstack, collaboration in the Little eLit community, and as a contributor to the ebook Young Children, New Media, and Libraries (2015).

Noting a lack of resources available to parents who wanted to incorporate technology into the learning experience, Carissa created The Supper Club, a monthly, evening app-based storytime where families can eat their dinner while learning about the best apps on the market for kids and best practices for incorporating apps into a healthy family lifestyle. The Supper Club expanded to include online recommendations through Carissa’s Apps for Kids, a web site of app reviews, and a partnership with NBC15 TV featuring Carissa’s app reviews, promoting digital literacy for families and public libraries as technology experts and partners in learning.

iPads with curated early learning apps have been overwhelmingly popular in Madison libraries since they were introduced in 2013. After partnering with NBC15 TV, use of the app recommendation site has increased 82 percent. The media collaboration allows the library to reach new audiences and reconnect with past users, as this quote from a customer reveals: “I’ve seen you on Channel 15 twice now and I always yell to my family ‘That’s Miss Carissa! Do you guys remember her from Story Time at the library?’... I found your recommendations on the website and I can’t wait to check them all out!”