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Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Edith Drewek of the Sunnyvale Library reads the Dial-A-Story of the week, Paul Galdone's 'Three Billy Goats Gruff.'
Librarians read on tape for unique program
Stories are only a phone-call away
By Sam Scott
Sunnyvale librarian Helene Kovas loves telling stories. Of course she reads stories to children at work, but she also reads them to her husband at home. She gets a special thrill when she reads a story for Dial-a-Story. Her ratings are high.
"If it goes past 150, wow, that's great," she says referring to the counter on the Dial-a-Story machine in the Sunnyvale Library.
It's a tradition that goes back to the 80s. Each Friday, a children's librarian goes into a brightly-decorated office near the children's section, puts a 'quiet' notice on the door, and reads a four-minute story into a microphone. For a week, the story can be heard by anyone calling the library's dial-a-story line. This week "Three Billy Goats Gruff" takes center stage.
Red digits count the number of calls received for the two lines. A second line delivers the stories in Spanish.
Administrator Susan Denniston says the library has notched up to 400 calls in a busy week. Some families apparently make a point of listening each week.
"One family, that comes in all the time, tells me why they look forward to it every Friday," Kovas says.
Today, the counter beams a modest number, 88. Kovas explains that much depends on the season, if kids are at home or not.
"We offer it as a way of bringing storytelling into a child's home," Nancy Jackson, the head of the children's department, says. The library offers a range of storytelling, she adds, but not everyone can make it--or fit in the very popular sessions. Beth Nord, who reads for both the English and the Spanish lines, says she thinks the stories help develop youngsters' minds.
"It's really nice for children," she says. "They're not looking at the book at the same time. It's strictly audio. It encourages the imagination."
For the librarians, picking the story can take time. Part of the challenge comes from the fact that they can't use the pictures in the books.
"Some of the stories don't make sense without pictures," Nord says.
They also have to find stories that can fit in the four minutes of tape.
"The books have to be chosen carefully," she says.
Over time, the librarians develop a sense for what makes a good story. "I like to choose ones that have text, rhythm, repetition, and pace," Kovas says.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
