HESTL EdCON26

Drawing on qualitative interviews with 20 caregivers participating in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, this EdTalk explores how families experience book access and shared reading-- and what these insights mean for school librarians.

Participants will learn how consistent access to high-interest books supports children’s motivation and reading identity, how caregivers describe children’s engagement, and how gaps in access outside of school shape students’ relationships with reading. Attendees will gain practical strategies for strengthening home–school literacy connections, promoting programs available to families during school breaks, and using caregiver perspectives to support equitable access to literacy resources beyond the school day.

SEATING GUIDANCE: The EdTalk sessions will be immediately followed by the Reference Roundtable session. Please sit at a table that corresponds to the Reference Roundtable discussion topic you selected at registration. Not sure which topic you selected? Match the colored dot on your nametag to the colored dot on a table sign.