The Power of Play: Designing Early Learning Spaces

Don't simply accommodate families with young children-draw them in and make your library a destination! In this hands-on guide, an early childhood specialist, a designer, and an outreach librarian take you step-by-step through the process of designing an early learning space that fits your space limitations and budget.

Dorothy Stoltz coordinates programming and outreach services at Carroll County (Maryland) Public Library. She spearheaded a successful early literacy training study for Carroll using home child-care providers and three- and four-year-olds. This research-tested study showed statistically significant increases in early literacy skills of children. She is coauthor of Every Child Ready for School: Helping Adults Inspire Young Children to Learn and Tender Topics: Picture Books about Life s Challenges.



Marisa Conner, MEd, coordinates the programming and services for children and youth at Baltimore County (Maryland) Public Library. She created Early Learning Activity Centers in all nineteen branches at BCPL and designed the learning components for both Storyvilles, BCPL s award-winning early childhood learning environments. She has presented workshops and trainings on creating play spaces in libraries at numerous conferences.



James Bradberry, AIA, LEED, is an award-winning architect/author and principal of James Bradberry Architects. He has taught architecture at Yale, Penn, and the Technical University of Nova Scotia, and his work has been published in the US and abroad. His firm has designed several noted interactive learning environments for children, including two Storyville projects for the Baltimore County Public Library, and the Cotsen Children s Library at Princeton University.