Early Literacy in Library Storytimes, Part 2: A Quasi-Experimental Study and Intervention with Children’s Storytime Providers

Within the peer-reviewed literature, there is a shortage of experimental and quasi-experimental studies examining libraries’ impact on children’s early literacy development. Therefore, Project VIEWS2 (Valuable Initiatives in Early Learning That Work Successfully 2) used a quasi-experimental design to understand whether an intervention to train public library storytime providers in early literacy principles makes a difference in children’s early literacy skills. In the experimental group, comparisons of preintervention and postintervention data showed statistically significant increases in the early literacy behaviors of the providers and attendees in the experimental group. There were no significant changes in the early literacy behaviors of control group providers and their attendees. A purposeful focus on early literacy principles makes a difference in storytime programs and in early literacy behaviors when children attend storytime. This article examines the design and delivery of the intervention, its effects on the study population, and its implications for practice.