The purpose of this study was to explore patronage and usage of the children's section of a public library. Patrons of the children's section of a public library in a small Northern Arizona city were observed for a total of 24 h over 12 sessions. Analytic induction was used to formulate categories based on field notes made during these observations. An observation of a story time session was also conducted. Data from an interview with a librarian was triangulated with observational data. In terms of patronage, the clear majority of parents/adult caregivers accompanying a child or children to the children's section were observed to be female and speaking English. In terms of usage, the following three categories of early learning were identified from the data: early literacy learning; learning how to use a library; and other developmentally appropriate learning. Study results offer insight into both the role of females in the intergenerational transmission of literacy and the rich learning young children experience at the library. At a time of library cutbacks and closures across the United States, this study speaks to the continued relevance of the children's section of the public library in providing free early learning experiences during the pivotal birth to five age range.

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Institutional blogs may provide social marketing for medical institutions, as students strategically framed their experiences to reflect a positive attitude about the medical institution and focused on providing advice to prospective students. Although these structured stories limit complete disclosure, students may still achieve benefits by engaging in emotional disclosure and personal reflection.

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to reveal how parents who are educators navigate their children through public education (from Kindergarten to the completion of high school) and to share their insights with the widest possible audience to ultimately enhance the learning and wellbeing of all children. The premise of this study was that teachers and principals use social capital acquired through their professional practice in their role as parents, and that sharing their experiences with parents who have no insider knowledge may benefit all children. Findings indicated that participants used social capital (knowledge, relationships, and resources) about public schooling to enhance their children’s academic success and wellbeing. Although participants offered advice for all parents and divulged their own personal practices as parents, several also acknowledged the fear some parents would feel to follow their advice entailing involvement with schools, teachers and administrators. As such, policy makers and educators are urged to improve communications that increase parents’ comfort, in order to remove fear as a barrier to involvement and advocacy.

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