School closures across the country are forcing more and more teachers to switch to remote learning for their classes. As a member of a family with several elementary school teachers, and the parent of a six-year-old, I understand how important it is for young students to have face-to-face interaction with their teachers. Beyond any increased learning that take place when students can see and receive hands-on instruction and feedback from teachers, the simple fact of being able to see and hear from their teachers directly helps to reassure students that their teachers are still there to help and guide them, an important and bolstering message for them to receive during these uncertain times.
As the Library’s poetry and literature specialist, last week I received an Ask a Librarian inquiry from a teacher interested in continuing face-to-face reading activities with her students. She asked:
During this time, as teachers we are planning distance learning for our students as schools are closing. Is there a list of authors that give permission to teachers to video themselves reading their books to post for online lessons?
This question is not as simple ask it looks: While the COVID-19 pandemic has led many authors to offer free online “storytimes” in which they live stream or record themselves reading books for students, U.S. copyright law makes it less clear which contemporary children’s books teachers themselves are permitted to read to their students as part of their online programming. Typically, permission needs to be obtained from the book’s p