Dial-A-Story, by its very name, hearkens back to a different era—before cell phones and push-button phones—when you could manually “dial” a phone number and listen to a story.

These days, rotary phones are largely obsolete, but Dial-A-Story, after more than three decades, continues to receive at least 2,000 calls a month at 816.701.3456.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, listenership surged to 7,000 weekly calls.

“It’s a simple service,” says Deputy Director of Youth & Family Engagement Crystal Faris, “and yet I think it has an impact. Sometimes the simplest things do.”

At first, books were on reel-to-reel tapes. Later, a rotating cast of Library staffers, such as retired children's librarian Nancy Stegeman, who curated the Dial-A-Story line for decades, or special guests recorded a story as a voicemail – often in one take.

“Back then, the way it was set up, I would do it at home, using my home phone,” says Donna Newell, longtime contributor and children’s librarian at the Waldo Branch. She recalls recording a book by propping up the phone and projecting as she read aloud.

These days, stories are recorded, edited, and archived on a computer. Two stories each week, usually about three to four minutes, are available by phone and posted on the Library’s website.

Technology upgrades have made recording for the service easier, but selecting books to read for Dial-A-Story remains an ongoing challenge.

“You have to choose books where the storyline is particularly clear and where the pictures are not necessary,” Faris says. “And if you’re truly trying to reach a young child, the shorter (the book) the better.”

She says the service's “low-tech” nature provides another way to introduce children to new words.

“Picture books have a high vocabulary," Faris says. "A picture book is usually the readability of sixth-grade reading level and above."

Over the decades, Newell has called on family members to read or assist with stories, including her mom, brother, and daughter at age six or seven (she’s now 29). When it's Newell’s turn to record a book, she often selects folk or fairy tales where “kids can use their imagination" or stories that include songs.

“I'm not the greatest singer, but I enjoy singing,” she says with a laugh, “and kids don't really care as long as you're sounding enthusiastic.”