Rhinelander Children's Book Fest

News from Kris Adams Wendt, WVLS System Public Library Consultant:

Gosh, I can hardly believe that Children’s Book Fest is celebrating its 30^th birthday this year!  Speaking as one of its “founding mothers” in 1987, it seems like only yesterday that Book Fest was a wee little thing cuddled up with its blanket while we read picture books together in the Rhinelander District Library Children’s Dept….and now several generations of children have benefitted from their public and school librarians gathering to learn about outstanding books for children and young adults before choosing the “best from the rest.”

·       Rhinelander Children's Book Fest March 7 Information and Registration form. (1.5 CEUs for CCBC Book Talk)

·       Rhinelander Children's Book Fest March 8 Information and Registration form. (2 CEUs for CCBC Book Talk)

Northern Wisconsin librarians, teachers, parents and members of the general public who are interested in learning about the best books for young people are invited to attend Children’s Book Fest 2017, a two-day conference held at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 135 E. Larch St., Rhinelander, Wisconsin on March 7 and 8.

       

Children’s literature specialists from the nationally acclaimed Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) in Madison, Wisconsin will discuss books for children and young adults at an evening presentation on Tuesday, March 7 as well as at a day presentation on Wednesday, March 8.

Both sessions will include a CCBC exhibit of the best books from the year 2016 for young readers.  The program on both days features CCBC staff discussing current trends in children’s literature and an enjoyable book talk presentation highlighting some of the best books of 2016. Each year librarians from the CCBC publish CCBC CHOICES, an annual list of CCBC-recommended books for children and teens.  Book Fest participants will receive a free copy of the CCBC CHOICES booklet as part of their $10 registration package.

       

All registrations must be received no later than March 3.  For more information, please contact Rhinelander District Library Children’s Librarian Tom Hurlburt at hurlburt@rhinelanderlibrary.org or 715-365-1070 ext.1073.

       

This is the thirtieth year that Headwaters Reading Council, the School District of Rhinelander and the Rhinelander District Library have invited the Cooperative Children’s Book Center staff to bring the newest and best books for young people to Northern Wisconsin.

               

Postscript regarding CEUs for Rhinelander Children’s Book Fest

WVLS Director Marla Sepnafski has approved the following learning objectives for WVLS colleagues wishing to include CEUs for the CCBC lecture at Children’s Book Fest:

·       Participants will learn about current trends in children’s and YA literature.

·       Participants will learn about the most highly reviewed books of 2016 and integrate that knowledge to collection development.

If you are a public library director who is planning to add this event to your certification portfolio submitted to Marla at WVLS, please make a note of this email for your files.

PLEASE NOTE:

·       Children’s Book Fest is run by volunteers from three organizations with numerous responsibilities over the two-day event attended by registrants from many different public library systems and school districts. 

·       If you are a public library director interested in picking up CEUs, but are not from WVLS territory, you will need to confirm that WVLS learning objectives and assigned CEUs will be approved by your own public library system’s certification monitor.

·       Anyone seeking verification of attendance (for CEU, registration cost reimbursement or any other documentation purposes) may come prepared with a pre-printed statement or a photocopy of their registration blank for whoever is at the registration desk to quickly initial and date.  However, WVLS does not expect Children’s Book Fest volunteers to otherwise take any responsibility for generating or monitoring CEU validation.  Nor should any other public library system or school district.

WVLS GRASSROOTS GATHERING

On Wednesday afternoon, March 8, you’re invited to stick around and join the annual WVLS Grassroots Gathering discussion from 1:30 to 3 PM. This is an opportunity for school and public librarians to get together, network and learn from each other.  If attending the Grassroots Gathering, please send a response to Kris Adams Wendt at kawendt@wvls.org by March 3!

Annual grassroots meetings are held in each of Wisconsin’s 17 public library systems. They are a means by which public library system youth services consultants like me gather data and feedback from their member libraries to not only inform our system service and program decisions, but also to generate a report to DLTCL and the state youth services consultant. It is hoped that again piggybacking it with the Children's Book Fest Wednesday program will provide more school librarians with an opportunity to attend, as well as save time and gasoline.  The WVLS Grassroots Gathering is now part of a series of Youth Services Information Exchange (YSIE) get-togethers.  We welcome public youth and K-12 librarians from all public library systems to the table!