Youth Services Shout-Out -YSS!

lunch bunch?

noreply@blogger.com (Kristin) — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:30:00 +0000

I sent an email out this morning to YSS librarians searching for ideas about lunch bunch. It's a program idea we're going to try here at West Bend to increase programming for elementary ages.
As I get ideas in I will post them in this thread. Keep coming back or comment below and you'll get an email when new ideas appear.

~Kristin Pekoll, West Bend Library

Photo Credit: http://www.peninsulaheritageschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Terry-Metzenbaum-Literary-Lunch-Bunch.jpg

Fun Teen Video

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:34:00 +0000

YSS Member Ann Hardginski from the Kimberley-Little Chute Public Library shared this teen video of "How Animals Read Their Books." Very clever!

Seeds of Change for Wisconsin Public Libraries

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:12:00 +0000

The first week in May, I was lucky enough to spend two days in beautiful, rainy Lake Geneva at the annual WAPL (Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries) Conference. I met new colleagues (can't wait to collaborate and borrow your great ideas), caught up with colleagues I haven't seen in a while, and attended sessions that provided food for thought and inspired me to try new things back in my own shop.

One of those sessions was led by Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, Youth and Special Services Consultant for the Public Library Development Team at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Tessa unveiled a new, statewide early literacy initiative called Growing Wisconsin Readers that is "all about public libraries supporting language- and literacy-rich experiences for young children." The goal of this exciting new project is to inform care givers, service providers, and community stakeholders that Wisconsin public libraries are their resource for growing readers.

To that end, DPI will be providing a host of materials to help us spread the word in our communities. There's an eye-catching brochure and poster offering accessible information on ways that parents and other care givers can equip young children with the literacy skills that prepare them for school success. A QR code on the brochure leads to more information on an interactive website. Also on the website, librarians will find a toolkit that includes customized PDFs of the brochure and poster.

Librarians will be able to participate online as well as in-person multi-system workshops. Smaller libraries will have access to mini-grants of $250 to create early learning spaces, and there will be 2014 LSTA funds earmarked for early literacy grants.

All of this adds up to some pretty exciting opportunities for public libraries to plant the seeds of change, promoting early literacy and Growing Wisconsin Readers. I can't wait to get started in this garden!

Sharon Grover

Head of Youth Services

Hedberg Public Library

Children's Book Festival in October

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:07:00 +0000

Some of you in the eastern part of the state might be interested in attending the fourth annual Sheboygan Children's Book Festival. The theme is "The Ways of Looking."

This year it will take place on October 11-13. Events will take place at the Mead Public Library, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center and Bookworm Gardens. The festival includes visits from children's authors and illustrators over a three-day period.

For more information on the festival, check out the website.

"Dig Into Reading" Treats

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:26:00 +0000

Looking for some "buggy and creepy" treats to make this summer to go along with the theme?

Below are some links to recipes that might fit in well with your program. The caterpillar/inchworm (below) is super easy and basically a bundt cake cut up and accessorized. The strawberry shortcake cake takes some dough maneuvering, but also short in prep time. These might be fun to do as a program or to offer as a celebratory treat!

Bug Cookies – several ideas for simple bugs

http://www.bhg.com/recipes/bug-cookies/

Bugs – uses breadsticks and hotdogs

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Creepy-Crawly-Bugs

Bug Juice – looks easy and fun!

http://www.ehow.com/how_7301174_make-bug-juice-kids.html

“Cheese” cake – Yellow cake and yellow frosting

http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/cheese-cake.html#c1

Cinnamon Snails – Bread snails with chocolate chips as eyes!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cinnamon-snails/

Caterpillar or "Bookworm"

Inchworm Cake – adorable cake using a bundt pan

http://www.bettycrocker.com/videos/videolibrary/birthday-cakes/inchworm-cake-and-bug-cupcakes

Ladybug cake – used a casserole bowl

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/ladybug-cake/989d1c72-70b9-4d58-b070-45d36869b536

Ladybug pops – frozen treat

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lady-bug-pops-recipe/index.html

Pizza snake

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Pizza-Snake

Spider snacks – only 4 ingredients!

Strawberry Shortcake Snake

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Spooky-Spider-Snacks

Strawberry Shortcake Snake

http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cake/strawberry-shortcake-snake.html

Turtle Bread – very cute!

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/turtle-bread/02a87ed3-d9ae-4488-8985-15ab094e1b97

Recruiting Teens for Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie) — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:08:00 +0000

Terra Fewless

Terra Fewless at the Southwest Branch at Brown County Library recently started managing the young adult volunteers. She shared what they are doing and how she plans on recruiting even more people.

How many teen volunteers do you get each summer, on average?
I'd say we get about 50 teen volunteers each summer. Many of them volunteer more than once a week throughout the summer.

What types of activities do teens help you with in the summer?

We use teen volunteers for costume characters, setting up and presenting story times and events, preparing supplies and crafts, assisting young children with projects, cleaning up, monitoring the Summer Nutrition Program and helping kids sign up for and participate in the Summer Reading Program. We really depend on them for help for our annual carnival held in June.

How do you recruit volunteers/market to them?
This year, we're using Facebook and trying to create signs and posts that teens would find appealing. In the past, I think we've made signs that WE think are appealing.

Recent photo posted on the BCL-Southwest
Facebook page.

I plan to post some teen volunteer memes both on Facebook and in the YA section as well. We also talk it up with young adults while they are in the library, post signage and applications in the YA section and make the application available on our Teen Zone section on the website. We created a "Help Wanted" ad in the Green Bay Volunteer Center's listing of volunteer opportunities and post signs and information where parants of teens would likely see them.

What have you tried hasn't worked so well? And, what has worked well?
It all seems to work, because we usually have a lack of teen volunteers during the summer. Facebook hasn't yet reached its potential for reaching young adults. It's relatively new for us. I expect the Facebook posts to work better in coming years when Brown County has a Facebook page specific to teens. I've love to utilize Instagram as a recruiting tool in the future as well.

Recruiting hasn't been a problem. The challenge lately has been retaining reliable volunteers.

Youth-Librarians-to-Directors Speak Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Marge Loch-Wouters) — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:08:00 +0000

Our YSS-sponsored program at the WI Association of Public Librarians conference in Lake Geneva was boffo. Library Directors Connie Meyer of the Dwight Foster Library in Fort Atkinson, Hollis Helmeci from Ladysmith's Rusk County Community Library and Becca Berger from the Door County Library in Sturgeon Bay shared their journeys from youth librarians to directors and what they learned along the way.

The session Everything You Need to Know You Can Learn in Storytime, coordinated and planned by YSS board member Leah Langby, was presented as a series of questions that the panelists addressed. The questions and some of the answers:

How did work in youth services help you to be a better advocate for libraries?
Storytelling skills helped Meyer to hone her advocacy skills in promoting and speaking up for the library. She also discovered that the broken record approach works just as well for funders as for children. Planning ahead for storytimes served her in the work of planning as a director and she discovered that her ability to find another way around obstacles was definitely a result of working with kids.

Hollis found that her experience with promoting literacy and services to youth has continued to be useful as a director. She stressed that constant repetition to help the community and funders understand the importance of library services was a skill brought forward. Working with community groups as a youth librarians was vital in moving to work on the larger collaborative community stage as well.

Berger shared how her time in youth services helped her concentrate on her extroversion, a skill that has been immeasurably helpful as a director before funding bodies. Both children's librarians' and directors are "on" most of the time so those skills carry forward.

What quality did you practice as a children's librarian that you use as a director?
All three panelists agreed that flexibility learned as a youth services librarian- from being open to change to mental agility - allows you to grab opportunity and effect change as a director. Becca also mentioned that skills in diplomacy really helped her deal with the politics needed for a director's work.

What was one of the rudest shocks and also one of the most pleasant surprises you encountered about the job change?
Helmeci cited the depth of antipathy staff felt toward teens was a surprise. On the positive side, it was great to have much flexibility in schedule and vacation without worrying about constant programming and SLP.

Connie was surprised at how little contact she had with kids after the change (though expected, she missed the freshness and "realness" of kids' reactions). She agreed with Hollis that scheduling flexibility was a wonderful plus as a director.

Becca found that management and supervision, again though expected, was difficult. It is very different as a director to have most work done through other people. On the plus side it is really rewarding to see how supportive the community is for youth services.

Do you have any advice for library directors in the audience with regard to working with youth services librarians or the role of youth services in a library?
Becca advised simply being good to them and support their work.

Hollis suggested that directors do an occasional storytime and drop by programs and the department. If you are not present, you don't understand what youth services people are doing.

Connie advised appreciating youth services folks not only by word but also by what you do as an administrator through support and funding - make youth services a priority and realize that youth services are the future of your library.

Do you have advice for youth services librarians with regard to working with administration (this question also was a springboard for an audience question on how to work with an administration that seems unresponsive to youth services concerns)?
Green advised that directors can't change what they don't know. Step up and express yourself. And follow the chail of command rather than going around it to address problems.

Berger suggested coming at problems in a issues-based way and provide possible solutions to make the interaction more successful.

Helmeci expressed the thought that staffers have good and bad days and directors need to be sensitive and step in and help relieve stressed YS staffers. It's also important for directors to communicate by helping staffers understand the realities of budgetary and staffing constraints. Open communication is key.

Audience members mentioned the importance of small tokens of appreciation (a day completely off the public desk; a gift certificate), regular meetings so everyone is informed and using the new Pew Research Center's results to make the case with administration about the vital nature of youth work.

A huge thanks to our panelists and to a great audience!

Meet Your YSS Board: Debbie Olguin

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:22:00 +0000

Debbie Olguin was on the YSS Board a few years back, and she recently got back on board as the YSS Chair-Elect. It's great to have her back on board! Debbie is the Youth Services Librarian at the Franklin Public Library.

You are back on the YSS board after a little break. What draws you back to working so closely with YSS? I enjoy meeting other youth services librarians in the state, hearing what they’re doing, getting inspired and staying informed. I would encourage everyone to get involved in WLA or some other organization outside of their library and even, their system. I think it opens your eyes to a broader picture of librarianship and helps you think outside the box.

What is something you’ve done at your library in the past year that you are especially excited about? I know this will sound strange, but I had the time to finally go through the collection thoroughly. The last ten years, I have focused on building strong programming, but without adequate staff, I wasn’t able to keep up with the demands of the collection and department. This year, I have an intern covering our weekly preschool programming which has allowed me to concentrate my efforts on making the department user-friendly and inviting as well as cleaning up and reorganizing the collection.

If you were putting together a dinner party, what children’s/ya book characters do you think you’d invite? Pretzel, Georgie the Ghost and Frances (no backsies!) to reminisce about my childhood, Elephant & Piggie because they make me laugh, Halt and Will because I would love to hear about all their adventures and Skulduggery Pleasant and Stephanie to learn about magic!

What inspires you in your library work? Children

What do you love to do OUTSIDE the library? Spend time with my daughter and enjoy nature

If you had 20 more hours in a week, how would you use them? Not well, unfortunately, because I know that I would work more than I already do! But ideally, I would want to not rush in the morning, spend more time with my daughter, walk the dog more, go hiking more and volunteer more

What’s a book you’ve read or listened to recently that you really loved? Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (read it twice) and Wonder by R.J. Palacio (cried like a baby).

CSLP Winning Teen Videos & an Interview with Wisconsin's Winning Director

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:19:00 +0000

The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) has officially announced the winners of the 2013 Teen Video Challenge--look here for a videos from winners for each state. Wisconsin can be proud of their entry, made by a group of teens from Eau Claire. Check it out! Clocking in at just under a minute, this would be a terrific tool to use during school visits, on your Facebook page, or any number of other ways.

Too bad no one had any fun making this movie!

I was fascinated that a group of high school students could come up with such a clever, well-produced film and I wanted to find out more. I interviewed the director and editor of this video, Tedd Piper, a high school senior at Eau Claire Memorial High School (and a heck of a swell guy).

How long have you been making films? I've been making films for about 5 years, ever since I made a video for my 8th grade English class and decided I really enjoyed it.

Tell me a little bit about the group you made the film with—have you worked together a lot before?
The group I work with (we call ourselves "Unconventional Operations")* is made up of friends I've made over the years in the school's Film Club. We've become good friends and work very well together, they're very creative and open minded which takes away the stress of working on set and makes it a much more exciting experience. When we're working on a project we typically divide up the jobs based on our interests. For instance, I prefer directing and cinematography while Caleb Kamrath enjoys acting and writing. Although we each have our typical roles, everyone contributes creatively.

How long did it take you to make this film (including everything from writing to filming to editing)?

All in all it took us roughly six weeks to make this short. Coming up with ideas, writing and planning was about a two week process, we filmed on 3 different days for 2-4 hours each, and then spent a couple nights editing to turn it in another two weeks after that. Thankfully we were able to spread things out since we had over a month to make such a short video, which kept us from feeling rushed and allowed us to have more fun.

What was the process like for this film?

When I told everyone about the contest I asked them to come up with some ideas and gave them about a week to mull it over. I was the first to propose an idea, one that I had within five minutes of hearing of the contest, and that's what ended up becoming the final product. Everyone accepted it right away and didn't offer up any other ideas so I wrote up a quick script and shared it with them. At the time the scenes in the middle that happen during the voice over were written in the script as simply: "A montage of fantastical book-like scenes". Or something like that. I let everyone else pitch ideas for what those scenes could be and we picked out the ones we thought would work best. After that we did something very unusual for us: we stuck to the plan.

If a librarian was going to encourage film-making in their library, what equipment and other resources do you think they would want to purchase?

Film making can very easily become very expensive, even at our extremely low budget amateur level. At the very basic level all you need is a camera, a tripod, and editing software. That's all you need to start making movies, as long as there's effort and creativity behind it you can create good stuff with just that.

Any camera from just a couple hundred dollars to over a thousand will work just fine, with the more expensive ones obviously providing better quality video and sound as well as more creative features. We use a $700 Canon t3i, a camera that is actually made for photography, but because of the features it has, it allows us to create shots that look as good as higher end cameras at a much lower cost.

Most computers come with very basic video editing software pre-installed, such as Windows Movie Maker. While these can work just fine, they are very limiting and don't offer very much creative flexibility. I'd recommend something like Sony Vegas or Cyberlink Powerdirector, which have versions for relatively cheap and offer more power.

Is this group interested in making more promotional films for libraries?

We're very interested in making more films for libraries! We love what we do and if we can use it to benefit something as important as public libraries, then that's even better!

Anything else you want to tell us about this film?

We had a great time working on our entry to the Teen Video Contest, and have really appreciated how well it was received. We were astounded at how much it was passed around and talked about, it has definitely helped get us out there and recognized, which is very important for filmmakers. We're super thankful to the judges and the CSLP for choosing us as the winners of Wisconsin!

Still from the film

*Other group members include Caleb Kamrath, Cole Anderson, Jaiden Deutschlander, Zach Staads, Alex Kolb, and Ethan Stewart, with some other friends lending a hand when we need them.

Summer Reading Opportunity with Edvest and the Green Bay Packers

noreply@blogger.com (Marge Loch-Wouters) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:45:00 +0000

We are excited to announce that for this year’s summer reading programs throughout Wisconsin, public libraries will partner with the Edvest College Savings Plan and the Green Bay Packers to promote your summer reading activities through media events, free promotional materials, advertising, and an Edvest scholarship drawing with great Packer prizes!

How it works:

1. Sign up your library to participate. It’s easy!

2. Edvest sends you a Summer Reading 2013promotional kit including bookmarks, entry cards, and cut-out standing displays.

3. On or before June 1, place the standing display in an entry area or near your children’s area. Use the bookmarks at check out and keep the online entry forms available (most of your patrons will likely prefer fast sign up online).

We need to know your participation by April 30and your preferred quantities. We are offering small, medium and large promotional kit sizes. Participating libraries will receive instructions and a URL to order additional materials. All promotional materials are free of charge and you may re-order as often as you would like.

Please select this link to indicate your participation and order your Summer Reading 2013 materials:

https://forms.dpi.wi.gov/se.ashx?s=56301B2D244BABE1

Summer Reading 2013 Promotional Kits

· Small – 1 cut-out standing display, 200 bookmarks, 100 entry cards

· Medium – 2 cut-out standing displays, 350 bookmarks, 200 entry cards

· Large– 3 cut-out standing displays, 500 bookmarks, 300 entry cardsSummer Reading 2013 drawing

Parents and grandparents have the opportunity to enter their children or grandchildren (ages 0-13) in a drawing to win $1,000 Edvest College Savings Plan scholarships and four tickets to the Packers Family Night game in early August (or a $30 Packer Pro Shop gift card if they prefer) – up to 20 winners will be selected. Each winner’s library location will receive a $500 matching grant – available only if your library location signed up for participation. Participating libraries also have the opportunity to win extra Family Night tickets and autographed Packer footballs in June for use in your own events during the summer.

To learn more, please contact your library system’s youth services consultant for full details. Follow up questions may be directed to the Edvest College Savings Plan and program manager Catherine Burdick at cburdick@tiaa-cref.org.

YALSA's Teen Top Ten Nominees

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:24:00 +0000

Just in time to start promoting them for the summer, the Young Adult Library Services Association of ALA has come out with the list of books nominated for Teen's Top Ten. In October, during Teen Read month, teens have the chance to vote for their favorite titles on this list. One of the teens I live with is very interested in having her voice heard like this, I bet some that you know are, too. Take a look at the list, print off a PDF, and let the teens in your area know about it!

Summer Reading Book Lists from ALSC

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:09:00 +0000

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has created three Summer Reading book lists, which feature recommended book titles for Kindergarten through 8^th grade students.

Photo credit: a. pasquier on flickr

These Summer Reading lists are available for students Kindergarten to 2^ndgrade, 3^rd to 5^th grade and 6^th to 8^thgrade. PDFs of the book lists are available online in full color and black and white and are free to download, copy and distribute. Libraries are able to customize the booklist with their own information, summer hours and summer programs for children before printing and distributing to patrons and schools.
“These book lists are full of fun titles that will engage children throughout the summer,” said Carolyn Brodie, ALSC president. “We encourage librarians to print out copies of these lists to pass out during their school visits at the end of the school year.”

Research shows that increased summer reading reduces summer learning loss. Also, the amount and quality of students’ access to reading materials correlates to the amount of reading they do, which in turn is a determinant of reading achievement. These booklists include a diverse group of fun and enjoyable books, both classic and contemporary, to keep children interested in reading throughout the summer.

The titles were selected, compiled and annotated by members of the ALSC Quicklists Consulting Committee and School-Age Programs and Services Committee. These lists were created through a Carnegie Whitney Grant funded by the American Library Association Publishing Committee.

About ALSC
ALSC, a division of the ALA, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC visit www.ala.org/alsc.

Finding Books for Spanish-Speaking Patrons

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:13:00 +0000

Do you ever struggle with this? Help is on the way. The Heartland Chapter of REFORMA is sponsoring a 90 minute free webinar on Tuesday, Apr. 30 from 1:00 – 2:30 pm CDT for librarians to help develop their collections for Spanish-speaking and Latino populations. Panel participants include a publisher, a public library branch manager, a children’s librarian and a selector for Brodart Books. This FREE webinar is open to anyone who is interested. For more information go to

http://www.skyways.org/orgs/reforma/.

Photo credit: flickr Monrovia Public Library, Monrovia CA

Adding Zip to Lego Programs

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:27:00 +0000

Many of you have terrific regular Lego programs at your libraries. This year for spring break, Alisha Green decided to make the program at the Eau Claire public library a little more exciting!

She contacted the Boy Scout Office and found the name of a Boy Scout leader who has a huge ramp from the Boy Scout's annual Pinewood Derby. The Scout leader was happy to let the library use his ramp for the day, and Alisha invited kids to two different programs: a morning session for younger (K-2nd grade) kids, and and an afternoon session for older (3rd-5th grade kids).

Kids got wheels and legos when they came in and spent time building:


Serious building

They could take their cars anytime to the ramp to test them out:

Towards the end of each program, they started keeping track of which cars went the farthest! Alisha had awards (printed paper certificates) for the 3 kids that had the farthest-traveling cars...she also had a few awards for "Coolest Wipeout" or "Tallest Car" for kids who needed a boost after their cars took a tumble from the track.

Alisha says she's glad she separated out the age groups. The younger kids' excitement was contagious. The older kids were more laid back, but were really getting into experimenting with the engineering of their cars, trying things out to see how they worked, going back to the drawing board and making adjustments, etc.

In Fall Creek, Jenna Gilles had a Lego Contest, inviting kids to create amazing things, and then displaying them in the library for people to vote for their favorites:

Community Art + Food @ the St. Croix Falls Public Library

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:12:00 +0000

Many thanks to Cole Zrostlik, Youth Services Librarian, St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin for this guest blog post!

Somebody at the St. Croix Falls Public Library was hungry when we decided to apply for an Ezra Jack Keats minigrant! Inspired by the interests of our Friends of the Library group, some comic-making courses for middle-schoolers that we had been hosting at the library, and a recipe for pancakes that I had created for my college-aged brother, the idea was conceived and the project began to flourish from an idea into a great community arts project!

An entry in the show

In November 2012, we put a call out for recipes and art (any 2D media accepted) from any and all members of the community no matter their age or artistic ability. Collaborative, class, and family entries were encouraged and the art was not required to be visually related to the recipe. Between December 2012 and March 2013 we held a series of art clubs and classes for kids (including comic-making, collage, and miniature food sculpture) and a collage course for adults/families to encourage submissions to the project and to promote the telling of recipes (just like stories) through visual media and text.

Ham Sauce Recipe!

With 43 total entries, we had a terrific level of participation and enthusiasm for the project. Many of the submissions are steeped in tradition and history, some are quite funny, and all are colorful, interesting to look at up close, and perfectly accent the library space. We had senior citizen to senior-in-high-school to tween to early elementary-aged participation and, being the first art display of its kind at this library, there is an overwhelming sense of pride and curiosity among the kids, adult patrons, and staff at the library.

Headstart created this one!

Our Comic and Graphic Cookbook Art Show officially opened at the end of March and will be on display throughout the library until the end of the summer. Participants will all receive a compilation of the project (a zine!), and the Friends of the Library plan to use the artworks and recipes in a fundraising cookbook to be released at a later date.

All the art from the project can be seen on the SCF Public Library’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.584082841604842.1073741827.164112953601835&type=1&l=b7a1ce29fe.

A sincere thank you to the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation for their generous support of ours and other great community arts programs. Entries for minigrants for libraries and educators of up to $500 must be submitted by March 15 each year, but check out http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/ for more information!

Rice Lake's Early Literacy Efforts

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:46:00 +0000

Dawn Wacek, a former YSS board member and the director of the Rice Lake Public Library wrote an excellent piece for Ebscohost's Kids and Books Newsletter about their library's successful Early Literacy LSTA grant project.

She talks about the components of the project: creating a cohesive early literacy space, revamping the parenting collection, adding story kits, improving their website's early literacy offerings, and working with other agencies to improve early literacy services and increase library visits by the lower income families they were especially trying to reach. Refreshingly, she also talked about the reality of the project (underestimating the amount of time things would take; overestimating the number of people they'd reach, and ultimately, that the project was still amazing!).

One parent told the library staff: “We can’t afford to drive to Eau Claire and visit the children’s museum, but it doesn’t matter now. My child gets just as much out of a visit to our library!”

If you are interested in Early Literacy, or if you have designs on an LSTA grant yourself, take a look at the full article! It's enlightening!

Getting from No to Yes in Waupaca

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:49:00 +0000

Thanks to Sue Abrahamson from Waupaca (and Past-Chair of YSS) for this guest post.

Our teen group, SLAG (Student Library Advisory Group) sells candy bars at the front circulation desk. They do pretty well with it, too!

Often times when parents are checking out with small children, that candy basket can be problematic, as you can imagine. Mom or Dad says, "No." and the kids are gearing up for a meltdown. We, as a staff, talked about how to turn that "No" into a "Yes" and came up with this solution: We asked the Friends of the Library to fund a roll of 1000 stickers, imprinted with "I visited the Waupaca Public Library today!" Now when a pout starts, our circulation person breaks out a sticker for a smile.

One circulation clerk said if you add the phrase "If mom or dad say it's okay" that make the parent the good guy again and everyone goes away happy. One parent even said, "Thank you for noticing we were on the cusp of disaster!"

Sue says they set aside time at the end of every staff meeting to share information and ideas related to The Wakanheza Project--this time, brainstorming simple ways to change the environment have really made a difference, and the teens still get to sell their candy!

Meet Your YSS Board: Jodi Bird

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:52:00 +0000

Meet Jodi Bird, a new YSS Member-at-Large! Jodi is the Youth Services Librarian in Menomonie, where they do interesting and innovative programming, and Jodi is a master at thinking of low-cost but effective services.

What made you decide to get involved with YSS, and how did you?
This might sound funny but the reason I decided to get involved with YSS was simply because I was asked. When I was asked to consider running for a position on the YSS Board I thought, "That might be kind of fun!"

Do you have a sure-fire trick for getting kids back on track when they are wandering (either in a program or in the children’s area of the library)?
During story time we do a couple of different things to get kids back on track. One is we have a number of wiggle songs that we use on a regular basis that the kids know and that helps get them back on track. We keep the words to the songs posted on the walls in the story time room so we can just pick one any time the kids need to get their wiggles out. Another thing we do is have the kids point out different parts of their body with the last part being their head. When we have them put their hands on their head we have them push, push, push until they are sitting back down on their bottoms. This really works to quiet them down.

If you had an unlimited budget, what’s the first thing you’d do?
Oh the fun things you could do with an unlimited budget! The first thing I would do is make a bigger youth services space. A bigger space for parents and children to sit and read or play with the toys and games would be great.

What is the best source of programming ideas for you? Go-to blogs or other resources?
There are always some great ideas on the Flannel Friday blog as well as the Miss Meg's Storytimeblog. Of course the other great resource for programming is Pinterest. How did we manage to survive so long without Pinterest?

Tell us about a really memorable interaction you’ve had with a young person.
I have been the Youth Services librarian for 13 years and have had so many memories with young people I'm not sure I could pick just one. From little Sophie who comes right to the desk and wants to be picked up to Henry who comes in and likes to have everything "just so" every day produces a memorable interaction with a child.

When you aren’t working, what do you love to do?
I love to be outside working in the yard (wish we could get rid of some of this snow!), jogging, running our kids everywhere (not sure how much I love this but it is something I do!), watch football (Go, Pack, Go!) and of course READ!

If you could hang out with any book character or author, who would you choose? And what would you do together?
I think I'd choose Harry Potter. Maybe he could teach me how to fly on a broom and play Quidditch!

Announcing the 2013 Youth Services Development Institute

noreply@blogger.com (Marge Loch-Wouters) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:19:00 +0000

Wisconsin Youth Services Development Institute

Sunday, Sept 8 - Wednesday, Sept 11, 2013

Heartwood Conference Center • Trego, WI

The Wisconsin Youth Services Development Institute will provide professional development and networking for librarians who serve babies, children, and teens in smaller public libraries. The Institute will target librarians who have no graduate degree in librarianship and/or work in rural library communities. There is no fee for Institute participants; the costs are covered through an LSTA grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) administered by the Public Library Development Team at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI).

A complete description of the Institute including a letter of support from Kurt Kiefer, Assistant State Superintendent, can be found at http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/files/pld/pdf/YS_Institute.pdf

Applications are due by Wednesday, May 8, 2013. Twenty-five applicants will be selected, preferably representing all 17 public library systems. Applications must be completed online at https://forms.dpi.wi.gov/se.ashx?s=56301B2D2B5640E4

Questions should be directed to:

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt
Public Library Youth and Special Services Consultant Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
125 South Webster Street / PO Box 7841
Madison, WI 53707-7841
P: (608) 267-5077 F: (608) 267-9207
tessa.schmidt@dpi.wi.gov
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Dig In to Some Terrific Ideas for Literacy Centers

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:48:00 +0000

Sometimes I read a post that makes me wish I was in a real, live library and could try things out myself instead of just encouraging other people to do so. That's what happened when I read the post in the ALSC Blog with some terrific ideas for SLP-theme-related centers in your library. I found myself itching to do archeological digs in ice--what a great way to cool down on a hot summer's day (though the thought of being hot is also sort of appealing, isn't it?).

Why Do We Program?

noreply@blogger.com (Marge Loch-Wouters) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 03:19:00 +0000

I'm a huge believer in thinking about the why behind anything we are doing in youth librarianship. In this post, Beth over at Beth Reads, explores the reasons behind why programming for teens is important. Worth the read!

Caine's Arcade-Inspired Program in Chippewa Falls

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:46:00 +0000

Editor's note; Many thanks to Colleen Crowley of the Chippewa Falls Public Library for this guest post!

Setting up a cardboard arcade game

After much publicity to the larger community, especially the local elementary schools, it was time for our long awaited Caine's Arcade-inspired event to take place. Let's back up a moment. Does everyone know about Caine? He made the rounds on You-Tube and even PUBYAC, but I don't know how many of us youth librarians have actually created events in our own local communities.

So for those of you who don't know: He was, at the time of discovery, a 9-year-old boy who created a cardboard video arcade in his father's auto parts store in East L.A. After a local film director met him, his story went viral and can be seen at the website: www.cainesarcade.com. Many interesting things have come out of this story, i.e. a Global Cardboard Challenge, as well as the creation of the Imagination Foundation.

The Chippewa Falls Public Library and the local Boys & Girl's Club collaborated to create our own Cardboard Challenge. The library's contribution was my time for the initial publicity, general planning and about an hour or so of my work time each afternoon for three consecutive days. Though this is a tough time of year to get away, with all us planning for our summer reading programs, this event was a long time in the making, so I felt it was important.

All youth in the community had been invited and we planned it to occur during the public school's spring break week. Though the Boys & Girls Club is geared to youth ages 8-18, the kids that were in attendance were 8-13 year-olds. The room had a lot of floor space, perfect for the kids to spread out and build their creations. I examined the assortment of supplies. The director had saved cardboard boxes for a few months, but none were very big. He said someone had mistakenly recycled the bigger boxes. When I saw that they were all small boxes, I quickly headed over to the appliance store, conveniently located 2 blocks away and got a few giant boxes. I brought a lot of other things I'd saved, like egg cartons, empty thermal paper cartridges, recycled blue mushroom trays from the store, empty cardboard tubes from book tape and book cover rolls. These were the types of items the kids latched onto the most.

We got started then as a group, by watching the Caine's Arcade video from Caine's Web page and then discussing the various types and genres of arcade games available today, and in the past. I had brought some photos from Wikipedia and Pinterest that I thought might inspire their creations. Then they began to gather supplies. There was a frenzy to get the 'good stuff' and I can see that it might have been helpful for us, as planners, to come up with a better system for handing out the items. There was some disappointment as some of the teams missed out on supplies that they had wanted. But the kids really made do with what they had.

I spent a lot of time cutting the long tubes into 3 & 4-inch pieces for the kids. Knowing this, I would have saved more empty rolls of 2-inch and 4-inch sized book tape rolls for the kids. Ultimately, I think that while it is nice to have the basic cardboard boxes of different sizes, saving and providing the odd things were the most helpful. The kids made unusual things out of these pieces, like skee-ball holes and marble drops. I had saved some 10 foot long boxes and kids used them for ramps and other ideas. I had also saved the ends of the boxes that the library's iPads came in and the kids used those as ticket slots and other interesting additions to their games.

The children created whack-a-mole, bowling, golf, basket-ball (using hand-created tape balls), tube drops, and knock 'em down 'throw' games just to mention a few of the good ideas. One team even created a cleverly designed dunk tank. My favorite was a photo booth. When it took your picture a 'hand-drawn' photo came out of the slot and the resulting picture showed a funny caricature. Impressive artistic ability, all the way around!

It ended up being quite chaotic when parents came to get their kids. There were so many games that had been created. There simply wasn't enough time to vote on any of them and certainly not enough time for parents to interact with all the kids as we had hoped.

Still, in the end, I couldn't help but smile. In my eyes, the goal of the event had been reached --it was all about the journey for these kids. Kids jumped in and used their imaginations to create some elaborate games that were interesting to try out. They learned something new about themselves, and because many had worked together on teams with new people they worked on some important life skills. Many kids also got a chance to use parts of their brain-spatial, logic and creative thinking that perhaps they didn't utilize all the time. I was truly inspired all over again. Organizing community events like this is what makes being a youth librarian worthwhile. For a moment in time, I was part of something bigger and I am grateful everyday for the opportunities, like this one, to be here in this place, in this position.

Spring Releases by Wisconsin Authors and Illustrators

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:04:00 +0000

The Wisconsin chapter of the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) sent us a list of Spring Releases by Wisconsin Authors and Illustrators. Here's a partial list--wouldn't this be a fun book display? If you are looking for more Wisconsin authors to feature, check out past winners and outstanding books recognized by YSS's own Wisconsin Children's Book Award Committee! You can also find a directory of Wisconsin book creators on the Cooperative Children's Book Center's website.

Young Readers

Boom! Boom! Boom! (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) by Jamie A. Swenson,

pictures by David Walker. ISBN-10: 0374308683 13: 978-0374308681

Open This Little Book (Chronicle Books) by Jesse Klausmeier,

pictures by Suzy Lee ISBN-10: 0811867838 13: 978-0811867832

Squirrel’s Fun Day (Candlewick Press) by Lisa Moser,

pictures by Valerie Gorbachev ISBN-13: 978-0763657260

Ten Lucky Leprechuans (Cartwheel) Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook,

pictures by Jay Johnson ISBN: 10:0545436486 13:978-0545436489

Tiger in My Soup (Peachtree Publishers) Kashmira Sheth,

pictures by Jeffrey Ebbeler ISBN-10:1561456969 13:978-1561456963

MIDDLE GRADE AND YOUNG ADULT

Animal Icons: Armadillos, Buffaloes, Bald Eagles, Coyotes, Gray Wolves, and

Grizzly Bears (ABDO) by Sheila Llanas ISBN: (Lib) 978-1-61783-566-7

Father Groppi: Marching for Civil Rights (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)

by Stuart Stotts ISBN: 978-1-87020-575-0

The Sin Eater’s Confession (Carolrhoda Lab-YA) by Ilsa J. Bick ISBN: 978-0-7613-5687-5

Traitor in the Shipyard: A Caroline Mystery (American Girl) by Kathleen Ernst

ISBN-10: 1609580842

Walt Whitman, Great American Author Series (ABDO) Sheila Griffin Llanas

ISBN (Lib) 978-1-16783-720-3 ISBN PB: 978-1-61783-770-8

Write a Poem Step by Step: A Simple, Logical Plan You Can Follow to Create Your Own Poems (Earlybird Press) by JoAnn Early Macken ISBN: 9780985765002

Spring is really coming--you can tell because of the announcement of spring book releases!

WAPL-palooza!

noreply@blogger.com (Marge Loch-Wouters) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:45:00 +0000

A favorite rite of spring for many Wisconsin public youth librarians is the WI Association of Public Librarians conference. This year's event (May 1-3 in Lake Geneva) is chock-full of goodies to stimulate your mind, your conversations and your practice of great librarianship. Conference registration runs through April 15 and early bird hotel registration through April 8. Below find just a few highlights of interest to youth librarians. You won't go away disappointed!

Wednesday Highlights
7:00 p.m.
WAPL Conference Chair’s Reception: Apps ‘n’ Apps
Apps 'n' Apps will informally showcase some of the amazing apps available for mobile devices. We have apps to eat and apps to tap. Be ready to share your favorite app and you will be rewarded!.

Thursday Highlights
10-11:30 am
♦Everything You Need to Know You Can Learn In Storytime
Library directors talk about the skills and expertise they honed as youth services librarians, and how that has helped them in their current leadership positions.

♦Making It @ Your Library
Discover ways in which the Lomira QuadGraphics Community Library is using makerspace and digital media lab tools to facilitate transliteracy and STEM learning as well as fun.

1:30-2:30 pm

♦Creating a City of Readers: Milwaukee Public Library Transformed Their Summer Reading Program
In 2008, the Milwaukee Public Library re-branded its summer reading program as “Super Reader.” nearly doubling participation. Find out how program branding, advocacy, staff education and community support have created this highly successful program.

2:45-3:45 pm
♦Creating a City of Readers: Bringing Super Reader to Underserved Populations
When the Milwaukee Public Library took on the challenge of rebranding its Summer Reading Program, an important component included summer reading outreach to nearly 8,000 children. Learn how MPL advocates for underserved populations, educates staff and evaluates its outreach efforts.

5:00-6:00 pm
YSS Board Meeting
We'd love to have you join us at our board meeting and learn more about what YSS is working on for youth librarians in Wisconsin. This is often followed by an informal get-together for supper and a chance to get to know each other better.Can't see why that won't happen again!

Also on Thursday, there is meditation; programs on re-imagining space and collaborative fundraising, keynote speaker Carolyn Brewer; poet laureate Max Garland and more programs sponsored by units of WLA!!

Friday Highlights
9-10:15 am
♦Growing Wisconsin Readers in Your Library
Tessa Michaelson Schmidt will discuss the new statewide early literacy initiative "Growing Wisconsin Readers". Learn about the print, web, and mobile components and roll out campaign. Find out about upcoming trainings and grant opportunities.

♦Leaping Into Social Media: One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Libraries
Learning the ins and outs of popular social sites can be tricky, but with colleagues the journey can be rewarding and fun for you and your library.

10:30-11:45 am
♦Spanish for Library Staff
Learn simple Spanish phrases that you can use with your Spanish-speaking customers. Receive templates for "cheat cards" that front-line staff can use.

All followed by lunch with author Leslie Kagan.

Honestly, who would want to miss this spring learning/networking opportunity in a great location?!?! We hope to see you there!

App reviews

noreply@blogger.com (IFLS Youth Services) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:44:00 +0000

There is a fair amount of debate out there about screen time for our littlest ones, with compelling arguments on both sides. I tend to fall on the side of limiting the amount of time interacting with machines in favor of interacting more with human beings and tangible objects, but there is no doubt that there are some interesting interactive Apps out there, and even less doubt that parents are using Apps with kids of all ages.

That being the case, it seems like it is important for us to take a look at App reviews, and stand ready to recommend, model good use, and provide access to them through library iPads. Here is a source of some Apps reviews I found in a recent discussion on the ALSC-L listserv.

Little eLit's App Lists &Reviews

MomsWithApps

BestKidsApps

Wired's GeekDad and GeekMom blogs

Photo credit: IntelFreePress on flickr