It's Time For the Annual End-of-Summer Survey!

Calling all Wisconsin Public Library Staff who offered a Summer Reading Program/Summer Library Program in 2019!  We need you...yes, YOU...to fill out an end-of-summer survey and help advocate for youth services. 

The following email was sent earlier today by Tessa Michaelson Schmidt:

This is a friendly reminder to complete the end-of-summer survey. The audience for the survey is public library staff who played an active role in administering or running 2019 summer library programming regardless if you used the “Universe of Stories” theme. Please complete the survey between now and September 27, 2019.  Multiple library staff from the same library should complete the sections of the survey most relevant to their work; e.g. children, teen, or adult programs.

Beginning in 2019, the Public Library Development (PLD) Team will conduct an annual end-of-the-summer survey about the summer library program in concert with the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP).  PLD coordinates a summer reading program on behalf of Wisconsin's public libraries through membership to the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) and free access to the all-ages manual. Through the state-sponsored membership to CSLP, Wisconsin libraries are able to purchase high-quality program materials at a low cost. Your input on this survey is vital to the future of this program.

If you've already taken the time to fill out the survey, thanks so much!  If you haven't, there's still plenty of time!  Click HERE to get started and help validate the importance of support and available resources for all of Wisconsin's library staff serving youth and the communities they serve.

ICYMI: A Universe of Podcasts

Looking for kid-friendly podcasts for a variety of ages?  You're in luck!



Check out this School Library Journal article from May that not only offers curated podcast lists aimed at Elementary, Middle, and High School students...but also the information needed to curate your own, super rad podcast playlists!

Click here to start exploring: A Universe of Podcasts.

Put your best space face forward with the NASA Selfie app!

Y'ALL.  Thanks to a fantastic post on the Teen Services Underground Facebook group, I just learned about an app that's pretty darn perfect for this year's summer theme: NASA Selfies!
                                                   
The app, created by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the launch of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, is free and available for both iOS and Android.

The process is simple:

1. Download the app.
2. Take a selfie (or a picture of your pet, another person, what-have-you)
3. Take your face--now placed inside a virtual spacesuit--and decide which Spitzer image you want for a background.

There's currently over 30 different background options--and a random button, if you just can't choose and/or want to be surprised!  The app also includes a bit of information about your selected interstellar background.

How fun would this be for the summer?!  I think patrons of all ages will get a kick out of the chance to send themselves on a galactic adventure, right from their handheld device.

Click HERE to read the official press release.

And, for education purposes (of course) I tried the app a few times myself. *ahem*

SYNC Audiobooks for Teens Begins April 25

Mark your calendars for 14 weeks of free audiobooks for teens (or anyone who wants to listen) for SYNC 2019. PR materials are available in a toolkit on the site. They will likely post 2019 materials towards mid-February.

In short, two paired audiobooks are released for download each week. The books are free to keep for personal use. More information is available on the SYNC site.

Also for consideration is AudioFile Magazine's 2019 Audiobook Challenge. It's comprised of twelve different challenges that listeners can pick and choose from to give extra range to their audiobook listening.

YALSA's 2019 Summer Grant Applications Now Open!

Looking for some extra funds to help out with next year's Summer Reading Program?

YALSA recently announced that applications for the 2019 Summer Grants are officially open!  Thanks to generous funding by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, two different grants are available: the Summer Learning Resource Grant and the Teen Summer Intern Grant.  There are twenty-five grants available for each category, and the grants--worth $1000 each--will be awarded to libraries around the country. 

Interested applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• The applicant must be a member of YALSA, both at the time the application is submitted and through the implementation of the grant.
• The Summer Learning Program must be administered through a library.
• The SLP must be open to all teens in your community.
• The winning library must be within 20 miles of a Dollar General store.

For more information and/or to get started, visit YALSA's Summer Learning website.  Applications are due by January 1, 2019.