Tips and Info from DPI's November 20, 2025 Youth Services Newsletter

  Jeni Schomber's DPI Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources is an email newsletter chockfull of great resources we've come to rely on. If you are a WI youth library staffer and you don't receive this weekly missive in your email inbox, please contact Jeni (jennifer.schomber@dpi.wi.gov) to be placed on the list!

Here is the November 20, 2025 edition:

 

Check out these youth services resources and reminders!  CSLP Swag Bag Giveaway – deadline 5 p.m. Friday, November 21, 2025   Enter for a chance to win one of four swag bags full of Unearth a Story merchandise, courtesy of Collaborative Summer Library Program.   Each bag includes (2) pencil packs, (2) mini-sticker packs, (2) bookmark packs, sports bag, water bottle, lanyard, and a Digby squishy.    Randomly selected winners will be notified on Monday, November 24, 2025.    BadgerLink Bulletin: Refreshed Training Materials Refreshed and ready for the new year, check out BadgerLink's Training page for answers to your questions on BadgerLink resources! Find overviews for the public library or K-12 grade levels, videos and info sheets on specific resources, help using common search features and tools, and much more. Friends of the CCBC Book Sale  Friday, December 5, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 6, from 8:00 to 11 a.m. The final hour on Saturday is a bag sale!  This sale includes thousands of new and gently used books for children and teens.  All proceeds benefit the Friends of the CCBC, Inc., which supports the work of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, a library serving pre-service and practicing librarians and teachers across Wisconsin.   Please visit https://ccbcfriends.org/book-sale/ for more information.  Seven Types of Rest Librarians Actually Need and How to Get Them  I recently ran across this article from the Librarian by Day blog written by Bobbi Newman. Bobbi is a practicing librarian, Certified Wellness Practitioner, author, and consultant. Enjoy and find rest!  As I reflect upon the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I want to express how grateful I am for the work that you do for your libraries and for your communities.   The next Youth Services Weekly Resources and Reminders email communication will be available the week of December 1, 2026.  Jeni Schomber  Public Library Consultant  The DPI does not sponsor or endorse external resources or events. They are provided for your consideration only. Contact: jeni.schomber@dpi.wi.gov

Teenagers in Groups Webinar

Ryan Dowd's Working with Teens webinar series finishes up this month with the third installment!

Teenagers (Part 3): Teenagers in Groups

Date & Time: Thursday, September 11 at 1:00 PM (Central) 

Description:

• Why teens behave differently in front of other teens
• Why teens feel less responsible for their actions when in a group
• Eight strategies you can use to manage teen group behavior

Register here.

Be sure to check out the other parts of the series as well!

Teenagers Part 1: Basics of Teenage Behavior may be found here. It covers:

• Why teens test boundaries (and what you should do about it)
• How “respect” works with teenagers
• Two things you should NEVER do when dealing with teens

Teenagers Part 2: Teens with Trauma/ACES may be found here. It covers: 

• Types of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) teens can experience
• Impact of trauma on the brain (and their behavior)
• Five tools for working with teens with trauma/ACEs

Working with Teens Webinar Series

If you are just starting out in Teen Services, looking for some best practices, or seeking information to share with other staff members - I highly encourage you to check out Ryan Dowd's 'Teenagers' webinar series on Niche Academy (accessible to Wisconsin librarians through Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction).

All staff that interact with teens would benefit in viewing the introductory webinar as it goes through teen brain development, how teens view/react to situations differently, how to set/enforce boundaries, and how to build a relationship with teens that leads to better outcomes.

The first part of the series Teenagers: Basics of Teenage Behavior may be found here.

Teenagers Part 2: Teens with Trauma/ACES will be held on Thursday, August 14 from 1-2 PM (Central Time). The topics covered will include:

• Types of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) teens can experience
• Impact of trauma on the brain (and their behavior)
• Five tools for working with teens with trauma/ACEs

You can register for this webinar here. 

Helpful Badgerlink Training Webinars for Youth Staff

From Jeni Schomber's DPI Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources, May 24, 2024.

BadgerLink Bulletin - Spring 2024 Training Recordings from training sessions on BadgerLink’s For Library Staff page and Youth Services resource guides are now available to view on the Training Page.

 

• Library Staff Page for School Librarians
• Library Staff Page for Public Librarians
• Resource Guides for Youth Services Librarians

 

Nourishing Minds Grant Participation Opportunity

 From Jeni Schomber, DPI/DLT Public Library Consultant

Is teen mental health something you are thinking about? Would you like to  gain skills in building positive teen well-being? As a part of the IMLS-funded Nourishing Minds initiative, The Seattle Public Library is seeking six U.S. public libraries to participate in a series of activities over the next year that will give library staff the opportunity to:

• Build strategies for proactively creating services in support of teen mental health
• Move away from a crisis approach to teen mental health
• Attend a series of participatory design training sessions and build skills in support of teen mental health
• Receive coaching from Meridian Library District (ID) and Charles County Public Library (MD) staff
• Facilitate a programming series in support of teen mental health and library space that support teen mental health

Those selected to participate will receive a $6000 stipend to use in support of learning about and providing services in support of teen mental health.

 

Onboarding of selected library staff begins in November 2023, learning sessions for selected staff will begin in early 2024, and libraries selected will facilitate their mental health centered programs from February through July 2024.

 

You can apply to participate in the initiative by filling out and submitting this form.  To learn more check out our FAQ and register for our information session on Wednesday, October 4, noon to 1PM Pacific.  Applications will close on October 13 at 11:59 PM Pacific.

 

The Nourishing Minds Team

Call for Facilitator Applicants

As seen on wispublib listserv:

As part of the 2022 LSTA-funded project Libraries Talk About Race, the Wisconsin IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Action) Team invites library staff to apply to participate in virtual Facilitation Training, which will occur February 3.  

 

Facilitation Training is a 2 hour training provided by The People Company.  The goal is to prepare a group of Wisconsin library staff to facilitate group discussions about race.  Several of those trained will have the opportunity to facilitate discussions with other library workers about upcoming webinars (in February, March, and April of 2022).  The training will prepare participants to:

• Understand their personal facilitation style and adapt their style to different facilitation situations.
• Apply strategies for effective and inclusive large group facilitation where thoughtful, critical dialog can occur.
• Manage group dynamics that may arise in a large group facilitation setting in a way that maintains a trusting, respectful environment.

If you are interested in applying, please take a look at the INFORMATION SHEET, and APPLY for your spot by Wednesday, January 5.  Selected participants will be notified by Monday, January 10.

If you have questions, please contact:

Shauna Koszegi, Southwest Library System (skoszegi@swls.org)

Mark Jochem, South Central Library System (mjochem@scls.info) 

Leah Langby, IFLS Library System (langby@ifls.lib.wi.us) 

 

Monthly EDI Tip from WLA's New Special Interest Group

Dear Wisconsin Library Community,

As we begin a new year, consider utilizing the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Training Calendar when seeking professional learning opportunities. The EDI Training calendar is an effort of the American Library Association’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS), and includes registration options for individuals outside of a particular institution/membership organization. Additionally, the ODLOS email newsletter is a valuable resource for EDI and social justice news and events for the library profession (subscribe here). Lastly, if you are looking for an EDI expert, check out the EDI Speakers Bureau. 

This monthly tip is brought to you by the Inclusive Services special interest group (SIG) of the Wisconsin Library Association. Our goal is to promote inclusion in Wisconsin libraries by helping library staff, friends and trustees recognize and implement inclusive practices. The Inclusive Services SIG will provide support of inclusive practices through organizing and/or sponsoring continuing education opportunities and the SIG will reflect and discuss inclusive practices within the Wisconsin Library Association. For more information, visit https://www.wisconsinlibraries.org/sigs.

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt (she/hers)

Public Library Consultant | Youth Services and Inclusive Services

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

(608) 267-5077 Tessa.Schmidt@dpi.wi.gov

Free Grant Seeking Webinar

OCLC's WebJunction offers a number of free webinars for libraries each month.  This week they are offering a session called Introduction to Finding Grants.  The webinar will focus on the ten most important things you need to know about finding grants, including:

• Who funds nonprofits and what are their motivations.
• What do funders really want to know about the organizations they are interested in funding.
• How do you identify potential funders and make the first approach.

The session is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4, 2015  1:00 - 2:00pm.
Click HERE to read more about the webinar and to register.

Growing Readers Early Literacy Event at Pewaukee Public Library

Brought to you by Jenny Wegener at Pewaukee Public Library

On February 6, the Pewaukee Public Library hosted a new event designed to provide early literacy training, library awareness, and encouragement to child care professionals. This program was made possible by an Early Literacy grant from the Waukesha County Federated Library System with some help from the Pewaukee Kiwanis Club. A total of thirteen people, plus several library staff members attended.

I promoted this event with letters sent to area day cares, emails, and personal invitations to child care providers who attend our programs. We also had information posted in the library and on our web site and Facebook page.

We began the evening with a delicious pizza and salad dinner delivered by our local Rosati’s. The dinner was free for participants and was very generously paid for by our local Kiwanis group. The library also provided beverages as well as Rice Krispy Squares (homemade) and chocolate for dessert. Most participants were attending right after work and really appreciated the meal.

After introductions, I gave a short talk that highlighted the six early literacy skills and five practices from Every Child Ready to Read 1 and 2. I also emphasized the importance of early childhood experiences in setting the stage for future learning and the special place that day care professionals have in ensuring a child’s academic success. I did have some of my favorite books on display and modeled dialogic reading for the group. While I spoke, the participants enjoyed the meal.

The highlight of the evening was a presentation by Stuart Stotts. Stuart, who has done multiple keynote addresses at Early Childhood conferences, was absolutely marvelous! He gave a terrific presentation that had participants singing, laughing, sharing and learning together. Stuart shared information about brain development, the importance of singing with children, and the critical nature of quality care in the early years. We all learned some great songs to use in our work with children, and, best of all, came away eager to implement the ideas.

All the participants seemed to enjoy and appreciate the evening and I did have several ask if we planned to do it again next year. I would like to if the funding is available and I am hopeful that this year’s participants will “spread the word” to their coworkers. All children need quality early literacy experiences, not just those lucky enough to visit the library’s story times and I hope this event will make a difference.

"Libraries and Autism: We're Connected” Video

The Fanwood Memorial Library (NJ) and the Scotch Plains Public Library (NJ) have shared a customer service training video to help library staff serve individuals with autism and their families more effectively and inclusively. The video focuses on what you need to know about autism spectrum disorder and empowers the viewer with specific techniques to offer more inclusive and comprehensive customer service when interacting with this growing and underserved population. Nationally, autism affects one in every 150 individuals, and in New Jersey, as many as one in ninety-four.

All libraries and other organizations are encouraged to explore the site www.thejointlibrary.org/autism, watch the video and make free use of all of the support resources available there.

The video was created by the two libraries as a part of the "Welcoming Library Spaces for the Autism Community and Their Families" incubator project, which was made possible by a contract with Infolink: The Eastern New Jersey Regional Library Cooperative. The Cooperative and its services are funded by the New Jersey State Library, which is responsible for the coordination, promotion and funding of the New Jersey Library Network.

For more information about this project and to receive a free "Libraries and Autism: We're Connected" decal for your library, please contact the libraries off-list at autism@thejointlibrary.org