Up Your Grant Writing Game

Image by aymane jdidi from Pixabay

WLA Youth Services Section is hosting Up Your Grant Writing Game! A webinar to help youth services librarians finetune their grant writing skills!

Dollars are scarce these days, but great ideas abound!  Learn how to be grant-ready, streamline your story-telling, and prepare a solid budget for successful grant applications.

Thursday, September 18, 2025

3:00 - 4:00 PM

Presenter: Tracy Herold 

Tracy Herold has worked in public libraries for over 30 years. Having received her MLIS at UW-Madison, she started her career in children's librarianship at Chicago Public Library.  Throughout her career, she has launched public Internet access, built a building, implemented an automated sorter, planned for new carpet, moved two facilities and built three bookmobiles.  In her current role as director of Dane County Library Service, she has worked with libraries to help them write successful grants for the Beyond the Page Endowment that supports humanities programming in Dane County libraries in perpetuity.

Register here. The webinar is free to WLA members and $25 for non-members.

Upcoming YSS Webinar on Puppetry

Mark your calendars for our newest YSS webinar on the magic of puppetry in library programming.

Tuesday May 6    

3:00 -4:00pm. 

WLA members: free

Non-members: $25 (at the registration link, 

please use your email and set up a password to register) 

Please register here

ENGAGING, EDUCATING, AND ENTERTAINING

 WITH PUPPETS

Join two experienced librarians as they share the magic of puppetry in library programs! This dynamic presentation will explore how puppets can captivate young audiences, enhance early literacy skills, and bring stories to life in engaging and interactive ways. Learn practical tips for selecting and using puppets, incorporating them into programming, and boosting participation and excitement in your programs. Whether you're a seasoned performer or new to puppetry, you'll leave with fresh ideas to entertain and educate your young patrons!

PRESENTERS: 

Christine Culp

Christine has been a Youth Librarian for 18 years working most of them in the Manatee County, Florida Public Library System.  Her background is in Art and Design and she continues to freelance and share her love of art in library programming.  She started playing with puppets and staging puppet shows early in her career.  She also loved visiting Mister Rogers Neighborhood and was very inspired by his Land of Make Believe.  She wanted to create that magic for the kids I work with.

Mandy O'Brien

Mandy O’Brien has worked as a Youth Services Librarian at the Skokie Public Library since 1999 and was the recipient of the Illinois Library Association's 2022 Youth Services Achievement Award. Before working at SPL, Mandy worked as a magazine editor and still freelances for publishers and educational organizations. She enjoys infusing social-emotional learning and early literacy techniques into her library work and believes puppets are great partners in building relationships with kids (and their grownups)."

Don't Delay - YSS Webinar on Nov 14

 

Free for WLA members; $25 for non-members 

Visit the YSS page on the WLA website to learn more and register here 

Islands of Brilliance is a Milwaukee-based non-profit that uses art and creative technologies to empower autistic and neurodivergent individuals and open pathways to employment and independence. The Fellowship is one of the newest programs from IOB, which focuses on transition-age participants in six mid and small-size cities across the state. In this webinar, three staff members will share insights about The Fellowship program design and implementation, as well as key insights about supporting and engaging neurodivergent youth and young adults within community spaces.

Presenters:
Dr. Kate Siekman: Director of Learning and Outcomes
Kate has 12 years' experience in education and autism therapy. With teaching licenses in alternative and special education and a doctoral degree in occupational therapy, Kate has cultivated a passion for alternative access to learning. Kate seeks the best educational experiences for the students and families she serves, using her creativity in pedagogy to deliver dynamic student outcomes.

Natalie Derr: Lead Creative Technologist
Artist and experimental creative Natalie Derr aims to use her background in Digital Studio Practice and Painting and drawing as a tool for creative intervention in the exploration of students' identities. As IOB’s Creative Technologist, Natalie is passionately curious about our diverse imaginations and how to exercise empathy by sharing artwork.

Mark Fairbanks: Cofounder and Executive Director of Islands of Brilliance
Mark leads a devoted team of education and design professionals at Islands of Brilliance. Since the launch of the program in the fall of 2012, along with his wife Margaret he has guided the organization through constant evolution and growth.

Prior to Islands of Brilliance, a 27-year career in advertising, design, and digital saw Mark working for notable creative boutiques in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Chicago. During this period his work appeared in The One Show, Communication Arts, Graphis, and The Obies, while also receiving acclaim in Adweek, Creativity, and The New York Times. He was a member of the Creative Alliance, a cohort of notable agency creatives and agencies working on social impact initiatives during the final two years of the Obama Administration.

Don't Forget to Register for Nov 14 YSS Webinar

 

Free for WLA members; $25 for non-members 

Visit the YSS page on the WLA website to learn more and register here 

Islands of Brilliance is a Milwaukee-based non-profit that uses art and creative technologies to empower autistic and neurodivergent individuals and open pathways to employment and independence. The Fellowship is one of the newest programs from IOB, which focuses on transition-age participants in six mid and small-size cities across the state. In this webinar, three staff members will share insights about The Fellowship program design and implementation, as well as key insights about supporting and engaging neurodivergent youth and young adults within community spaces.

Presenters:
Dr. Kate Siekman: Director of Learning and Outcomes
Kate has 12 years' experience in education and autism therapy. With teaching licenses in alternative and special education and a doctoral degree in occupational therapy, Kate has cultivated a passion for alternative access to learning. Kate seeks the best educational experiences for the students and families she serves, using her creativity in pedagogy to deliver dynamic student outcomes.

Natalie Derr: Lead Creative Technologist
Artist and experimental creative Natalie Derr aims to use her background in Digital Studio Practice and Painting and drawing as a tool for creative intervention in the exploration of students' identities. As IOB’s Creative Technologist, Natalie is passionately curious about our diverse imaginations and how to exercise empathy by sharing artwork.

Mark Fairbanks: Cofounder and Executive Director of Islands of Brilliance
Mark leads a devoted team of education and design professionals at Islands of Brilliance. Since the launch of the program in the fall of 2012, along with his wife Margaret he has guided the organization through constant evolution and growth. Prior to Islands of Brilliance, a 27-year career in advertising, design, and digital saw Mark working for notable creative boutiques in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Chicago. During this period his work appeared in The One Show, Communication Arts, Graphis, and The Obies, while also receiving acclaim in Adweek, Creativity, and The New York Times. He was a member of the Creative Alliance, a cohort of notable agency creatives and agencies working on social impact initiatives during the final two years of the Obama Administration.

Mark Your Calendars - YSS Webinar in November

Free for WLA members; $25 for non-members 

Visit the YSS page on the WLA website to learn more and register here 

Islands of Brilliance is a Milwaukee-based non-profit that uses art and creative technologies to empower autistic and neurodivergent individuals and open pathways to employment and independence. The Fellowship is one of the newest programs from IOB, which focuses on transition-age participants in six mid and small-size cities across the state. In this webinar, three staff members will share insights about The Fellowship program design and implementation, as well as key insights about supporting and engaging neurodivergent youth and young adults within community spaces.

Presenters:
Dr. Kate Siekman: Director of Learning and Outcomes
Kate has 12 years' experience in education and autism therapy. With teaching licenses in alternative and special education and a doctoral degree in occupational therapy, Kate has cultivated a passion for alternative access to learning. Kate seeks the best educational experiences for the students and families she serves, using her creativity in pedagogy to deliver dynamic student outcomes.

Natalie Derr: Lead Creative Technologist
Artist and experimental creative Natalie Derr aims to use her background in Digital Studio Practice and Painting and drawing as a tool for creative intervention in the exploration of students' identities. As IOB’s Creative Technologist, Natalie is passionately curious about our diverse imaginations and how to exercise empathy by sharing artwork.

Woodzick: Statewide Outreach Manager
Woodzick holds an MFA in Contemporary Performance and has 18 years of experience as an arts educator and digital marketer specializing in new media. They are passionate about amplifying the voices of fellow neurodivergent artists and are the proud co-host of the Brilliant Voices podcast.

It's Almost Time - YSS Webinar- Libraries Without Limits

Be sure you get registered for this webinar (free to WLA members; $25 for non-members)

WLA's Youth Services Section (YSS) presents

Join us for the next installment of the YSS Presents webinar series! Jessica Oakland, physical therapist, and Hannah Delaney, speech-language pathologist, from Progressive Beginnings Rehab Agency, will discuss how to incorporate OT/PT/ST into libraries and library programs, and the fun and creative ways we can promote child development through activities, songs, and crafts.

REGISTER HERE.

Registration closes at noon on May 9 

Free for WLA Members/$25.00 for Nonmembers

Our speakers:
Hannah Delaney, MS, CCC-SLP
Hello, I'm Hannah! I graduated from Marquette University in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. I continued my education at Marquette and graduated in 2021 with a masters in Speech-Language Pathology. From there I completed my Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) at a school district in Wisconsin evaluating and treating students from ages 2-18. I found a love in evaluating/treating pediatric clients with a variety of communication and feeding/swallowing needs. I have been a part of the Progressive Beginnings team for about two years now and have loved collaborating with OT, PT and families to help achieve our clients goals along with making a difference in their lives. I am currently working on getting my NLA (natural language acquisition) certification so that I can better support my neurodivergent pediatric patients. In my free time, I enjoy watching/playing sports, baking sweet treats, spending time outdoors and playing board games with family and friends.

Jessica Oakland, PT, DPT
Hi, I'm Jessica! I graduated with my Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology in 2010 and then my Doctorate of Physical Therapy in May 2014 both from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. I started with Progressive Beginnings in June 2014 and then joined the family business as an Operational Partner in November 2014. I have a passion to work with pediatric patients and truly love being becoming part of each of their stories. I create our newsletters, social media posts, and community outreach as the Director of Marketing as well as oversee both Human Resources and Patient Services Division. My husband and I live in Manitowoc with our daughter, son, and dog. We love to travel, hike, camp, and spend time with our family and friends.

YSS Webinar: Libraries Without Limits

WLA's Youth Services Section (YSS) presents

Join us for the next installment of the YSS Presents webinar series! Jessica Oakland, physical therapist, and Hannah Delaney, speech-language pathologist, from Progressive Beginnings Rehab Agency, will discuss how to incorporate OT/PT/ST into libraries and library programs, and the fun and creative ways we can promote child development through activities, songs, and crafts.

REGISTER HERE.

Registration closes at noon on May 9 

Free for WLA Members/$25.00 for Nonmembers

Our speakers:
Hannah Delaney, MS, CCC-SLP
Hello, I'm Hannah! I graduated from Marquette University in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. I continued my education at Marquette and graduated in 2021 with a masters in Speech-Language Pathology. From there I completed my Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) at a school district in Wisconsin evaluating and treating students from ages 2-18. I found a love in evaluating/treating pediatric clients with a variety of communication and feeding/swallowing needs. I have been a part of the Progressive Beginnings team for about two years now and have loved collaborating with OT, PT and families to help achieve our clients goals along with making a difference in their lives. I am currently working on getting my NLA (natural language acquisition) certification so that I can better support my neurodivergent pediatric patients. In my free time, I enjoy watching/playing sports, baking sweet treats, spending time outdoors and playing board games with family and friends.

Jessica Oakland, PT, DPT
Hi, I'm Jessica! I graduated with my Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology in 2010 and then my Doctorate of Physical Therapy in May 2014 both from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. I started with Progressive Beginnings in June 2014 and then joined the family business as an Operational Partner in November 2014. I have a passion to work with pediatric patients and truly love being becoming part of each of their stories. I create our newsletters, social media posts, and community outreach as the Director of Marketing as well as oversee both Human Resources and Patient Services Division. My husband and I live in Manitowoc with our daughter, son, and dog. We love to travel, hike, camp, and spend time with our family and friends.

Chair's Corner - October 2023 YSS Board Updates

This month's September YSS board meeting update is from Alison Loewen, our YSS 2023 Chair and Youth Services Librarian, Mead Public Library, Sheboygan

The WLA Annual Conference is only one week away, and I am excited to see so many of you there! There is not only an incredible line-up of educational presentations, but many opportunities to connect with both new and old friends. Make sure to first visit the YSS Board at the Exhibit Hall during the opening reception, 6:30-8:30.  We will be passing out buttons and sharing information about a few upcoming events. 

On Wednesday afternoon, the YSS luncheon will be quite the treat, with guest speaker Ebony LaDelle presenting. Thursday morning, those interested in what the board has been up to and what we are thinking about for 2024, are welcome to attend our business breakfast at 7:30am in the Middleton Board Room. And don’t forget about the YSS social at the CCBC. Space is limited, so please pre-register if you are interested in attending. Sign up now by clicking this link.  WLA has its own line-up of special events, so make sure you check out the schedule here.

Looking forward, there are a few special events I hope you will keep on your radar. The WLA Performers Showcase is scheduled for December 8th, and will provide previews of performances from area artists available for booking at your library.  And we have set the date for our next YSS Webinar “Connecting 1, 2, 3 to A, B, C: Exploring Early Math and its Implications for Emergent Literacy in Young Child Programming”. Save January 11th 3-4pm, for what is certainly going to be an inspiring conversation with Dr. Kathleen Campana of Kent State University and University of WI Madison Information School PhD Candidate Jacqueline Kociubuk.    

We are looking forward to a great end of 2023, and another wonderful year ahead.  I hope you can join us at our annual business meeting at the WLA conference! The board would love to meet you!

Chair's Corner - April 2023 YSS Board Updates

Today's April 2023 YSS board meeting update is from Alison Loewen, our YSS 2023 Chair and Youth Services Librarian, Mead Public Library, Sheboygan

April showers bring May flowers, and YSS is raining opportunities to help you and your library blossom into a beautiful garden!

It’s the start of conference season, and WAPL is right around the corner.  YSS is hopeful for a great turnout at our social event.  Meet us Thursday night at 7:30 in the party room at the Ground Round restaurant at the hotel!  We invite you to bring a 1-page handout with a program idea that you think would be fun for other libraries to implement.  Also, the conference committee is looking for volunteers to serve as registration ambassadors and room monitors, so  Sign-Up Here , if you are able to lend a hand.  “It's through relationships that we grow best—and learn best.” said Fred Rogers, so take these opportunities to meet some new friends, and build your professional network- I’d love to meet you there!

Just a few days ago, WLA announced its call for proposals for the annual conference in Middleton, October 24-27. The conference brings together library professionals from all areas of library work to explore new ideas and learn from each other.  I encourage you to share the amazing work that you have been up to.  If you have an idea, but prefer to speak on a panel, fill out this conference collaboration form, and YSS might be able to help you find some like-minded individuals to present with.   If you are confident to present on your own, please complete this proposal online form  by May 12.  I am looking forward to learning from all of you this October.

Our YSS webinar season is in full swing, with our next installment of WLA’s Youth Services Section (YSS) Presents: Teen Programming Inspiration scheduled for Tuesday, April 18.  The webinar will provide tons of great ideas for teen programming from 4 talented and enthusiastic Teen Librarians.  It's free for WLA members, and $25 for non-members. You can find out more and register here.   This webinar will be followed by another entry in May on Teen Advisory Groups and volunteers, so watch for information about that coming soon.

Last, some exciting breaking news! WLA and YSS are taking over the Performers Showcase legacy!  Save the date! Friday November 10th is when incredible performers from all disciplines will gather online and share with you what they can offer your library families. While we can’t share more details at this time, mark your calendars, as you won’t want to miss it!

There are several other seeds that have been planted, but I will save those official announcements for next month. 

Happy Spring!

YSS Webinar Reminder

 

REGISTER (WLA members - free; non-member fee - $25.00)

 

Join YSS for one final professional development webinar of 2022.  Librarians often play a role in the healing journey of their patrons, from being a listening ear to offering services.  It can be challenging to address these tough situations, but two librarians will be sharing how their libraries have addressed social emotional learning. Jayme from Milton Public Library will be sharing their experience with the Healing Library resources. The Healing Library is a series of kits designed to make a family's journey of healing following a trauma easier to navigate and personalize. Jenna from Chippewa Falls Public Library will then be diving into kits that her library created from grant funds made available to them through their library system.  Participants will leave the webinar with all the resources they'll need to create social emotional awareness kits at their own library. 

 

Presenters:  Jenna Gilles, Youth Services Assistant, Chippewa Falls Public Library; Jayme Anderson, Children's Librarian & Assistant Director, Milton Public Library.

Jenna Gilles is a Youth Services Assistant at Chippewa Falls Public Library. She enjoys live music, hiking, and her current favorite series are Andor and Heartstopper. 

 

Jayme Anderson has been the Children's Librarian at Milton Public Library for 6 years and the Assistant Director for 4 years. She loves making her co-workers take personality tests, planning staff dress-up days, and visiting the Milton 4K classes for Storytime. In her free time you can find her hiking, napping, watching shows, or cuddling kitties. 

Webinar: Trauma-Informed Education

Using Children’s Books to Approach Trauma-Informed Education was a recent webinar hosted by Lee & Low Books.  The first half of the webinar provides a thoughtful overview of trauma, including important concepts and terminology. The second half dives into specific titles and how they might be used in a classroom setting (which would need to be modified for a public library setting).

You can watch the webinar recording here and check out Lee & Low’s Trauma-Informed Diverse Reading List that showcases child protagonists who cope with trauma in a variety of ways and provide students opportunities to discuss trauma through the lens of a relatable and engaging character.

**Thanks to Amanda Bosky at the Stoughton Public Library who sent this to Tessa and, as always, to Tessa, for sharing so many vital and informative resources with library staff serving youth and families throughout Wisconsin.**

Free Continuing Education - Archived YSS Webinars

For the past few years, our youth services section has been partnering with library systems to create great content for your learning.  YSS Powerhouse Presents feature YSS member panels addressing issues and trends in youth services. We create the content and our system partners provide the tech support and sponsor the webinar for their system members.  They then share the archived webinar with us for our website.

The following webinars are available:

§ All in the Family - family oriented programs and Services

§ Beyond Storytime - play based programming for all ages

§ Collection Connections - tips on weeding, selection, working with salespeople and creating a diverse collection

§ Outreach and Community Partnerships - ideas on relationship building, outreach strategies and addressing barriers

§ School Age Programming - on & offsite programs, tips on successes and pitfall avoidance

§ Serving Homeschoolers including slides, Pinterest board and survey

§ Storytime 101: Rethinking the Basics - tips and tricks to engage preschoolers and their caregivers

§ Teen Outreach: Getting Out to Get Teens In - do's & don't in connecting to teens

§ Teen Programming:Teen Services, OK? Better Than OK! - tips on programs, services and volunteers

§ Transforming Collections - tips creating picture book subject collections and tween collections

§ Transitions and Transformations - change is hard...or stimulating. Three youth folks trace their transformations and transitions.

To access the webinars, stop here.

And don't forget to visit the main WLA website for news and updates of conferences and other opportunities.