Registration Open for PowerUp 2026!

 

March 26, 2026 Virtual Conference $160-$200   Join youth services managers and staff for one day of virtual learning. Hear from our keynote Lisa Roy, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC). Concurrent sessions will focus on leveling up your leadership skills, strategic planning and how to best support your team. Each session will be presented live, and recordings will be available to registered attendees for 60 days following the conference.    The conference will kick off on Thursday morning with keynote Dr. Lisa Roy. Dr. Roy is a distinguished leader in early childhood education, currently serving as the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC). Dr. Roy oversaw the creation of the Department and continues to boldly lead the agency to provide comprehensive programs and services for young children, families, and early childhood professionals, including the launch of the Universal Preschool Program, which provides half-day preschool for all Colorado children in the year before kindergarten.   Register Today   In addition to Dr. Roy's keynote address, the conference will include a range of sessions such as: ·         Reimagining Summer: Centering Community in Programs and Services ·         We’ll make it work! Moving, renovating, and recreating the youth department in one year or less ·         Unintended Consequences – the story of navigating a 36% budget reduction ·         Creating Space to Thrive: Affinity-Based Mentorship in BIPOC Librarianship ·         And more!   Quick Links ·         Visit the conference website ·         View the conference schedule ·         Registration Information   Questions? Email ce-info@ischool.wisc.edu   School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences - The Information School - Continuing Education   UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN–MADISON 1205 University Avenue  |  Madison, WI 53706 ce-info@ischool.wisc.edu

Youth Services Programming Workshop on January 10th! - Register Today!

 Youth Services Programming Workshop

 

Are you looking for ways to reduce stress at work? Join us on Tuesday, January 10 9:00am-4:00pm at the New Berlin Public Library for a full day workshop. You will learn how to reduce stress, get some programming ideas, and network with colleagues. In the morning, you will be guided through elements of the Compassion Resilience Toolkit in a bite-size format that includes information, activities, and resources for staff to understand, recognize, and minimize the experience of compassion fatigue and burnout and help increase your resiliency. Following a catered lunch, the group will shift into program brainstorming mode. There will be six stations for you to cycle through to generate ideas to plan your programs all year round. There will also be time for group brainstorming and individual work, if that is what is preferred. Leave the workshop with tools to help combat stress and a list of program ideas to implement in 2023!

 

This workshop is open to library youth services staff who work with any age groups from babies to teens.

Details & registration: https://sewilibraries.org/events/sewi-youth-services-programming-workshop/

 

This program is sponsored by the Southeastern Wisconsin (SEWI) public library systems: Bridges Library System, Kenosha County Library System, Milwaukee County Federated Library System, Monarch Library System, and Prairie Lakes Library System.

Wisconsin Youth Services Program Palooza Webinar - Register Today!

Wisconsin Youth Services Program Palooza Webinar

Wednesday, June 3, 1-2 pm   

Register here. The webinar will be recorded; please register to get the link.

Spring 2020 has been a series of pivots and pauses for public library youth services...and perhaps uncovered a wealth of new and unexpected creative and problem-solving skills for you!  Join us and continue to plan confidently for Summer and Fall with an abundance of ideas, programs and attitudes in this free one hour webinar. System youth services consultants (Shawn Brommer, Angela Meyers & Marge Loch-Wouters) and DPI staff (Tessa Michaelson Schmidt) invite you to be part of this positive, simplified, and intentional approach to youth services for the coming months.  

Introducing...The Cardigan!

Sharing ideas and information is totally a librarian's jam and, if you're anything like me, you're always on the prowl for new resources and ways to connect with other youth services librarians. 

Introducing The Cardigan, a monthly newsletter created for any and/all library staff working with children!  We're talking resources, tricks, tips, professional development, collection development, programs...SO MANY GOODIES!  They have even started creating a collection of crowdsourced book lists.  Thus far, the lists include Rhyming Storytime Books and Springtime Storytime Books. 

Want to know more?  The co-founders of The Cardigan, Allie Barton & Katherine Hickey (both Children's Librarians in Oklahoma) had a chance to share their vision on the ALSC blog earlier this month.  Click HERE to read the post!

Ready to subscribe?  Give THIS handy dandy link a whirl!

YSS Regional Meet-up: Program Swap

YSS survey respondents said that they wanted more ideas for programs they could use at their libraries large and small, rural and urban, and at minimal cost. Well, YSS Leadership listened. 

At the first regional meet-up of 2019 held at the Portage County Library in Stevens Point, WI on January 14, one of the professional development activities was a program swap. Programs had to cost $25 or less, but other than that there were no caveats. So here are the programs for kids, teens, and families that attendees shared. For more details, view the GoogleDoc version.

Ugly Sweater Party
Spy Games
Party Like a Jedi
Maker Monday After School Group: Solar Cookies (from NASA website)
Oh My Gourd! Improvised Jack-o-lanterns
Pictionary with Pudding
Chocolate Olympics
Graffiti Corner
Family Read Aloud Challenge (follow up to 1000 Books Program)
Perler Bead Program
Who’s Your Gnomie (Stuffed Sock Gnomes)
Weekly Dewey Challenge
 Cookie Clicker
Stroop Effect
Pageturners
Pine Cone Bird Feeder
Great Back Yard Bird Count
Collage Cityscapes
Vote for Book Purchases
Three Billy Goats Gruff - STEM Activity
Debate Club
Silent Library Program

 
Regional meet-ups are open to both members and non-members. They are an excellent way to gather new ideas; learn about best practices in libraries; see other spaces, collections, and displays; and grow your connections to other library staff serving youth in Wisconsin. The next meet-up is scheduled for
 the afternoon of February 22 at the Hales Corners and Muskego Public Libraries. Watch your email and this blog for a link to sign up.

Monarch Library System Hosting Mock Elections for Caldecott, Newbery & Printz Awards 2019

You're invited! Join youth library staff from Monarch Library System, school library colleagues and other library staff serving youth at this exciting one day event.

I've already started my reading and invited my local school library colleagues. Ashley Pike, one of the hosting library's staff, has invited hers. Please consider joining us and inviting your local counterparts, too. If you are interested in attending, please try to register by Monday, November 19.

If you can't make it, the list of titles for consideration makes a great collection development tool. More details including the schedule, information on how to register, and booklists can be accessed here.