Your Voice, Our Community: Write for the YSS Blog!

Ready to shape the future of library services for kids and teens across Wisconsin? Join the YSS Blog! The Youth Services Shout-Out (YSS) Blog, with over 1.5 million views and almost 4,000 posts, is a dynamic resource that highlights recent library news, programming ideas, and professional development opportunities for youth services folks in Wisconsin.

Image by Sophie Janotta from Pixabay

We’re looking for fresh voices and dedicated library champions to keep this momentum going! There are two ways to join in:

• Become a Guest Contributor: Got a brilliant program idea, a deep-dive "how-to," or an opinion piece on the latest library trends? We want to hear it! Sharing your expertise helps peers statewide. 

• Join the Admin Team: Want to go behind the scenes? Help us curate the best resources, manage community content, and keep Wisconsin’s youth services community connected and informed.

Email the blog team at yss.wla@gmail.com to get started!

Explore all PBS Wisconsin Education has to offer!

Did you know PBS Wisconsin Education has a digital newsletter? Stay up to date on all the resources they offer and see what ideas you can incorporate into your programming!

This is their most recent edition:

Infuse More Perspectives Dear educators, When you include diverse historical perspectives in what you're teaching, you open students' minds to new ideas and help them connect learning to their lives. Enrich your curriculum with standards-aligned resources like:  A new episode of The Look Back on Indigenous copperworking traditions A lesson about the experiences of Black patriots during the Revolutionary War Activities to explore the impacts of historical Black Americans Then, celebrate Wisconsin students competing in the Madison Symphony Orchestra's Bolz Young Artist Competition. Finally, don't forget to register for the America at 250 Educator Summit. Spaces are filling up! Happy exploring!   Your partner in education, Tawny Morrison, Education Marketing Specialist     Indigenous copper The western Great Lakes are home to one of the world's oldest copperworking traditions! Join Taylor and Kacie as they learn from experts around the state about why copper was used starting thousands of years ago and what it can tell us about the lifestyles and traditions of the area's cultures. (Grades 4-9)     Black Americans and the Patriot cause Explore the life and legacy of James Forten to better understand why he (and other Black Americans) chose to support the Patriot cause during the American Revolution with this lesson and media clips from Ken Burns in the Classroom. (Grades 6-12)     Learn about Black leaders Introduce learners to historical figures like Zora Neale Hurston and James Washington Carver with this collection of mini biographies and activities from Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. Available in English and Spanish. (Grades 1-2)     Wisconsin-made music Watch four musicians perform with the Madison Symphony Orchestra in Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte at 7 p.m. March 17 on PBS Wisconsin. Then, bring the spirit of the symphony to your classroom with performances from musicians like SistaStrings in Re/Sound: Songs of Wisconsin. (Grades 4-8)     Behind the scenes with PBS Wisconsin Education Garden & Green Living Expo Producer Kylie Compe and Executive Producer Ryan Hendricks joined Field Notes on Climate host Ami Eckard-Lee and entomology professors Claudio Gratton and James Crall at the PBS Wisconsin Garden and Green Living Expo to share a sneak peek of the new series and share tips for making pollinator-friendly spaces at home.         Visit Our Events Page   Subscribe to This Newsletter   PBS Wisconsin Education creates and curates free-to-use, standards-aligned, Wisconsin-focused educational media for grades PreK-12, including videos, games, interactive content, and educator guides.

Genius Files: The Launchpad

Kate Davis, YSS Board Member and Programming Consultant for the Prairie Lakes Library System has introduced a new new email blast for her library system called The Genius Files. Here's the newest edition:

Greetings!

Today's genius idea comes from me (Kate Davis). It's a passion project I've been working on for months and I'm finally ready to release it to the big wide world... The Launchpad: Lift-off Ready Programs

Screengrab from The Launchpad blog

This all-ages programming blog comes filled with not just ideas, but marketing templates, supply lists, accessibility/inclusion suggestions, book lists, reusability ideas, and so much more. I want this to be a one-stop shop to make your program planning time more effective and less stressful.

I'm constantly adding new programs and would love to add your ideas as well! Here's a link to send those ideas to me. It's also located on the homepage of the blog.

Please share this with your colleagues and cohorts. And, as always, let me know of any suggestions or ideas!

YSS Needs You!

Ready to shape the future of library services for kids and teens across Wisconsin? Join the YSS Blog! The Youth Services Shout-Out (YSS) Blog, with over 1.5 million views and almost 4,000 posts, is a dynamic resource that highlights recent library news, programming ideas, and professional development opportunities for youth services folks in Wisconsin.

Image by Sophie Janotta from Pixabay

We’re looking for fresh voices and dedicated library champions to keep this momentum going! There are two ways to join in:

• Become a Guest Contributor: Got a killer program idea, a deep-dive "how-to," or an opinion piece on the latest library trends? We want to hear it! Sharing your expertise helps peers statewide. 

• Join the Admin Team: Want to go behind the scenes? Help us curate the best resources, manage community content, and keep Wisconsin’s youth services community connected and informed.

Email the blog team at yss.wla@gmail.com to get started!

ICYMI Storytime Books of 2025

What books published in 2025 work best for storytime? We've got you covered with a roundup of  some best of 2025 lists!

Photo by Yan Krukau from Pexels

JBrary

Every year JBrary pulls together a list of their favorite picture books for storytime. This year Lindsey Krabbenhoft compiled the list her "top picks for picture books published in 2025 that make excellent read-alouds to groups of babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age kids."

You can find the entire list here: https://jbrary.com/2025-favourite-storytime-picture-books/. 

The post includes links to Jbrary's Favorite Storytime Picture Books going back to 2013. Definitely worth going back through and seeing what gems you could add to your storytimes!

LaLa Librarian 

Alyssa Jewell, a.k.a. La La Librarian, read over 500 picture books published in 2025 to "painstakingly narrow that list down to a top 10 for storytime read-alouds." It's specifically, curated for with suggestions for storytimes with preschool, kindergarten, and 1st graders.

You can find her list: https://www.lalalibrarian.com/blog/best-storytime-books-of-2025.

 Fuse8

As part of her 31 Days, 31 Lists series in December, Besty Bird featured Picture Book readalouds sure to "shake up your readaloud game, all plucked from 2025 publications."

Bird links to her readaloud list from years past but I'd also encourage you to check out the full 31 Days, 31 Lists series like Great Board Books, Funny Picture Books, Nonfiction Picture Books and so many more great suggestions.

 

The Genius Files - Library Resource Calendar

Kate Davis, YSS Board Member and Programming Consultant for the Prairie Lakes Library System has introduced a new new email blast for her library system called The Genius Files. Here's the newest edition:

The Genius Files are back! This week's genius idea came from a suggestion by Waterford's Jessica Keisler: a resource calendar with library-relevant observances, dates, weeks, etc.

She asked for it, so I ran with it! The calendar now includes the following topics:

• Library & Books

• Children & Families

• Nature / Outdoors

• Environment

• Food Fun

• Culture

• Wellness & Kindness

• Movie release dates

• Display Themes

View the calendar here!

This calendar is a work in progress, so if you have ideas to add, please email me at kdavis@prairielakes.info! It will also be up on the PLLS site shortly.

I hope this inspires you! Happy library-ing!