Foundations of Wisconsin Librarianship Workshop

Registration is now open for the Foundations of Wisconsin Librarianship: Essential Skills for Library Media Specialists and Public Library Staff Serving Youth workshop. 

Photo from dpi.wi.gov

This workshop is specifically structured to be most beneficial to public library staff newly (three years or less) serving youth in Wisconsin libraries and introduces essential skills, resources, and strategies for working in public libraries and collaborating with school libraries. Attendees will be joined by school library media specialists, with time set aside for each group to convene separately, focusing on their institutional role. The groups will also join together to begin networking and building relationships for future collaborations.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is hosting this workshop at Hotel Marshfield, in Marshfield, Wisconsin, from 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4, through 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, 2026. There is no registration cost, and most meals will be provided. Attendees, or their library, will be responsible for mileage, two nights lodging, and one evening meal. Participants who successfully complete the full workshop will receive a $100 stipend. 

Space is limited to 25 public library attendees.

Tentative Topic Sessions:

• Resources Spotlight (collection development)
• Programming 101
• Early Literacy, Brain Development, and Storytime 101
• Compassion Resilience
• Building Community Based Summers
• BadgerLink for Public Libraries
• Games and Play Learning

Registration will close on Monday, May 4, 2026. Participants will be notified of their attendance status by May 11, 2026, and they will need to confirm their attendance by May 20, 2026.

Tips and Info from DPI's April 16, 2026 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 April 16, 2026 edition:

 

Weekly Resources & Reminders

 

Hello All,  Check out these Youth Services Resources and Reminders!

National Games and Learning Project: Call for Participation  Are you passionate about games-based programs and collections in public libraries? Are you a motivated Wisconsin library staff member with experience offering games-based library services? If so, you can help us shape the future of Games-based Library Services nationwide! The National Games and Libraries Fellowship is seeking 5-6 enthusiastic Wisconsin public library staff members to participate in a yearlong fellowship. Visit the Call for Participation for more information and access to the application.  WiLS Ideas to Action Fund  The WiLS Ideas to Action Fund provides grants of up to $5,000 so member organizations can bring their project ideas to life. The Fund encourages partnerships and collaborations among WiLS members and with community partners, supports innovative and exploratory new work, and seeds the development of processes, methods, or resources that can be used by other WiLS members. Visit the WiLS Ideas to Action  page for more information. WLA Youth Services Section Midday Mingle: Collection Complications Join the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) Youth Services Section (YSS) Midday Mingle on Monday, April 20, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. to talk about troubleshooting collection development at your library. You do not have to be a WLA or YSS member to participate. The Monday Mingle is open to all! Join using the Zoom link.   Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) Social Media Toolkit  The CSLP 2026 Unearth a Story Social Media Toolkit is now available as part of the CSLP Manual. Template links to the Canva Social Medial Toolkit, along with ready-to-use PNG versions, when you login with your CSLP Manual Code. You can access all the images by downloading a ZIP file, or by individually saving images. Please check with your Library System Youth Services Consultant for the Manual access code.   Bluey Storytime Month  Celebrate Bluey Storytime Month this July with fun activities like book bingo, word match, word scramble, and more. Download your free activity kit and printable event poster now.   BadgerLink Bulletin Celebrate Earth Day with Britannica. Check out these Britannica resources, interactive media, and activities. View the Full Story.

Jeni Schomber Public Library Consultant The DPI Bureau of Libraries does not sponsor or endorse external resources or events.  Contact: jeni.schomber@dpi.wi.gov

Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

Image by Satheesh Sankaran from Pixabay

YSS posts round-ups of ads that are sent to us or that we come across. If you have a position opening up and would like to see it on the YSS blog, please forward the job ad link/descriptions to the YSS blog at the email address listed in the header above the day's blog post. 

Now Hiring: Discovery PLAYce Manager at Beloit Public Library

Beloit Public Library is seeking a Discovery PLAYce Manager to help shape and lead Discovery PLAYce, a new early learning and family engagement destination designed to support play-based learning, school readiness, and meaningful caregiver-child interaction.

This new position will lead programming, guest experience, outreach, and partnerships, helping bring Discovery PLAYce to life as a welcoming, engaging resource for children and families in Beloit. We are looking for a creative, collaborative, and community-centered professional with a strong understanding of early brain development and the developmental stages of children ages 0–6.

This is a full-time position with an excellent benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, life insurance, and four weeks of paid vacation. The deadline to apply is midnight on Sunday, April 19. 

Discovery PLAYce Manager

Salary: $59,000

Location: Beloit, WI

Job Type: Full-Time (exempt)

Department: Beloit Public Library

Closing: 4/19/2026

Learn more about this position: https://beloitlibrary.org/about-us/employment/

Learn more about Discovery PLAYce: www.discoveryplayce.org

Part-Time Youth Services Librarian (28 hours a week)

 Oak Creek Public Library in Oak Creek, WI is seeking a part-time Youth Services Librarian.  The ideal candidate will match the energy and enthusiasm of our community and bring an innovative spirit to the Youth Services Department. Other desirable talents include the ability to provide a high quality, research-based, early literacy learning experience for caregivers and children, from birth through 8^th grade. This forward-thinking, creative, and adaptable librarian will promote a love of learning, reading, and help foster future school success among the children they encounter in our library.

The Youth Services Librarian reports to the Youth Services Manager and is responsible for providing library services to children and families in and outside of the Library.  This position provides excellent customer service to library patrons, assists patrons and staff in meeting their reference and informational needs, plans and conducts programs with a focus on children and their caregivers, promotes youth services to the community, manages assigned library collections, participates in the day-to-day operations of the library, and administers other library services as assigned. Programming assignments include Toddler Story Time, Middle School programs, and STEAM Labs for upper elementary students, along with outreach visits and no school day programs.

The Oak Creek Public Library is a part of the Milwaukee Federated Library System. It is located in one of the fastest growing and most vibrant communities in Southeastern Wisconsin, right in the heart of Drexel Town Square. The current library opened in 2015 and includes a beautiful Youth Services Department, including state-of-the-art technology and ample spaces for programming opportunities. Annually, the library serves 200,000 and circulates 325,000 items.

To apply for this job, please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/oakcreekwi/jobs/5307063-0/youth-services-librarian-part-time.

Completed applications, including a cover letter and resume, are due Friday, May 1, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Paper applications will not be accepted. 

 

ELIGIBILITY

Candidates must have a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA-accredited institution (or within 9 credits of completion). Degree must be obtained within 6 months of hire. Recent graduates are encouraged to apply! Candidate must have at least one (1) year of experience in library operations (public library experience preferred) with experience, knowledge or training related to youth services. Good communication skills and strong customer service skills are required.

WAGES & SCHEDULE

This is a part-time, non-exempt position with a starting wage of $28.425 per hour. The current work schedule is Monday: 8:30am-5:00pm/11:45am-8:15 pm (pm shift about once a month for programming); Tuesday: 4:15pm-8:15pm; Wednesday: 8:30am-5:00pm; Friday: 8:30am-5:00pm/9:45am-6:15pm, Saturday: 8:15am-4:15pm (Friday and Saturday shifts are on a rotation). These hours may change to suit the needs of the library. Programming assignments include Toddler Story Time, Middle School programs, and STEAM Labs for upper elementary students, along with outreach visits and no school day programs.

Summer Youth Library Assistant (LTE) - George Culver

The George Culver Community Library, located in Sauk City, WI, is hiring a part-time, Limited Term Employment (LTE) Summer Youth Library Assistant. We are a community-focused library dedicated to providing our patrons with diverse resources, technology assistance, and top-notch library services. If you are passionate about the library, detail-oriented, and enjoy working with youth, this is the job for you!

This position will be a primary support for our Youth Summer Reading Program, including supporting registration and promotion of the program; implementing programming for children, infant to teen, and their families and caregivers; developing and maintaining the youth library collections; creating displays and interactive materials for the library; and collaborating with adult and teen volunteers to assist with the Summer Reading Program.

This is a part-time Limited Term Employment (240 total hours) position during the summer reading program, from mid-May to mid-August. This position will work approximately 16 hours a week, including some weekends depending on programming schedule, with a pay rate of $15.00/hour. This position is not eligible for benefits.

To view the full job description, visit our website: https://www.saukcitylibrary.org/were-hiring-part-time-summer-youth-library-assistant

To apply, please email a resume, cover letter, and two to three references to:

Kylee Bear, Director

kylee@saukcitylibrary.org

Deadline: Applications will be reviewed as received, with a priority deadline of Friday, April 24, 2026.

 

Trivia + Bingo = Trivingo

The Cindy Crushes Programming series is back at it on Teen Librarian Toolbox, sharing a program idea that is easily replicated and adaptable to any theme, this time with Trivingo. The post highlights a teen program hosted by Alison Plaff and Deya Olson featuring a twist on traditional bingo.

Trivingo is a mash-up of bingo and trivia, in the example it's a "Stranger Things" theme. Alison writes, "The idea is a bingo board with answers to trivia questions. A digital wheel is spun with questions. Teens were able to test their knowledge by checking their board to see if they had the answer to the question. The teens would then shout “Bingo!” if they had the correct answer and completed 4 questions vertical, horizontal, or diagonal and win."

The program was a success with the teens and can easily by themed to whatever your local teens are into. Stop here to read the full post and jumpstart planning your own version of Trivingo!

[Cindy Crushes Programming: Stranger Things Trivingo. Shutts, Cindy. Teen Librarian Toolbox blog. April 1, 2026. https://teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2026/04/01/cindy-crushes-programming-stranger-things-trivingo/]

Tell Me Something Good - Town Gifted First Library

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

There's a radio segment on a popular morning radio show called "Tell Me Something Good" where the hosts take turns sharing good news they've heard about recently. This morning, I came across a news article that instantly made the theme song for that segment pop into my head, and that inspired a potential regular blog post for this blog. 

The article from CBS News is about Frontenac, Kansas, a small town that did not have a library. Until 2019, when the town learned that they were the beneficiaries of a $4.6 million trust left to the town for them to create a library. 

What's something good happening in your library? 

You can read the full CBS News article here.

[Mysterious donation gives small Kansas town its first public library. Gelpieryn A. April 4, 2026. cbsnews.com.]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/frontenac-kansas-public-library-jeanette-richard-tavella/

Tips and Info from DPI's April 9, 2026 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 April 9, 2026 edition:

Weekly Resources & Reminders

 

Hello All,

Reimagining Information Literacy: A National Forum  Empowering Educators, Librarians, and Learners for a Knowledge-Driven Future. Tuesday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 15, 2026, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Reimagining Information Literacy is an opportunity for librarians, educators, and researchers to gather to reflect on the importance of information literacy. Variously understood as digital, visual, media, textual, and/or technological literacy, this forum approaches information literacy as an umbrella that is inclusive of all types. Register for free.   WiLSWorld Shorts WiLS is inviting you to attend a very special WiLSWorld Shorts, featuring Kirsten Cappy, Executive Director of I’m Your Neighbor Books, on Friday, April 17th at 1:00 pm CT! In this time of unbelonging for our Immigrant and New Generation communities, how do we build belonging for all of our communities? The nonprofit I’m Your Neighbor Books utilizes SEL tenets and the immigrant characters in K-12 books to help readers explore their place in the world and their responsibility for making this nation less “unkind.” Including recommendations for books that address detention, deportation, and the healing power of families, Executive Director Kirsten Cappy will share the free and grant-supported resources I’m Your Neighbor Books offers. With books in our hands, this nonprofit feels we can find a way to “be more human.” Register for the webinar. Can't attend live? Register to receive a link to the recording. For questions, please email us at coop@wils.org  PBS Wisconsin Education: A Love of Learning Workshop Invitation  Please join your colleagues from library systems in central WI at PBS Wisconsin's A Love of Learning workshop on May 7, 2026, from 1:00 to 3:15 p.m., at the Portage County Public Library in Stevens Point. If you work in or with a public library or library system in Wisconsin in a role serving learners in grades 3-12 (ages 8-18+), we would love for you to join us for this workshop + meet-up to connect with colleagues and learn about free multimedia resources you can use.

Jeni Schomber Public Library Consultant The DPI Bureau of Libraries does not sponsor or endorse external resources or events. They are provided for your consideration only. Contact: jeni.schomber@dpi.wi.gov