February 2021 YSS Board Meeting Minutes

Youth Services Section Board Meeting

Friday, January 29, 2021

 

Present: Jenny Wegener, Sarah Cournoyer (guest), Marge Loch-Wouters (guest), Katherine Schoofs,

Linda Jerome, Claire Parrish, Melissa Carollo, Susie Menk, Florence LeBeau, Katherine Freund

(phone)

 

Welcome

• Introductions
• Thank you to returning members
• Welcome new member/returning members

Old Business:

Public/School Libraries Group - Marge

Is retooling and inviting more school and public library folks in (all YSS board members

who love collaboration with schools and their public libraries are welcome to join this

loose networking group). Looking to create and facilitate virtual sharing sessions among

school and public library folks to keep up to date. Next meeting March 10 4pm. Use this

link to join the meeting Join Zoom Meeting. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81917233137

You can read over the notes here. This a mellow group so hope that many join!

 

Marketing Committee - Katherine

• Farewell to Anne Hamland
• Looking for new helpers
• Slider for FB for upcoming Library tours on February 18
• Can post on WLA Facebook page
• Highlight items once a month

New Business:

DPI Youth Update: Tessa

• Project READY off to a great start with 120 youth services and school library staff. Virtual cohorts are meeting January-May 2021, at which point we will determine if the cohorts continue, new cohorts are formed, etc.

• The IMLS-funded YALSA Transforming Teen Services and the Reimagining School Readiness grants will shape the direction of Wisconsin youth services professional development. Wisconsin is a state lead in both projects, which are research-based and community centered approaches to providing services to children, teens, and families; ie. nothing new and radical, but relevant and scalable for all libraries. Content delivery TBD in the coming months, but likely online, asynchronous, and low pressure. 

• State and System Youth Services Consultants/Liaisons meet every other month, starting in February. I have a standing spot in the agenda for updates from YSS and the Public/School Libraries workgroup in the hopes of facilitating cross-communication and awareness.

Welcome New Members

• Confirm Roster is correct
• Removed members who are no longer on the board
• Committee Assignments
• Made changes to roster and updated with new members

WLA Board Priorities: Linda

• Released strategic priorities
• Virtual conferences
• WLA--in person? TBD
• Future of conferences--hybrids possible
• Libraries will be in 1C Category for COVID vaccines--MAYBE
• Funding is crucial, loan needed
• Trying to focus on membership and conferences to increase funding
• Promotion needed
• See WLA website for updated strategic priorities

Children’s Book Award Committee (Katherine)

• One new member 

• Is there a way to change meetings to virtual and not in-person in official rules? Made and approved motion to change language in official document to meet virtual and not in person

• Looking for more publications by Wisconsin authors/illustrators or folks with significant ties to Wisconsin--send to Katherine to add to list

YSS Blog - Marge

• We had 136K views on the blog in 2020. Weekly contributors to the blog are Katherine Schoofs, Sarah Cournoyer and Marge Loch-Wouters. Monthly contributors are Ashley Borman (Throw It Thursday), Susie Menk (Just Wondering), Taylor Wilcox (Teen Focus), and Brooke Newberry (Brooke’s Books). Everyone is welcome to contribute and I’d love to have contributions from any and all of you. And if you come across interesting websites or news, just send them my way as well and I’ll get them up on the blog. Simply email me at lochwouters@gmail.com and I’ll get your post or information you forwarded up on the blog.

• Tagging project is on hold for a bit until I get bored in retirement. The goal is to simplify our tags so we can get the tags on the blog’s splash page. That means getting the 1500+ tags down to about 100 large categories. 

• I thought we did a great job getting the YSS board minutes in the blog so I want to keep encouraging that those notes are sent to me so we stay transparent. 

• Keep blog front and center for youth library staff--get on national views through Facebook and other social media 

• Marketing is highlighting blog posts that more people should see--send to Katherine

• Use blog as way to park things--board members please add content as you have it

• Board members--why you Love YSS--send to Marge or Katherine for February posts (include picture!)

YSS Powerhouse/Virtual Regional Meet Ups - Flo

• February 18th 2:30 p.m. virtually at Shawano & Elkhorn tours and discussion about dealing with pandemic, program planning. Each library gets ½ hour 

• Next one is in May 2oth; August and November upcoming

Conference Committees

• WAPL will be virtual, May 4- 7
• Virtual Trivia? YSS twist
• Possible programs?
• WAPL liaison? Find out technology needs/platform
• Fall Conference - hopefully in person -- November 16 to 19, 2021

Lapsed Members

• Updated list?
• In Google Drive--resend link
• Contact Hannah for updated list
• Share template for letter to lapsed members

• Continue working on this? -- any way to know if our efforts were successful?
• Try to contact members that you know or have connections to
• Reach out to others that have never been WLA members or not recent members
• Claire will type something up for recruiting new members
• As people rejoin/re-sign up or sign up for the first time send a Welcome letter from a current YSS member (make it personal)
• Share out YSS benefits of membership--opportunities for connections and for volunteering, special privileges
• Put on agenda for next time--more discussion

Upcoming YSS Board Meeting dates

• February 26 at 1:30 p.m.
• March 26th at 1:30 p.m.
• April 16th at 1:30 p.m.
• May 14th at 1:30 p.m.

Jenny will contact Hannah to set up Go-To Meeting

 

Respectfully submitted,

Susie Menk, YSS Secretary

February 1, 2021