Meet Your YSS Board Candidates - Chair-Elect

WLA elections are coming up and YSS has a strong slate of wonderful candidate-members. Today we introduce our candidates for the three year position of Chair (Chair-elect, Chair and Past-Chair). Watch for your ballot in the next month or so. And don't forget to vote!!

Kaushalya Iyengar

Director, Town Hall Library, North Lake

Hello! I am Kaushalya Iyengar, currently a library Director at Town hall Library at North Lake, WI. I have 20 years of experience working in public libraries of Wisconsin. Twenty years back I started in a small rural library in Almond Wisconsin performing all duties of a public library. Then I moved to the main branch library of Portage County Public Library in Stevens Point, WI as a children’s library assistant for many years. I enjoyed working in the youth services so much that I wanted to be a children’s librarian and pursued my MLIS degree from UW Milwaukee. I finally found my dream job of being a children’s librarian at Waukesha Public Library for 8 years and enjoyed it thoroughly. 

It would be my great pleasure to serve as a Chair for YSS board applying my vast experience of working with youth of all ages. All my life I have been a great advocate for youth and the importance of serving children at the library in all capacities. I believe in the importance of early literacy education and its benefits on children to become a lifelong learner. I have experience in collection development, outreach services, community partnerships and programming for children of all ages. I would appreciate your vote!

Susie Menk

Youth Services Librarian, Manitowoc Public Library

Hi!  My name is Susie Menk and I am a youth librarian at Manitowoc Public Library in beautiful Manitowoc, WI on the shores of Lake Michigan.  I have worked in Manitowoc for over 10 years and have been part of the YSS group for over 5 years.  I previously served on the YSS board as a Director-at-Large (two different terms) and am currently serving as secretary.  I love being a part of YSS!  Librarians love to share and YSS is an excellent example of that.  There are many times that I have seen or heard an idea through YSS and used it in my library work.  Our YSS group does so many great things for librarians and I am excited to continue serving in whatever capacity I can. 

Alison Loewen, Youth Services Librarian, Mead Public Library, Sheboygan

Since starting my position as Youth Services Librarian at Mead Public Library, I have dedicated much of my time to developing my skill set.  I earned an Early Childhood Literacy Certificate, participated in the YS Development Institute, and am currently a Neighborhood Educator with the Fred Rogers Center.  I have demonstrated commitment to my client group through grounding myself in school readiness skills by participating in the Reimagining School Readiness workshops through DPI and the Bay Area Discovery Museum, and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion by leading a cohort of Project Ready participants.  This fall I will participate in PLA’s Advancing Family Engagement workshop series with the goal of improving services to caretakers at my Library. 

My role at the Mead Public Library has given me so many opportunities to grow both professionally and personally.  I am looking forward to the chance to give back to this community and help to advance our profession by advocating for families, children, and those adults who serve them.  

One of the most important things that we can do as librarians is to help the helpers.  As Fred Rogers said best “ it's through relationships that we grow best- and learn best”.  I am running for a position on the YSS Board to help Librarians build stronger relationships within our professional community, in addition to supporting them in strengthening relationships within their own communities.

 

Whether it be relationships with teachers, caregivers, or our own library colleagues, caring for those who care for children and making certain they are supported with the tools they need, is one of the most important ways we can set our children up for success; we cannot make a lasting impact by skipping over the adults in the middle. As a member of the YSS Board I would identify areas in which we want to excel as a State, and find ways to offer training, support, and encouragement so together, we can be the best we can be.     

This past year has triggered feelings of fight and flight that many have never experienced before.  Collective stress has seeped into our personal and professional lives, forcing us to make decisions that go against our core beliefs as Librarians.  It has been difficult to put away toys, to discourage families from lingering in our spaces, and to limit meaningful interactions that once were the foundation of our service.  I, like all of you, have had to think quickly, react, and trust that decisions I was making were the best both for myself and my community. Through this all, I have grown stronger, more resilient and confident in my ability to take on more responsibility and to move forward regardless of the obstacles placed in my path.  I am in a good position to help lead YSS through these turbulent times.