Chair's Corner - February 2024 YSS Board Updates

This month's February YSS board meeting update is from Cathy Pescinski, our YSS 2024 Chair and Teen Librarian at Shawano County Library.

The YSS Board met February 26^th by Zoom. Marge (our Supreme Blog Master) told us the blog had over 20,000 views last month (that's awesome!) and there will be two new people adding to the blog going forward. Marge is always open to new blog contributors, so please contact her (at the email address above in the blog header) if you would like to add some content or if there is specific content you feel would be helpful for you.

Laura Sauser (WLA Executive Director Extraordinaire) shared she will be sending out a survey from Wisconsin After-School Network about after school services, WAPL registration will be opening soon, dates for the 2024 Virtual Performer's Showcase are being explored, and Great Lakes Great Reads Speakers will be announced on Earth Day, April 22.

Jeni Schomber (DPI (Not) Undercover Operative) informed us Shannon Schultz, Public Library Administration Consultant, will be leaving DPI to take over the South Central Library System Director position, and Bruce Smith, Library Services Project Coordinator, retired on Feb 23, 2024.

Linda Jerome (WLA/YSS Liaison in Chief) said work is continuing on the virtual YSS conference for 2025.

The next YSS Presents webinar will be Libraries Without Limits: Insights from OTs, PTs and SLPs on Thursday, May 9, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Registration is open - Free for WLA Members/$25.00 for Nonmembers. https://wla.memberclicks.net/librarieswithoutlimits#! A survey will be coming out  to get input on topics for future webinars. 

A reminder for available resources:

• Unite Against Banned Books - new resource/toolkit 

                BookRésumés - Unite Against Book Bans - Book Résumés

• Reminder of WLA intellectual freedom toolkit as well

                        https://www.wisconsinlibraries.org/intellectual-freedom-resources

• CCBC Choices      https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/ccbc-choices/

Lastly, Anne Moser (Jedi Lake Librarian) is working on a list of books for Great Lakes Great Reads specifically for children and teens. 

 

Our next meeting is March 25th. If you have any questions, concerns, or input you would like to add to our meeting or about YSS in general, don't hesitate to reach out to me at cpescinski@shawanolibrary.org. We are here to represent all of you and to develop meaningful resources for the membership. 

Also, if any of these activities sound interesting to you, please consider running for a Board position this fall! Reach out to any of us for more information, stop us and say hi at any conference, or drop in on one of the YSS socials.

[Note: Want to read the January 2024 board meeting minutes that the YSS board just approved at their February meeting? YSS members (after logging in) can access the 2023 YSS board minutes as well as previous years’ minutes at the YSS page of the Wisconsin Library Association website. Do you want to read the minutes but are not a YSS member? Please consider becoming a member by joining WLA so you can stay updated on all the YSS action.]