Tips and Info from DPI's December 18, 2025 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 December 18, 2025 edition:

 

 

Hello All,  Check out these library youth services resources and reminders!  2026 Programming and Activity Count Tracker  This workbook can be used to track programs and activities throughout the year, and prepare program, activity counts, attendance, and participation for Sections III and XIII of the Annual Report.  Visit Wisconsin Public Library Annual Report for more information.  Use BadgerLink for Readers’ Advisory  BadgerLink’s readers’ advisory resources can bring you up to speed on the best books of 2025.  View the Readers’ Advisory Story  Wisconsin Public Library Standards Steering Committee Work Begins  Read what topics led their first meeting discussion as they begin the review and revisions of the Wisconsin Public Library Standards.  View the Standards Story.  CSLP Annual Slogan (2029) and Theme (2030) Survey  The Collaborative Summer Library Program survey is open! Please take a moment to fill out the survey and make your recommendations for the 2029 Slogan (for the Nature theme) and the 2030 Theme.  This survey is open to all libraries in the country, so please feel free to share it with staff at your library.  The deadline to submit your recommendations is Monday, February 2, 2026.   Save the Date! CSLP Building Community Based Summers application opens soon!  The Collaborative Summer Library Program is excited to launch a third national cohort of Building Community Based Summers in Spring 2026.  BCBS is designed to help member libraries identify the “whys” behind their summer services, build strategies to engage community voices, and create and provide inclusive summer services for all members of their communities. The spring 2026 cohort will gather for online learning sessions once weekly for 6 consecutive weeks in March-April 2026.   There is no charge to participate. Applications will be open from Monday, January 5 through Monday, January 26, 2026.  2026 Wisconsin Public Libraries CE Topics Survey  Help shape 2026-2027 Continuing Education offerings for Wisconsin Public Library Systems!  Library System CE Consultants are planning continuing education events for spring 2026 through spring 2027, and they would love your input. Your feedback helps them offer training that truly meets the needs of public library staff in their systems, regions, and across the state.  Take the CE Topic Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DCDCWQ2  The deadline to complete the survey is January 15, 2026.  This will be the last Weekly Resources and Reminders email for 2025. The next one will arrive the week of January 5, 2026. I hope that you are able to find peace and joy in the upcoming Holiday season.   Jeni Schomber  Public Library Consultant  The DPI does not sponsor or endorse external resources or events. They are provided for your consideration only.  Contact: jeni.schomber@dpi.wi.gov

It's the most numberful time...of the year...

That's right!  It's time to compile oodles and oodles of data for the Annual Report!

Now, needless to say, 2020 kept everyone on their toes...and one big shift was the fact that most of the programming needed to be presented in a virtual format.  

But how can you collect all the necessary data without clicking on video after video on Facebook?

 

Good news!

On a recent post on the Storytime Underground Facebook group, Wendy R. shared this little nugget of gold! 

"On your "Page", click on Page Insights. You want to be in "Overview" (list to the left, Overview is at the top). To the right is a link to "Export Data". Choose Video Data and the Date Range you need. You'll have to look at it in Excel but it gives you a ton of data points."

You can customize the report somewhat before exporting it, as well, so don't hesitate to play around!

One thing to be aware of, as pointed out by Kimberly N...

"The Facebook report gives you two columns--total views and unique views. Unique views seems most accurate, but when you get data by clicking on individual videos in Facebook, I believe the data is for total views. So it seems "unfair?"--if that's the right word. People who use unique views from the data report will have lower numbers that people who individually click on each video. I did not see any guidelines from DPI about recording total vs. unique."

Also, don't forget all the great resources provided by the DPI, including an Annual Report Worksheet!  

Friday FAQs with Tessa for 2/12/21

Dear Library Staff Serving Youth, 

Happy Friday! Here is the latest installment of Friday FAQs for Youth Services. The slides used in the recording are attached as a PDF. Also, the FAQ Friday form is open for your input anytime. FAQs are published on the second Friday of each month. 

                FAQ Friday 2/12/2021 recording (9:32) https://youtu.be/DiMGbEJ_OXM 

FAQ Friday for Youth Services 2021 Form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfiPJ3WfahXaj5y3RchBsVZdORDUvE7J3c_LygTWiJuv9yqOg/viewform?usp=sf_link

 

For FAQ archives, visit the Youth Services Section blog 

Resources related to this week’s topics

• Annual Report
• Platform Metrics Guide for Live, Virtual Programming and Pre-recorded Views
  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bPURrG2dFEE-21JGMa-YCEv5o-p0E7X3oHRX-9H4Xxs/edit 
• The Programming and Activity Count tracker workbook includes live, virtual and pre-recorded programs. Use the programming and activity count tracker workbook to easily compile your program counts and attendance to report on the Public Library Annual Report. For enhanced collaboration, the Programming and Activity Count tracker workbook is also available in Google Sheets - simply sign in to your Google account and make a copy. Updated to include live, virtual and pre-recorded programs.
• Grab and go efforts can be considered a self-directed activity on the annual report if some kind of intentional reporting structure is utilized. In this way, grab and go bags are no different than a summer library program reading log, bingo sheet, or any other activity that is sent home and completed independently.  As stated on the annual report programming instructions, we provide information on what is counted, but it is ALWAYS up to the local library to determine how to count. 
• Beanstack Summer Prep and/or Restart

Contact Rebekah Garrety <rebekah@zoobean.com>

• Professional Tools for Librarians Serving Youth (ALSC) 

A list of resources by subject area for librarians serving youth.

http://www.ala.org/alsc/publications-resources/professional-tools 

• Family Engagement Game from the Global Family Research Project
  https://globalfrp.org/Articles/Family-Engagement-Game-Brings-Theory-Into-Practice 
• Teaching Books Two Minute Takeaways

Explore two-minute professional development ideas created to support your use of TeachingBooks 

https://secure-web.cisco.com/1sMh-Oi4vl4qoilq_M7wOWITZZURFjk0xm4YOChevVwHikOxayPgIE1XoyHervQM5XPIAZ-3zDxMqGMlj8WrBKqMYeNTwkhHvWeV4lLXoK9Vtj2pZ3U-COnzWBiRCrwG4_e4jt2lNR1yE0oYKuWwsODnCXahL6jeu25r9g0-qj9Xa8OU7CYKkvPGzgHk7xEl_QjK9JwD0mEJCgPXIOAVC5TlLiWu3HSorU0nBKB8NZX62exsH9G7RN92Wi7BfN7ooE765EEW4X7t75l20AdVGRA/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teachingbooks.net%2Fsupport.cgi%3Fcmd%3Dtwominute 

• Social Justice Graphic Novel Website: a Carnegie Whitney Grant project
  https://sjgn.uofsccreate.org/ 
• The Augusta Baker Diversity Lecture Series with Sarah Park Dahlen 2/18/2021 3-4pm FREE

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-augusta-baker-diversity-lecture-series-with-sarah-park-dahlen-tickets-136843896779: 

In case you missed it -- Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas presented the inaugural Augusta Baker Lecture on April 24, 2020. Watch the virtual recording of her lecture, “Beyond the Dark Fantastic”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNOdhCXUwz4&feature=emb_logo 

• STAR Net Review in The Cardigan Newsletter

See Play: STAR Net https://thecardigannewsletter.com/2021/02/03/february-2021/ 

STAR Net http://www.starnetlibraries.org/

 

Stay warm,

 

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt (she/her/hers)

Youth and Inclusive Services Public Library Consultant

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction | Library Services

(608) 267-5077 Tessa.Schmidt@dpi.wi.gov

Friday FAQs with Tessa Michaelson Schmidt

• 6/18/21 recording

• 5/14/21 recording
• 4/9/21 recording
• 3/12/21 recording
• 2/12/21 recording
• 1/15/21 recording
• 12/11/20 recording
• 11/13/20 recording
• 10/9/20 recording
• 9/11/20 recording
• 8/14/20 recording
• 7/31/20 recording
• 7/17/20 recording
• 7/10/20 recording
• 6/26/20 recording
• 6/19/20 recording
• 6/11/20 recording
• 6/5/20 recording
• 5/29/20 recording
• 5/22/20 recording
• 5/15/20 recording
• 5/8/20 recording
• 5/1/20 recording
• 4/24/20 recording
• 4/17/20 recording
• 4/10/20 recording   

 

2019 YSS Annual Report

 

●12 Months of Coding launched officially in April! Library staff serving youth from all over our great state contributed program ideas and each offering includes detailed instructions, participant ages, approximate cost, tips & tricks, and materials needed.

●YSS Children’s Book Award Committee. The 2019 Burr Worzalla Award was awarded to Chad Sell, for The Cardboard Kingdom. The 2019 Wisconsin Notable Children's Author Award was awarded to Peg Kehret for her amazing body of work in children's literature.  This year, seven individuals from around the state applied for the committee, and with the support of the CBAC chair, the YSS chair selected two candidates to fill openings for 2020 from large and small, urban and rural libraries from around the state.

●WAPL & WLA Conferences - YSS fielded full schedules of programs at each conference and worked closely with the conference committees to coordinate them. Fifteen room monitors introduced YSS sponsored sessions at WLA, as well as many sessions at WAPL. YSS Socials at WLA and WAPL were well-attended. This year, the annual YSS membership meeting had an excellent member turnout, and we hope to continue this trend in 2020. Miranda Paul, the YSS Luncheon speaker, was an engaging and inspiring speaker, with a wonderful connection to Wisconsin.

●YSS Youth Services Shout-out Blog (Blogger) continues to be a cornerstone of the Youth Services Section mission and provides library staff serving youth with resources, news, programming ideas, and professional development opportunities. In 2019, nearly 200 posts were written and shared on the blog. The YSS Shout-Out Blog continues to bring in new guest authors, allowing YSS to get new people involved and create a pipeline for board leadership.

●Regional Meet-Ups took place Central Wisconsin, Southeastern Wisconsin and North West Wisconsin. Regional Meet-Ups continue to be a vital part of YSS and a great way for the YSS board to connect library staff who serve youth with resources, professional connections, and leadership opportunities.

 ●YSS Nominations Committee fielded a full, competitive ballot for 2019 and is already beginning the process for 2020. In 2019, more consideration and planning was given to the WLA Board Liaison position. This will continue as the 2020 ballot spot for that position fast approaches.

●YSS Marketing Committee.  In its first year of existence, the marketing committee sent almost 10 messages and created countless engaging social media posts to membership. The marketing committee also worked to streamline the process of communicating with members, whether that’s through Memberclicks, the WLA Facebook page, or Mailchimp. In our 2018 member and non-member survey, our board realized that many YSS members and non-members did not know about the resources YSS and WLA had to offer. The YSS Marketing Committee has made a huge difference in our ability to communicate with members and non-members, with one example being the great attendance we had at our YSS meeting at WLA. 

●YSS Web Page After a busy 2018, the YSS Web Page committed continued to make necessary updates to the webpage based on the needs of the board.

●YSS Powerhouse Presents After struggles in 2018, the YSS board committed to addressing and problem-solving past issues, as well as brainstorming ways to streamline the process. With the help of Hannah Bunting and the WLA offices, YSS will be offering two Powerhouse Presents webinars in 2020, one in April and one in September.

2019 Board Members:

●     Katie Kiekhaefer, Chair

●     Sarah Cournoyer, Past Chair

●     Katherine Schoofs, Chair-elect

●     Susie Menk, Secretary

●     Claire Parrish, Director at Large

●     Emily Sanders, Director at Large

●     Emily Zorea, Director at Large

●     Anne Hamland, Director at Large

●     Sue Abrahamson, WLA Board Liaison

●     Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, Ex-Officio Member

Current and Ongoing YSS Committees:

●     YSS Membership Committee: Linda Jerome, Chair

●     YSS WAPL Committee: Anne Hamland & Emily Sanders, Co-chairs

●     YSS WLA Committee: Claire Parrish & Emily Zorea, Co-chairs

●     YSS Powerhouse Presents Webinar Committee, Katie Kiekhaefer, Chair

●     YSS Blog Committee: Aimee Schreiber, Chair

●     YSS Webpage Committee: Jeni Schomber, Webmaster

●     YSS Children’s Book Award Committee: Abby Bussen, Chair 2019; Aimee Schreiber, Chair 2020

●     YSS Nominations Committee: Sarah Cournoyer, Chair 2019; Katie Kiekhaefer, Chair 2020

●     YSS Marketing Committee: Anne Hamland, Katherine Schoofs, Sarah Cournoyer

New Easy-Peasy DPI Annual Report Program Stats

Pixabay Image

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt and WVLS just released a REALLY helpful video in their Digital Byte series. It helps WI library youth folks and their directors navigate program stats reporting for the DPI annual report. In the brief 32 minute video below, you learn about:

• the updated name and definitions for "Self-Directed Activities" (a change from the older "Drop-in Programs" designation that has now been, ahem, dropped. Hehe). 
• You also can use the super helpful new Programming and Activity Count tracker workbook (which you can customize for your library), the programs reporting piece of the annual report. What's cool about that is you can start using this tracker at the beginning of the year (now!) and the Excel workbook will handle tallying stats as you go along and autofill your annual report boxes.
• Tessa walks you through examples of how to use the above doc step-by-step so many of our questions are answered!!
• You learn how to keep track of stats or info that isn't federally required but that you want to report to your board, funders or community (for instance, how many people came to your library booth at the fair or the family PTA night)
• The data element “literacy offerings” has been removed from the annual report. More comprehensive statistics about summer library programming in Wisconsin public libraries are collected through the end-of-summer survey from the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP).  

Demystifing Youth Services Counts and Definitions on the Annual Report

That time of year has arrived. Yes, it's annual report time! As you compile Youth Services statistics for the report, there are two documents that will help clarify and demystify what you want to report posted on the WI Department of Public Instruction website.

The first document is Definitions and Examples which covers information about YS-related data included in the annual report.

The second document A Closer Look at Literacy Offerings does a terrific job explaining and illustrating just what comprises a literacy offering and how to count it and associated programs. It will make your job easier.

Major kudos to the folks on the Public Library Development Team and Tessa Michaelson-Schmidt, our Youth and Inclusive Services Consultant at the WI Department of Public Instruction, for their work on taking the mystery out of how to define and count the important work we do in Youth Services throughout the state.