YSS Ballot Candidates: YSS Chair Elect and WLA Board Liaison

Check out who is running for YSS Chair Elect and WLA Board Liaison!  

We asked our candidates to give us a statement about themselves and we also asked each candidate to describe herself using 3 children's or YA lit characters.

YSS Chair Elect Candidate

Claire Parrish

Rice Lake Public Library

Candidate's Statement

Hi everyone, I’m the Public Services Director at the Rice Lake Public Library and I’m so thrilled to be considered for the position of Chair-Elect on the Youth Services Section Board. I love YSS and all the professional development and social opportunities it provides!  I’ve been involved with the group since the start of my career, through everything from webinars to regional meet-ups.  I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to serve as a Director at Large from 2018-2020, where one of my main roles was working with the WLA Conference Planning Committee to coordinate the YSS sponsored programming. I’m ready to jump back into the wonderful world of YSS leadership and believe that my knowledge of how the group functions will be an added advantage to my leadership.

There are lots of important discussions for the profession to be having, particularly in the areas of diversity/inclusion and how we move forward through the challenges that the COVID-19 global pandemic has brought to light. I strongly believe YSS is the perfect place to dig into these complex areas of our work, serving as a sounding board and resource for all library staff.  As your Chair-Elect, I would strive to continue the tradition of excellent service and support to librarians throughout the state.  I would be honored to serve, thanks again for considering me!  

Three Characters

Bruce, from the Mother Bruce series by Ryan T. Higgins

Claudia Kincaid from From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler 

Alanna from the Lioness Quartet books (this might be more who I WISH I was like...but I'm still using it!)

WLA Board Liaison Candidate
Linda Jerome
LaCrosse Public Library

Candidate's Statement

Linda Jerome is the teen librarian at La Crosse Public Library where she has worked for almost 30 years. She has been an active member of YSS for more than 10 years and has served as the chair of the Children’s Book Award committee and the chair of the YSS board. She also recently started teaching a continuing education course on teen services for UW-Madison’s iSchool. She states, “Being part of the WLA board as the YSS liaison would provide the opportunity to share the awesome work being done by our section with our larger library community while also utilizing my experience and enthusiasm to help our organization successfully move through this unprecedented time in our profession.”

 Three Characters

Hermione Granger: Unsurprisingly, I'm a lover of knowledge (especially random stuff) and a big reader who strongly believes that knowledge is power

Iko from the Lunar Chronicles: No, I'm not a robot but I am a pretty enthusiastic human being who is outgoing and very loyal to my friends!

Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh: Like Rabbit, I'm an organizer and I like to be put in charge of things 😀

Meet the Board: Katherine Schoofs, Chair-Elect

It's a new year and we have a new YSS Board!  This series will introduce each board member with some enchanting questions and even more enchanting photos.

Katherine Schoofs, Chair-Elect

Name & Library

Katherine Schoofs, Aram Public Library in Delavan

What was your favorite childhood book?

How do people pick favorites? lol  Let's see...I love Charlotte's Web, Anne of Green Gables, the Bunnicula series, anything folk and/or fairy tales, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, The Westing Game, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark...  Just to name a few!  HA!

In what format do you like to read? EBooks? Print? Graphic Novel? Audiobook? Why?

I read print and graphic novels, primarily.  Audiobooks are also a delight, especially if the reader is phenomenal (Hearing Neil Patrick Harris read his own biography?  Or TIM CURRY reading A Series of Unfortunate Events?  YES, PLEASE.)

What do you like to do in your free time to recharge?

In addition to reading, I love spending time with my family and friends, listening to music, taking pictures, going treasure hunting at thrift stores, singing karaoke, dance parties with my daughter, and impromptu road trips.  Oh, and binge watching some of my favorite shows: Parks & Recreation, Bob's Burgers, Psych, etc.

What are you reading right now?

We're in the process of reading the first few Oz books as a family.  I'm also about to start Margot and Mateo Save the World by Darcy Miller. 

What is your biggest goal for YSS in 2019?

One of my biggest goals for YSS in 2019 is to spread the word about our section and how much we have to offer!  I also hope to connect with youth services folk all over the state--both members and nonmembers--and continue expanding our welcoming network of support and idea sharing to one and all!

Anything else you’d like to share?

YSS is the bee's knees,  The cat's pajamas.  If you're thinking about joining, please do!  If you're thinking of volunteering or getting more involved, please do that, too!  There are so many ways to get out there, connect with other like-minded library rock stars, and make your unique voice heard!

Contact Katherine: aramkids@aramlibrary.org

Meet the Board: Katie Kiekhaefer, Chair-Elect

It's a new year and we have a new YSS Board!  This series will introduce each board member with some delightful questions and even more delightful photos.

Katie Kiekhaefer, Chair-Elect 

What was your favorite childhood book?

My favorite childhood book is still my favorite book: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.  Every time I re-read it I find something new to love about it.  I also loved Richard Scarry, and I remember identifying strongly with Ramona Quimby (and still do!)  I also think the Sideways Stories books by Louis Sachar were a huge influence on my sense of humor as a child.

In what format do you like to read? EBooks? Print? Graphic Novel? Audiobook?

I definitely prefer a print book or a graphic novel, but I did just get a new Kindle Fire over the holidays so maybe that will convert me to eBooks!

What do you like to do in your free time to recharge?

I live in Milwaukee so exploring the city is one of my favorite ways to recharge.  I also really enjoy music and I try to attend concerts often.  Cooking is also a passion, so paging through recipe books and trying new dishes makes me feel very happy.  I will always be up for re-watching episodes of Great British Bake-Off.

What are you reading right now?

I'm currently preparing for Milwaukee County Federated Library System's annual Mock Newbery and Caldecott event so that's dominating my "to-read" pile.

What is your biggest goal for YSS in 2018?

As Chair Elect, my main goal is to absorb all the wisdom around me so I can be prepared to be a great Chair in 2019!  I would also love to do what I can to get more YSS members involved in presenting at conferences, since that was how I first discovered the greatness of YSS and got a idea of leadership opportunities in our state.

Anything else you’d like to share?
I'm grateful for the opportunity to be involved in such a strong group of amazing professionals.  Thank you!

Contact Katie: kiekhaefer@gmail.com

 

Meet the Board: Terry Ehle, Chair-elect

Tell us a little bit about who you are and your connection to libraries and the YSS Board.

My name is Terry Ehle and I am the chair-elect for YSS this year. I have been the Youth Services Coordinator for the Lester Public Library for almost 18 years (YIKES!) and came to YSS about midway through my career. I was very excited about all of the things YSS was doing and wanted to be a part of it. YSS members are a lot of fun and really work hard to further services to youth in our state. I am fortunate to be a part of it.

Where do you get inspiration for your work?

I am very much an “I’ll try anything once” type of person when it comes to youth programming. I love to hear what my youth patrons are interested in and take suggestions from them.  Inspiration can come from any direction; the key is to be open to try new things.

In what format do you like to read? EBooks? Print? Graphic Novel? Audiobook?

I will read pretty much anything. I prefer print but also read on my iPad – lately it’s been about 50/50. I do like audiobooks but find I can usually only listen to a book I have already read, my mind wanders otherwise. I love full-cast audio books like The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale and the Jacky Faber series in audio is FANTASTIC!

What do you like to do in your free time to recharge?

My family (1 husband + 3 girls) like to travel and are on a quest to see all 50 state capitals. We have been to 23 so far and hope to cross 2 more off the list this spring. We love to see the different areas of the country, especially the great outdoors, and since we are all big readers we also look forward to the long drives and uninterrupted reading time.

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go? Have you ever been there?

If I could go anywhere in the world I would be on my way to New Zealand right now so that I could go on the Lord of the Rings tour of the continent. I REALLY want to go before they dismantle the set!

Meet the Candidates for Chair-Elect - 2016 YSS Board

Terry Ehle
Youth Services Coordinator, Lester Public Library

What’s your current position?
Currently I am a Director-at-Large on the YSS board and Youth Services Coordinator at Lester Public Library.

What makes you want to serve on the YSS board?
Over the last two years I have really enjoyed working with the YSS board – it is probably one of the few boards where I actually don’t want my term to expire! I feel that YSS is moving in a great direction and I want to do what I can to help it continue on that path.

Favorite book (currently and/or for all time)?
One of my favorite YA books is Unwind by Neal Shusterman. Great characters, great moral debate, it lingers. My favorite school-age book right now is The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate - what's not to love. My favorite picture book is Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox – it gets me every time <sniffle>.

What has been your most memorable library moment so far?
I can honestly say that I could never pick just one moment,there are just too many.

Tell us about a great experience you’ve had at WLA. 
One of the greatest experiences I have had at WLA was hearing Dr. Dipesh Navasaria talk about the Reach Out and Read program. As soon as I got back to my library I reached out to my community in order to bring the program to our county. I connected with many new organizations and our partnership has succeeded in beginning the program as well as a host of other initiatives. One of the best sessions I have every attended.

What is your librarian superpower?
My librarian superpower is my ability to remember plot lines – I can do 30 book talks easily with no notes - except for the names of the characters – ugh, remembering them is my kryptonite.

Keri Whitmore
Teen Librarian, Franklin Public Library

What’s your current position?
I am the Teen Librarian at Franklin Public Library in Franklin, a south suburb of Milwaukee.

What makes you want to serve on the YSS board?
Having been a children’s librarian and now, especially as a teen librarian, I know how challenging it is to continually have to try to come up with new ideas for programming to attract and keep patrons coming to the library.  I would like to be on the YSS board to share my perspective as a teen librarian and give insight on different types of creative, forward-thinking programming we could offer librarians to help them create dynamic library offerings for children of all ages.

Favorite book (currently and/or for all time)?
Currently – Eleanor and Park, All-time – The Outsiders

What has been your most memorable library moment so far?
When my TAB managed to put on a full-fledged haunted house at the library and raise over a thousand dollars in a weekend for the teen area (and set off the fire alarm, along with a few other glitches, lol).

Tell us about a great experience you’ve had at WLA. 
Not specifically library-related, but seeing Russ Feingold speak at the president’s luncheon back in ’05 or ‘06.  I was in awe.

What is your librarian superpower?
Resilience