Service Learning at the Library

Did you know today is National Make a Difference Day? Now you do! Check out this article from Tiffani Roltgen with suggestions and actionable ways you can make a difference! 

Dear Youth Librarians,

My name is Tiffani Roltgen, and I am the library director/teacher librarian at New Century School and Verona Area International School in Verona, WI. Over the years, my K-5 students have been involved in a wide variety of community service projects. Not only do students practice planning, leadership, writing, and creativity skills, they also build community connections and see themselves making a difference in the world. Public libraries can join the fun by providing these free/low-cost opportunities for their patrons. Here are some ideas and inspiration to help facilitate service learning at the library!

STEP 1: IDENTIFY a need or problem to solve and connect with community partners to ensure the project is making a difference and adding value. These organizations below are often in need of support:

• Badger Honor Flight - write letters of thanks and safe travels to veterans

• Letters Against Isolation - write letters to lonely elders

• Ronald McDonald House Pop Tabs - provide containers for collection at the library and get patrons involved with tracking, weighing, and counting

• Acts of Kindness Boards/Walls - decorate your library’s walls or windows with acts of kindness 

• Senior Center Decorations - passive seasonally-themed craft station with a purpose

• Centerpieces/Placemats for Community Meals - passive upcycling craft station with a purpose

• Earth Day Bags - share an environmental message on paper bags provided by local grocery stores or decorate reusable cloth bags 

• Acrostic Poems - show gratitude and honor educators or others with these creative works of poetry

STEP 2: ORGANIZE your project to align with a national celebration day such as: 

• Make a Difference Day - Fourth Saturday in October

• National Day of Community Service - November 4

• National Random Acts of Kindness Day - February 17

• National Volunteer Week - Third week of April

• Earth Day - April 22

• National Day of Gratitude - August 20

Pair with favorite read alouds or display books about kindness such as A Flood of Kindness by Ellen Leventhal; Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light by Apryl Stott; and When We are Kind by Monique Gray Smith. 

STEP 3: SECURE funding if needed. Be sure to look into Thrivent Action Grants. Members who have 1 or more Thrivent products are eligible for these $250 grants every year. They are a great way to kickstart small projects, and the application takes only a few minutes to complete. Costco and Walmart also have short mini grant applications that can be submitted at your local store. 

STEP 4: SHARE your impact on social media, on your library website, and in the library. Ask patrons what ideas they have for service learning. Watch your acts of kindness ripple throughout the community! 

If you have successfully implemented other service learning projects in the library, please email me your suggestions. They may be featured in a “Service Learning in the Library: Hands On, Hearts On” presentation proposal for the upcoming WEMTA Conference. 

Yours in service,

Tiffani Roltgen

roltgent@verona.k12.wi.us

Photo Credit:   

Krista Brinkmeier Photography

Games-based Library Services Nationwide Survey

Are you providing game based programs, services, and collections at your library? If so, read on for details about a nationwide survey of games-based Library Services from Chris Baker at Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and take the survey!!

Photo by Branden Skeli on Unsplash

 Hello, esteemed library colleagues!

After months of planning and thoughtful collaboration, the Wisconsin State Library Agency and the Washington State Library (in partnership with many others) are proud to officially kick off the first-ever nationwide surveying of Games-based Library Services – a key component of our National Games & Libraries Project (funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant for Libraries).

Our comprehensive survey will result in a thorough and unprecedented “snapshot” of Games-based Library Services [GBLS] being offered nationwide throughout multitype libraries: public & school, academic, special, state libraries & consortia HQs, etc. Please help contribute to this invaluable research by filling out the survey yourselves and/or sharing it with your relevant library colleagues and networks!

Note: We ask that all libraries complete this survey (whether they offer GBLS or not). All contributed data will be useful, so share far and wide!

There are a few important notes we’d like to highlight before folks begin the survey:

• The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. ⏱️
• To keep our data clean and useful, we ask that only one person per each library, branch, institution, etc. submit a response. If needed, please gather information from colleagues beforehand so your answers reflect your individual institution as a whole. ✅
• Before starting the survey, we’d ask you to have access to your library’s program attendance and Integrated Library System (ILS) collection data at-hand, as we are seeking certain relevant data points related to Games-based Library Services. 📈
• Please use your own discretion to choose responses to our questions that would best represent your location / institution (we understand that different libraries and library institutions throughout the country might use different names / terms state-by-state). 🎯
• Your responses are confidential. The only identifying information we collect is your institution’s ZIP Code, which will be used solely to help us understand geographic distribution and create a national heatmap of GBLS activity. 🔒
• Participation is voluntary and you may skip any question that allows skipping (note that many responses are mandatory). Provided participant contact information (if given) will be used to select gift card raffle winners. 🎉
• This project was made possible in part by generous funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant LG‑256639‑OLS‑24. 📚
• The National Games & Libraries Project [NGLP] is being co-sponsored by the ALA GameRT (the American Library Association’s Games & Gaming Round Table) and COSLA (the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies). 🎮

We anticipate the survey remaining open until mid-July. But… why wait!? Complete it ASAP to help us start building an early picture of nationwide Games-based Library Services!

If you have questions about the survey or the project, please contact Chris Baker (Games & Learning Consultant / Public Library Consultant; Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction) at Chris.Baker@dpi.wi.gov. 🙏 So – without further ado.... 

🎲 🕹️ NGLP Games-based Library Services Survey  🕹️  🎲

We want to thank everyone ahead of time for filling out the survey and sharing it with your colleagues and networks. We look forward to sharing the results of our survey with the nationwide library community this Fall!

Stay tuned -- and stay groovy, ✌️

~Chris Baker

 

Chris Baker (he/him/his) Public Library Consultant, Games & Learning Consultant | Bureau of Libraries Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction 201 W Washington Ave | Madison, WI | 53703 608-264-6709 |   dpi.wi.gov

Tips and Info from DPI's November 6, 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 November 6, 2025 edition:

 

Hello All,  Check out these youth services resources and reminders!  CSLP Summer Symposium – Registration is open!  Thursday, December 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Check out the Collaborative Summer Library Program for manual highlights, program ideas, and to hear from the CSLP 2026 Summer Reading Champion, Dan Santat!  Register to attend live.  Can’t attend the live event? Register to receive the recording.   Building Community Based Summers (BCBS) Wisconsin Cohort  The application for the Spring 2026 Wisconsin Cohort is open!   The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Bureau of Libraries is looking for six libraries to participate in the 2026 Building Community-Based Summers (BCBS) Cohort.     The BCBS learning framework will empower library staff to weave equity into their summer services and programming by exploring how equitable their current programs are, whether equity goals are being achieved, and what impact summer programs are having on those community members needing them most.    The deadline to apply is Friday, November 14, 2026. Applicants will be notified of their status by Monday, November 24, 2026.  2026 Summer Teen Internship Informational Webinar  Registration for the DPI Bureau of Libraries Teen Internship informational webinar at 10 a.m., January 30, 2026, is open.  Attendees will learn about the goals of the internship, what is expected of the library, the mentor, and the intern, and how to apply for the program.   Up to $2500 in funding is available for each of the selected Wisconsin public libraries to hire a paid summer intern who reflects the voice and perspectives of their community. This is expected to be a competitive process, and not all applications will be accepted into the program.  The Teen Internship is supported by the Institute of Museums and Library Services with Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding and is conditioned upon the availability of government funds which may be limited for any reason including, but not limited to, congressional, legislative, gubernatorial, or administrative action.  Vibrant Emotional Health is sharing Free 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline resources  The 988 Lifeline is a national network of crisis contact centers that connects people with skilled, compassionate crisis counselors 24/7, offering support for anyone in suicidal crisis or struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, or substance misuse.  Libraries of all kinds can request a free package containing 3 full-size flyers, 3 half-size flyers, 10 postcards, 10 bookmarks, and 10 stickers to help spread awareness of this vital resource to patrons.  These materials provide important information about how to access help via call, text or online chat.  By displaying these resources in your library, you can play a crucial role in connecting community members to life-saving support.  Request your free materials at this link  Nourishing Minds: A Free Toolkit for Teen Mental Health Programming in Libraries  Wednesday, November 19 from 2 to 3 p.m.  Join the Programming Librarian (ALA) for this free webinar to learn how to use Nourishing Minds, a free digital toolkit created by the Seattle Public Library for supporting teen mental health programming. The Nourishing Minds Framework, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and with support from The Seattle Public Library Foundation, is a comprehensive approach for libraries to support teen mental health. Over the course of three years, Seattle Public Library staff tested the digital toolkit, supporting librarians and teens with meaningful teen-focused programming. In this webinar, hear from the Nourishing Minds team about the framework, resources, and how libraries have used the toolkit to create teen programs.  For more information and to register, visit: https://programminglibrarian.org/webinars  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

School Readiness and the Library

Image by tolmacho from Pixabay

School is right around the corner (or maybe already in session) meaning it's a great time to think about how the library can support kids heading into Kindergarten.

"Many, if not all, public library systems provide story time for their preschool-aged patrons. These story times focus on early literacy skills to help get children ready to read. We often market these programs as helping to prepare children for preschool. This is because we know that early exposure to singing, talking, and reading sets children up to become successful readers. However, there is even more that the library can offer in terms of school readiness programs," writes Anna Melvin on the ALSC blog.

Inspired by professional development trainings hosted by DC Public Schools, she put together a four day program she runs to simulate a typical school day for kids entering school for the first time. Each day includes circle time, a group read-aloud, a group craft, and different stations for the kids and their grown-ups to work through at their own pace.

The program went over extremely well with Melvin's patrons, "Many of the patrons who attended still discuss last summer’s program with me a year later. I also had families inquiring about the program for this summer back in January! Because of the previous year’s success, I am able to host this program again and get even more children ready for preschool."

To read the whole article (check out the planning spreadsheet Melvin links to at the end that includes each days activities and schedule), stop here.  [Little Learners: Getting Ready for PreK at the Library. Anna Melvin. ALSC blog. July 29, 2025.]

You may also some useful tips for school readiness in Lindsay Barrett's 4 Ways To Stress Less About Kindergarten Readiness post on the Read Brightly blog. While geared towards caregivers, there are some ideas that could be adapted to a library program setting. 

Stop here to read her post.  [4 Ways To Stress Less About Kindergarten Readiness. Lindsay Barrett. Read Brightly blog. undated.]

Do you have a program similar to this a your library? What as been your experience with it?

Make 2026 the Year of Math at Your Library!

Did you know 2026 is the United States' official year of math? Me neither but I'm excited to learn about it!

MoMath (the National Museum of Mathematics) is an award-winning museum in New York, New York that celebrates the role of mathematics in all the structures and patterns around us. But next year MoMath is expanding its reach by "curating picture-book spotlights, hands-on activity guides, and turnkey program ideas that any library can use to celebrate the United States' official 2026 Year of Math."

Join the Year of Math Librarians' Notification List to:

• receive early alerts when resources go live
• get tips for hosting math-themed storytimes and activities
• join a community of librarian committed to interdisciplinary engagement!

Are you planning any math-related programs at your Library? 

Play Make Learn Conference Registration Open

 [Note from Chris Baker: When it comes to Play Make Learn 2024 conference registration, I've received a couple of questions about which "Registration Type" librarians should choose when checking out; ultimately, the "Formal and Informal Educators" category is probably the most appropriate for library staff. If anyone is a student, though, definitely choose the student pricing – it's a terrific deal!]

Registration is Open for Play Make Learn

July 18-19, 2024

Register by May 31 for Early Bird Rates!

REGISTER NOW

The Play Make Learn (PML) Conference promotes high-quality learning opportunities for educators, researchers, developers, designers, foundation leaders, policy makers, museum and library professionals, and school leaders who are dedicated to promoting making, gaming, and playful learning. We aim to engage our audience in cutting-edge learning science ideas and experiences; communicate state-of-the-art design, education, and research; demonstrate new and upcoming games and technology; and network to spark new projects in the following themes: playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, arts integration in formal and informal spaces, and research/practitioner partnerships.

 

Learn more at our website and follow us on social media for keynote announcements.

 

When: July 18-19, 2024

Where: Memorial Union | 800 Langdon St. | Madison, WI

We’re excited to announce Pre-Conference Sessions are back! These additional sessions will take place July 17, 2024. Please visit the website to learn more about session options. Pre-Conference session registration is an additional fee.

REGISTER NOW

Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to provide scholarships for a limited number of people in need of financial support. Complete the scholarship application here. GEE! Learning Games Awards Are Back! Submissions due June 1 Enter to win the coolest award in learning games! Finalists get free registration to Play Make Learn, a GEE! Award badge for your website, and the chance to showcase your game. In the spirit of James Paul Gee, we’re looking for digital and analog games that are fun, educational, and novel. Send us your best! LEARN MORE