Tips and Info from DPI's August 28, 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 August 28, 2025 edition 

Hello All,  Check out these youth services reminders and resources!  WLA Leadership Development Institute – Application Deadline Extended  Applications for the WLA Leadership Development Institute (LDI) are now due by 8 am on Tuesday, September 2nd.   Due to our systems being down most of last week, we have decided to extend the deadline to submit LDI applications.  We apologize for any frustration this may have caused and are extending our application deadline for LDI by one week.  Revised Space Planning Outline and Webinar for Public Libraries  Wisconsin public libraries can access the revised Public Library Space Needs: a Planning Outline and register for the Space to Grow: Assessing Future Library Building Needs webinar.    Tuesday, October 7 at 1:00 p.m.  More information and registration  CSLP August Newsletter  The latest CSLP newsletter includes information about the 2028 Slogan and 2029 Theme, board members and committee chairs, annual survey, call for manual program ideas, and more!  CSLP Summer Symposium – Save the Date  December 4, 2025, 10-3:30 CST   The annual Summer Symposium is coming this year on December 4th. Come hear keynote speaker Dan Santat, and attend breakout sessions about the manual, learning to decorate a space, and dinosaur programming to use in your library.   The link to sign up for this symposium will go live in the coming months.    Jeni Schomber  Public Library Consultant

Tips and Info from DPI's May 8 , 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 May 8, 2025 edition  

Hello All,

Foundations of Wisconsin Librarianship Workshop

• Registration is at capacity for the Foundations of Wisconsin Librarianship: Essential Skills for Library Media Specialists and Public Library Staff Serving Youth workshop. If you are still interested in attending, please contact me directly at jeni.schomber@dpi.wi.gov to be placed on a waiting list.
• This workshop is specifically structured to be most beneficial to public library staff who are new (three years or less) to serving youth in Wisconsin libraries and will provide an introduction to essential skills, resources, and strategies for working in public libraries.
• The three-day in-person workshop will be held at Hotel Mead, in Wisconsin Rapids from 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday July 29 through 2:00 p.m. on Thursday July 31, 2025. There is no cost to attend and most meals will be provided. Attendees, or their library, will be responsible for mileage, two nights lodging, and one evening meal.

BadgerLink Bulletin

• Learn how to find book reviews in trusted library publications in trusted BadgerLink Resources. View the full story.
• An updated Britannica School-Early Elementary webinar recording is now available on the BadgerLink Training Page. View the full story.  

Flight Path: a New Project for Libraries

• In honor of World Migratory Bird Day (May 15th) STAR Net and Tangled Banks Studios are proud to announce Flight Path, a new project for public libraries focused on bird conservation and science.
• Flight Path invites you to swoop into a robust suite of materials to create engaging and educational events that give your communities the opportunity to learn about local and regional birds, and to become local science explorers themselves.
• Learn more and apply today.

YALSA Symposium Status Update

• While YALSA leadership is exploring the future possibilities for delivering Symposium content, there will be no YALSA Symposium in fall 2025 or fall 2026. The YALSA board and staff will continue discussing details related to future YALSA opportunities with other partners.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month - News from Sesame Workshop

• Sesame Workshop works to help children build a foundation of emotional wellness by being kind to themselves, practicing gratitude, and staying healthy in mind and body.
• Whether you are helping a child manage the ups and downs of daily life, or cope with big feelings such as grief, you can use our resources to help little ones notice, understand, and name their emotions.
• Explore the resources

Have a great weekend

Register Today for the Charlotte Zolotow Symposium!

We all love youth literature.  Let's be honest.  And October provides us a multitude of opportunities to connect with other librarians, hone our skills, expand our knowledge, and find inspiration.  (I'm looking at you, WLA Conference. *finger guns*)

If you're itching for another fantastic opportunity to learn and grow, you should consider joining the Cooperative Children's Book Center in Madison on Saturday, October 13th for the Charlotte Zolotow Symposium: Illuminating Experience!

This daylong conference will celebrate the legacy of Charlotte Zolotow, children's book author and editor who spent her distinguished career exploring and illuminating the childhood experience with honesty, grace, and an open mind.  

The Symposium will feature a variety of guest speakers--Crescent Dragonwagon, Candace Fleming, Eric Rohmann, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Javaka Steptoe, and Angie Thomas--breakout sessions, and small group book discussions divided by age group.  

Early bird registration ($75) is now open, with the price going up to $100 (which is still a steal for such a fantastic learning opportunity!) after September 15th.

To learn more and/or to register, click HERE.

Social Services Symposium

"I'm a librarian, but I need social worker skills."   

"I want to help this patron find a place to sleep and eat tonight."   

"I don't know what to do to help this family."

Sound familiar?  If so, you may be interested in the upcoming Social Services Symposium for Public Library Staff. Regional speakers from the social services field will discuss and dissect the complicated issues that public services staff experience on a daily basis, will offer practical suggestions, and will address the need for self-care when serving vulnerable communities. 

Registration and information about the symposium is available here. 

Social Services Symposium

Friday, September 11, 2015

Great Wolf Lodge, WI Dells

Registration fee: $10

This event is sponsored through funding from Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds, awarded to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction by the Federal Department of Museum and Library Services and by the First Business Bank Foundation, Madison, WI.

Games Symposium Scheduled for June 24

The third annual Games+Learning+Society Educator Symposium features exciting panel discussions, hands-on workshops, and the opportunity to critically consider how media and technology shape learning today. If you're a classroom teacher, librarian, technology coordinator, or administrator, this event is for you!

The symposium will be held Tuesday, June 14, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Memorial Union in Madison, Wisconsin. This year, it will be held the day before the full Games+Learning+Society conference. Registration is $30 (including lunch) and space is limited. One or two graduate credits, through the University of Wisconsin – Madison, are also available for an additional $150 per credit. New additions to this year's Educator Symposium include a raffle and free happy hour in the game arcade. After spending the day learning and networking, come spend the evening playing some games!

For more information, including the full program, please visit the website. Registration closes on May 31 and workshop space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. - Channel Weekly, Vol. 13, No. 30 -- May 12, 2011