Reflective Assessment in Our Service

Dr. J. Elizabeth Mills, writing on behalf of the ALSC Research committee, has written a clear and well researched call to youth staff to consider ways we can assess our services. This short but meaty post in the ALSC blog gives practical tips on how reflection in our service assessment can build on our learning both during programs and after.

Dr. Miller writes: “Assessment refers to gathering information about  something you are doing to determine progress and effect meaningful growth (Campana, Mills, & Ghoting, 2016). Assessment data can give you the basis for an advocacy story to share the ways in which you are having an impact through your work. This can, in turn, inform your own professional development. Another way to think about assessment is that it’s about understanding what has taken place so that you can continue to strengthen what you do and how you do it.”

To read this powerful post, please stop here.  [The Ripples We Make: Reflective Assessment in Children’s and Youth Services. Miller, Dr. J Elizabeth. ALSC blog. May 29, 2025.]

Friday FAQs with Tessa - 1/15/21

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.  (Yes, this is technically the third Friday in January ).

                FAQ Friday 1/15/2021 recording (5:11) https://youtu.be/fK-l4CL6KsA 

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

• Virtual Events Calendar – School Library Journal

Virtual Events Calendar (VEC) is the spot where SLJ rounds up other new events daily, geared toward literacy and social change and occasionally just plain fun. Daily stops for you, your students, and your families. 

• Watch the Youth Media Awards (YMAs). Livestream the 2021 Youth Media Awards announcements Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, at 6 am PST, 7am MT, 8 am CT, 9am ET. 

• Collaborative Summer Library Program’s 2021 Tails & Tales Social Media Toolkit: https://bit.ly/CSLP_Toolkit21. The document is a living one, so the CSLP social media team will keep plugging away at adding graphics and sample posts as Summer 2021 approaches. In addition to the official Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook pages (@CSLPreads), CSLP has also introduced a program planning CSLP Facebook group and a new Instagram page.

• Annual Report: Programming and Activity Count tracker workbook. Updated to include 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. We are developing and will add technical assistance for utilizing the event tracker soon. 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.

 

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Tessa Michaelson Schmidt (she/hers)

Public Library Consultant | Youth Services and Inclusive Services

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

(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   
•     

WI Annual Report Summer Programming Update

There have been many questions around how we should track statistics during this time of virtual programs; remote programs, outdoor programs and etc. We know how we collected data in the past for our programs at the library but what do we do now?

In the latest WI Libraries for Everyone blog post, Tessa Michaelson Schmidt breaks it down and offers guidance to public library staff who work with youth on how to approach your data collection.

Among the things she reminds us:
"It is important to communicate in a meaningful way to your library board how you have served the community during this public health crisis by adapting services. This includes virtual storytimes, grab and go bags, interactive social media posts, phone calls to patrons, newspaper articles, community partnerships for meal and book delivery….the list goes on and on. The numerous ways in which you serve your community have never, and will never, be captured in totality on the public library annual report; there are simply too many locally specific and creative means of providing library service. Use local data to tell your library’s story year round. This is the essence of everyday advocacy--the best insurance policy to invest in."


Telling Your Story
"We anticipate seeing a decline in hours and weeks open to the public, program numbers and program attendance, circulation of traditional materials, and public computer use in Wisconsin public libraries. Rather than focus on what is out of your control, communicate what you are doing and the impact it is having.  Be specific and share examples of patron interactions and patron feedback. Whether it was helping someone get a printed document in the nick of time or providing hand-selected titles for an avid reader stuck at home, or the thank you notes from your virtual storytime fans or the caregivers grateful for your grab and go kits, you are making a difference. Telling your story to your community and being available to serve them is the most important thing you can do right now."

Stop here to read about important links and specific guidance on data collection from grab and go bags; online programming and more.

Wisconsin Resources YSS blog COVID-19 series:

• WI Annual Report Summer Programming Update  7/8/20
• Data Collection for Virtual Programs 3/17/20
• More Info on Data Collection for Virtual Programs 3/19/20

Friday FAQs with Tessa Michaelson Schmidt

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

Friday FAQs 4/10/20

We are so lucky in WI!! Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, our statewide Youth and Inclusive Services Consultant, is asking for your input on concerns and questions you have during this difficult time. Each Friday she will share information, answers and shout-outs based on your input.

Here is her note and resources along with the link to the first recording for 4/10/20. Thank you Tessa!

Dear Library Staff Serving Youth,

Happy Friday! As promised, I offer you the very first recording of Friday FAQs for Youth Services. It’s not perfect (heads up around the 9:00 mark for a minor re-do), but I hope that it informative and helpful. The slides used in the recording are attached as a PDF. Also, the FAQ Friday form is open for your input on next week’s episode.

FAQ Friday 4/10/2020 recording https://youtu.be/h7UinjYf_YE

FAQ Friday form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfcCCH0bDIXMTpzt4WBrfmJHvP-B7Vm_B5Ide6p0byioYwh9Q/viewform?usp=sf_link

Resources related to this week’s topics:

COVID-19 Information for Wisconsin Public Libraries https://dpi.wi.gov/pld/boards-directors/disaster-planning/coronavirus

See Library Services à Examples of Remote Library Services

Youth Service Shout-Out: YSS Blog http://yssevents.blogspot.com

Tons of tips from your Wisconsin peers

Keeping Equity at the Forefront: Emergency Remote Learning http://librariansnetwork.weebly.com/blog/keeping-equity-at-the-forefront-emergency-remote-learning

Important considerations from the ISTE Librarians Blog

Virtual Storytime for Beginners from the Arizona State Library https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0cdQlM7-7E&feature=youtu.be

A 41 minute tutorial from your Arizona peers

Virtual Storytime Resource Guide from ALSC http://www.ala.org/alsc/virtual-storytime-services-resource-guide

Not fully stocked yet, but bookmark this growing toolkit and check back soon

Be well,

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt

Public Library Consultant – Youth and Inclusive Services

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

(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       

More Information About Data Collection for Virtual Programs

Please note the following additional information in reference to the following post: http://yssevents.blogspot.com/2020/03/data-collection-for-virtual-programs.html

"When thinking about quantifying your library’s efforts to provide programming virtually - whether that be livestreaming on social media, recording programs and posting the recording to a video sharing website, or some other method for connecting with your library users - be sure you are tracking that attendance in a way that is meaningful to your library.

For the Wisconsin Public Library Annual Report, it is important to remember if you are providing virtual programming for your users you may only include livestreaming views and live interactions with programs in the Programs and Program Attendance Annual Count portion of the annual report. Views of program recordings (after the fact) are not counted on the annual report, though you are encouraged to share those numbers with your library board if you track them.

We have made extensive resources available in the Wisconsin Public Library Annual Report Instructions Library Programs section to help you determine the difference between what counts as a program and program attendance and what is something you may be interested in counting locally to help quantify your local efforts but is not reported on the annual report.

We anticipate seeing a decline in hours and weeks open to the public, program numbers and program attendance, circulation of traditional materials, and public computer use in Wisconsin public libraries. It is more important that you can communicate in a meaningful way to your library board and your community your efforts to serve them during a public health crisis by discussing the ways your service has adapted to meet users where they are. Telling your story to your community and being available to serve them is the most important thing you can do right now."

Looking for more information?

Check out the DPI's COVID-19 page: https://dpi.wi.gov/pld/boards-directors/disaster-planning/coronavirus

A huge thank you to Tessa Michaelson Schmidt for sharing this information!

Wisconsin Resources YSS blog COVID-19 series:

• WI Annual Report Summer Programming Update  7/8/20
• Data Collection for Virtual Programs 3/17/20
• More Info on Data Collection for Virtual Programs 3/19/20

Friday FAQs with Tessa Michaelson Schmidt

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