YSS Social at the CCBC

Socializing at the YSS Social at the CCBC

On October 25 during the WLA Conference in Middleton, YSS collaborated with UW-Madison's Cooperative Children's Book Center to make our annual YSS Social an even more special event. Over 20 youth services library staff and other interested people registered for this delightful event. The YSS board and CCBC librarians were on hand for the evening fun.

Discovering all the CBC has to offer

The evening opened with a very brief - but very interesting verbal tour of the CCBC's space. We found out about the many 4th floors that the CCBC has occupied during its existence; discovered the difference between "current" and "basic" collections; found out WHERE ALL THE BOOKS COME FROM; discovered that there are ARCs (advanced readers copies), bookmarks and other interesting book-related pieces sent by publishers that are given away FREE; were reminded of the amazing intellectual freedom services provided; learned about the Charlotte Zolotow Award and Lecture and were clued in to how using the CCBC can save selectors a ton of money with hands-on book examination to help separate the wheat from the chaff.

Scavenger hunt selfie taking

But that's not all. Attendees heard some great booktalks from CCBC librarians Tessa Michaelson Schmidt and Merri Lindgren. I don't think I was the only one putting those books on hold (via my phone's handy Library app) as Tessa and Merri regaled us with the plots.

There was plenty of time to look more closely at the collections and visit with each other as the evening went on. As a bonus, the staff had prepared a scavenger hunt for interested youth sleuths. For those who chose to participate we needed to find five items on the list and take a selfie of ourselves with each book or item found. Those that completed the hunt went home with a free book!

Picking out a scavenger hunt prize book

It was an excellent evening and an excellent way for YSS folks and other youth library staff to visit a nearby state treasure and get more familiar with it - and each other!

Thanks CCBC for the great evening!

"Creating Community Fun" Programs - Going the Extra Mile

Today's guest post is from Children's Librarian Annette Miller at the Tomohawk (WI) Public Library 

I want to share how reaching out and making connections can lead to something a little extra-special.  

I had been struggling with how to provide programming during the pandemic and library closure and wanted to be sure about how to move forward before just jumping into a virtual storytime just for the sake of doing so.  I really miss the kids and families and I wanted to find a way to connect with them and provide an activity, but not just virtually.  

In late April,  I came across a Facebook post (in Storytime Underground) by Tanya Savitsky of the Ringtown Area (PA) Library.  She had placed "green sheep" all around her community because she loves the book "Where is Green Sheep?" by Mem Fox. She wanted to give the families something to do during this time.  I loved the idea but want to develop it a bit more.  I emailed her to ask a few questions She was so excited that her program had made its way to northern Wisconsin!  

I decided that I would choose a book to read on Facebook live and then add the non-virtual component of placing something out in the community to look for after the story.  I chose the book "Dragon was Terrible" by Kelly DiPucchio and Greg Pizzoli.  It's such a fun book and a wonderful tie-in with the summer library theme, too.  This program will be kind of a kick-off to our summer program.  

Next, I wanted to be sure I wasn't doing something illegal, so I just thought I would email Kelly DiPucchio to ask her permission to use the book and make copies of the dragon and see what happened.  She emailed me back right away and was so excited and so kind!  She also told me that she felt there wouldn't be an issue with the publisher because of the changes that have taken place during this time. Her only request was that I contact the illustrator, Greg Pizzoli.  After all, he did create the dragon.  

Well, he was just as excited and just as kind!  They both want me to share pictures after the event!  Now that I had those connections made, I went to City Hall to be sure there were no ordinances against putting the dragons out.  I want to place them primarily on city property where families can easily walk to find them and to promote these areas of the city as well.  They were fine with it (one will be placed near City Hall of course!).  

The final connection was when I shared the story on Facebook live and invited families or anyone who wants to go out and search for the dragons.  I am encouraging them to share pictures to our Facebook page.  In all these years (18 today!) I have never thought to email an author to simply ask a question.  It's just a great example of what reaching out can do and what connections will be created as a result.  We'll see what happens next week!  Like I said at the beginning, the reason I wanted to share this is because I hope it will inspire others to take a chance and reach out!

Creating Community Fun YSS blog COVID-19 series

• Mini-Golf Reader’s Cup  9/25/21
• Beep! Beep! Honk if you have Bingo!    9/1/21
• Letters to Guinea Pigs  8/18/21
• Stuffed Animal Fun for Everyone  7/13/21
• Pet Show and Tell  4/17/21
• Campfire Storywalk 3/10/21
• Outdoor Storytimes 1/17/20
• Family Trivia Night  10/7/20
• Flipgard, Fanfare and Friends: River Falls Celebrity Storytime  9/21/20
• Tie Dye Masks  8/24/20
• Summer Book Picnics  7/13/20
• Engaging Kids Outdoors  7/10/20
• Downtown Story Stroll    6/5/20
• Book nCover Double  6/8/20
• Going the Extra Mile 6/15/20 
• Summer Storyteller     6/16/20

Summer Scavenger Hunt Fun

A few weeks ago, I asked colleagues on the Imagine Your Virtual Story FB page to share some of their ideas on what they were doing for scavenger hunts this summer. I received some great shares of hunts that can be done offline as well as part of a virtual program. Now that the weather is warmer, there are alot of possibilities to explore!

Many libraries have had fun coordinating community-wide scavenger hunts that ask people to display a certain object (or depiction of the object) in their windows for kids and families to find as they take walks in their neighborhoods. Teddy bears, dinosaurs, flowers, cats, unicorns, horses, trucks and more have been displayed. This kind of hunt lends itself to collaboration with local media (newspapers, radio) and organizations too who can help spread the word.

And scavenger hunts can be much more than looking for specific objects around the house or outside. Think about asking kids to find things of one color or certain shapes. Consider asking them to look for objects that rhyme with a word or specific numbers of objects or that involvs the five senses or letters of the alphabet. The sky can really be the limit!

Birchard Public Library (OH) is a great example of pushing that envelope. They created an ongoing Social Distancing scavenge hunt event page on their FB page. Using the discussion area in the event, they are able to mount multiple scavenger hunts from week to week and month to month that play with what to base a hunt on! Here are just two examples:

Birchard Public Library, Fremont OH

Birchard Public Library, Fremont OH

At the Oak Park (IL) Library, a staffer shared a video with a simple example of a scavenger hunt challenge using her backyard to show kids how she finds the answers.

You can make your own scavenger hunts too! One library said "We live in a very rural community. We are planning a Selfie Scavenger Hunt where they take selfies with structures around the community, like the historical gas pump in our area. I'm hoping we have several teens participate." Other libraries mount the challenge in a library window or in a photo on FB like this library:  

Argyle(WI) Public Library

  

There are also plenty of online examples and templates you can use. At the Argyle (WI) Public Library, they found a template online and are planning to cut out each square, maybe add some colors along the bottom to find, staple to brown bag and set out for the kids to pick up & complete on their own or during one of their story walks.

No matter which way you go, you can engage your community in this passive - but very active- DIY programs, that are perfect for offline as well as virtual fun!

SLP Programming YSS blog COVID-19 series:

• A Reimagined SLP During a Pandemic  9/30/20
• A Look Back at Summer 2020  9/10/20
• Fun Summer Library Activities During COVID-19  7/6/20
• Summer Scavenger Hunt Fun 5/30/20
• Virtual and Offline Programs for Summer and Beyond  5/6/20
• DIY Family Activities for SLP from CSLP 5/1/20
• Virtual Programming & SLP Ideas for YOU! 4/25/20

Passive Program Power

Former YSS member and board member Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser is our special guest blogger today. Late of La Crosse Public Library, she began her new job as Youth Services Manager at the George Latimer Central Library in St. Paul, Minnesota. We're glad to welcome her back (if only in print!

Passive programs are a plus in any library, and in St. Paul we see lots of young friends that are visiting for the first time, as well as regulars. Having passive programs available for them to engage with our space has been a fantastic way to welcome newcomers and keep regulars coming back. Here are two ongoing passive programs that have worked great for us:

Scavenger Hunt: Each month we put out a new scavenger hunt. Eight pictures are hidden around the children’s room. At the children’s desk we have small pencils and checklists to help kids keep track of what they’ve found and what’s left. Once kids find all the pictures, they can come back to the desk for a sticker. We print our own stickers on peel-off label sheets, always using couple of the pictures from the hunt. We’ve gone through tons of themes, and this has been a great way to quickly jump on popular subjects. When Pokémon Go exploded, it was fast and easy to create Pokémon scavenger hunt, and people absolutely loved it.

Craft Cart: This is also a monthly activity, and very simple! All materials are included in the cart, so it’s a completely librarian-free activity. Instructions and an example go up on the whiteboard, and kids are free to create!

Everyone in the department takes responsibility for a few months out of the year, but these programs could easily be replicated in a library with fewer staff. Best of all, it gives kids and caregivers more opportunities to interact and have fun at the library.

Mixing-up Library Tours

In November, I had a homeschooling group request a library tour. The group included children ages 5-12. Because of staffing, we could only do one tour for the whole group of 25 kids plus parents. I've been meaning to mix-up my group visits. I figured a scavenger hunt would work for the wide age range. The kids could work in teams or parents could help. The Show Me Librarian came through for me again! I adapted the coded scavenger hunt featured in Amy's blog post. The visit was a huge success! All the ages were engaged in the hunt and the parents loved it, too!

Thank you again Show Me Librarian!

52 Weeks: Week 39 Gingerbread Who?

Brought to you by the Wisconsin Library Association Youth Services Section, 52 Weeks of YA Programming is a collection of teen programs submitted by YSS members across the state.

Week 39: Gingerbread Who? Gingerbread Who? Submitted by YSS Member Amanda Hyland