Childrens

From DPI's Jeni Schomber's weekly Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources Updates 4/4/24:
ASL for Storytime: Feelings Signs Webinar 

(CLEL – Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy)– Wednesday April 24th at 2 p.m.

 Click here to register.

Add some American Sign Language to your storytime toolbox! In this interactive session, we’ll focus on basic ASL vocabulary for emotions and activities to support self-awareness, an important social emotional skill. Learn how to incorporate ASL into storytime songs, rhymes, and stories in a respectful and effective way. 

About the Presenter:
Kathy MacMillan is a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and storyteller. She is the author of the Little Hands Signing series from Familius Press and Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together (Hands Up Press) as well as many other books for children, teens, librarians, and educators. She has worked in school and public libraries for over 25 years and has presented workshops and trainings for thousands of library staff throughout North America. Find her online at StoriesByHand.com.

 From DPI's Jeni Schomber's weekly Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources Updates 4/4/24:

Connecting Wisconsin Libraries is a networking group of school and public libraries that meets quarterly to facilitate collaboration with WLA stakeholders and WEMTA stakeholders, and to foster collaboration between school and public libraries on a statewide level.

               

                Click here to join us for our next meeting on Thursday April 25th at 3 p.m.

 

                Mary Ellen Graf from TeachingBooks will be presenting: 

Powerful Partnerships: Schools, Public Libraries, & TeachingBooks 
Collaboratively support readers at home, school, and the public library with TeachingBooks. Learn how to create and share reading lists, integrate TeachingBooks resources into school and library visits,      and cross-promote library programs and school literacy initiatives.

Image by Dave Davidson from Pixabay
After the excitement of the April 8 eclipse, many people are wondering what to do with their used glasses. Here are a few ideas shared this past week.

The Nicest Thing to Do With Your Eclipse Glasses After Today's Eclipse . Emily Long. Lifehacker. April 8, 2024
What to Do with Extra and Gently Used Eclipse Glasses?? Anne Holland. StarNet Community blog. April 11, 2024
DPI's Jeni Schomber also recommends these two resources:

• Astronomers Without Borders
• Eclipse Glasses USA

Once or twice  a month on weekends, YSS posts round-ups of ads that are sent to us or that we come across. If you have a position opening up and would like to see it on the YSS blog, please forward the job ad link/descriptions to the YSS blog at the email address listed in the header above the day's blog post.

Here is a mid-April listing:

Elm Grove Public Library          Youth Services Librarian (part-time)

The Elm Grove Public Library is accepting applications for the newly created position of part-time Youth Services Librarian. Elm Grove is a beautiful village in eastern Waukesha County, with a lovely park, pond and walking trails immediately outside the library’s front door. The library is known for its strong customer-service focus and community relationships. The successful candidate will be responsible for assisting with developing and providing youth library programs and services; assisting with youth department collection maintenance; and providing reference, computer assistance and readers’ advisory services at the reference desk.

This position is 12 hours per week plus one eight-hour Saturday approximately every six weeks.

Master of Library Science degree from an accredited program is required.  Previous youth services and public library experience desired.  A successful applicant will be required to undergo a drug screening and a background check.  Deadline for applications is May 1, 2024.  Please send resume, cover letter, and Village of Elm Grove application form to the Elm Grove Public Library, Attention: Sarah Muench, 13600 Juneau Blvd, Elm Grove, WI 53122, or email application materials to Sarah Muench at muench@elmgrove.lib.wi.us. 

__________________________________________________________________________

Brown Co. Library Kress Family Branch (De Pere)    Youth Services Librarian  (full-time)

Brown County Library (BCL) is seeking a creative, energetic, and innovative Youth Services Librarian for our Kress Family Branch in De Pere. This role works with the BCL Youth Services Committee to plan and implement services and programming for patrons from birth through high school, as well as their caregivers.

The YS Librarian works closely with educational partners within the community to support education and literacy for all ages of youth. As part of the Kress Family Branch, this role serves under the branch manager, assisting a team of associates and clerks in supporting the needs of the branch, with a special focus on youth, families, and caregivers.

Kress Family Branch of the Brown County Library
Youth Services Librarian (non-exempt)
Wage: $24.14
Application Deadline: April 24, 2024
Apply Online: https://tinyurl.com/bdzf7bkj

From DPI's Jeni Schomber's weekly Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources Updates 4/4/24:

All CSLP member library staff are invited to contribute thoughts about future summer themes and slogans. This April, you will have two virtual opportunities to give feedback on a slogan for 2027’s theme (Mystery/Detective/Suspense) and a theme for 2028. What type of sleuthing will 2027 bring to our libraries? Will we spend summer of 2028 getting our hands dirty in the garden? Standing under a tree during a rainstorm? Zipping into the future? You get to help us decide!

Register for one of our two listening sessions in April by clicking on the links below. We want to hear your voice! Ahead of the meeting, we will be providing the top 25 options for 2027 slogans and 2028 themes. Help us narrow it down to the ten that will be voted on by State Reps at the annual CSLP meeting!

Slogan/Theme Listening Session Option #1:
Thursday, April 18th: at 3:00 p.m. Register Here

Slogan/Theme Listening Session Option #2:
Tuesday, April 23rd: at 1:00 p.m. Register Here

The WiLS Ideas to Action Fund application period is open through June 3

The WiLS Ideas to Action Fund provides grants of up to $5,000 so member organizations can bring their project ideas to life. The Fund encourages partnerships and collaborations among WiLS members and with community partners, supports innovative and exploratory new work, and seeds the development of processes, methods, or resources that can be used by other WiLS members.
The total amount awarded in 2023 was $33,800. To date, the WiLS Board has awarded over $155,000 to 38 Wisconsin libraries and cultural organizations.

For examples of successfully funded projects, see the proposal for Appleton Public Library’s Piano Project or Tomahawk School District’s 2020 proposal to create an eSports club.

Have questions about WiLS Ideas to Action Funds? Watch the recording of this webinar on preparing your proposal or contact WiLS at information@wils.org.

All WiLS general members are eligible to apply. If you are not a member, it’s free and the application process is quick and easy. Read more about joining WiLS here.

We recognize that sometimes the barrier to completing a project is not lack of funds, but lack of time. Instead of or in addition to funding, members can apply for WiLS staff time to support project planning, facilitation, survey design, marketing, or other project activities.


Visit https://www.wils.org/do/giving-back/ideas-to-action/ for more information and to apply.

Scholastic is not only a publishing powerhouse but also its books are the source of media series like the Magic School Bus, Babysitters Club, Clifford the Big Red Dog and more. 

A recent post in Kidscreen delved into a new enhanced partnership between the publisher and their 20 year relationship with 9 Story, a production, distribution and licensing company.

Check out the article here.

Image by Manfred Steger from PixabayA recent ALSC blog post by the ever thoughtful Jaime Eastman breaks down the many ways you can boost your own professional development outside employer-provided opportunities.

Jaime writes: "Does your job require regular professional development or continuing education? Often, this means mandatory training facilitated by your employer. It covers important topics and may provide useful tools and resources. But what about development that’s just for you?...What if you could explore topics just because they resonate, not because someone said you had to? I firmly believe choosing development opportunities that excite you should be an option. I’ll also admit that might not be your reality right now. Let’s talk about ways to add professional development that really resonates. What sparks your joy?"

Stop here to read all her great suggestions. [Boost Your Career: Professional Development Tips for Library Staff. Eastman, Jaime. ALSC blog. April 2, 2024.]

Sam Jones is the Youth Services Librarian at the Beaver Dam Public Library. She shares tips to make your job easier in her Tuesday posts.

Free Webinar: More Than Welcome: Libraries Serving Families of Young Children with Disabilities 

Here is an opportunity for a free webinar through the University of Kentucky. The webinar will be April 26 from 1-3 pm on Zoom. If interested, you can register here.
"Public libraries provide rich learning opportunities for ALL young children and their caregivers. This interactive webinar, a culminating product of the Services for Children of ALL Abilities in Libraries: An Exploration (SCALE) project, will identify how libraries are currently serving families with young children with disabilities through spaces designed for play and social interaction, through programs that offer fun and interactive learning experiences, and through partnerships intended to address the interests and needs of families within and beyond the physical library. Join us to learn how libraries are working to be more than just welcoming for families of children with disabilities." 

The Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) has updated its annual Diversity Statistics to include data on the 3,491 books for children and teens received by the CCBC that were published in 2023.*

The CCBC has been documenting books for children and teens it receives annually by and about Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) since 1994. Between 1985 and 1993, the CCBC documented books by and about Black people only.

In 2018, the CCBC began to document additional aspects of identity in its analysis, including disability, LGBTQ+, and religion.

Following a long period of relative stagnancy, around 2015 the number of children’s books the CCBC received by BIPOC creators and about BIPOC characters began to increase. By 2020 — only five years later — the number of books the CCBC received that were by or about a person of color had tripled.

While the statistics in 2022 showed a continuation of this rising trend, 2023 showed little change. “We are glad things are not decreasing,” says CCBC Director Tessa Michaelson Schmidt. “However, it’s disappointing there hasn’t been more movement in an upward direction.”

The CCBC did note a modest increase in the share of books including significant BIPOC content in 2023 — meaning they have a primary or significant secondary character or human subject who is BIPOC, or the setting or topic of the book relates to BIPOC people or history. In 2023, 49 percent of the books the CCBC documented had significant BIPOC content (up from 46 percent in 2022), and 40 percent had at least one BIPOC primary character (up from 39 percent in 2022).
In 2023, 49 percent of the books the CCBC documented have
significant BIPOC content — up from 46 percent in 2022.
On the other hand, the share of books having at least one creator (e.g., author, illustrator, or compiler) who is BIPOC was nearly identical to 2022. Forty percent of the books the CCBC received in 2023 were by a person of color. This includes 18 percent that had at least one Asian creator, 13 percent that had at least one Black creator, and 11 percent that had at least one Latine creator. By comparison, 70 percent of the books the CCBC received had at least one white creator.

In recent years, the CCBC has seen more books that reflect the multifaceted complexity of individual lives when it comes to identity — for example, books in which characters are multiracial/multiethnic; that reveal intersectional identities; or that portray other dimensions of identity, including disability, LGBTQ+, and minority (non-Christian) religions.

Of the books the CCBC received in 2023, 7 percent featured a primary or significant secondary character/human subject with a disability or were about one or more disabilities, 7 percent featured LGBTQ+ themes or characters, and 4 percent featured a minority religion.

The CCBC notes that books with multiple primary characters and/or subjects or primary characters/subjects with multiracial or intersectional identities are counted in all applicable categories. Percentages are not mutually exclusive and cannot be combined to calculate a total of the whole.

As the number of books reflecting the lives and complex identities of children, teens, and families today continues to grow, they are having greater visibility in libraries and classrooms, and in the lives of children and teens. Schmidt

“The CCBC Diversity Statistics focus on quantity, not quality. But what we know from our work recommending books in our annual best-of-the-year list, CCBC Choices, is that greater numbers inevitably mean more outstanding choices among the books published,” says Schmidt. “Librarians, teachers, parents, and other adults who care for children have more high-quality books to choose from when selecting and recommending books for young readers and listeners that reflect and validate dimensions of their identities and their place in our global society.”

The Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) is a unique examination, study, and research library of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The CCBC is also funded by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction through the Division for Libraries and Technology.

*The statistics about books by and/or about Black, Indigenous and people of color are periodically updated online. This online data includes more detailed percentages, and the number of books represented by each percentage.
By Kari Dickinson
Here are links to the above news release and media kit which includes visual images

 From Nicolet Federated Library System's Nic New Weekly, April 5, 2024

April is Autism Acceptance Month
Did you know that one in 36 children are diagnosed with autism in the United States? It is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the country.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a complex, lifelong developmental condition that typically appears during early childhood. It can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. 

Join the Autism Society of Maine for a webinar, Autism and Strategies, hosted by Maine CITE on April 17. Help spread awareness for early diagnosis, promote inclusion in the greater community, and practice acceptance in everyday life. 

Join IFLS members and other interested WI youth library folks for a free mini-conference in Eau Claire

April 17, 9:30-3:30

Florian Gardens, 2340 Lorch Avenue, Eau Claire

 

Join us for an in-person extravaganza!  Librarians from outside the IFLS area are welcome to join us.  

Register here by April 9

 

9:30-12:15:  Connecting the Dots:  Purposeful, Intentional Library Programs 

Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, St. Paul (MN) Public Library

Libraries across the country strive to create and host programs that are meaningful, community driven, and connected to mission, vision and values. Still, amidst daily work it can be challenging to devote time and effort to stepping outside the program churn and intentionally connect with the community, plan thoughtfully, and ensure your work contributes directly to your library's goals. This interactive workshop will introduce strategies and tools for libraries of all sizes to look big-picture at programming, engage community in your process, and create programs with thought and intention. 

 

12:15-1:00:  Lunch ($5, IFLS subsidized)

 

1:00-3:30:  Breakout sessions, led by your colleagues!  Topics include

• Free book distribution efforts
• Book clubs for elementary age kids
• Teen programming
• Polar VR or Science for Everyone
• City Park Passport Program
• Small and Mighty Programming and Outreach
• Summer Library Program Idea Swaps

 

Presenter:  Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser is the Youth and Family Service Manager at the St. Paul Public Library.  She has worked at the Columbus (WI) Public Library and the LaCrosse Public Library, and is an instructor for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s iSchool Continuing Education program.  She states, “I’ve learned that listening, asking questions, and staying curious are hallmarks of a supportive leader.”

 

This workshop provides 5.25 contact hours for library director certification

 

Please see information below about an upcoming informational "Virtual Kickoff Party" regarding the Wisconsin Science Festival. We've had a number of school and public libraries serve as host sites (offering REALLY cool activities!) for the WI Science Festival in the past, and it'd be terrific to continue strengthening our collaborative relationship with the Science Festival moving forward.

If your library might be a good fit for a WI Science Festival host site come this October (or if you're just interested in learning more!), consider registering for the April 25th info opportunity below.

See you there! 

~Chris Baker/ DPI Library Team Consultant

ZOOM INTO SCIENCE

WITH #WISCIFEST 2024!

2024 Wisconsin Science Festival Virtual Kickoff Party
April 25 | 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Ready to start making plans for the fall?
Just want to learn more?

Join us for networking and conversation about the 14th annual
Wisconsin Science Festival!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE KICKOFF PARTY

Hear from the WSF team and a few special guests about updates for 2024

·    Learn how and when to submit your 2024 events

·    Grab your lunch and bring your ideas and questions

The Wisconsin Science Festival aims to inspire and engage us in the enterprise of science and discovery; to promote innovation and to cultivate the next generation of global citizens. In 2023, more than 41,000 people participated in events throughout 51 counties in Wisconsin. (View the 2023 annual report!)

Additional opportunities from our festival partners:

If you have content you’d like to share or include in the Wisconsin Science Festival, our friends at Remake Learning Days have a great opportunity for you to test your material or programs with youth and families this spring! See more details on how to include your organization in another great celebration of learning.