Youth Services Development Institute

Twenty-five applicants will be selected to attend the 2013 Wisconsin Youth Services Development Institute, which will be held September 8 – 11, 2013 at the Heartwood Conference Center in Trego, Wisconsin.

Would you like to attend?

• There’s no fee (the costs are covered through an LSTA grant)
• Apply here
• Deadline for applications: Wednesday, May 8, 2013

The Wisconsin Youth Services Development Institute will…

• provide professional development and networking for librarians who serve babies, children, and teens in smaller public libraries
• target librarians who have no graduate degree in librarianship and/or work in rural library communities
• offer foundational training related to youth services, including programming, advocacy, and collection development
• place an emphasis on developing technology and leadership skills
• start at 5pm on Sunday, September 8 and conclude at 1pm Wednesday, September 11, 2013
• be located at the Heartwood Conference Center in Trego, Wisconsin
• be conducted by DPI staff and experienced librarians and educators from around Wisconsin

Get a complete description of the Institute here. 

Questions? Contact Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, DPI’s Public Library Youth and Special Services Consultant, at tessa.schmidt@dpi.wi.gov.

Costs for the Institute are covered through a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), administered by the Public Library Development Team at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI).

Photo credit: Keith Davenport via Flickr

Gear up for Teen Tech Week, March 10-16th

Teen Tech Week™ is March 10-16, 2013, with a theme of Check In @ your library, which …

encourages libraries to throw open their physical and virtual doors and showcase the outstanding technology they offer for teens and their families, from services such as online homework help and digital literacy-focused programs to resources like e-books, movies, music, audiobooks, databases and more.

There are tons of way your library can participate in Teen Tech Week: you can offer special programs or activities, or simply encourage teens and parents to come to the library and check out tech resources.

And if you register your library as a TTW participant (it’s free) you’ll get access to:

• a free webinar on makerspaces with Hilary Kolos from Dreamyard
• materials from TTW Partners, such as database trials, books and more

Great stuff you can use at your library for TTW:

• Event and Activity Ideas Toolkit (includes ideas like Old School Tech, Search Engine Battles, Teen Choice Awards, and more)
• Publicity Toolkit (a sample press release and sample letters to the editor)
• 25 easy ways to get teens to celebrate Teen Tech Week

Plus, here are ideas for programs from those offered by libraries during TTW 2012:

• Teen Geek Out event that incorporated Wii games, an open internet lab period, database demonstrations, ereader and tablet demonstrations [Rum River Branch at the Anoka County (MN) Library System] [Note: Winnefox libraries can borrow our Wii or Xbox 360 game system here]
• Teen Tech Challenge, a five question interactive quiz that encouraged teens to find resources from the library website, including how to access OverDrive, search the Florida Electronic Library, find articles available through the library database and explore the library’s blog. All teens who entered the challenge were eligible for a $25 gift certificate to Best Buy. [New Port Richey (FL) Library]
• Teen Technology Leadership Conference, in which teens instructed their peers on new technologies, including hands-on time for other students [Tomahawk Creek Middle School Library, Midlothian (VA)]
• craft program creating wallets from re-purposed computer keyboards [Indian River Library in Chesapeake (VA)]

Teens’ use of technology increased dramatically in recent years, yet more teens are doing this from home instead of the library. The Pew Internet & American Life project found that 93 percent of teens go online, with many using social networking sites, finding news and information, sharing content they create, and looking for information on health. Teens need to know that the library is a trusted resource for accessing information and that librarians are the experts who can help them develop the skills they need to use electronic resources effectively and efficiently. Teen Tech Week is a national initiative sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and is aimed at teens, their parents, educators and other concerned adults. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure that teens are competent and ethical users of technologies, especially those that are offered through libraries such as DVDs, databases, audiobooks, and videogames.

Sources:
• Teen Tech Week™ website
• Nearly 1,400 U.S. libraries celebrate Teen Tech Week™ at the Visibility @ Your Library blog
• YALSA announces 2013 Teen Tech Week

4 Events Coming Up Soon: Plan Now to Celebrate @ Your Library

September & October are chock-full of events around which you can create book displays and programs:

♦ Star Wars Reads Day, October 6th

Lucasfilm and its publishing partners have announced the first national Star Wars Reads Day to be held October 6, 2012.  It’s a “multi-publisher initiative that celebrates reading and Star Wars.  On October 6, events will take place at hundreds of bookstores and libraries across the United States.”

Though the sign-up for official events has ended, your library can still participate — “like” the Star Wars Reads Facebook page to get creative event ideas.

My question is…  why was this not scheduled for May the 4th?

♦ Teen Read Week, October 14 – 20

This year’s theme for Teen Read Week — It Came from the Library: Dare to Read for the Fun of It! — “offers a fun and simple way to show off what’s lurking in your library!”

Use these toolkits to get ideas for programs, contests, reading lists, and eye-catching displays:

• activity ideas you can replicate at your library
• planning checklist
• publicity toolkit — letter to the editor template, sample press releases, and logo to spread the word in your community
• Teen Read Week 2012 ideas on Pinterest

Teen Read Week is an national literacy initiative of the  Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association.

♦ Banned Books Week, September 30 − October 6

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.

Here are photos to inspire you to create displays:

• Banned Books Week 2010 by Somerset Public Library
• 3rd floor Banned Books Week Display by lincoln_library
• lots more photos in the Banned Books Week 2010 Flickr pool

Get …

• more ideas at Banned Books Week’s Facebook page
• free clip art to use on your Facebook page and website
• inspiration from events being planned at other libraries

Use these resources to find banned & challenged books on your shelves that you can put on display:

• Banned and Challenged Classics — #1 The Great Gatsby, #2 The Catcher in the Rye, and #3 The Grapes of Wrath
• Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009 — includes the Harry Potter series, Of Mice and Men, and The Color Purple
• Frequently challenged books of the 21st century — includes Twilight, The Hunger Games trilogy, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

You can even upload videos of your library’s banned books read-outs or descriptions of a local book challenge to the Banned Books Week YouTube Channel.

♦ Library Card Sign-up Month, September 1 – 30

Library Card Sign-up Month is time to remind parents and children that a library card is the most important school supply of all. “Thousands of public and school libraries join together each fall in a national effort to ensure every child signs up for their own library card.”

Download these free tools to use in your community:

• flyer / poster
  • Free customization is available — have your library’s own logo added to the PSA. Send a print-quality logo file (hi-res JPG or TIF, or EPS format), your library name and URL, and ALA will generate a custom PSA flyer for you (in PDF format) within 1-2 weeks. Send your logo & info to libraries@atigraphics.com.
• letter-to-the-editor
• public service announcement (PSA) scripts
• proclamation
• logos
• audio public service announcements (PSAs)

And here’s a Star Wars Day and Library Card Sign-up Month crossover: Moorpark City Library holds card sign-up event, ‘Star Wars’ style

How to Create Welcoming Spaces for Teens

Use the new National Teen Space Guidelines to evaluate & improve your library’s teen space — both physical & virtual (including your library’s website, blogs, and social media.)

These guidelines offer best practices and a blueprint for creating effective & welcoming spaces for teens.

Developed by the Young Adult Library Services Association, you can read the Guidelines in their entirety at the YALSA website or download the print-friendly PDF version.

→ You’ll definitely want to check out their list of “model spaces” (both physical and online) as inspiration for your library to consider and emulate.

And take a look at the newly-remodeled teen area at the Oakfield Public Library!
• photos here and another one here
• https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oakfield-Public-Library/113545705344597

Sources:
• YALSA releases new Teen Space Guidelines, ALA News
• National Teen Space Guidelines, YALSA

Gear Up for Teen Tech Week, March 4-10th

Teen Tech Week™ is March 4–10 this year, and the theme is “Geek Out @ your library!”

This year’s theme encourages libraries to throw open their physical and virtual doors to teens & showcase the outstanding technology they offer, from services such as online databases for homework help, e-books, movies, music, audiobooks, and more.

Source: Teen Tech Week™

Celebrate Teen Read Week Oct. 16-22

How will you celebrate Teen Read Week (October 16 – 22, 2011) at your library?

The Teen Read Week website and Teen Read Week Wiki have lots of …

• activity ideas
• sample press releases
• letters to the editor templates, and
• publicity tools to promote reading at your library.

Find something that will work for your library & readers at 50 Ideas for Teen Read Week.

This year’s theme is “Picture It @ Your Library”.

Teen Read Week is an initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

Pass the Book Program: Use the Power of Peer Recommendation

Book 484 in Howard County Public Library's first Pass the Book program began its journey in China

The Pass the Book program at Howard County Library (Columbia, Maryland) uses the “power of peer recommendation” to promote reading among teens.  Librarian Katie George said, “The fastest, most effective way to promote reading…or anything else…among teens is for a teenager to make a recommendation to another teenager.”

The program’s result in 2010: 324 teens read The Secret Hour,  and the accompanying Pass the Book website received 13,600 hits.

Launched during Teen Read Week, Katie George and her colleagues released 600 copies of The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld to the teens of Howard County. Teens who read the book could register the book’s number and track the book on a the library’s Pass the Book website. The book could then be passed on to a friend for further enjoyment. Participants could return to the website to see where their book had traveled. There were opportunities to participate in online discussions and challenges as well as attend special Pass the Book events at the library branches. Not only did the library collaborate with local teachers to promote and support the program, but even the author, Scott Westerfeld, passed a book!

The newest title in their Pass the Book 2011 program is Pay the Piper by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple.

Howard County Library’s Pass the Book program was inspired by the Pass the Book website and Pass the Book at Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library.

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) of the American Library Association named Katie George the winner of the 2011 MAE Award for Best Literature Program for Teens. The MAE Award provides $500 to the recipient and $500 to the recipient’s library and is sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust.

Sources:
Programming Librarian: Pass the Book Program Wins MAE Award
Howard County Library Pass the Book

Celebrate Teen Tech Week @ Your Library

Get ready to celebrate Teen Tech Week at your library March 6-12, 2011.

TTW is an American Library Association initiative encouraging teens to take advantage of libraries’ non-print resources. The 2011 theme — Mix and Mash @ your library — focuses on encouraging teens to use library resources to express their creativity by developing their own unique online content, and safely sharing it by using online collaborative tools.

Here are resources to help you celebrate TTW at your library:

• activity & program ideas and booklists
• downloadable audio PSAs featuring Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants
• sample press releases
• sample letters to editor
• Teen Tech Week Wiki

The promotional effort for this year’s Teen Tech Week is coordinated by ALA’s Public Information Office (PIO) and Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

Celebrate Teen Read Week Oct. 17-23

How will you celebrate Teen Read Week (October 17 – 23, 2010) at your library?

The Teen Read Week website and Teen Read Week Wiki have lots of …

• activity ideas
• sample press releases
• letters to the editor templates, and
• publicity tools to promote reading at your library.

Find something that will work for your library & readers at 50 Ideas for Teen Read Week.

This year’s theme is “Books With Beat”.

Teen Read Week is an initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

Creating Inviting Low-Cost Teen Spaces: Free Webinar

Title: Creating Inviting Low Cost Teen Spaces
Date: Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Time: 2 – 3 pm CST
Format: webinar
Cost: FREE

There is no charge for this webinar. Pre-registration is not required. To participate, just go to the Creating Inviting Low Cost Teen Spaces page. (Login details will be available at that page 30 minutes before the start of the webinar.)

If you’re unable to attend the live event, you can access the archived version the day following the webinar.

Graffiti, anime, slam poetry, Wii? Is your service to teens outdated or non-existent? Want to create a space that captures the attention of teens? No space and no money?

Creating special spaces in libraries to encourage teens to meet in a safe and stimulating environment is an exciting and challenging project. But have you asked yourself:

• Do I have space for this in my library?
• Where would I put it?
• How much will it cost?
• How do I feel about gaming?
• What’s wrong with sitting in a chair at a table?
• What can I do to control noise?
• What would a teen space look like? How can I get them to participate in planning their space?

In this webinar, participants will:

• Evaluate current service for teens
• Share ideas about programs for teens
• Take a virtual tour of new teen spaces
• Learn how to create an ambiance that appeals to teens
• Review seating, signage, acoustics, finish materials and
• Share tips that promote teen involvement
• Discover the practicalities and pitfalls of creating spaces for teens

Speaker:  Linda Demmers.  As a library consultant, Linda Demmers has extensive experience in library facility planning with professional background as a librarian, planning consultant, and owners’ representative on a wide variety of new construction and renovation projects. She specializes in planning process, program documentation, broad-based community and user involvement, and long-term owner client relationships.

photo credit: Homer Township Public Library “how many librarians does it take to hang a sign?“