Bits from Barb

Children's Book Week

This is just a reminder that Children's Book Week has been moved from November to May. The artwork for the 2008 theme is now available. Mary Grand Pre, who is best known in children's literature circles as the creator of the Harry Potter covers, designed this year's official Children's Book Week poster. The Children's Book Council is offering the official poster at no charge this year. For information on Children's Book Week web site go to www.cbcbooks.org/cbw/index_2.html.

UW-Madison Summer Course
Bilingual Storytime Workshop, August 11-13, 2008
Participants will gain an understanding of cultural differences and learn how to
effectively incorporate elements of Hispanic, Native American, and Hmong cultures into children's programming.
For more information, contact Anna Palmer, ahpalmer@wisc.edu or 608-263-4452.

ALA Step Up to the Plate Promotion
The boys of summer are stepping up to the plate for the start of the first week of baseball season 2008. The American Library Association (ALA) and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum are getting into the swing of things, too. Season three of Step Up to the Plate @ your library officially launches this week. The program teams up two American classics - baseball and libraries-to promote the importance of information literacy skills and increase awareness of the library as an essential information resource. The Step Up to the Plate trivia game is now available to library patrons on the program's Web site at www.ala.org/baseball.
 Season three of the program, is a whole new "ball game," celebrating the 100th anniversary of the iconic song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."  People of all ages will be encouraged to visit their library and answer a series of trivia questions inspired by "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Categories of questions will include ballparks, baseball in popular culture, fan experience, and baseball pioneers. One grand-prize winner will receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in October 2008.
Librarians are encouraged to visit the program Web site to register for free promotional tools to help promote the program locally. Tools include program logos in both English and Spanish and a toolkit that includes sample press materials and programming ideas. To date more than 500 librarians from across the country have registered for the program.
Librarians who bring in the most entries can win incentives for participation in the program.  The library that brings in the most entries will get a $100 bookstore gift certificate and a copy of "Baseball's Greatest Hit: The Story of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game,'" by Andy Strasberg, Bob Thompson, and Tim Wiles. The next three libraries will receive a $50 ALA Graphics gift certificate and a copy of "Baseball's Greatest Hit." For more information about Step Up to the Plate trivia game or the promotion in general, go www.ala.org/baseball.


Map Added to the Performer Web Page
Public librarians and staff from other organizations who want to hire performers for their children's programs can now use the new Performer Map to locate potential candidates in their area. This map uses the free Google Maps service. On the map, every city with at least one performer in the Performer Directory has a location marker. Clicking a marker displays its information window, which includes:
*       The city name
*       An alphabetical list of performer names
*       The primary directory category for each performer
*       An underlined link to each performer's main directory entry
In the full-size map, the location markers are also listed in order by city name on the left side of the window. Clicking a marker in the city list scrolls the map to the city and displays its information window. The markers are color coded for Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. In performer entries of the directory pages, the city/state of the contact line is linked to the Performer Map. Clicking the link displays the city on the map and it's information window.Note: Performers who are represented by a booking agency that is listed as their contact are not included in the Performer Map.

Check it out! 

Copies of Past Wisconsin Manuals Available
The DPI Publications Office is cleaning house and has copies of three manuals used in the past available at no cost to interested libraries. They may be of interest to your local schools or day care centers. The titles are 1990 "Readlicious," 1996 "Razzle Dazzle Read," and 1998 " Mave Waves: READ!"
Let Jamie know if you would like any copies of these!

Some 2009 SLP Resources
March's "Puppet Tales Newsletter" written by Stephanie Stokes, California, for Mister Anderson's Company, has a link to free Spider Web Soup label that can be downloaded. It looks like a Campbell's Soup label and fits around a standard sized soup can. To sign up for the free news letter go to www.misterandersons.com/contact/index.htm.
Mackinac Island Press has a new title that may support the bug theme this summer. The title is 'Twas the Night Before Summer," a takeoff of the poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas." A young girl fears she will be bored during the summer, but a luna moth appears in a magic flying ship and shows the girl and her brother all the fun things that they can do. They stop to watch bugs in a county fair-like setting and at the beach, watch fireworks, and roast marshmallows before they return to their beds. The whole book is available for preview.


El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day)
 Libraries across the country will join Dora the Explorer(tm), members of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and REFORMA in celebrating El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), also known as Día, on April 30. Día celebrates the importance of advocating literacy for every child, regardless of linguistic and cultural background. Dora the Explorer(tm), the popular children's television character who invites children to share her adventures in learning, is featured in the Día 2008 brochure, poster and bookmark.
 Libraries showcase their various multicultural programs and services through Día celebrations. Día events support literacy and bridge cultures through bilingual book displays and story hours; family literacy fairs; bilingual writing projects, and programs that will encourage parents to inspire their children to read.
 Día honors children, their languages and culture, encourages reading and literacy, and promotes library collections and programs that reflect the country's changing populations. For a brochure featuring multicultural book lists and tips on how to encourage children to read, please visit the Día Web site at www.ala.org/dia. Libraries that register their Día events through the Web site will receive copies of the complimentary brochure, while supplies last. In addition, posters and bookmarks are for sale through ALA Graphics at www.alastore.ala.org.
 ALSC is the national center for Día. Through a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, ALSC is working with national organizations, such as Dia's Founding Partner, REFORMA, to initiate communication and education efforts that promote Día to families across the United States. REFORMA is the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking.
 If your library is celebrating Día please go to the ALA web site and describe what you are doing. Currently there are no entries for Wisconsin.

SYSTEM YOUTH LIAISON POSTING
Barbara Huntington, DLTCL
April 2008