Grassroots Meeting Set for September 17

Grassroots Meeting
Thursday, September 17; 12 pm-4 pm
Kress Family Branch Library
3.5 CE Credits
Our annual meeting will feature Marge Loch-Wouters, children's librarian extraordinaire (now retired!), who will share ideas and resources from her six years of creating fun, simple, developmentally-appropriate storytimes. 

 Come prepared to learn, share and participate in an interactive presentation.

Pizza and soda for lunch will be included. 

Register today! 

July Youth Services Showcase

Note: Marinette County's Lara Lakari submitted the 3 Little Pigs idea.  

Check out this month's edition of the Showcase to find examples of:

·         A "1000 Books" anniversary celebration

·         A visit from the chamber orchestra

·         Summer library program YouTube videos, and

·         Engineering with the 3 Little Pigs (+1).

View this month's Showcase here: http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/pld_showcase.

Anyone is welcome to submit content and ideas for the Showcase; e.g., librarians, library directors, proud parents, supportive colleagues, etc. Only contributions featuring Wisconsin youth services and Wisconsin public libraries will be featured on the Showcase. Collaborative projects can be submitted; however, the Showcase will focus on the public library connection; e.g., a photo of a library book talk at a 4-H meeting will emphasize public library outreach.

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt

Public Library Youth and Special Services Consultant

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

LSTA Guidelines for 2016

The 2016 LSTA Information and Guidelines document is now available online.  What might this mean for you?

LSTA grants are available to Wisconsin public libraries and systems for one-year projects in specific categories.  Your library system might apply for a grant on behalf of multiple libraries in your system, two or more libraries might apply for a grant that benefits both libraries, or a multiple systems might apply for a joint project.  Libraries and/or systems can apply to do projects independently or collaboratively, although one institution must serve as the grant administrator/fiscal agent.

Grant categories that might especially interest youth services staff include Digital Creations, Literacy, and Accessibility.  The Digital Creations category encourages creative projects related to the maker movement.  Literacy projects are designed to expand literacy opportunities for a specific population, such as adolescent literacy for at-risk teens or financial literacy for all ages. The accessibility category is intended to help libraries and communities look at who might have difficult, limited, or minimized use of the library, such as families with limited transportation options  or English Language Learners.

Lastly, the LSTA calendar has been amended from previous years.  Projects will be scheduled to run from April 1, 2016 through March 31, 2017.  The online application will open later this month.  See below for more details, including an upcoming informational webinar.

Please be in touch if I can offer any assistance.

Thank you for your consideration,

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt

Public Library Youth and Special Services Consultant

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Ideas Needed for 2017 Manual

The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) has put out a call for ideas for the 2017 Children’s Manual and Early Literacy Manual.

Specifically, they are looking for ideas along the lines of:

·         Programs and activities; STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) topics, hands-on activities, and programming for a wide range of interests, budgets, and age groups (including intergenerational)

·         Books

·         Displays and Decorations

·         Storytimes

·         Incentives

·         Outreach to children and families outside the library

·         Early literacy tips

·         App recommendations

·         Encouraging parent/caregiver engagement

Whether you’ve got one book recommendation or an entire program outline, CSLP would love to hear from you. 

Our 2017 theme is “Build a Better World.”  Below, you’ll find subthemes for each manual, to help give you an idea of what we’ll be covering in each one.  Please submit your ideas to Amanda Struckmeyer at amandacmoss@gmail.com by August 14, 2015; be sure to include your name, institution, city, and state, so that we can acknowledge you in the manual.  Please note whether any finger plays, rhymes, or songs are original works.  Any format is welcome (book lists, bulleted lists, brief notes, or full paragraphs, for example).  If you prefer, a CSLP Program Submission Form can be found at http://www.cslpreads.org.

Thank you for helping us build a better manual as we prepare to celebrate building a better world in 2017!

Early Literacy Manual (birth-age 5) Working Subthemes:

·         Home, Sweet Home (human and animal homes)

·         Building Blocks of Our Community (community institutions)

·         Construction, Tools, and Building Materials

·         Building a Better You (healthy habits, fine and gross motor control and strength, strong family relationships)

·         Kids Build a Better World (recycling, conserving water)

Children’s Manual (ages 5-12) Working Subthemes:

·         Transform (volunteerism, giving, sharing, conservation, recycling, upcycling)

·         Senses (See: famous art and museums; Hear: sound effects, music; Touch: textures, temperatures; Taste: food around the world, restaurants, cooking; Smell: distinct aromas)

·         Build (architecture, engineering, innovations, inventions, marble runs, roller coasters, city and country, bridges, maps)

·         Discover:  (the natural world, including animals, plants, water, insects, and nature in general)

·         Live (storytelling, culture, customs, traditions, clothing, celebrations, transportation)

Thanks in advance for your input!

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt

Public Library Youth and Special Services Consultant

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction