Bits from Barb

General Reminders about Summer Reading Programs
Please review the CSLP Rules of Use regarding the 2008 SLP artwork. In particular, I want to remind everyone that if you use the artwork on a web page you need to include this statement:

"This artwork is copyrighted, contact CSLP for information. www.cslpreads.org"

Also, please remember that partnering agencies should not use the artwork on their web pages, but can use them on print items. If you have a special situation, please let me know. I would very much appreciate systems that help create summer reading program web pages for their libraries to automatically include the copyright statement.

As a safety precaution and to protect the privacy of library records, children's reading records should be located in an area or accessed in a way that does not allow members of the public from knowing the children's last name. Contest forms that include children's addresses and/or phone numbers should be put in a container in which they can't be read by passer-bys. If children's faces are used on library web pages or if contest winners names are released to the local newspaper, a parental permission slip is strongly encouraged. Many libraries that routinely take pictures during library events, include a parental permission slip to allow the library to photograph their child as part of their registration process. This is not a legal requirement, but extra precaution is encouraged whenever minors are involved.

I had a question recently regarding the line on the state park passes for the child's name. The library can write in the child's name because it will be the parents who release that form to the state parks. The library is not directly identifying young readers for the DNR. As long as a parent is involved in the process there should not be a problem.
Best wishes to all public libraries as you begin your summer reading programs.

Google Gadget Spider
A CSLP member shared this delightfully creepy crawling spider from Google. It's available here. Melissa Widner, Indiana, included a link to her web page to show how she used it. She installed the spider on her children's summer reading page so kids can watch him walk around. To see her page go to: www.jasperco.lib.in.us/events/sumread/kids_sr/index.htm
--from Melissa Widner, Webmaster, Jasper County Public Library, 208 W. Susan St., Rensselaer, Ind. 47978; mwidner@jasperco.lib.in.us; Phone (219) 866-5881

(One caution I want to give librarians is that this type of moving character may interfere with the browsers that people who are blind use to look at library web pages. So this spider they may make page non-accessible. I thought creative librarians might find other uses for it. Even if you don't want to use it, take a minute to see it walk around.

Optical Illusion Monarch Butterfly Activity
Linda Colby, Mt. Horeb Public Library, suggested an activity for upper elementary/teen participants. It involves coloring patterns of a Monarch butterfly and caterpillar, then cutting them into strips and gluing them in a way that makes it possible to flash back and forth from caterpillar to butterfly. Click here to see the project and get directions.
--Idea submitted by Linda Colby, Mt. Horeb Public Library

Three Wisconsin Students Among Top Braille Users in the U.S.
Three Wisconsin students are among the top Braille users in the United States and Canada, wining a competition held at the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Janesville, as a part of the International Braille Challenge. The winners, Baylee Alger of Green Bay, Zachary Morris of Kenosha, and Amelia King of Madison, competed in reading comprehension, proofreading, spelling, dictation, and charts and graphs events as part of the challenge.

The news release, available on the Department of Public Instruction news release website, includes additional information. Please direct comments or questions about this news item to Patrick Gasper, (608) 266-3559, or patrick.gasper@dpi.wi.gov.

SYSTEM YOUTH LIAISON POSTING
Barbara Huntington, DLTCL
May 2008

Fall Dates to Keep in Mind

The dates have been set for the annual Grassroots Meeting in the fall. We will plan on meeting on Wednesday, September 10 from 9:15 am until noon at NFLS.

We will also have another Teen Brown Bag at Neighborworks, the same place we met in March! We will meet on Wednesday, October 1 from 1 - 4 pm.

More details coming soon!

Save the Date for Summer Planning 2009!

"Whatever Jamie, I need to get through THIS summer before I'll even think about NEXT summer!"

I know, I know, but when it dawned on me that next year's theme was "Get Creative @ Your Library," I thought the Weidner Center (arts, music, dance) would be a great place for the planning workshop!

So....the date is set for Thursday, February 12th, 2009! Things book up far ahead, so I had to secure something now.

I'm still thinking of possible speakers and other ways we can "get creative," but there are TONS of possibilities with students at UWGB, Weidner Center Presents, Inc. or doing a mini performers showcase.

So save the date and stay tuned!

Win a Chance to Attend the Northwest Wisconsin Children's Book Conference!

Last year Joan Denis was the lucky winner who was drawn to attend the Northwest Wisconsin Children's Book Conference up in Cable, WI (near Hayward).

Will YOU be the winner this year!?!

We will sponsor an NFLS librarian who would like to attend the NWCB Conference on October 2nd and 3rd. NFLS will cover the conference registration, meals and lodging. The conference is geared toward children's services. This year's keynote speaker is Nancy Pearl! Other great sessions include:

So You Want to Be an Author?
Hooking Your Audience from the Get-go!
What Makes a Good Book Good?

More information on the conference will be mailed to you this week!

If you are interested in being eligible, you must:

1) Submit by email to Jamie: a 4-6 sentence book review of your favorite children's book of ALL TIME. This must be done by Friday, May 23rd!
2) Attend the full NWCB Conference.
3) After attending the conference, write a short post/article for Little Nic Bits.

The winner will be chosen Tuesday, May 27th!

Good luck!

Gaming Podcast

Jen Thiele shared a link and podcast on gaming in libraries that some of you might be interested in viewing.

Click here for the link!

Bug Pins and Future Themes...

If anyone is interested in a READ ladybug pin I handed out at the SRP Planning Workshop, let me know. I have a few left!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Barb was just at the CSLP Annual Meeting last week in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The 2010 themes are:
"Make a Splash - Read" for the children.
"Make Waves" for the teens.

The 2011 general concept will focus on international cultures.

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