Teen Read Week

Teen Read Week 2009 will be celebrated Oct. 18-24! This year's theme is “Read Beyond Reality @ your library”, which encourages teens to read something out of this world, just for the fun of it.

Registration is now open at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/trw/trw2009/registration.cfm. The first 100 registrants will receive a free graphic translation of Fahrenheit 451. You can download the Teens’ Top Ten nominations at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/teenstopten.cfm. The Teens' Top Ten allows teens to voice their choice for their favorite books each year. The 2009 nominations, chosen by teens in 15 book groups across the country, are available now. Encourage teens to read nominees, then vote for the Teens' Top Ten between August 24 and Sept

ember 18. Winners will be announced during Teen Read Week in a webcast featuring World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars and Divas.

Teen Read Week is an initiative of YALSA, and started in 1998. Why is it important to celebrate? For a lot of reasons! Teens have so many options for entertainment, so it's important to remind them to spend time reading for pleasure: it's free, fun, and can be done anywhere! Research shows that teens who read for fun have better test scores and are more likely to succeed in the workforce. Also, it’s a great chance to let your school or your public library communities know how important teen services are! Let teens know the possibilities that exist within your doors, and within the covers of books.

Bits from Barb

ALTAFF and Nordstrom to Award 20 matching Books for Babies Grants in 2009

In partnership with Nordstrom, the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), will award 20 grants for $500 each to match $1,000 raised by selected Friends of the Library groups, women's groups, libraries and other non-profit organizations for purchasing Books for Babies kits from ALTAFF.


Books for Babies is a national literacy program that acquaints parents of newborns with the important role they play in the development of their children. Parents are presented with a Books for Babies kit containing a board book for baby, baby's first library card and a variety of brochures with reading tips and early literacy information from nationally recognized educational organizations. Organizations such as Friends of the Library groups, Women's Clubs and Junior Leagues purchase Books for Babies packets. Groups often supplement the packets with information about local resources, including library locations and contact information, as well as details about lapsit and preschool story hours.


In 2008, more than 5,000 Books for Babies kits were distributed to newborns and their parents through a year-long partnership with Nordstrom. Ten matching grants will be awarded in October with an application deadline of Oct. 1.

Additional information and the application form can be found online at www.folusa.org/outreach/bfbgrants.php. Any type of non-profit organization with a current program or interested in starting a Books for Babies program is encouraged to apply.



UW Eau Claire Course in YA Fiction

Writing and Publishing Young Adult Fiction with Marsha Qualey (0.7 CEUs) Interested in writing and publishing fiction for the young adult (YA) audience? Participants will discuss craft issues relevant to YA fiction, study master writers in the genre and take a close look at trends in publishing for this unique group.
Saturday, October 24, 2009, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. UW-Eau Claire.
Presenter: Marsha Qualey is the author of nine published young adult novels and is an Assistant Professor for Hamline University's Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults.
Fee: $95.00

YALSA Offers Three Fall Courses

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), will offer three online courses this fall:
AIMing at Tweens Advising, Involving, Motivating, taught by Teri Lesesne
Graphic Novels and Teen Readers: The Basics and Beyond, taught by Francisca Goldsmith
Reaching Teens with Gaming, taught by Beth Gallaway.

AIMing at Tweens and Graphic Novels and Teen Readers both meet for four weeks. Reaching Teens with Gaming meets for six weeks. All courses begin Oct. 5. To read course descriptions, please visit www.ala.org/yalsa and click on "Online Courses."

Registration for YALSA's online courses is available at dpi.wi.gov/pld/ys-postings.html now through Oct. 2. Four-week courses cost $135 for YALSA members and students, $175 for ALA members and $195 for nonmembers. Six-week courses cost $149 for YALSA members, $195 for ALA members and $215 for nonmembers.

Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more, and all YALSA e-courses are available for licensing; contact Amy Gelbman at agelbman@ala.org or 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5293, for more information.

Better World Books/ NCFL Libraries and Families Award

The Better World Books/National Council on Family Literacy (NCFL) Libraries and Families Award will reward and enhance family programming in library settings. The three $10,000 grants awarded each year will connect more families to their local libraries and expand their literacy efforts in new and innovative ways. One winner will be chosen from each of the three following categories: local Friends of the Library programs, public/academic libraries and urban libraries. For more information go to www.famlit.org/libraries-and-families-award

System Youth Services Liaison Posting
Barbara Huntington, DLTCL
August 2009

Grassroots Meeting Set for Sept. 22nd!

Registration is now open for the NFLS Annual Grassroots Meeting for children's librarians!

This year's meeting will be held from 9:30 am - 12 pm on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at NFLS.
Before we do our round-robin swap, Jeanne Heuer and Rachel Strehlow of BCL will give a presentation on anime and manga!

This meeting is a great opportunity to network with other children's librarians, exchange ideas and provide feedback on system services.

This meeting is worth 2.5 CE credits.

Contact Denise at NFLS to register, or call 920-448-4410.

It's Never too Early...

...to start thinking about next year's theme!
The SLP themes for 2010 are as follows:

Children's Theme -- "Make a Splash -- READ"
Teen Theme -- "Make Waves @ Your Library"
Adult theme -- "Water Your Mind"

Pam Ellingson mentioned she found some great deals on beach balls, sand pails and other "water" themed-things at area stores already. Now is when a lot of summer items are on clearance, so if you're out and about, grab them while at a low price!

Books R Us Meets Next Tuesday!

The next Books R Us meeting will be held in the NFLS Meeting Room on Tuesday, August 11, from 11 am - 12:30 pm.

For anyone who has not attended a meeting or is curious about it, please join us! The meetings are held bi-monthly, and a different genre is discussed. This month's genre is "memoirs." It's a great way to meet other librarians and discuss great books!

The MADreads blog can give you an idea of some books to read.

No need to register - just show up, bring your lunch and be ready to listen and discuss!

Bits from Barb

Ordering Reading Certificates in Braille

Roxie Novak at the Endeavor Public Library contacted me regarding having a certificate Brailled for a child in her summer reading program. She wondered if a library can order a single certificate. It is actually a very typical situation that a library might have a single child who is blind or just a few participating in their summer programs. So yes, single certificates can be ordered. It may not seem like it is worth the time it takes to order one, but to that single child and his or her family, it is a big deal to treat the child like every one child in the program. The form to request Brailled certificates, or any other items you need in Braille are on the DLTCL SLP web page.

Yard Signs for Summer Readers

The Calcasieu Parish Public Library in Lousianna gave out yard signs to children who completed their summer library program. The signs said, "A Library Champion Lives Here." Parents could also email a picture of their child with the sign and the library posted the pictures on their web site.
--from American Libraries Direct electronic posting for July 1, 2009

Milwaukee Public Library partnered with an early childhood organization in the past that also gave out yard signs for summer readers. The early childhood organization encouraged families to send in pictures of themselves with their signs and the pictures were posted on the agency's web page.

Gaming in Libraries Online Course through Syracuse University

ALA has partnered with the Syracuse University School of Information Studies in an experiment to teach a course that is open to both students and the public via YouTube. Throughout June, iSchool Professor Scott Nicholson will teach the IST 600 Gaming in Libraries course in three online spaces: the Syracuse University website, ALA Connect and the iSchool's online learning management system. Nicholson decided to offer the course to reach public librarians who are interested in incorporating gaming into their libraries.

YALSA's Downloadable Bookmarks for Teens

YALSA is offering downloadable bookmarks featuring the 2009 Teens' Top Ten nominees for librarians to distribute to teens at their libraries. The bookmarks feature the 25 titles nominated for this year's list of favorite books. The bookmarks can be downloaded from this site www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/forallbookmark.pdf.
Teen readers are encouraged to read the nominees throughout the summer, then vote for their favorite titles starting August 24. The online poll closes on September 18. Winners will be announced in a webcast during Teen Read Week, October 18-24, 2009.

YALSA's Ultimate Teen Bookshelf

YALSA has created the "Ultimate Teen Bookshelf," a new web site that highlights must-have teen materials. Developed in conjunction with the United We Serve initiative, the bookshelf is a list that includes 50 books, five magazines, and five audiobooks. While the featured materials have been selected for ages 12-18, the titles on this list span a broad range of reading and maturity levels. View the site!

System Youth Services Liaison Posting, Barbara Huntington, DLTCL, July 2009

Karla's Reviews

Hate That Cat: A Novel
by Sharon Creech
Jack is back for another year in Miss Stretchberry's class, and he is writing more poetry - this time about cats. As usual, Jack reveals something from his life in his poetry, this time something about his mother. I didn't like this book as well as Love That Dog, but I love Jack's voice, the gentle guidance from his teacher, and the use of favorite classic poems as a basis for the writing. A good read for kids that like poetry ~ and even those that don't!(children's)


Messed Up
by Janet Nichols Lynch
R.D.'s mom is in jail, he doesn't know his dad, and now his grandma left him with her ex-boyfriend, Earl, to go off with her new boyfriend. R.D. is just trying to get by in his third year of eighth grade until he turns 16 and they have to move him up to high school. Then Earl dies and R.D. is alone. He doesn't even know how to cook. He has to learn how to survive , mature and make it on his own. I really liked R.D. and want to know more about him. Although his dad was mentioned, I'd love a sequel where we learn more about his dad and mom. Maybe when mom gets out of jail? and how that impacts his new self-sufficiency??? I want more! A good read! (YA)

~ Karla Giraldéz, BCL - East Branch