Watercolor program in Ladysmith
Thanks to Valerie Spooner from the Rusk County Community Library in Ladysmith for this great idea that works with ALL AGES! I’ve been doing watercolor painting events every 3-4 months and they have been hugely popular with all ages and don’t cost a ton of...
Collaborating to Offer Theater at the Library
One of the exciting ideas that we discussed at the youth services gatherings was collaborating with local community theater for a program at the library. In Hudson, the library is partnering with the Phipps Center for the Arts to have cast members from the...Fostering Readers
I came across an amazing resource, created by librarians and reading specialists in Oregon. Fostering Readers is a website devoted to providing librarians with all sorts of great activities aimed at encouraging and developing emergent readers. You can find ideas for...
Simple Steps for Inclusion
Oh, it is great to be back to regular posting to the blog! I go through stretches of being overwhelmed by other things and losing track of it, or feeling like I don’t have any content to share. Here’s a reminder that you can help with this! Please send...
Comic Explaining the New Corona Virus
You are probably hearing some questions about COVID19 from kids and parents alike. NPR’s Malaka Gharib created a really great comic about the Corona virus with lots of great information for kids (and adults) packaged in a non-threatening and entertaining...
Soft Censorship
I just read an article in SLJ about LGBTQIA+ authors who encounter “soft censorship” from school and public libraries. Their books aren’t banned. Their appearances aren’t picketed. They just aren’t asked to come in the first place, and...
Zero to Three Webinar Features Libraries and Family Engagement
My friend and colleague who works with Birth to Three providers in the region shared information about an upcoming free webinar from Zero to Three. It’s aimed at early childhood professionals, and it features…LIBRARIES! It takes place on March 4 at 1:00...Youth Services Gatherings Follow-Up: Locally-Sourced Programs
It has been a while since we had local gatherings for youth services librarians, and now I am wishing we could do them all the time. After spending time with four thoughtful, creative, and mutually-encouraging groups of librarian, I for one am feeling better about...Thinking about Race
There were several people who told me that they found themselves feeling pretty weird and uncomfortable after hearing the 2019 WLA Conference keynote speaker Ijeoma Oluo (if you missed it, here is a recording of Oluo’s keynote–the speech starts about 17...
Jason Reynolds National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
The Library of Congress has named Jason Reynolds as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature! I know I’m not the only hard-core Jason Reynolds fan to be excited about this! His theme? Grab the Mic: Tell Your Story. He is going to work to...