Youth Services News

Newsletters are archived on the OLIS website.

As you wrap up your SRP, please take a moment to provide feedback about the 2021 SRP by submitting the survey below. This survey is designed to collect feedback about the children's and teen 2021 Summer Reading Program. (Please note that this survey is not for statistics collection). The survey is optional and ALL library staff involved in planning and implementing their library's SRP for youth are invited to share feedback. This survey is anonymous, though there is an option in include your library's 3 letter code. The survey will be open for feedback collection through September 27.

Thank you for sharing your SRP feedback and for helping OLIS determine which supports are needed in the future!

At the conclusion of summer 2021 Rhode Island will be leaving the Collaborative Summer Library Program and adopting the 2022 iREAD Summer Reading Program "Read Beyond the Beaten Path." iREAD invites Rhode Island librarians to learn more about the program during a webinar scheduled for September 22 at 3pm. All library staff responsible for running a summer reading program are encouraged to attend. A recording will be available following the webinar.

Wednesday, September 22
3:00pm - 4:00pm
A recording will be available following the webinar.
Registration required. Register through Zoom.

Just in time for Summer 22 "Read Beyond the Beaten Path!"

Looking to bring nature to your library in 2022? Join the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife for a FREE training on the Rhode Critter Kits curriculum! These kits have been designed to connect children in grades K-8 to the wildlife resources right in their own backyards and communities. Each kit contains lesson plans, activities, videos, hands-on learning materials, and other resources with special emphasis on Rhode Island’s wildlife species, conservation work, and management practices.

Save the date! This training will be held on May 19, 2022 at the RI Division of Fish and Wildlife Outdoor Education Office in Arcadia Management Area, time TBD. Join us for a fun day in nature and pick up some new knowledge and resources to enhance your youth programming for next summer!

Registration will open in January. To learn more about the Rhody Critter Kits and the RI Division of Fish and Wildlife, visit www.dem.ri.gov/critterkits

OLIS has acquired four Welcoming Libraries that will be available to borrow by Rhode Island public libraries beginning late 2021/early 2022. Each Welcoming Library is a collection of acclaimed picture books featuring New Arrival and New American families representing communities across Rhode Island. Highlighted in an accompanying pop-up display unit, the books have embedded discussion questions written by I'm Your Neighbor Books. These questions help people of all ages and backgrounds have conversations on immigration, welcoming, and belonging. The Rhode Island Welcoming Libraries are being piloted at the Cranston Public Library (Central), the South Kingstown Public Library (Peace Dale), the Tiverton Public Library, and the Warwick Public Library (Central) through Fall 2021. Learn more at https://olis.ri.gov/youth/welcominglib/index.php

Tuesday, September 14

1pm - 3pm

Register: https://olis-ri.libcal.com/event/8280644

Join the Children's Sensory Support Group for their September virtual meeting featuring a presentation from Jaime Eastman, senior public services librarian and Family Place Coordinator with the Harrington Library in Plano, TX.

Jaime will be discussing her work with the Library Service to Children and Their Caregivers Committee, including the resources available for librarians through this committee. She will also share details about the sensory backpacks circulating at the Plano Libraries, and share ideas and information about additional programming and resource opportunities for connecting with families with children with autism and sensory processing disorders.

Join us on Friday, October 8, 10am-4pm for Teen Summit 2021.

Register here: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/teensummit2021/1

It is an entirely online and entirely free professional development conference for library staff who work with teens. This year’s schedule includes:

• Keynote with Crystal Maldonado, author of Fat Chance, Charlie Vega
  
• Conversation with Brittney Morris, author of and The Cost of Knowing
  
• Special session with Sarah Weise, author of Instabrain: the new rules for marketing to Generation Z
• Both live and on-demand sessions with teen librarians from all over New England!

All sessions will be recorded and hosted on the MLS Vimeo page after the event, so even if you can’t attend the whole day live you can benefit from the event. Final program will be coming soon. Register via the link above to get access to the conference platform and to get updates about recordings.

Brought to you by the Massachusetts Library System, the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services, and the Connecticut State Library, and supported by the state libraries of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

It's time to start taking a closer look at the children's books of 2021. Participating in the Mock Newbery is an opportunity to read the newest children’s books and to discuss them with other passionate readers. A letter certifying participation is available for those applying the Mock Newbery program towards professional development.

Program registration: https://tinyurl.com/newbery22

Mock Newbery webpage: http://www.olis.ri.gov/youth/newbery/index.php

We'll also be using the RI Mock Newbery Goodreads Group to discuss each of the titles on the first reading a list. A thread is being created for each title and we'll use the comments from the Goodreads discussions as a springboard for our virtual discussions. Start out by introducing yourself in the Introduction thread! Not a member of the group? Join now!

ALSC is celebrating a century of the Newbery Medal with free events.

Free Webinar: Problematic Award-Winning Texts: Daniel Boone, the Newbery Award, and Children’s Librarianship

Tuesday, September 28th 11AM-12PM Central. Zoom Registration Available Here.

According to Melanie D. Koss and Kathleen A. Paciga, "Newbery Medal winners rarely go out of print... since its inception, only one book is currently out of print, Daniel Boone by James Daugherty (1939), due to extreme racism and perpetuation of stereotypes" (2020).* But after 100 years, are all the Newbery titles still relevant to today's young readers? Should librarians continue to keep Newbery award-winners as part of their collection, no matter how old they are? What do we do with Doctor Dolittle?

In a panel discussion, Dr. Rob Bittner (LGBTQ Youth Literature Specialist), Megan Schliesman (Cooperative Children's Book Center at University of Wisconsin-Madison), Dr. Junko Yokota (Center for Teaching through Children's Books at National Louis University) and moderator Edith Campbell (Indiana State University) discuss the myriad issues at play with the Newbery and its (sometimes not too bright) legacy: the lasting impact of the medal on the dissemination of a text and its continued place in cultural conversation and on a publisher's backlist; the role of the medal as a contemporary signifier in children's literature; and the impact of the medal on the day-to-day issues for those serving children and families in libraries, including collection development and audits. The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A.

Free Virtual Symposium: The Newbery Medal at 100

Friday, November 5th beginning at 9AM Central. Zoom Registration Available Here.

Registration is limited for this day-long virtual symposium hosted in collaboration with the Center for Children's Books at the University of Illinois! Recording will be available through the Center for Children's Books following the event.

Providence Community Library cordially invites you to save the date for the 2021 Providence Latino Book & Arts Fair to be held virtually on September 20-23 and September 27-30, 6-7.30pm, with an in-person event on September 25 to be hosted at Providence College, 11-2.00pm. The bilingual Fair will feature Latino, Latina and Latinx artists, performers and writers from our local communities and beyond.

Learn more and print posters.

The Washington County Coalition for Children introduces the Greatest 8, an initiative designed to help parents give their children a great emotional start in life. The initiative focuses on eight key skills, which if developed at an early age, can set a child up for a life of mental wellness. The Greatest 8 is about helping parents help their kids with healthy emotions and behavior.

Please help spread the word about the Greatest 8 to families, particularly the text message program that sends parents and caregivers a free text message each week to help teach children eight skills for a lifetime of mental wellness. The Greatest 8 delivers TIPS AND ACTIVITIES families can use to nurture their child’s healthy emotions and behavior.

Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea is pleased to offer Roving Roger, a free exhibit for Rhode Island libraries. Roving Roger features a 7’ tall polychromed statue of Roger Williams accompanied by interpretive panels. To date, the exhibit has visited sixteen libraries around the state and has been popular with staff and patrons alike. We’d like to send him to you in 2022!

Transportation to and from libraries will be managed by the Department of State, visits are typically about eight weeks, and there is no cost to host the exhibit. Please contact Lane Sparkman, Associate Director of Education and Public Programs, if you would like to have Roving Roger come to your library!

RI poet Laureate Tina Cane will be speaking at two upcoming virtual events in celebration of her new YA novel in verse, Alma Presses Play:

• Astoria Bookshop, Sept 14
  

• Books of Wonder, Sept. 16

You can find additional resources related to Alma Presses Play at Teaching Books and Random House.

At the University of South Carolina, the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair, Dr. Nicole Cooke, has the honor of teaching a course entitled Critical Cultural Information Studies.

As part of the Fall 2021 iteration of this course, there will be six amazing guest lectures that are being opened up to the larger LIS community! All are welcome to join these free online sessions!

Sessions will be held via Zoom on Thursday afternoons, at 4pm EDT, and they will be recorded and posted on this site at a later date.

Learn more and register.

Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL) is pleased to announce registration is open for the 10th annual CLEL Conference: The Little Engine that Could . . . Moving Over the Mountain! CLELCON is Colorado’s premier conference dedicated to early literacy professional development in libraries.

This year’s conference will be held once again virtually after last year’s success bringing in voices from around the globe. The virtual conference will be accessible from anywhere in the world and all conference sessions (except the pre-conference) will be recorded and available for six months. CLEL members can register for all three days for only $35 (and by the way, CLEL membership is FREE!). Find the full details at clel.org/conference

Wednesday, October 6th 11am-3pm MST: Pre-Conference Workshop

Thursday, October 7th 8:30-5:00 pm MST: Leadership Institute

Friday, October 8th 8:30am-5:30pm MST: Main Conference

Register at https://www.clicweb.org/events/2021-clel-virtual-conference-registration/

A virtual celebration of Latinx KidLit authors, illustrators, and books!

For Educators, Students and Book Lovers Everywhere

December 9-10, 2021

The Latinx Kidlit Book Festival is a virtual celebration of Latinx KidLit authors, illustrators, and books for all students, educators and book lovers everywhere. The festival will open its virtual doors from December 9-10, 2021, and present two free days of panels, craft sessions and illustrator draw-offs with your favorite Latinx authors and illustrators of picture books, middle grade, young adult, graphic novel, comic books and poetry. The sessions are geared towards ALL schools, educators, students and book lovers, not just those identifying as Latinx. Learn more at https://www.latinxkidlitbookfestival.com/

Email: danielle.margarida@olis.ri.gov
Website: http://www.olis.ri.gov/
Location: 1 Capitol Hill Providence, RI 02908
Phone: 401-574-9309
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olisri
Twitter: @olisri