We all need inspiration as we gear up for summer reading program planning. Here’s your chance to get renewed and refreshed!

Central Texas Library System (CTLS) and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) are teaming up to offer four summer reading webinars in March.

All webinars will be free of charge, recorded, and archived. 

3/4 Summer Reading Program Boot Camp

Are you new to the Summer Reading Program? We will cover online registration, prizes, SRP manual overview, community engagement, marketing ideas, volunteers, and virtual programming techniques, technology, and tips.

Moderator: Kim Lehman

For more information and to register: https://www.ctls.net/civicrm/event/info/?reset=1&id=10

3/9 Preschool Aged Children: Programming Ideas

This webinar will focus on providing programming ideas for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers that can be adapted for both in-person and virtual formats based on best practices from the Round Rock Public Library.  Get ready for the summer with books, stories, songs, fingerplays, crafts, and activities that are perfect for your youngest patrons.

Presenters: Theresa Faris, Jane Dance, Andrea Warkentin, and Virginia Hadley from the Round Rock Public Library.

For more information and to register: https://www.ctls.net/civicrm/event/info/?reset=1&id=7

3/10 Elementary Aged Children: Programming Ideas

This webinar will focus on providing program ideas for elementary aged children that can be adapted for both in-person and virtual formats based on best practices from the Victoria Public Library. It will also offer tips and tricks to help engage your community in virtual programming at your library.

Presenter: Katie Talhelm, Victoria Public Library.

For more information and to register: https://www.ctls.net/civicrm/event/info/?reset=1&id=6

3/11 Teens: Programming Ideas

This webinar will be focused on providing teen programming ideas that can be adapted for both in-person and virtual formats based on best practices from the McAllen Public Library.

Presenters: Leslie Cortinas-Calderon, Melissa Kobayashi, and April Zuniga, McAllen Public Library.

For more information and to register: https://www.ctls.net/civicrm/event/info/?reset=1&id=8

Presenter bios

Kim Lehman is a storyteller, musician, author, and workshop presenter. Kim is a well-known educator best known for her dynamic, idea packed workshops featuring inexpensive, easy to implement ideas for librarians, teachers and parents. Kim has presented over 170 workshops, including many SRP workshops throughout Texas, Kansas, and Arizona. Kim’s background as a youth consultant, a teacher, and a professional storyteller on the Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster makes her uniquely able to understand and know what librarians want and need.

Round Rock Public Library holds a long tradition of serving their youngest patrons and their families with quality collections, programs and services. Theresa Faris, the Youth Services Manager, leads a creative, dynamic staff who are passionate about early literacy. Youth Librarians Jane Dance and Andrea Warkentin provide storytimes for preschoolers and toddlers respectively. Jane is well known as the library’s teen librarian but is also devoted to her preschool fans. She loves to incorporate yoga and movement into her programs, which keeps everyone engaged. Andrea creates STEM and play experiences with toddlers and shares her expertise with parents as well as with the Round Rock School District, who has created an early childhood initiative to train local daycare providers. Another talented staff member, Virginia Hadley, Library Program Coordinator, provides programs for babies as well as facilitates bilingual programs for preschoolers. She uses her Spanish language skills to incorporate songs and activities into her own bilingual programs and develops partnerships with volunteers and area organizations to provide bilingual and cultural celebrations in Hindi, Chinese, and American Sign Language. During the COVID pandemic, these staff members have pivoted from in-person programs to creating quality online videos and other tools to engage families. 

Katie Talhelm is the Program Services Manager at the Victoria Public Library and oversees all programming for children and teens. She has been in her role for over two years and recently graduated from Texas Woman’s University with her Masters in Library Science, focusing on youth services and public libraries. Katie is eager to make her mark on the library field and find new and inventive ways to engage the youth of her community. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her husband and two cats, Ripley and Chelsea.

Leslie Cortinas-Calderon is a Teen Services Assistant at McAllen Public Library located in the Rio Grande Valley.  She’s had two phenomenal years working hand in hand with other teen staff in creating an inclusive safe space for teens in 6th-12th grade. Her main focus in the Teen Services Department is celebrating cultural diversity in programming, forming friendships with neighboring libraries and schools, promoting library resources in community outreaches, and designing quality programs to enhance teen social skills. Leslie enjoys Animal Crossing, rubbing her cat’s belly, and playing tug o’ war with her pug, Danny DeVito. She also enjoys hiking and spending time with her wife, 2 cats, 3 dogs, AND crying over the saddest books she can get her hands on.

Melissa Kobayashi is the Teen Services Assistant at McAllen Public Library and oversees youth programming for teens 6th – 12th grade. She has been a Teen Services Assistant for 3 years with a background in graphic design. Her designs for the South Texas Book Festival have garnered the 2019 TLA Branding Iron Award for the Rebranding of STBF and the 2020 Texas Festival & Events Association’s (TFEA) Gold in the Best Company Image division for the Kaliff Marketing Awards. Her main focus in the teen department is to encourage and foster leadership skills, connecting and engaging teens with similar interests and hobbies, and promoting technology. Melissa enjoys reading manga and comics, playing video games, and playing frisbee with her dog, Harley P. Quinn.

April Zuniga is the Teen Services Supervisor at McAllen Public Library. Her work focuses on building community with teens in the Rio Grande Valley and providing a safe and friendly environment where they can be creative and share their talents and skills in a collaborative space. April has also been a guest webinar speaker for YALSA. Her webinar “Youth Engagement and Leadership” encourages librarians across the country to empower teens in their communities by providing leadership opportunities in the form of teen-led programming. April enjoys watching movies, evening walks, and spending time with her family, 5 chickens, and her cat, Rocco.