Upcoming Opportunities
These opportunities are available for free unless otherwise noted. Descriptions are provided by host organizations.
CSLP Summer Symposium
December 8, 2022 | 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM Central Time
Summer Symposium is the Collaborative Summer Library Program’s online conference for all library staff that are interested in summer programming. This year’s sessions include:
- Keynote – The Library as a Civic Bridge and Community Learning Hub
- Summer Library Outreach to Underserved Children and Caregivers
- All Together Now with Intergenerational Summer Programming
- Decorating Together with CSLP State Representatives
For more information, visit the event website.
Penguin Random House Winter Book & Author Festival
December 8, 2022
Join Penguin Random House, Library Journal, and School Library Journal for their Winter 2022 virtual book and author festival, a free day-long event celebrating reading, authors, and libraries everywhere! Enjoy a day packed with author panels and interviews, book buzzes, virtual shelf browsing, and adding to your TBR pile. You’ll hear from many of your favorite authors, whose work runs the gamut from Picture Books to Young Adult titles to the best new Fiction and Nonfiction for adults. There is something of interest for every reader. Attendees will also have the opportunity to check out the virtual exhibit hall, access eGalleys, and enter to win prizes and giveaways. For more information, visit the event website.
Talking Up a Storm
December 8, 2022 | 8:00 PM Central Time
An interesting addition to attending to the cultural identity of students, is the idea of also attending to cultural practices in reading. Not only is the content of reading material important, but so are the children’s interactional practices surrounding reading through talk learned in their communities and home. Using visual narratives to support cultural practices in reading can be an important way to affirm the contribution of families to children’s literacy. This short session will present the premise, as well as examples of a variety of conversational tools used for family reading of wordless picture books, comics and graphic novels. For more information, visit the webinar registration page.
Call For Proposals: 2023 Southeast Collaborative Conference
December 9, 2022 | 5:00 PM Eastern Time
The Southeast Collaborative Conference (SECC) planning committee is now accepting session proposals. SECC is a collective effort by the Georgia Public Library Service, State Library of North Carolina, South Carolina State Library, Tennessee State Library & Archives, and the Library of Virginia to offer innovative and useful online learning experiences for library staff at all levels through a convenient online conference.The deadline to submit a proposal is Friday, December 9, 2022 by 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Special consideration will be given to proposals submitted by library staff from host states (GA, NC, SC, TN, VA), and a speaking fee of $500 will be offered for each presentation. To apply visit the event website.
Family Place Library Project Grant – Deadline Extension
December 16, 2022
Texas public libraries can continue submitting applications for the FY 2023 Family Place Library Project grant for another two weeks. The purpose of this grant is to create a welcoming, family-centered environment that empowers caregivers of young children as they become their child’s first teachers. This grant will provide funding for the equipment and training necessary for each library to:
- Host workshops for children ages 0-3 and their caregivers.
- Develop an interactive space for this age group to play and learn in the library.
- Forge strong partnerships with organizations serving young children and their families.
Moreover, in addition to offering this opportunity to new libraries interested in the program, the grant also allows established Family Place Libraries the opportunity to apply for funding to expand the Family Place program into an additional branch in their library system.
If chosen to participate in the 2023 cohort, new and expansion libraries can expect to have staff members attend an in-state training in May 2023. Furthermore, to offset the cost of travel, the grant will provide each attendee up to $700 in travel stipends. Finally, following training, grantees receive reimbursement for up to $6,000 to purchase the supplies necessary to launch a successful Family Place Library location at their facility. For more information, visit the grant announcement.
Letters About Literature
December 17, 2022 | 5:00 PM Central Time
The Texas Center for the Book (TCFB) has launched the 2022-2023 Letters About Literature Texas contest, a program that invites students to respond to authors about how their books or poetry has touched their lives. The contest is open to Texas students in grades 4 through 12. Participants select a book, book series, essay, play, poem, short story, or speech that has made a lasting impact. They then write a personal letter to the author that reflects how they have been changed, inspired, or motivated by the work they selected. All submissions for the 2022-2023 contest must be submitted through the online platform by 5:00 PM, December 17, 2022 (Central). A permission form is required for all students who will be younger than 13 on Nov. 4, 2022. For more information, visit the event website.
Comics Librarianship Mentor Program
December 31, 2022
Sign up is open for mentees who would like to participate in the inaugural mentorship program of the Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table! This program is for professionals new to comics librarianship who would like to be matched with a fellow GNCRT member for discussions and advice about the field. Mentors and mentees will be matched on a one-to-one basis. To sign-up, complete the online form by December 31, 2022.
2023 Holocaust Remembrance Week
January 23-27, 2023
The Holocaust Museum Houston is providing several services to support Texas library’s 2023 Holocaust Remembrance Week programming. Please find link the library’s advice for observing Holocaust Remembrance Week in January 2023. In addition, the library is collaborating with the Hainsworth Law Library on a book display for the week and can build small custom book displays at your request as well as provide interlibrary loans services for books from the Americans and the Holocaust reading list. For more information, call Joel Bangilan at 713-527-1610.
Eisner Graphic Novel Grants
February 12, 2023
Three Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries are given annually – two Will Eisner Graphic Novel Growth Grants will provide support to two libraries that would like to expand its existing graphic novel services and programs and one Will Eisner Graphic Novel Innovation Grant will provide support to a library for the initiation of a graphic novel service, program or initiative. These Grants will support two categorical grants that will encourage public awareness on the rise and importance of graphic literature, sequential art, and comics as a literary medium. The objective of the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries is to facilitate library-generated programs and services that will promote graphic novels to library patrons and to the local community. For more information, visit the grant website.
Ongoing Tools
These tools are available for free unless otherwise noted. Descriptions are provided by host organizations.
2022 Kentucky Young Adult and Children’s Librarians Conference (KYAC)
As the role of youth services in public libraries expands to the needs of patrons, staff must adapt and learn new skill sets to best help their patrons. These KYAC Conference asynchronous recordings allow youth services professionals to participate in the KYAC Conference according to their own schedule. These continuing education sessions don’t just improve public library services, but encourage staff to embrace the public library as a Community Hub. The conference schedule is viewable at https://tinyurl.com/KYAC22, and session descriptions as well as speaker biographies are viewable at https://tinyurl.com/KYAC22Speakers. To view the 2022 KYAC sessions visit the conference YouTube playlist.
CSLP Inclusion Resources
The Collaborative Summer Library Programs’ Inclusion Committee develops resources to assist libraries in their efforts to support diversity and inclusion. For more information, visit the committee’s resource page.
Google Doodles
Doodles are the fun, surprising, and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers, and scientists. Doodles highlight a wide array of events and anniversaries from the Birthday of John James Audubon to the Ice Cream Sundae. In short, Doodles give users the opportunity to learn something new everyday. In addition, “Doodle for Google” is an annual art contest open to students in grades K-12. Students are invited to create their own doodle for the chance to have it featured as well as win some great scholarships and tech packages for their schools. For more information, visit the Doodle homepage.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. Khan Academy tackles math, science, computing, history, art history, economics, and more, including K-14 and test preparation (SAT, Praxis, LSAT) content. Khan Academy focuses on skill mastery to help learners establish strong foundations, so there’s no limit to what they can learn next! In addition, Khan Academy’s resources are being translated into more than 36 languages in addition to the Spanish, French, and Brazilian Portuguese versions of their site. For more information, visit the Khan Academy website.
The Kid Should See This
The Kid Should See This (TKSST) is a Webby Award-winning collection of 5,000+ kid-friendly videos, curated for teachers and parents who want to share smarter, more meaningful media in the classroom and at home. Selections are grown-up-friendly, too. TKSST champions smart STEAM, history, and culture-focused content by museums, organizations, and creators who celebrate curiosity, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, kindness, and other essential themes for all ages. For more information visit the TKSST website.
Need more resources?
Resource Archive
Wish you had access to a repository of all the tools that have been featured in the monthly Youth Services Updates? Check out our Resource Archive for more information.
Training Catalog
In addition, be sure to peruse our Training Catalog for webinars that focus on Youth Services. Our holdings are constantly updated, so check back often.
Questions?
For more information, visit our youth services page, contact Christina Taylor at ld@tsl.texas.gov, or call 512-463-5465.
