Upcoming Opportunities
These opportunities are available for free unless otherwise noted. Descriptions are provided by host organizations.
Books Beginning at Birth Webinar
July 19, 2023, 11:00 AM CST | Zoom
BookSpring and the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TXAEYC) are pleased to announce an upcoming webinar about their Books Beginning at Birth program that may be of interest to you and your community. The program strives to provide families and their children, ages 4 and under, free print books delivered to their home, access to free digital books and helpful reading resources on their website. They invite you to register to learn more about their program and how they may support your library, and the family communities you serve to develop early literacy skills and help families build their own in-home libraries. To register, visit the event registration page, and for more information contact Connie Martinez at connie.martinez@bookspring.org.
Solar Eclipse Programming Workshops
August 2023
A free in-person workshops on providing solar and space science programs. Attention will be given to the annular solar eclipse on 10/14/2023 that will pass over Midland across to Corpus Christi, and the total solar eclipse on 4/8/2024 that will pass over Eagle Pass across to Sulfur Springs. Attendees receive 5 CE hours.
For more information, visit the Workshops page of the PLAN website.
CSLP Annual Survey
Deadline: September 8, 2023
CSLP has created a survey so they can better assess the usefulness of the materials offered by the program on a national level. The audience for the survey is public library staff who played an active role in administering or running their library’s 2023 summer library programming. Even if your library did not use “ALL TOGETHER NOW” as its theme, it is invited to complete the survey. Full information is available via the July 2023 edition of the Summer Library Program newsletter
Ongoing Tools
These tools are available for free unless otherwise noted. Descriptions are provided by host organizations.
BOOM! Studios Book Giveaway
BOOM! Studios is giving away copies of the first of seven library editions collecting the entirety of the multiple Eisner Award-winning slice-of-life comic series GIANT DAYS. This series is from creator John Allison (Wicked Things) and a rotating cast of acclaimed cartoonists, including Ruben Award-winner Max Sarin (Harley Quinn: The Eat Bang! Kill Tour), Disney animator Lissa Treiman (Wreck-It-Ralph), and more. To request a free copy, complete the publisher’s online form. For more information about this new edition, peruse BOOM! Studio’s press release.
GoNoodle
GoNoodle offers a suite of fun videos designed to wake up kids’ bodies, engage their minds, and let them have tons of fun. GoNoodle seeks to bring lessons centered on personal and community wellness as well as mental and physical health to elementary school kids in ways that are native, fun, exploratory, and highlight their unique, natural epicness. For more information, visit the GoNoodle website.
Hank the Cowdog Podcast
Hank the Cowdog (Matthew McConaughey), the self-declared “Head of Ranch Security,” finds himself smack dab in the middle of a host of tangled mysteries and capers that span the universe of the Texas Panhandle cattle ranch Hank calls home. Hank is joined on these tail-wagging, tongue-slobbering adventures by a motley assemblage of characters, not least of which is his less-than trusty sidekick, Drover, a small but uncourageous mutt. Listen in as Hank the Cowdog always claims to know the answer, is the last to realize he doesn’t, but is the first to run headlong into tales of courage, loyalty, and friendship. Hank the Cowdog podcast stars and is executive produced by Academy Award® winner Matthew McConaughey. Written, directed and executive produced by Jeff Nichols. Also featuring performances by Jesse Plemons, Cynthia Erivo, Kristen Dunst, Leslie Jordan, Joel Edgerton, Scoot McNairy, Michael Shannon, and John R. Erickson. To begin listening, visit the podcast website.
Kennedy Center’s Education Artist-in-Residence: Mo Willems
The Kennedy Center’s very first Education Artist-in-Residence was someone whose work pushed creative boundaries and made it fun: Emmy Award–winning writer and number one New York Times best-selling author and illustrator Mo Willems. While in residence, Willems developed and presented multidisciplinary programming and performances including theater, jazz, dance, classical music, comedy, digital experience, and outreach. Audiences played, participated, and created with cross-genre experiences and premieres seen nowhere else. To access the online suite of offerings, visit Mo Willems’ education page on the center website.
Leap Into Science Online Interactive Learning Modules
Developed by The Franklin Institute Science Museum, Leap Into Science is a national program designed to build interest and skills in science and literacy for children ages 3 – 10 and their families, in community settings like libraries, museums, and out-of-school time programs. Made possible in part by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, three interactive curriculum training modules are available for use: Balance, Light and Shadow, and Wind.
Miss Humblebee’s Academy | School Libraries
Miss Humblebee’s Academy is an award-winning, online and offline curriculum that prepares children ages 3 to 6 for kindergarten proficiency. Miss Humblebee’s Academy includes hundreds of guided lessons, that are interactive with full sound cues across the following subject areas: Language and Literacy; Math; Science and Social Studies; Art and Music; Social and Emotional Learning; and Fitness. The curriculum is based on state and national standards from the United States as well as the United Kingdom’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Miss Humblebee’s Academy is a Gale Cengage product and available via TexShare (public libraries) and TexQuest (school libraries). For more information, visit the program website.
School Librarians Lead Learning and Transformation Webinar | School Libraries
School libraries play a vital role in preparing students for educational and economic success in our rapidly changing, technologically driven, and globally connected world. School librarians are leading the way by reimagining and redesigning their libraries to support new models of learning, engagement, and partnerships for success. The new School Librarian’s Information Shelf provides videos, articles and tools that offer recommendations and strategies related to creating powerful storytelling for advocacy, designing student-centered spaces, supporting inquiry-driven learning, offering compassionate makerspaces, and implementing innovative virtual teaching and learning practices. Join this webinar for an introduction to the School Librarian’s Information Shelf and to learn more from practitioners who have applied transformative practices to their school libraries. 60 minutes. For more information, including the recording and associated resources, visit the event website.
Texas Talking Book Program
The Texas Talking Book Program (TBP) offers library service to people of any age that have a print related disability. This includes visual, physical, and reading disabilities. If you are 18 or under, you’ll want to sign up for our monthly youth newsletters to stay up to date on all our events, and to get book recommendations: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/youthservices
Need more support?
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.
