Upcoming Events and Training Opportunities
Texas Youth Services Listening Sessions
I want to thank all of you who came to the Youth Services Listening Sessions. I enjoyed meeting all of you. You have inspired me and helped me map out my priorities in this role! If you were not able to come, there will be more opportunities to connect in the future. Reach out to me or book time with me.
Family Place Libraries™ Grant – Applications Close Oct 15th
FY 2025 Family Place™ application window will close soon on October 15th! The recording for our recent webinar, TSLAC Family Place Libraries™ Grant – What It’s About and How To Participate, is now available on the TSLAC website! The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) document will act as your guide while applying. Reach out if you have any questions about the program or submitting your application.
Texas Youth Services Roundup
Save the date for the Texas Youth Services Roundup taking place at the Pflugerville Public Library on Friday, November 15th. Youth Librarians from around the state are organizing an in-person, day-long professional development opportunity. Check the website for the schedule and speakers. Registration is now open.
News You Can Use
This will be a roundup of information you might find useful.
Early Literacy
Little Listeners Program Helps NICU Parents and Babies Bond Over Books – Texas Center for the Book
The United States Surgeon General has put out a General Advisory on the Mental health and well-being of parents. Caregivers report experiencing prolonged high levels of stress. A child’s well-being is linked to the well-being of their caregivers. There are many systemic things that need to happen to alleviate this pressure. What can we do in public libraries to support our caregivers?
School Age
This report for the Institute of Museum and Library Services did research on motivation, literacy and reading development. A key finding was that high quality books alone don’t improve reading performance. Motivation matters! This translates to what many public librarians have known for a very long time. Self-selection is key to keeping kids reading.
Tween
The San Antonio Public Library website has a page dedicated to Tweens! Upcoming programs, D.I.Y. activities, book recommendations and more!
Teen
Why Teens Need Horror Stories – Teen Librarian Toolbox
This Gallup Walton Foundation study about how young people think about themselves, their school and their future possibilities found that Gen Z (ages 12-27) youth do not feel prepared for real life and are not able to learn job skills. College is talked about a lot in schools, but it is not a path available for everyone. Libraries are able to provide opportunities for young people to learn important skills through volunteer and, even better, internship programs.
Six Months From Now…
It may be October right now, but those of us working with youth always are planning for the future. In this section, I will share inspiration that might come in handy six months from now.
Six months from now it will be March! Spring! While taking a program outdoors is hard or impossible for some of us, we can do crafts and activities that encourage a love of nature. This is an example of a craft that you will find in the Summer 2025 Program Manuals (see below for more information on accessing the program manuals).
Melted Crayon Butterflies
Using a hand-held pencil sharpener, make crayon shavings. Trace butterfly outlines or use a blank butterfly coloring page. Sprinkle the crayon shavings on one side of the butterfly and fold the paper over hotdog style. Place a piece of parchment paper over the folded paper and an adult quickly runs an iron over to melt the shavings to melt. Being careful of the paper being hot, open the fold back up and let the melted crayon cool. Cut out the butterflies, add a craft stick so the wings flap, or make a mobile with a hanger and some yarn. See this art website for a list of supplies and more detailed instructions.
Summer 2025
Ordering materials for Summer 2025 is now open! Library Directors were able to express an interest in ordering materials and designate a person authorized to order for your library system. Those designated individuals have been given your library’s budget, ordering code, and detailed instructions.
If you have questions about the process or are having issues placing your order, here are some steps you can take.
- Check the TSLAC Summer Library Program page for an FAQ. I will update this as we get more questions.
- This video gives detailed instructions on placing your order.
- Call me at 1-800-252-9386 toll-free in TX or email me at kpatterson@tsl.texas.gov.
- Book Time With Me so we can troubleshoot together.
Soon I will be sharing a separate code in the Summer Library Program Newsletter for accessing the Summer 2025 Programming Manuals. Librarians all over the country work together to gather program ideas for all ages and package them for you in a handy manual each year. Though they may center around a theme, these activities are great to use year round so make sure to go through the manuals and find some activities to keep in your back pocket.
Sign up for the Texas summer Library Program Newsletter. This is the primary way of sharing important updates about everything Summer.
Join a CSLP Committee
Each year, TSLAC pays for membership for all Texas public libraries in the Collaborative Summer Library Program. Through that membership, we have access to professional development, annual summer program manuals, ability to order promotional materials to support our summer programming, and the ability to get involved to make a difference in the organization. CSLP itself is a nonprofit with a very small staff. The membership truly runs the organization through a Board, State Representatives, and Committees. I am the State Representative for Texas, but anyone can join a CSLP committee! Committees decide everything from what activities to put in the manual, to what promotional products to make available, to what artwork to have for the theme!
The time commitment is typically one year and meetings are all virtual. You can read more about what each committee does and the estimated time commitment on the Committees page of the CSLP website.
A Texas librarian that has served on CSLP committees just told me that they enjoy working with librarians all across America and that the committees are the highlight of their year! This is a great professional development opportunity. If you are interested and need assistance getting local support to participate, please let me know how I can help.
Sign up to join a CSLP committee! The deadline is October 15th.
Texas Talking Book Program
The Texas Talking Book Program 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 news, activities, events, and book recommendations: www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/youthservices
Share Your Library Program With Us!
Have an impressive library program you want to brag about? By all means! Submit photos and information via our online form. Please make sure that any participants in photos have given permission to share. These might be used on a public blog for a shout out!
Thank you!
Thanks for your dedication to the youth of Texas. Subscribe to the Library Developments blog and the Summer Library Program newsletter, and book some time to meet with me so I know how I can support your work.
