Children's Services News

This from Barb Huntington (DLTCL) and Rhonda Puntney, Chair of the CSLP Diversity Committee:
There are several accommodations for youth with special needs to use during the summer: sign language training video on the CSLP web page, tactile graphics pages available through the Outreach Dept. of the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and braille conversions for SLP materials (certificate, reading records, etc.

This is the pilot year for providing these services for CSLP. The plan is to work toward having them completed so that the ordering information can go into the manuals or at least be distributed about the same time in the fall. If you serve patrons that could benefit from these materials or want to know more about them, please visit the DLTCL SLP web page at www.dpi.wi.gov/pld/slp.html

Parental brochures are available through the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCBVI) in Janesville. Check them out at www.wcbvi.k12.wi.us/outreach. Here is a list of their titles:

• Dandy Hands: Strategies that facilitate the development of hand function for visually impaired, blind and deaf-blind babies


• Calendar Systems: A developmental approach for young children with sensory impairments


• Powered Mobility for Children who are Blind or Visually Impaired


• Stroller and Wheelchair Mobility: Turning passive transport into teachable moments


• The Teaching Cane Strategy: A developmental approach to orientation and mobility instruction for young children.

Apply now for a Teen Tech Week Mini Grant! The theme for the 2009 Teen Tech Week is Press Play @ Your Library. YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association, will award up to 20 grants consisting of $450 in cash and $50 in Teen Tech Week products to libraries planning innovative programs, services or resources to celebrate Teen Tech Week. Read more about this and apply by January 19, 2009 at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw09/home.cfm Winners will be notified the week of February 9, 2009. Funding provided by Verizon Communications, Inc. Registration is now open!

Here's some stats to consider: Nearly 1 in 4 youth aged 8 to 18 do not have Internet access at home. A June 2007 study found that 1/4 of teens who regularly visit the public library and nearly 1/3 who regularly visit the school library said their primary reason is to use the library's computers for fun. Multiple studies have shown that the majority of teens lack the critical thinking skills and technical expertise to use the Internet and other electronic resources effectively.

Teens need to know that the library is a trusted resource for accessing information and that librarians are the experts who can help them develop the skills they need to use electronic resources effectively and efficiently.

By SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 12/29/2008

The popular Woogi World Website is hoping to get more elementary school kids reading by teaming up with HarperCollins Children’s Books, Walden Media, and Penguin Books to collaborate on a new online world called Woogi Readers Club.

“We’re excited to be part of this unique approach to enticing children to spend more time reading books,” says Diane Naughton, vice president of marketing at HarperCollins Children’s Books. “By melding the publishing industry with a popular children’s virtual social site, we can create a new level of interest in reading, and thus capture even the reluctant reader’s attention.”

The club, launched November 18, hopes to help kids “fall in love with books and reading.” A basic club membership features an online version of children’s classics (such as Rikki Tikki Tavi by Rudyard Kipling). And an upgraded club membership fee of $7.95 a month entitles kids to receive popular age-appropriate titles provided by the three participating publishers.

The first books offered are The Mouse and the Motorcycle (HarperCollins) by Beverly Cleary and The White Giraffe (Walden) by Lauren St. John. Penguin will follow with The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger.

And there’s fun involved as well: kids will be able to play chapter-oriented games and level up as they “pass off” each chapter of the current month’s book.

“Combining the resources of HarperCollins Children’s Books, Walden Media and, Penguin (along with the reach of the Internet via Woogi World), means more children will have access to the best books available,” says Scott Dow, CEO of Children’s Way, the creator of Woogi World. “Our partnership with these leading children’s publishers makes it possible for Woogi World to ignite this generation of children with not just a love of reading, but we believe in the long run, a love of learning.”
As with all Woogi World virtual clubs, kids must apply for membership by first completing Woogi World’s Internet Basic Training, where they learn how to stay safe in cyberspace. The application process also involves writing a brief paragraph as to why they want to join the club

The International Children's Literature Conference sponsored by the Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium will be held November 22, 2008 in Madison. Speakers this year include Meshack Asare from Ghana and Bodil Bredsdorff from Denmark, as well as Cuban-American author Margarita Engle and Japanese-American author, Cynthia Kadohata. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear from a diverse group of children's authors, and to meet with other teachers and librarians who are interested in international literature. The one-day conference will take place in Madison at the Memorial Union on campus, Saturday, November 22. More information can be found at www.wioc.wisc.edu/childlit/

--from Barb H. in Nov. 2008 posting

The artist for the children's 2010 SLP program, "Make a Splash: READ!" will be Henry Cole. Check out Henry at www.henrycole.net/main.php?link=home.

The artist for the teen 2010 SLP program, "Make Waves @ Your Library," will be Ursula Vernon. Check out Ursula at http://ursulavernon.com/.

--from Barb Huntington's November 2008 Posting for Regional System Youth Services Liaisons

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, has added Web sites this fall to Great Web Sites for Kids . its online resource containing hundreds of links to commendable Web sites for children.

Great Web Sites for Kids (GWS) features links to valuable Web sites of interest to children, organized by subject headings such as animals; literature and languages; mathematics and computers; the arts; and history and biography. There is also a special section with sites of interest to parents, caregivers and teachers, plus an area devoted to sites in Spanish. The ALSC Great Web Sites for Kids Committee maintains and updates the site.

“Not all Web sites for kids are created equal,” said Karen Lemmons, co-chair of the committee and a library media specialist at Howe Elementary School in Detroit. “To make the cut and appear on the Great Web sites for Kids, a site must demonstrate commendable qualityand reflect and encourage young people’s interests in exemplary ways. Sites must stand up to an evaluation and voting process by the committee before being deemed ‘great’ and added to the GWS page.”

ALSC’s GWS Committee voted to add the following sites in fall 2008:

* Adolescent Literacy - www.adlit.org
* Bob the Builder - www.bobthebuilder.com/usa/intro.html
* Career Information for Kids - http://www.bls.gov/k12/
* The Children’s Book Review - www.thechildrensbookreview.com
* Exploring Nature Educational Resource - www.exploringnature.org
* The Federal Communications Commission Kids Zone – www.fcc.gov/cgb/kidszone
* GoGooligans - www.gogooligans.com
* The Harry Potter Lexicon - www.hp-lexicon.org
* Leading to Reading - www.rif.org/leadingtoreading/en/
* Nutrition Explorations: Kids - www.nutritionexplorations.com/kids/main.asp
* The Road to the Capitol/National Mock Election - www.nationalmockelection.org/game/
* Vicki Cobb’s Science Page - www.vickicobb.com
* We Shall Overcome Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement National Register Travel Itinerary - www.nps.gov/history/NR/travel/civilrights
* Ziggity Zoom - www.ziggityzoom.com
* ZOOM by Kids, for Kids! - http://pbskids.org/zoom/help/contact/general.html

In the 21st century, libraries are about much more than books. On Saturday, November 15, 2008, hundreds of libraries throughout the country will showcase gaming programs and services in support of National Gaming Day @ your library (NGD). Gaming of all types at the library encourages young patrons to interact with a diverse group of peers, share their expertise with others (including adults), and develop new strategies for gaming and learning. Plus, it's a way for traditionally underserved groups to have fun in the library and interact with other members of the community.

ALA is coordinating two parallel activities for National Gaming Day. The first is a national videogame tournament. You'll be able to organize a tournament at your library during which your kids can compete against kids at other libraries for national bragging rights!

In addition, ALA has arranged a donation of the game Pictureka! to every public library branch in the U.S. Also included in the package will be a free copy of the game Top Trumps, which we encourage you to use on Gaming Day. This is a major effort from Hasbro.

If you want to receive your CSLP materials by March 1st, 2009, you need to place your order with Upstart by December 1st, 2008.

Barb Huntington also sent a reminder that under CSLP copyright guidelines all 2008 SLP artwork needs to be removed from our web pages by now. The good news is that now that we have the 2009 manuals, we can put up the new artwork instead. Don't forget that the CSLP copyright must appear on the page.

Up until this year, partnering agencies, including schools, were not allowed to use the CSLP art work on their web pages at all, but that will change in 2009. A recent decision by the CSLP Board has now made four art images available for libraries to offer to their partnering agencies (schools, social service agencies, business partners, etc.) for use on their web pages. These four images, two black and white and two in color, can be used on the web pages of partnering agencies. You can find these images on the DLTCL SLP web page. Look at the bottom of the box on the right with the title "CSLP Information."

Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic and would like to partner together with libraries to create a reading program: Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic: A Fairytale Reading Program

Read 5 books to join the celebration as 65 of Disney's unforgettable characters from 18 beloved stories come to life in Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic! Join the one and only Mickey Mouse, the irresistible Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio, and all the Disney Princesses in a skating spectacular you’ll remember forever.

Program Summary:
The Outagamie Waupaca Library System and Disney On Ice will partner together to encourage reading among pre-school and elementary age children. This six week long reading program will be offered at the libraries of the Outagamie Waupaca Library System. The program will last from December 18th 2008 until January 25th, 2009. During these 7 weeks children will be invited to participate in the reading program by checking out books at their local library. When a child reads five books they will receive a free ticket voucher to see the February 12th performance of Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic playing at the Resch Center, February 12th-15th 2009.

The program information, ticket information and reading checklist will be located on the back of an 8 ½ by 11 flyer. All the participating librarian has to do is verify the child has completed the program. The books for the program are selected by the librarian. This program is a turnkey, effective way to use the Disney On Ice brand to increase readership at your local libraries!

Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic Provides:
• Window Cards with promotional information (3 per library)
• 8 ½ by 11 Flyers with program information, ticket information, and reading checklist (150 per library)
• Complimentary ticket vouchers which can be redeemed for weekday performances.

Participating libraries will provide:
• Location for participants to sign up for the program
• Locations for the window cards and flyers
• Create a display highlighting books magic, heroes, traditions, and fairytales
• Distribute ticket vouchers to successful program participants.

If you are interested in participating, please email Sue for Disney on Ice contact information.