FYI,   Join our Children & Technology Committee for an upcoming free ALSC Chat on Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 7 PM ET that’s all about hybrid programming! This ALSC chat will be a space to share takeaways and learning moments from pandemic virtual programming throughout different youth library environments. We will discuss ideas for what technology we're bringing into future library programming, and provide a definition on what "hybrid" programming might look like in the years to come! We will also ...Continue Reading

FYI,   The teen-hosted We Are Our Stories auction is now LIVE. You can visit the auction here. As a reminder, this auction is for the ACLU to fight against book bans that disproportionately impact BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ young people. As we all know, these stories are essential to keep on shelves.  There are a lot of amazing items up for grabs, including manuscript critiques, virtual school visits and author meet-and-greets, signed book bundles, and a 3-night writing retreat at the Highlights Foundation Retreat C ...Continue Reading

FYI, In celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, The Very Asian Foundation, in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, launches The May Book Project to help schools and libraries build and maintain robust Asian American youth literature collections. The Very Asian Foundation is raising national awareness of the need to create inclusive libraries, give readers access to up-to-date Asian American literature, and provide funding for donating books to libraries. Read more here: https://www.ver ...Continue Reading

Please excuse cross postings * * *FYI,* * * *NJ Center for the Book Announces the Creation of a Third E-Book Serial Written by NJ Authors/Illustrators for New Jersey Readers* * * Did you know that the NJ Center for the Book has commissioned a third e-book in the /Jersey Trackers/ children’s online series comprised of chapters created by notable NJ authors and illustrators? All youth services library staff are invited to attend a virtual meeting of the NJ Center for the Book’s Executive Board as it announ ...Continue Reading

FYI, The New Jersey State Library is excited to announce a new competitive grant opportunity! Using our Federal Library Services and Technology Act Grants to States grant, we are offering awards between $2,000 and $20,000 to eligible organizations. Eligible organizations are public libraries and library consortia. Applications are due August 12, and an informational webinar will be released on June 23; questions may be submitted to grants@njstatelib.org at any time. Click to learn more: https:/ ...Continue Reading

FYI, The Coretta Scott King Book Awards Round Table (CSKBART) is hosting a FREE webinar on May 23, 2022 at 3:00 pm EST. Here is the webinar description and registration link (NOTE the registration time is CST).  Please join the  CSKBART webinar and share the registration information broadly with your personal networks. Coretta Scott King Book Awards Spotlight: Unspeakable The Tulsa Race Massacre Do not miss what is sure to be a riveting, in-depth panel discussion on the events at the heart of the 2022 Corett ...Continue Reading

FYI, *Working Together for Digital Equity * May 24, 2022, 12:00 Noon – 1:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)   More than ever, digital equity is recognized as a critical component to enable our communities, businesses and local economies to flourish. New Jersey has made extraordinary progress to connect residents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues its collaboration with philanthropic organizations, the private sector and other units of government to position our communities to benefit from an in ...Continue Reading

FYI,   *_Register for the Free Inaugural NJ State Library Virtual Digital Literacy Forum_* The NJ State Library is holding a free statewide virtual *Digital Literacy Forum, May 10-13, 2022, 10 am – 12 pm* to foster an open and encouraging environment for NJ public libraries to expand capacity in response to digital literacy needs in their communities. Each day’s focus will be on digital literacy as it pertains to a particular service population or topic of interest in public libraries – i.e. adult basic ...Continue Reading

FYI, Thursday, May 12 @ 5pm Eastern Now that the euphoria of returning to in-person school and library service has worn off, are you having trouble rebuilding your program attendance? Do you find students and patrons more reluctant than ever to engage? We are living in a time of relearning, re-educating, and reassessing—it's the perfect time to invite our users to express themselves within our space.  Passive programming pundits and authors of The Passive Progr ...Continue Reading

FYI,   Although this Forum is focused on school library media specialists, the information presented may be of interest to public library staff too. ~Sharon   *Libraries.Today National Forum * * * This free Forum will address the challenges and opportunities for post-COVID School Libraries and will be held virtually May 16, 18, and 21 with daily keynotes, panel discussions, and pre-recorded videos. The Forum is totally free to join and registration is open now at http://libraries.today/! This Forum ...Continue Reading