Please excuse cross postings

Hi, Everyone,

I would like to submit a conference proposal on behalf of the NJ State Library. Both CSS and YASS have already agreed to be co-sponsors for the session.

Here’s the program description:

“Crossing Over: From School to Public Libraries”

Join a panel of school and public library staff  who will share ideas on how to collaborate on joint programming/projects for youth between school and public libraries that intentionally incorporate teaching information literacy skills in programming or research projects for youth in a fun and engaging way. Including information literacy practices in programming/projects for youth will be invaluable in helping support the implementation of the forthcoming NJ Student Learning Standards in Information Literacy.

I’m looking for panelists from both public and school libraries who can share examples of programming or research projects that you’ve done that teach information literacy skills as a part of the program or project.

For some public libraries, this might not be intentional, but is a part of the program, such as doing escape rooms, scavenger hunts, REV250 activities, or using the “Who Would Win” book series to teach IL skills as a contest, like fantasy football.

Another example of this is an article on how a school teacher in PA is teaching critical thinking skills to students in a fun way through having them learn about local ghost stories: Exploring the Educational Value of Ghost Stories - Full Story: Education Week (10/24/25)

I’m hoping that sharing ideas like this might encourage more public and school libraires to collaborate more.

Please let me know if you might be interested in being on the panel, or if you know of someone you might recommend. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thanks!

~Sharon

All the best,