Leah Langby | IFLS Library System

Play Is the Way!

by Leah Langby | Dec 12, 2017 | Keeping Up With Kids

A child playing in BloomerEvery several months, I have a chance to get together with early childhood professionals from around western Wisconsin, and it is often some of the most fruitful time I spend. Not because I get a lot of taks ticked off my list, but...

Find Your Voice!

by Leah Langby | Dec 6, 2017 | Keeping Up With Kids

Image from PixabayWhen you see the call to present at a state conference or an IFLS workshop, do you assume the people asking for presenters are talking to other people? Believe it or not, those calls are meant for YOU! There are lots of reasons to ignore...

FREE Webinar Series on Teen Services

by Leah Langby | Dec 5, 2017 | Keeping Up With Kids

Image from PixabayThe Young Adult Library Services Association is sponsoring a series of FREE webinars–you don’t have to be a member to participate, and you don’t have to pay. This is pretty exciting! The topics cover everything from teen...

Early Literacy Activity Calendars

by Leah Langby | Nov 30, 2017 | Keeping Up With Kids

Image from PixabayFor several years, the Youth Services Section of the Wisconsin Library Association has created a lovely Early Literacy Calendar, designed by YSS members to encourage families and caregivers to engage with their children in a variety of playful...

Coding Resource Is Super Cool!

by Leah Langby | Nov 28, 2017 | Keeping Up With Kids

If you haven’t had a chance to peek at the new super awesome toolkit that is part of the Wisconsin Libraries Coding Initiative, I highly recommend taking some time to do that. Created by our inimitable statewide youth services consultant Tessa Michaelson...

Inclusive Summer Library Programs follow-up

by Leah Langby | Nov 21, 2017 | Keeping Up With Kids

Image by HafubotiWe had a workshop a couple of weeks ago (already?!) that included a presentation by Renee Grassi about making programs more inclusive, with a special nod to summer programs. She was so inspired about it, she wrote a blog post about the benefits...

Default to Kindness

by Leah Langby | Nov 20, 2017 | Keeping Up With Kids

I was talking with a youth services librarian I admire last week. She said something that really struck me, and I asked her if I could share it in my blog. She said yes, but demurred when I asked if I could give her credit, so you’ll just have to let...

Thanksgiving Books and More

by Leah Langby | Nov 17, 2017 | Keeping Up With Kids

With Thanksgiving coming up, it’s a great time to think about our collections and programs and how they may (or may not!) portray inaccurate stereotypes of First Nation people, or appropriate cultural practices inappropriately (for lack of a better word). ...

Reading Beyond: Book Lists for Advanced Readers

by Leah Langby | Oct 30, 2017 | Keeping Up With Kids

Here’s a frequent question that librarians receive: “What can I give my first grader to read if she is reading at a fourth grade level?”Sometimes kids still enjoy books even if they can read well beyond them (Harry Potter and Mr. Putter and...

Race for Results Shows Results that Are Not So Great

by Leah Langby | Oct 27, 2017 | Keeping Up With Kids

Well, data is in that shows Wisconsin is still not doing so great in terms of making sure the children in our state have a fair shake at life–particularly children who are not white. The 2017 Race for Results report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation has...

Talking Is Teaching

by Leah Langby | Oct 25, 2017 | Keeping Up With Kids

There’s a group of early childhood professionals (librarians, teachers, family literacy providers, childcare consultants, and more) in the Chippewa Valley working on an initiative to address the 30 million word gap identified by researchers Hart and Risely in...

Teens’ Top Ten List Announced!

by Leah Langby | Oct 24, 2017 | Keeping Up With Kids

Many thanks to Eau Claire Memorial High School librarian Pam Gardow, who sent over the annotated list of this year’s Teens’ Top Ten list, courtesy of YALSA! Annotations written by Teens’ Top Ten Book Groups.2017 Teens’ Top Ten1. Dinan, Kurt....