Leah Langby | IFLS Library System

Teen Top Ten Display in Menomonie

by Leah Langby | Sep 16, 2016 | Keeping Up With Kids

Check out this cool display that Abby made for the teens in Menomonie to promote voting in YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten! How cool is that? Remember you can also encourage kids to participate in online discussion and rate the nominees on the...

Play and Learn Fun

by Leah Langby | Sep 15, 2016 | Uncategorized

The Play and Learn area of the LE Phillips Memorial Public Library is big, beautiful, and super fun. It might seem implausible that a small library could do any of the cool things they are doing in such a lovely big space, but many of their offerings would work...

Author and Illustrator Inspiration

by Leah Langby | Sep 13, 2016 | Keeping Up With Kids

Image from PixabaySometimes I get downright inspired by hearing authors and illustrators speak about their craft–especially authors and illustrators working on books for children and teens. What a passionate bunch! In case you are looking for a few...

Happy Diaper Bag

by Leah Langby | Sep 7, 2016 | Keeping Up With Kids

From Brandon on Flickr (creative commons)I was up in Rice Lake the other day. When I went into the bathroom, I was pleased to see a friendly sign saying that there is a Happy Diaper Bag at the children’s desk. For caregivers who find that their child...

Gene Luen Yang

by Leah Langby | Aug 24, 2016 | Keeping Up With Kids

I’m a big fan of our current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Gene Luen Yang. I like his work, I like his speaking style (I got to hear him once when he was in Eau Claire), and I love his platform. The Reading Without Walls...

PLA and Harvard Family Research Center Team Up to Promote Family Engagement

by Leah Langby | Aug 19, 2016 | Keeping Up With Kids

The Public Library Association has teamed up with the Harvard Family Research Project to provide libraries with resources and tools to help improve family engagement in library programs. The Harvard Family Research Project has a lot of terrific resources for...

2016 Teens’ Top Ten Voting Now Open

by Leah Langby | Aug 17, 2016 | Keeping Up With Kids

Every year, the Young Adult Library Services Association creates a list, with the help of teen readers across the country, of nominees for the Teens’ Top Ten. Then from August 15 through October 15, teens can vote for their top ten. The winners are...

Squeaky Shoes

by Leah Langby | Aug 4, 2016 | Keeping Up With Kids

Last month, there was a discussion on an ALSC listserv I follow about a preschooler who comes into the library wearing squeaky shoes–there are apparently shoes that are squeaky on purpose, they squeak with each step. A youth services librarian was looking...

Two webinars about diversity and literature

by Leah Langby | Jul 22, 2016 | Keeping Up With Kids

Image from PixabayThere has been a lot of discussion on listservs and blogs lately about evaluating books with diversity in mind (most especially Lane Smith’s recent book There Is a Tribe of Kids–below is a round-up of recent blog posts and discussions)....

Talking About Hard Things

by Leah Langby | Jul 21, 2016 | Keeping Up With Kids

Image from PixabayI am sure I don’t have to enumerate all the the difficult things going on in our country right now, and no matter where you fall on the political spectrum, there are plenty of things that can make your stomach hurt. I think it is safe to...

Sesame Street Resource for Veterans and Families

by Leah Langby | Jul 19, 2016 | Keeping Up With Kids

Image from Pixabay Sesame Street has developed free resources for veteran families with young kids (ages 2-5 years old), who have recently transitioned out of the military. When a parent transitions out of the military, the whole family transitions. These resources...

Pep talks for SLP

by Leah Langby | Jul 13, 2016 | Keeping Up With Kids

Pausing during the SLP Sprint for some pep talks (Image from Pixabay)Bryce Don’t Play asked blogging friends from across the country (and Canada!) to send her pep-talk videos for SLP-exhausted staff members, and I just came across it today. I highly...