Youth Services Forum Executive Committee
Charlottesville, VA
September 5, 2003
Attending: Ginger Armstrong, Josie Bergstrom, Maureen Harrill, Dena Martin, Pat Muller, Sherry Pearson, Julie Ramsay, Val Thomson, Demetria Tucker
Demetria Tucker reported on events in Region I. The Botetourt County Public Library featured thirty-three programs with entertainers such as Jane Kowalski, Burns & Co., and Mark Fuller among others. Mark Fuller’s magic show was followed by a pizza party. More than 3,075 hours of reading time were logged by summer reading program participants. The Roanoke County Public Library offered “Puppets with Pizzazz,” “Jonathan Austin Magic and Juggling,” and “Super Sam the Sing-Along Man” among others. 2,990 children signed up for the summer reading program and their special reward for reading 20 hours was a small stuffed wolf. Upcoming programs include a mystery night for teens at the Hollins Branch Library, scrapbooking at the libraries, and Lemony Snicket programs. The City of Roanoke had 893 children and young adults register for the summer reading program. Attendance was lower than usual and it was suggested that transportation may have been a problem for many this year. 54 programs were offered with a total attendance of 1,402. A four day computer camp for school age children ages 8-11 was held in June and another for the Tweens and Teens, ages 12-17, was held in July. All customers who sign up for a library card at the Main Branch location during Library Card Sign-Up Month will receive a special “Roanoke Public Library” post-it notepad, a “My Books Are Due” refrigerator magnet, and a pen. A “Tweens and Teens Fun Night” will occur monthly with pizza, poetry, and board games. Mrs. Claudia deFranko will share the importance of celebrating Hispanic Culture and tweens and teens will make a maraca, play games, and listen to music. The Web Seekers will offer a class in the computer lab. James Scott, the Loud Poetry Guy will read and perform poetry for Teen Read Week. The Valley Book Festival will be held November 14-15 and the following authors are scheduled to attend: Cece Bell, Nancy Patterson, Sharon McCrumb, J.J. Murray, and Christopher Comuto. Birdman, Dave Gulick, will discuss the wonder of birds for National Children’s Book Week. Teen volunteers were especially active during weekly craft time this summer. The Teen Eye Read program was added this year. A favorite program was a visit by Forrest Young, a comic book artist.
Maureen announced that Maggie Shanley has resigned from the committee and that we have a new Region II Representative, Dora Rowe, from the James L. Hamner Public Library.
Josie Bergstrom reported on Region III events. The Blackwater Regional Library hosted an “Ocean in Motion” program by the Virginia Marine Science Museum. The Chesapeake Department of Public Libraries is getting ready for the “11th Annual Civil War Days” program on September 6th and 7th. Robert E. Lee will be attending. The Hampton Public Library is sponsoring the “Motheread & Fatheread” early literacy program in which trained staff will coach parents on how to be literacy role models for their children. The Mathews Memorial Library will hold a month-long program titled, “Magic of Music.” The program will feature local musicians, storytelling, a dance performance by the local Diggs School of Dance, and a field trip to the Abingdon Church for a demonstration of the pipe organ. The Norfolk Public Library hosted a series of family performances at the Kirn Memorial Library by such artists as the Hunt Family, Spectrum Puppets, and Nauticus. The Park Place Branch Library ended the summer reading program with a visit from “Oliver K. Woodman,” a wooden man who has traveled around the country. The Norfolk Public Library participated in the local celebration of “National Kids Day” and offered coloring pages, goody bags, and drawings for childrens’ books. The Treasure Truck will be on hand with crafts, coloring, and costumes for the Children’s Festival and will also be part of the “Holidays in the City” parade. Teen Read Week will be celebrated with “An Evening of Art” in which teens are invited to express themselves. The Virginia Beach Public Library will feature a poetry reading by Larry Van Nostrand and an Edgar Allan Poe impersonator. The Princess Anne Library will open on October 5th and will have a new youth specialist on board. The Williamsburg Regional Library will start some book discussion groups, a reading program in two elementary schools and will host an evening with four authors at Ukrops. Their “PAWS to Read” program continues to be very popular. Authors Dean Morrissey and Eric Kimmel will visit schools in the area in November. Josie also included a flyer to the upcoming “Graphic Novels in My Library?: Stop Worrying and Learn to Love Them!” program at the Hampton Public Library.
Dena Martin reported on Region IV news. The Chesterfield County Public Library will offer a patriotic craft program on September 11th in which patrons can make a patriotic ribbon in honor of September 11, 2001. A Bookin’ for Fun Young Adult Series program, “Help! Homework!” will be offered in which teens will be introduced to a variety of library resources that may be helpful with homework assignments. New young adult literature will also be on display. The Young Adult Council will meet in September as well. Colonial Heights will begin fall storytimes. At the Henrico County Public Library, schoolteachers Bev and Don Ziegler will share interesting facts about Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and work in a special program. An animal visitor will be present at a special storytime with the Richmond SPCA. Police Officer Bandy, along with a D.A.R.E. officer will visit the library to give hints on staying safe while in and out of school. A new teen online book club will be offered and the first Teen Poetry Slam is in the works. On September 8th, children can solve some plant mysteries and make Mr. Grass Head. The Pamunkey Public Library will offer a special storytime with “Snackers” the Bear. Children are invited to wear their pajamas and bring a favorite stuffed animal. A Teen Movie & Pizza Night as well as a “BookYak!” Teen Book Discussion group meeting will be held. Storyhours will continue at the Powhatan Public Library. At the Richmond Public Library, children are invited to help complete a 500-1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Sundaze Ice Cream Shop helps celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ice cream cone. A bird migration celebration and Scrabble Wednesdays will be held. Frogs and Friends with Susan Herring and Puppets and Promises will perform. During Back to School time, children can search for the school supplies hidden in the children’s department and enter to win a backpack filled with school supplies.
Julie Ramsay reported on events in Region V. The Arlington Public Library had all children who reached their goal for summer reading entered into an end-of-summer drawing to win a signed Washington Freedom soccer ball. For young adults, readers were encouraged to submit brief reviews of books that they liked. A drawing for gift certificates served as the prize. Arlington also worked with the county’s middle schools to develop the recommended summer reading list also posted on the library’s web site. In the Alexandria area of the Fairfax County Public Library, a project designed to reach the kids in low-income areas who could not safely cross the highway was funded by a grant from the Exxon Mobil Community Summer Jobs Program. The grant allowed the library to hire a college student for six weeks to visit 11 non-library locations and distribute books donated by The Angels Network, a local non-profit organization. The end of the “West Side Stories” program highlighted a bus trip bringing hundreds of children to the Sherwood Library for a special performance by Peter McCory. Fairfax is also conducting an online survey of its summer reading program. The library is also co-sponsoring the 5th annual “Fall for the Book Festival.” The Mary Riley Styles Public Library is working on some cooperative programming with the city school system for at-risk preschoolers and with the Recreation and Parks Department for a Halloween Extravaganza for all ages. The Fauquier County Public Library is initiating a monthly “Reading Quest” program for school-aged children in all branches. Local author Kirsten Turner will present a program in September featuring her book, The Colt in the Hay Found His Neigh, which she wrote with students at M.M. Pierce Elementary School. The King George County Library had a very active summer reading program and will focus on teens in the fall. Programs “in the works” include comic strip design, poetry and drama workshops, a chess tournament, and a photography workshop. The Prince William County Public Library hosted the “Model Making Workshop” with the International Plastic Modelers Society. The Loudoun County Public Library opened a new branch in Ashburn with huge success and attendance beyond expectations!
The group welcomed Val Thomson to the group as a Region VI Representative. Tim Carrier submitted a report on the activities occurring in the region. The Augusta County Public Library will have a Lemony Snicket “Unfortunate Event” on Halloween Eve. Kids are invited to dress as their least favorite Snicket character and plan to have a most unpleasant time. The annual bookmark contest will take place for ages 2-18 during Children’s Book Week in November. Around 1,400 entries are usually submitted every year with bookstore gift certificates awarded to the winners whose entries are laminated and displayed in the library. The Chess Club continues to draw large numbers and will continue this fall at the main library and at the Churchville Branch. The Handley Regional Library hosted a Youth Puppet Troupe who presented two programs. A Fiesta de Latinos will be held to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The Jefferson-Madison hosted the musical duo Cantare who performed songs in Spanish and Portuguese on a variety of musical instruments at the Central Library. The Northside Library will feature Painting with Pastels, a workshop for ages 9 through adult. A “Fun with Clifford” program was held at Scottsville. The Scottsville Library will present “Steppin’ Stone” during Teen Read Week giving the teens the opportunity to create a cement stone that can be placed in a yard or garden. A poetry contest will also be held during Teen Read Week. The Shenandoah County Library offered a Luau Lock-In, an all-night event for teens, with 21 in attendance. A Mystery Book Club for grades 4-6 and a Mother-Daughter Book Club for elementary and middle school girls and their mothers will meet this fall. A weekly program for homeschoolers is also underway featuring activities to help familiarize children with library skills and resources. The Waynesboro Public Library will hold a “Junie B. Jones Carnival Night” for children in kindergarten through second grade. A parent/child book club for kids in fourth and fifth grade will meet monthly. The next teen coffeehouse will be held on November 14th.
Maureen reported on VLA Council news. She stated that VLA has lost the scholarship backing and is looking to form another bylaw for a foundation committee to be called the Virginia Library Association Foundation. This committee would be charged with trying to obtain different levels of support. The finances would be used to support the VLA scholarship and the administrative liaison. VLA does not want to rely simply on donations. An open meeting will be held at the Library of Virginia on September 12th to discuss filters, budgets, and intellectual freedom. Anyone can attend and input is encouraged. The chair of the VLA Conference Committee encouraged all to attend the VLA Conference which is jointly sponsored by the Virginia Association of Law Librarians. Contact the Conference Committee Chair about round trip bus rides. All were encouraged to advocate on behalf of school librarians who are at great risk of having their positions removed. Electronic archiving, the Patriot Act, and privacy audits were also discussed. Recruitment and retention of library staff will be discussed at the next council meeting.
The minutes from the June meeting were approved.
Pat Muller reported on Library of Virginia news. The Mother Goose Workshops are currently filled. Anyone can be a Mother Goose trainer. Anyone can use the workbook to set up their own training events. A new brochure will replace the Read Aloud Virginia brochure. Pat would like to set up a literacy network. The Virginia Literacy Foundation and a group at VCU have created the Virginia Literacy Institute. The Library of Virginia needs to work with this agency and become a lead agency in this network. There is a need for a web site that would be all inclusive with literacy/family literacy organizations. Next year a Beginning with Books (for 0 – 24 months) program will be offered. We have joined a summer reading consortium for the summer reading program. Pat is meeting with the group in Montgomery, Alabama to discuss the 2005 theme. We will get a new illustrator and a web site for the summer reading program with the consortium. The information for the upcoming Summer Reading Program Workshops is currently on the Extranet. A grant writing workshop will be held in Galax. The Virginia Foundation of the Humanities was recommended as a good source of funding. Due to the success of last year’s programs, the Youth Services Advisory Committee will offer three programs at the VLA Paraprofessional Conference all on teen services.
The group then discussed the need for library advocacy, specifically data advocacy and grass roots advocacy. The group agreed that there was a need for much education on this topic and would like to see a workshop on this topic. As a result, the Youth Services Forum will sponsor a half-day pre-conference on advocacy at next year’s VLA Conference.
Ginger will send out Youth Services Forum Fact Sheets and Survey Forms to all members who may want to distribute them at programs.
Julie Ramsay will be the new chair of the Youth Services Forum. Maureen may have possibilities for the new chair-elect. Josie Bergstrom and Susan Head will both be leaving the Youth Services Forum in November. Josie is searching for a new Region III Representative. The new Jefferson Cup Committee Chair is Martha Baden who can be contacted at the following e-mail address: mwbaden@cox.net.
The next meeting will be held at the VLA Conference at the Homestead on November 6th.
The meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Ginger Armstrong