Upcoming Webinar on Teens from LM

Managing Your Library's Afterschool Crowd
Friday, September 26, 2025
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm ET

The hours of 3-5pm Monday-Friday can be a busy time for libraries. This is where libraries may get an influx of young people, and an increase in behavior incidents. But this is also a time of great potential impact, where libraries can be a safe place and reach out to teens. In this webinar you'll hear from a former teen services librarian whose library typically had 100-150 teens most days after school. She and colleagues learned from their partners and experience how to manage these chaotic (and fun!) hours.
In this webinar you'll learn:
This webinar is for all public library staff, from circulation to youth librarians to administration. It is especially for library staff who interact with teens during the afterschool hours. Details and registration: https://libraryofmichigan.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/libraryofmichigan/event.jsp?event=9726
If you cannot attend live, this webinar will be recorded and shared on LM's Webinar Archives page.  
This project is made possible by grant funds from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) administered by the State of Michigan through the Library of Michigan.

Summer Library Programming Updates

Last reminder to please complete the summer library programming survey! Whether you do the annual theme or your own theme, we do want to hear from you. (You can skip the CSLP specific questions and just input your data.) Results from this survey not only informs the Library of Michigan, but provides insights on the national level, too, so we can continue to support summer library programming. Survey closes this weekend.

 ðŸŒŸ Join the Collaborative Spirit of CSLP! ðŸŒŸ
The Collaborative Summer Library program is inviting all library staff members to become an essential part of the by joining one of their dynamic committees! Details and link to the application are here: https://www.cslpreads.org/join-a-cslp-committee/. Deadline is October 15th.


Save Nov 13th for the CSLP webinar - Universal Design: Inclusive Approaches to Public Librarianship. Registration coming in October. 

CSLP's Virtual Summer Symposium for Unearth A Storyâ„¢ is coming... and there are multiple ways to watch!

Registration for attending the virtual symposium live from your own desk or library opens in October on the CSLP website. You will also be able to sign-up to receive a recording of the sessions to view in your own time, at your own pace, if you cannot attend live. And finally - new this year - you can register to join us at the Library of Michigan as we connect & collaborate together throughout the symposium! 

 

Unearth A Storyâ„¢: Connect & Collaborate
Thursday, December 4, 2025

10:00 am - 4:30 pm ET* 

Library of Michigan - Lake Erie Meeting Room (2nd Floor)

The dinosaurs are coming in 2026! Join us as we gather to view the Collaborative Summer Library Program's annual virtual Summer Symposium all about Unearth a Storyâ„¢. We will start the day with a conversation around summer library programming best practices, before tuning into the opening Keynote Speaker (announcement coming soon). Between sessions we will "unearth" ideas on programming, so feel free to bring craft supplies, materials, or stories to share. This event will be limited to 50 participants. 

Details & Registration (Please note, if you register to attend in-person at LM, do not register for the virtual symposium via CSLP)

 

*Limited snacks will be provided, however due to loss of funding lunch will be not be served. Please plan to pack your own lunch and beverages for the day. We do have water bottle refill stations on site.

 

This project is made possible by grant funds from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) administered by the State of Michigan through the Library of Michigan.

Additional Resources

Updated! Libraries as Community Hubs for Citizen Science Training
Based on evaluation and feedback from librarians and Ambassadors, the new training module is now available...for free! This training module will help you and your staff discover best practices and identify resources to engage library users in citizen science and lifelong learning. Upon completion, you'll earn a digital badge! Details to get started are here: https://scistarter.org/training-library. 

 Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp for High School Students

Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp is a free, twenty-hour introduction to Artificial Intelligence for high school students. Students who complete the program continue to receive mentorship and AI learning opportunities until graduation. Apply by September 30, 2025.


Nominations open for the I Love My Librarian Award

ALA is inviting library users to submit nominations for the I Love My Librarian Award, which will award ten amazing librarians with $5,000 and the honor of a lifetime. We know public librarians change lives in their communities every day, so please spread the word about this life-changing opportunity! Submit your nomination by Dec. 15.  

Promotional tools including graphics, social media copy, and a sample press release are all available on the award website.


How Comics Can Increase Health Literacy and Engagement

PLA webinar on Sept. 24

Graphic medicine is a wide-ranging category that includes graphic memoirs, non-fiction, and fiction for all age groups including adults, teens, and children. This webinar offers an opportunity to discuss what graphic medicine is, what resources and titles are available, and how graphic medicine has been impacted by book challenges and bans. It will also cover how public libraries are including graphic medicine in their programming and highlighting titles in their collections. Learn more and register.

Youth Media Awards - 2026
Although ALA's LibLearnX Conference has been sunset, the 2026 Youth Media Awards Announcement is still happening!  The public announcement of the Medal-winning and Honor titles will be held on Monday, January 26th beginning at 10 a.m. CT. The announcement will take place at the Hilton Chicago hotel (1720 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605). Read the full press release here. The event will be free and open to the public, but registration will be required for in-person attendance. Registration will open in December 2025.
The announcement will also be live streamed at ala.unikron.com and on the ALA Facebook page. No registration is required to view the livestream.  


Understanding Teens
Wednesdays, October 1, 15, and 29, 2025
1:00 - 2:00pm ET/11:00 - 12:00pm MT
Colorado State Library - open to library staff in Michigan
Teens are important patrons in our libraries, with unique and evolving needs. In this series of webinars, we will share our approach in working towards welcoming, inclusive teen services by using staff training. Our goals with our staff training are to establish a base of empathy through better understanding of teens and their current experiences, and to offer practical strategies in working with youth. We will hold three sessions in this webinar series; each session will include working through a different part of the training. We will share our adaptable outline and references for attendees who would like to use the training in their own libraries.
This 3-part virtual training is led by the Teen Services team at Arapahoe Libraries. All three parts do go together but they can also be attended independently. Attendees do not have to be present at a previous session to benefit from the content of the following session(s).  All three sessions will be recorded and the links sent to registrants. Individual session descriptions are listed on each registration page. You will need to register for each session separately. There is no charge to attend these sessions:


Thank you,

Cathy Lancaster

Youth Services Coordinator

Library of Michigan
702 W. Kalamazoo St.
Lansing, MI 48915
My Pronouns: She/Her/Hers - See www.mypronouns.org to learn more.

LancasterC5@michigan.gov | 517-335-8129 | www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan
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Join the MiYouth Listserv, created for Michigan public library staff to share and discuss children and teen programming and services.

 

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