Logo: CT State Library Division of Library Development

Children and YA Newsletter

July 2024

Bitmoji of Kymberlee Powe in a hammock hanging between two palm trees on a tiny sand island.

The heat is real.


The heat is here and feels like it will just not leave. May you find some cool island tranquility anyway. Meanwhile, we have some things for you: the 2024 National Book Festival, CT StoryWalk® Program, collections in multiple languages, and there's more. Read on to learn all about it.

Kymberlee Powe | Children and YA Consultant

Measuring and Understanding Summer Reading Outcomes


Summer Reading is part of the foundation of library services and we are all seeking to remain in connection with and relevant to our communities. Measuring and understanding outcomes feeds this work.


Towards this, we offer you the tools we developed in recent years. Though optional with the inclusion of Summer Reading in the CT State Library Annual Report, we strongly encourage taking advantage of the Summer Reading Reports. 


Visit the Summer Reading Reports page for additional details.


Have other summer reading questions? Explore the Summer Reading FAQs!

Logo: iRead. Summer Reading Programs. By Librarians, For Librarians. Since 1981.

Planning Ahead for 2025 Summer Reading?


We know that preparing, planning, and implementing summer reading is practically a yearlong cycle - which is why we are thinking ahead! 


If you are interested in getting access to the 2025 iREAD Resource Guide, visit the Summer Reading Reports page for details.


The theme for 2025 is Level Up at Your Library. "Play is one of the ways we learn to relate to others, to think in new ways, and to foster friendships, new and old. Level Up at Your Library is an all ages summer reading program based around puzzles and games. Whether you’re playing with STEM concepts or gamifying your reading logs, learning to play chess or how to code video games, iREAD 2025: Level Up at Your Library reminds us that libraries are not just a space for knowledge, they are a space for fun!"


Visit the iREAD website to learn more. 

End Hunger CT


No-Cost Meals for All Kids, All Summer

 

The CT Summer Meals Program is federally funded by the USDA and state-administered by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE). The program provides free, nutritious meals to kids during summer break. Summer Meals meet federal nutrition guidelines and are composed of milk, fruits, vegetables, grains, and meat or another protein. Summer Meals are offered at hundreds of sites around the state from June to late August, serving combinations of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Meals are free to any child age 18-and-under, no questions asked.

 

Learn more at End Hunger CT Summer Meals.

Bitmoji of Kymberlee Powe with an open book popping out of a laptop screen.

Reading Up on Youth Services


Welcome to our new feature where we will share the latest articles on youth services in libraries that have popped up on our reading list.


Did you know? All CT library staff can access professional library journals through researchIT CT - and the public can use it too!


Explore all the magazines and journals for librarians on the Children's and YA Services Collection Development LibGuide page.


Access each month's articles by following these instructions:

  1. Copy the full title of the article from the list below.
  2. Visit researchITCT.org for the Public.
  3. Paste the full title of the article in the search box and check the "Title" bubble below, then click "Search."
  4. You will be prompted to type in your library card, please do!
  5. Once you do, the article will be the only one on your results list.
  6. Click the link and read!


July's reads and why I'm sharing:


"Little Engines that Could… An Early Literacy Collaboration" | Children & Libraries, Summer 2024

 

  • “The article offers information on Ericson Public Library's project, Little Engines, aimed at enhancing early literacy in Boone, IA. Topics include implementing literacy-rich environments for preschool-aged children, increasing family engagement through community partnerships, and evaluating the project using Bronfenbrenner's ecological developmental framework.”
  • Related! Explore the Children's and YA Services Early Childhood LibGuide page.

 

"Capturing Impact: Sharing Stories of Makerspace Success" | Children & Libraries, Spring 2024

 

 

"Meeting Neurodiverse Needs: Library open satellite location at residence for adults with autism" | American Libraries, March/April 2024

 

  • “The article reports on the opening a satellite library inside LifeWorks, a local residential community for young adults with autism, by Warren County (Kentucky) Public Library (WCPL), in 2023. Topics discussed include encouraging early results of the satellite, comments from Earl Willis, WCPL's special populations liaison, and significance of the satellite library to LifeWork's mission.”
  • Related! Explore Children's and YA Services | Library Programming for Neurodivergent Youth LibGuide page.

2024 National Book Festival | Library of Congress


Saturday, August 29 in Washington, D.C.


For the 2024 National Book Festival, every state has chosen a “Great Reads” title to participate in the Roadmap to Reading. To see the full list nationwide titles, read the Press Release: Library of Congress Centers for the Book Choose ‘Great Reads’ Titles for Each State, Territory for 2024 National Book Festival)


Connecticut has proudly chosen two titles!

  • The Rediscovery of America by Ned Blackhawk
  • Three Pockets Full by Cindy L. Rodriguez
Book cover and author photo of The Rediscovery of America by Ned Blackhawk with quote "Ned interweaves five centuries of Native and non-native histories, from Spanish colonial exploration to the rise of Native American self-determination in the late twentieth century.” Logos: Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Endowment for the Humanities and COSLA: Chief Officers of State Library Agencies.
Book cover and author photo of Three Pockets Full by Cindy L. Rodriguez with quote “Beto won’t wear a guayabera to the wedding. Nope! Nunca! Not going to happen! Three Pockets Full by Cindy Rodriguez carries key concepts of family, love, and tradition.” Logos: Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Endowment for the Humanities and COSLA: Chief Officers of State Library Agencies.

If you are planning to go to the National Book Festival, remember to visit the CT table!

Graphic banner with pine trees, a storywalk path, and a pond with a sun, clouds, and birds in the sky. All text included in the article.

Connecticut Storywalk® Program


A Storywalk® is a fun activity that engages families in literacy while being physically active through walking or hiking. Pages from a children’s book are printed and placed in wood frames along a walkable path. Families have fun reading aloud together and building children’s interest in reading while enjoying the physical and mental health benefits of the outdoors.


The CT Storywalk® Program encourages children and families to visit multiple permanent Storywalk® setups throughout the state at various CT State Parks and State Forests. Stories at the four Storywalk® locations will be changed quarterly for fun all year round. 


On the Children's and YA Services CT Storywalks LibGuide page, we maintain a list of Public Library Storywalk® Sites across the state.



Among many collection items, the Middletown Library Service Center (MLSC) lends Storywalks® to public, school and academic libraries throughout the state of Connecticut. The laminated pages can be mounted according to the borrowing library's preference. Please do not puncture the laminated pages. Please remove tape, Velcro, and other adhesives before returning. The loan period for StoryWalks® is 45 days.



The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with he Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.


This project is supported by a generous grant from EBSCO Information Services to the Connecticut Heritage Foundation.  

Collections in Multiple Languages


Do you have summer readers who want books in languages other than English?


While the Middletown Library Service Center maintains a physical collection of children and young adult books, along with large print books, book discussion sets, book props, kits, and more, the collection is nearly entirely in English. That said, we can still help – we have resources for you! 


Explore the Welcome: Library Services to Multilingual Communities in Connecticut: Collections in CT Libraries LibGuide page and find the information on multilingual collections extracted from the Annual Reports you all provide each year. We make this listing available in two formats:

Logo: eGO CT. Books. Research. Historical Documents. Go! A Service of the CT State Library.

Need a Reason to Share the Palace Project App with Your Patrons? Here Are THREE!


  1. It’s free!
  2. Your library is probably already live in this free app!
  3. Nearly 39,000 items are provided for free by the Connecticut State Library including backlist bestsellers, biographies, self-help, hundreds of Spanish language titles, and much more!


Did you know? Your library’s eBooks are in Palace too! Palace brings your library patrons the entire CT State Library collection AND all your library's digital content too in one convenient place. Two collections in one!


Each week we add content to the platform to support both the Palace Project app and the eGO CT Community Share program for schools. Lyrasis also provides 22,569 items to the Palace Bookshelf!


Need some book recommendations in Palace? Try these!

  • The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
  • Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
  • Accidental Archaeologist by Sarah Albee


We have 152 public libraries and 17 academic sites that that are actively sharing content through the app with their patrons. Explore the complete list of Palace participating libraries. If your library is not listed, it doesn’t mean that you aren’t live in the app.  


If you have questions about the status of your public library or school, or want to learn more about eGO CT, the eGO CT Community Share Program for K12 schools, or the Palace Project App, contact Brad Bullis at Bradley.Bullis@ct.gov.

All CT Reads 2024 Virtual Author Launch graphic.  Additional details in the text.

All CT Reads 2024


A program of the CT State Library, All CT Reads is a year-long initiative to promote lifelong reading, learning, and connection that uses a rotating community committee structure to select one main book title and three shortlist book titles, each calendar year for three age groups: kids (ages 8-12), teens (ages 13-18), and adults. In addition to the books, All CT Reads provides a supported programmatic structure for CT libraries built around the titles with room for individuality and creativity. 


Find all twelve 2024 titles on the All CT Reads website. We have over 500 checkouts of All CT Reads titles through Palace and close to 30 discussion sets from MLSC are circulating through libraries!


Books for Borrowing


Book discussion sets of all twelve titles are available for reservations and borrowing by public, school, and academic libraries from the Middletown Library Service Center. 


Reserve All CT Reads Discussion Sets


Explore All CT Reads!


Explore the All CT Reads website to see the titles, author launch recordings, engagement resources, publicity materials, book discussion resources and more!

All CT Reads partners banner. Additional details in the text.

Stay Connected! Join our Email Lists


Our many email discussion lists for the library community help you connect with your peers. Conntech has the greatest reach across the state, and both Goodnightmoon for children's services and Speak for YA services have lively discussions and professional interchange.


Browse the full email list and subscription information.

Bitmoji of Kymberlee Powe with text: Any questions?

Kymberlee Powe

Children and YA Consultant

kymberlee.powe@ct.gov | (860) 704-2207


Connecticut State Library | Division of Library Development

Middletown Library Service Center

786 South Main Street | Middletown, CT 06457

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