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Last year, DLD completed the research and writing of its first Division of Library Development Diversity Plan, “to stand separate from the strategic plan, that will list goals and outcomes that integrate diversity into everything the division does.” In other words, the DLD Diversity Plan is designed to directly impact all aspects of the daily work of DLD. 

As described in the contextual statement of the DLD Diversity Plan, “the CT State Library Division of Library Development (DLD) acknowledges that past and present inequities exclude many people, including Black people, indigenous people, people of color (BIPOC), individuals with accessibility needs, and many other people with marginalized identities, from the wide range of benefits provided by libraries.” With this living document, “our goals are designed to effect change in the knowledge, behaviors, and actions of the Connecticut library workforce and ourselves, resulting in better outcomes for all residents.” 

All CT Reads 2024 Virtual Author Launch

with Kelly Yang, Nick Brooks, and Daniel Black

Watch the Author Launch Recording*

Share with your classroom, patrons, or book group!

The CT State Library Division of Library Development held an extra-special virtual launch with the authors of the 2024 All CT Reads primary selections – Kelly Yang, author of Finally Seen, our kids pick; Nick Brooks, author of Promise Boys, our teen pick; and Daniel Black, author of Don’t Cry For Me, our adult pick. Each author discussed their work and answered questions from our community.

*Please note, this is the recording of the full program, and we will be posting each author’s section individually later this week. We wanted to share as soon as we could!

Books for Borrowing

Book discussion sets of all twelve titles are now 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 and:

·     12 book pages full of engagement resources

·     Reserve book discussion sets

·     Purchase books from our friends at CLC!

·     Publicity materials to support your All CT Reads outreach.

·     Book discussion resources in case you need to brush up on your book club facilitation skills!

·     Tell us you’re participating!

Stay in the loop!

Sign-up to stay connected!

Find us on Facebook and Instagram with #AllCTReads!

More Information

Curious to learn more about All CT Reads? You can find more information online.

Our Partners and Sponsors

All CT Reads is an initiative of the Connecticut State Library Division of Library Development (DLD) and partners with the Connecticut Library Consortium (CLC) and the Connecticut Association for School Librarians (CASL).

All CT Reads is supported by a generous grant from EBSCO Information Services to the Connecticut Heritage Foundation.

 **Please note this is not a grant to fund a library's summer reading program.**

Read through the application, directions, and Libguide for updated information.

Enrichment activities must include expected outcome goals as defined by IMLS that provide a benefit to the people and involve positive changes to one’s:

• Skill
• Knowledge
• Attitude
• Behavior
• Condition or status

Principal public libraries may apply for up to $2,000 in federal LSTA funds to support their Summer Library Program (SLP). Local matching funds are not required for this grant.

Libraries may use the awarded federal funds to purchase program materials, supplies, and/or contractual services for the program offered to the community as a part of the 2024 summer grant program. Please refer to the FAQs and the Activity Criteria to Consider for specific guidelines on the use of awarded funds. Check out great examples of past Summer Enrichment Grants!

Applications are due to Kymberlee Powe at kymberlee.powe@ct.gov by Monday, February 26 at 4 pm. Late applications cannot be accepted.

The session also covers how student projects are created and submitted. This offers a great opportunity to bring students in your libraries into the world of coding and computing. No experience needed - any Connecticut student in grades 3-12 is eligible!

For more information, please visit ltgovcc.org or email info@ltgovcc.org. 

Also available with the Statistical Profile:

• New FY2023 Chart & Report Creators – Create suites of charts or reports in seconds. Please note: the 2023 Chart maker was updated on 1/31/2024.

• Statistics Advocacy Flyer – Create a flyer specifically for your library. Visit the link to view a sample and see instructions for requesting yours.

Unsure how to utilize these tools? Register for How to use Your State Annual Report during Budget Season (and Year-Round) on Tuesday, February 13 at 10am.

Baking Buddies offered a series of baking classes for children in 1st through 4th grades pairing them with senior volunteers for the program. The seniors provided baking help, mentorship, and were fabulous reading buddies with whom they got to enjoy a good book and a delicious baked snack!

CT Pages is a channel for sharing community engagement success stories by libraries with and for their communities. We partner with CT libraries to create and release short video conversations with the library staff who make things happen.

Do you have a creative program, service, activity, partnership, or project that you want to share with your library neighbors? We are always seeking submissions for consideration – Submit your idea!

This year-long initiative focuses on meeting the identified needs of each unique community, striving to build trust and grow habits that ultimately help connect new users to permanent resources available through their local public library.

In February, West Haven Public Library in West Haven and David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village are holding their community launch events:

Event: West Haven Public Library Bookmobile Relaunch

Date: Monday, February 5 at 11 am

Location: West Haven Community House

227 Elm Street, West Haven, CT 06516

West Haven Public Library website

Event: Village Voices: A Community Storytelling Pathway

Date: Saturday, February 17 at 11 am

Location: David M. Hunt Library

63 Main Street, Falls Village, CT 06031

David M. Hunt Library website

Chris Gauvreau will be scheduling Zoom screen share appointments to assist with the application for discount filing (Form 471) during February and March. You may request and appointment by emailing Chris at Christine.Gauvreau@ct.gov. 

Congress originally appropriated $14.2 billion for the ACP, but over time that amount has been spent down to the point where the ACP is on course to run out of funding this Spring. Congress may yet appropriate additional funds, but, since that is not certain, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must proceed as if the program will end.

On Thursday, January 11, 2024, the FCC released guidance for the wind-down of the program.

The guidance aims to inform interested parties about:



• The process for notifying enrolled ACP households about the impact of program termination on their broadband service and bills
• Freezing of new enrollments in the program
• Advertising, awareness, and outreach requirements for providers and outreach partners
• The timing of claims submissions
• Participation during a possible partially funded month of ACP

For more information, visit the Federal Communications Commission's ACP website.

• CEN will present on their new fully funded fiber to the library and town opportunities.

• East Hartford Public Library Navigators Malia and Magdalena will present on plans to support transition for ACP-enrolled households.

• Alice Knapp from The Ferguson Library will report on their experience with the Khairi Fortt Foundation program to distribute free tablets.

• Remarks to stimulate thinking about CTLPDE’s future work.

Top five training topics of interest for 2024:

1. Community Engagement
2. Marketing/Social Media
3. Collection Management
4. Programming
5. Management

Check out our statewide Continuing Education Calendar for upcoming 2024 offerings! Questions? Please reach out to Gail Hurley at Gail.Hurley@ct.gov.

Join Children and YA Consultant Kym Powe in this online workshop to learn about the six skills of Early Literacy, the five practices of Every Child Ready to Read and how they can be implemented into story times and shared with caregivers. Let's get CT Ready to Read!

Note: This workshop will have breakout rooms and group sharing, so please make sure you have a working microphone for that portion of the workshop.

Our approach to weeding is that it isn't the irresponsible disposal of the library's property, but rather a part of good public service to borrowers in terms of maintaining the best possible collection for the community.

The workshop will cover:

• The purpose of weeding
• Criteria for weeding decisions
• The mechanics of weeding
• Developing a weeding policy
• Resources for disposal of weeded material

Booktalk Your Way to the Friendliest Library in Town

Wednesday, February 28 | 10:00-11:30 am

Register for Booktalk Your Way

Booktalking is at the heart of what we do with patrons at the public library. Whether we are sharing books informally at the services desk, presenting a prepared list of books, or posting information online, talking about books is something we do each and every day. It is a core service, but it is also hard to do. Or is it?

It is not, especially if you focus less on tallying transactions and move toward an environment of cultivating conversations.

Join experienced Readers’ Advisory Becky Spratford as she shares the secret behind deepening patron engagement, creating relationships, and increasing circulation, all by simply rediscovering the power and joy that comes from sharing a good read.

Note: This workshop does not require you to attend the first RA for All workshop on January 31st, but it does builds off of it. If you were unable to make the first workshop, feel free to view the recording on the DLD Professional Development LibGuide.

Design an AR Library Scavenger Hunt

Thursday, February 29 | 10:00-11:30 am

Register for Design an AR Scavenger Hunt

Design an AR Library Scavenger Hunt using a smartphone or tablet. Engage visitors in an immersive scavenger hunt and spark their interest in new books. The hunt will utilize location and marker-based experiences to best support the users. You will learn how to create clues, design the AR experience, and incorporate educational content into the scavenger hunt in a library setting.

Visit our calendar

Giving Our Professional Development Resources Some L-O-V-E!

We continue to support professional development through both the researchIT CT program and the eGO CT program. The Professional Development Collection from EBSCO is a highly specialized database of full-text electronic information especially for educators, professional librarians, and education researchers. 

Content Includes:

More than 457 full-text journals

More than 278 peer-reviewed, full-text journals

More than 759 abstracted and indexed journals

Nearly 229 full-text educational reports

The Professional Development Collection includes full text for high-quality education journals and can be accessed via EBSCOhost or Explora as part of the researchIT CT collection of databases.

We also have professional development eBook titles in the Palace app as part of the eGO CT program.

Have questions about EBSCO, researchIT CT, or eGO CT? Please reach out to Brad Bullis at Brad.Bullis@ct.gov.

New eAudio Titles Now Available in the Palace Project app!