Throw-it Thursday: What the Manga?!

Ashley Borman, Technical Services Librarian at the Clintonville (WI) Public Library, is back with another collection development column.

We recently separated our manga books from our graphic novels and gave them their own collection. It was not a terribly difficult process (unless your tech services department likes to be difficult, then it might get a little dicey), mostly because the collection is not overly large to begin with.

First, I ran a collection report to see all the books we had in our graphic novel collection. Then I went to the shelf and grabbed the books that were checked in and clearly manga. I took these back to my desk (it’s so much easier when you are the tech services department and you are the one who wants to create the collection!) and re-coded and re-labeled them. We got manga stickers to use instead of graphic novel stickers.

After I finished changing all of the books that were on the shelf, I went through the items on the list that were not on the shelf (checked out, in transit, lost, etc.) and placed holds on all of the items I knew were manga or thought might be manga. As they come back, I am re-labeling them and sticking them in their new section if that is where they belong.

Our new manga collection is small but beautiful!

The graphic novel section is now smaller, but it is easier to find things!

Midday Mingle Alert - Teens!!!

Image by cottonbro studio from Pexels

We've got another Midday Mingle on the horizon! We are calling all youth services folk across the state serving the niche (sometimes elusive) but oh-so rewarding audience of teens. Many of us are flying solo in teen services, let's get together to program swap and connect!

Join us on Monday, February 23 at 1:00 PM (Zoom Link) to chat about teen services - specifically programming.  We will round table topics like:

• What's working for you
• Most successful program in the last year
• Upcoming program you are excited about
• What was a bust
• Back pocket program (programs you always have ready to go if needed)
• Passive programs/activities
• Teen spaces
• set up/what's available
• rules
• do you work/program in them
• And anything else you'd like to discuss - the conversation will be driven be the attendees and go wherever is most useful to you!

Anyone is welcome at the Midday Mingle! You do not have to be a member of YSS or WLA.

 

Time: Feb 23, 2026 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Zoom Link 

 

Can't wait to chat with you all! 

Midday Mingles happen quarterly – expect to see several throughout 2026! Do you have suggestions/requests for our next topic? Let us know in the comments or email kalford@menomonee-falls.org.

Meet Christopher Roubique @ Oak Creek Public Library!

Photo provided by M. Dietrich

The Oak Creek Public Library will be hosting Wisconsin author Christopher Roubique for the launch of his debut middle grade book Mythspeaker, on Thursday, February 26^th at 6:30p.m.

 

Registration is highly recommended. https://events.getlocalhop.com/meet-oak-creek-author-christopher-roubique/event/Y7HaBFPDHf/

 

A little about the book….

 

Perfect for middle-grade readers ages 8-12 years, Mythspeaker will be published by Viking Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House. For fans of Race to the Sun and the Aru Shah series, this epic fantasy adventure inspired by Indigenous American mythology follows a band of misfit children who must pull off an impossible heist in order to save the world!

 

A little about the author….

 

Christopher Roubique grew up in rural Wisconsin and filled his time—and his heart—with the joys of fantasy and science fiction. His own books leap from those same joys, folding in his Cajun and Indigenous heritage, passion for mental health, and plenty of fantastical creatures. He lives in Oak Creek and has squeezed his wife and daughter beside all those stories in his heart too.

Tips and Info from DPI's January 15, 2026 Youth Services Newsletter

 Jeni Schomber's DPI Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources is an email newsletter chockfull of great resources we've come to rely on. If you are a WI youth library staffer and you don't receive this weekly missive in your email inbox, please contact Jeni (jennifer.schomber@dpi.wi.gov) to be placed on the list!

Here is the January 15, 2026 edition:

 

 

Hello All,  Check out these youth services weekly resources and reminders!  Building Community Based Summers CSLP Spring Cohort application open!  The Collaborative Summer Library Program is excited to launch a third national cohort of Building Community Based Summers in Spring 2026.  BCBS is designed to help member libraries identify the “whys” behind their summer services, build strategies to engage community voices, and create and provide inclusive summer services for all members of their communities. The spring 2026 cohort will gather for online learning sessions once weekly for 6 consecutive weeks in March-April 2026.   There is no charge to participate. The application period is open through Monday, January 26, 2026.  CSLP Unearth a Story 2026 Manual Highlights Recording  Dig into some 2026 manual highlights and unearth some exciting programs, ideas, and adaptations for next summer!  View highlights video here!  View the highlights slides  Play Make Learn 2026 Conference: Call for Proposals  You are invited to submit a proposal to present at the 2026 Play Make Learn Conference (PML). The conference is a place for collaboration and discovery in the design, research and practice of playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and arts in education. PML creates an inspirational space for educators, designers, developers, innovators, librarians, museum professionals, makers, and researchers of all kinds to tinker together, share knowledge, and celebrate one another’s work.  Call for Proposals Deadline for Submissions: March 9, 2026, at 11:59PM Central  Submit Your Proposal Here: go.wisc.edu/PMLsubmit  STARnet Science Across America  As America celebrates its 250-year anniversary, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and STAR Net have launched a new campaign to help libraries highlight the history of scientific achievement in our country, and the local connections to science in our communities. SCIENCE ACROSS AMERICA, the newest campaign from Spark of Science@ My Library, invites libraries to showcase local scientific advances and scientists, engage your communities with focused Community Dialogues, and host educational and inspirational activities that shine a light on the past, present, and future of science in our lives.  The deadline to apply has been extended to Friday, January 23, 2026. For more information, visit the STARnet Community blog post.    Jeni Schomber  Public Library Consultant  The DPI does not sponsor or endorse external resources or events. They are provided for your consideration only. Contact: jeni.schomber@dpi.wi.gov

Spotting Fake News for Kids

Photo by Hartono Creative Studio on Unsplash

What are libraries and schools doing to teach kids media literacy? It's a tough topic to even know where to start, but starting early seems to be an important part of that lesson. Finland leads the way in media literacy for kids, and starts teaching students about fake news in preschool. 

PBS Learning Media provides a number of lesson plans and resources for teaching kids about fake news and fact checking your sources. As AI technology improves, this topic will become even more important. What have you found success with?

For a brief news story on Finland's efforts click here.

For PBS Learning Media's free resources look here.

[Schools teaching kids to spot fake news and AI misinformation. CBS News. January 6, 2026] https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/schools-teaching-kids-to-spot-fake-news-and-ai-misinform
ation/

Play Make Learn Conference Proposals Open Now!

Logo from Play Make Learn Website

The 2026 Play Make Learn Conference Call for Proposals is OPEN NOW!!!

 

The Play Make Learn Conference is a place for collaboration and discovery in the design, research and practice of playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and arts in education. PML creates an inspirational space for preK-12 educators, designers, developers, innovators, librarians, museum professionals, makers, and researchers to tinker together, share knowledge, and celebrate one another’s work.

 

• July 9-10, 2026 | Madison, WI
• Call for Proposals deadline for submissions: March 9, 2026 at 11:59PM Central
• Notifications sent out: April 2026
• Submit Your Proposal Here: go.wisc.edu/PMLsubmit

 

We believe that everyone has unique contributions to bring to the conference. PML aspires to foster a learning community that has a diversity of perspectives and practices. Are you a first time presenter, young person, or practitioner considering submitting for Play Make Learn and need additional support? Reach out to our planning team at: conferences@education.wisc.edu

 

 

WAPL needs you!!

Plans are underway for the 2026 WAPL Conference taking place April 27-29, at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, WI.  

Hosted by the Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries (WAPL), a division of the Wisconsin Library Association, this annual event brings together members of the public library community to share big ideas and learn from each other through interactive breakout sessions and special events.

Submit a Breakout Session Proposal

The application for submitting proposals for breakout sessions is now open, and your expertise is needed to make WAPL 2026 the best conference ever!

The conference theme is Library as Test Kitchen. This means:

• Positioning Wisconsin’s public libraries as leaders in the field by showcasing innovative services and programs that can be scaled to libraries of all sizes.

• Using creativity and persistence to fuel positive momentum for ourselves, our staff, our services, and our communities.

• Identifying ways to overcome the many different challenges faced by public libraries.

While this is a very broad theme, proposals are not required to fit within it.  Innovative proposals on a wide variety of topics are encouraged!

Submit your proposal below or by clicking HERE. 

Proposals accepted until  midnight Friday, January 30, 2026.

WAPL welcomes proposals from libraries of all sizes and from individuals who work in a variety of roles - from front line staff to technical services to programming and more.  As well as proposals from vendors, consultants, trustees, friends, and other library partners.   

Questions? Please contact the WLA Office at wla@wisconsinlibraries.org or WAPL Conference Chair Roxanne Staveness at director@riolibrary.org

Tips and Info from DPI's January 8, 2026 Youth Services Newsletter

Jeni Schomber's DPI Youth Services Weekly Reminders and Resources is an email newsletter chockfull of great resources we've come to rely on. If you are a WI youth library staffer and you don't receive this weekly missive in your email inbox, please contact Jeni (jennifer.schomber@dpi.wi.gov) to be placed on the list!

Here is the January 8, 2026 edition:

Hello All,  Check out these youth services weekly resources and reminders!  CSLP Building Community Based Summers Spring Cohort application  The Collaborative Summer Library Program is excited to launch a third national cohort of Building Community-Based Summers (BCBS) in Spring 2026!    BCBS is designed to help member libraries identify the “whys” behind their summer services, build strategies to engage community voices, and create and provide inclusive summer services for all members of their communities. The spring 2026 cohort will gather for online learning sessions once weekly for 6 consecutive weeks in March-April 2026.   BCBS is open to applicants from CSLP member libraries. There is no charge to participate. Applications will be open from Monday, January 5 through Monday, January 26. https://forms.gle/zJf4QJ3zmDZ4PxYu6   CSLP Newsletter  Check out the latest Collaborative Summer Library Program newsletter full of great information about resources from the Summer Symposium, the Slogan and Theme survey, CSLP shipping timeline, and Manual Highlights.  BadgerLink Bulletin  Britannica Escolar Update on January 8 – View the Story  Teaching Books Ideas, Graphic Organizer, and Flyers – View the Story  Reflections on a Defining Year for Libraries   A letter from Wisconsin’s State Librarian, Ben Miller, recalling the 2025 work of libraries and the joy to come in 2026.  View Libraries Reflection Story  Jeni Schomber  Public Library Consultant  The DPI does not sponsor or endorse external resources or events. They are provided for your consideration only. Contact: jeni.schomber@dpi.wi.gov

Celebrating Industry Greats We Lost in 2025

The turn from one year to another brings many celebrations and reflections. Reflecting over the year gone
by allows us to pause for those we have said goodbye to along the way. Betsy Bird, over on Fuse #8 Productions blog put together a list honoring youth literature greats we lost in 2025, including links to longer remembrances.

Stop here to see her post. [In Memoriam: Remembering Those Lost in 2025. Bird, Betsy.  Fuse #8 Productions blog. SLJ. January 2, 2026.]

Library Resolutions

Happy New Year Youth People!!

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Are you a New Year's Resolution person? Personally, I'm not, but I was thinking about what I want to accomplish this year at work, and thought that I might just be a resolution person at work. 

My 2026 library resolutions:

1. Say no more often. I think in this profession, we often tend to be yes people. We like fun things and want to be involved. But, we need to think about boundaries and burnout and the fact that those are real things. In an article for the American Library Association, Matthew Weirick Johnson says, "Causes of burnout can be extensive and multifaceted, including overwork but also erosion of work-life balance..." Saying no is necessary sometimes, even though it can feel hard. 

2. Plan ahead more. Our library has a really great programming model in which four departments work together on programming (youth services, adult services, outreach, public services). This allows us to do so much more than we could otherwise, but also creates an interesting dynamic when it comes to planning. Youth librarians, at least in our library, tend to do more of the programming in house, which means more planning and prep time is needed. This often means that looking forward is harder, and things are not planned as far in advance as in the adult services department. In an effort to work together in a different way, I'm working on planning a little bit differently this year.

3. Get more people to write for this blog! This is where you come in! If any of you are interested in contributing to the blog, please reach out to us at yss.wla@gmail.com. We all do such cool things, and we'd love to share more of what you're doing on a local level with a wider audience. 

Do you have any work resolutions for 2026?

You can read the full article on burnout here. [Keeping Up with...Burnout. Weirick Johnson, M. ala.org]  https://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/keeping_up_with/burnout