Save the Date for Showcase!

Please save the date for our annual Central Texas Performer Showcase to be held at the Georgetown Public Library on Friday, November 3rd. Registration to attend will be sent out closer to the event, but mark your calendars so you can see before you hire!

Tell Us About Your Summer

We are getting reports in from around Texas about how everyone’s summer reading programs are going including photos of packed programs and favorite performers and speakers. For example, Clifton is on course to have a record setting number of participants this year! Please let us know how your summer is going. Who have your favorite performers been? Please send me an email and let me know if it is ok to share with others. Thank you!

No Kid Hungry

Low income families are hit hard during the summer when children lose access to school meals, reporting that grocery bills can be up to $300 higher every month. Federal summer meal sites can help ease the burden. Through an organization called No Kid Hungry, you can help connect patrons to these local sites by

• Texting: Text ‘FOOD’ or ‘COMIDA’ to 877-877 to find a site near you
• Locating a Summer Meal Site on a map: Go to NoKidHungry.org/SummerMealsto find a site online
• Calling for more information: Call 1-866-3HUNGRY to find a site and learn more

Youth Mental Health First Aid

As librarians we are always learning new ways that we can be a resource to our communities. For many who struggle with mental health illness and substance abuse, the library could actually be a lifeline. For instance, librarians at the Free Library of Philadelphia’s McPherson Square Branch are currently struggling with a very serious overdose problem. The librarians there are becoming first-responders by administering Narcan to overdose victims, a medication that can block the effects of opioids. A youth services librarian at the Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library in New Hampshire recently spoke with American Libraries Magazine about becoming trained to help youth that are struggling with mental health issues.

The training she took is called Youth Mental Health First Aid and I was able to attend one in New Braunfels this month. Offered by the organization Mental Health First Aid, this was an all day training about how to recognize the signs and symptoms of someone struggling and how to effectively reach out to them to get them the help they need. The training that I attended was aimed specifically at youth, but they have programs for adults, too. You can search for a training near you on their website.

The training was provided at no cost. The instructors are local and provided active crisis intervention during the Wimberley Memorial Day Floods of 2015.

I feel better equipped to recognize a struggling adolescent and how to handle that situation. We will put the manual in the CTLS Professional Collection for those interested in learning more, but I recommend the training for the scenario and peer practice that is provided.

YouthLinks

• Millennials are the most likely generation of Americans to use public libraries.
• How the McAllen Public Library is pioneering LGBTQ inclusivity
• How to design a library that makes kids want to read
• The opioid epidemic is so bad that librarians are learning how to treat overdoses
• American Library Association & Children’s Book Council Joint Committee have chosen 75 books for the inaugural Reading Beyond lists to aid book discovery for children reading at an advanced level. The lists are broken into Kindergarten-1st graders reading at a 3rd grade level, 2nd-3rd graders reading at a 5th grade level, and 4th-5th graders reading at a 7th grade level. These lists will help give children the challenge they need in age-appropriate books.
• Tired of Fidget Spinners? Embrace Them As Teaching Tools, Not Just Toys
• And a wonderful follow up: The Teen Librarian Toolbox points to three of their favorite DIY Fidget Spinner tutorials to get your kids making their own fidget spinners!
• J.K. Rowling’s First ‘Harry Potter’ Book Turns 20 In The U.K.
• How a Teen Librarian Addressed “13 Reasons Why” in Her Community
• Michael Bond, Paddington Bear Creator, Is Dead at 91
• Were you, like me, also #alaleftbehind? The next best thing is to check out the official Twitter hashtag:  #alaac17.  I also highly recommend browsing the hashtags #storytimessaves and #critlibALA17 for important discussions.
• Google and ALA are teaming up for Libraries Ready to Code, a project to help inspire kids to learn computer science.
• How To Use Snapchat for Readers’ Advisory
• School Library Journal is offering their free virtual conference SLJTeen Live! on August 9, 2017. You can register here!
• ALA Recap: Libraries are Not Neutral Spaces (Things I Never Learned in Library School)