Children's Programming

In recent years, young adult (YA) fiction has, like its Generation Z audience, turned to social justice issues and activism. At the same time, the discussion of social responsibility in librarianship has begun to include human rights and social justice, especially since public libraries provide education and information about issues of rights and justice. 

For Jennifer's thesis research, she conducted a participatory case study with a co-designed virtual program through the Camrose Public Library. The case study investigated how teen readers engage with the social justice themes in YA fiction, how and if they find these themes useful for understanding and engaging in activism on their own, and the influence of public library programming on these actions. 

This presentation provides an overview of what worked and what didn’t when it came to collaborative program design with teens and provides practical recommendations for young adult librarians who want to implement social justice programming.

On April 20th 2021, YAACS hosted our first Virtual Youth Services insitute.

Keynote Speakers: 
Slides and other resources related to the Keynote can be found in the Materials section.
J. Elizabeth Mills, co-author of Create, Innovate, and Serve: A Radical Approach to Children’s and Youth Programming and Supercharged Storytimes: An Early Literacy Planning and Assessment Guide.
Dr. Michelle H. Martin,  Beverly Cleary Endowed Professor for Children and Youth Services in the Information School at the University of Washington

Ask Me Anything (AMA) Human Library Volunteers:
You can find some notes for the AMA sessions in the Materials section.
Christopher Knapp - PGPL - I am an avid gamer who has advocated greatly for the importance of video gaming in the library.
Tess Prendergast - UBC - I have a lot of experience creating inclusive storytimes.
Stephanie  - SRC - I am interested in Among Us programs for teens.
Nariel Davis - VIRL - I do story walks in partnership with local businesses.
Kaley Young - NVDPL - I do a Nature Challenge program.
Vicki Donoghue - BPL - I have been working with community partners during COVID
Julia McKnight - VPL - I am supporting staff mixing virtual and in-person teen summer programs.
Kate Wood - GVPL - I am a Library Assistant in my system.  I am also a qualified Librarian.
Sarah Bagshawe - VPL -  I am a Reader's Advisory unicorn.

Schedule:
Here is the schedule for the day:
9:00 – 9:30 a.m.              Welcome and Icebreaker
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.            Knowledge, Artistry, and Reflection: Designing Thoughtful Programming for Children presented by J. Elizabeth Mills and Dr. Michelle H. Martin
11:00-11:15 a.m.             BREAK
11:15-11:50 a.m.             Breakout Rooms (human library meets AMA – ask me anything)
11:55-12:30 p.m.            Breakout Rooms (AEA – ask everybody everything!)             
12:30-1:00 p.m.              Reflection activity