Summer at the Library is Here!
Summer at the Library is in full swing!
Nurture your child’s interest in reading by participating in ALL the activities available this summer at your public library.
Summer Reading Log
Youth ages 0 to 18 can earn a free book this summer participating in our Summer Reading Log program.
- Sign up anytime, June 1–August 15. Every registrant receives a free ice cream from Culvers!
- Set a reading goal and start reading. Track your progress on your Summer Reading Log.
- Complete 5 activities from the Activity List in your Summer Reading Log.
- Claim your free book (!) by bringing your completed Summer Reading Log to the Youth Services desk by August 15.
How to Start…
- Pick up your Summer Reading Log from the Youth Services desk or from the BookBike.
- OR download and print your Summer Reading Log.
Pssst…we also have an Adult Reading Log. Why leave all the fun to the kids? Check it out!
Summer Events
In addition to the Summer Reading Log, we have events and activities for youth of all ages! From Storytimes to performances to teen-only events, we’ve got a LOT going on. Love LEGOs? Drop in to LEGO Club! Interested in illusions? Be sure to attend our Illusionogy event. We even have two sessions for adults to learn about supporting their child’s reading development at home.
Want all the details? Head over to our Summer at the Library webpage and prepare to be WOWED.
Questions? Call 715-839-5007 or email ysstaff@eauclaire.lib.wi.us
Supporting Your Child’s Reading Development
Parents and caregivers, do you want to help your child get ready for and succeed at reading but aren’t sure where to start? We’ve got you covered! Join us at the library for two evenings of discussions with UW-Eau Claire professors about science-based strategies for supporting your child’s reading development at home.
The first session: Early Literacy
- Monday, June 24, from 6-7:30 p.m. | Carnegie Room (on the first floor)
- How to support your child’s early literacy skills between the ages of 0-6 years
- Led by Dr. Angela Jones and her student researchers
Dr. Angela Jones and her student researchers will discuss their model “Read with TLC,” a comprehensive resource designed to help you engage in activities that will effectively prepare your child for reading.
The second session: Emergent Reading
- Wednesday, June 26, from 6-7:30 p.m. | Riverview Room (on the third floor)
- How to support your child’s emergent reading skills between grades K-5
- Led by Dr. Susan Tily and her student researchers
Registration is not required for either session. If you are an early childhood educator, completion certificates are available upon request for continuing education purposes.
“We provide practical strategies, engaging activities, and tips for cultivating a love for language and literacy in young children,” Dr. Jones says. “Whether through playful interactions, immersive experiences, or purposeful interventions, you play a pivotal role in fostering your child’s literacy skills.” We hope you will join us!
Take the Smokey Bear Reading Challenge
Celebrate Earth Day all April with the Smokey Bear Reading Challenge! To get started, pick up a challenge sheet in Youth Services or print your own from the US Forest Service! Read three books about the Earth, our environment, and/or wildfire prevention, plus do four activities. Turn in your completed challenge card at the Youth Services desk by Tuesday, April 30th for a prize!
There are a variety of fun activities recommended on the challenge sheet, such as drawing a picture of Smokey Bear or finding the name of Wisconsin’s state tree. One of my favorite activities from the list is to choose a color, then go outside and see how many things you can find that are that color.
The Smokey Bear Reading Challenge is a collaboration between the USDA Forest Service and libraries around the country in celebration of Smokey Bear’s 80th Birthday. Happy Birthday to you, Smokey Bear!
The Library Doesn’t Own It…Now What?!?
It has happened to many of us. You search the catalog for that ONE book that you REALLY want to read…and you come up with nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zip. Not a single library within the MORE Library System owns it.
Don’t rage! Don’t despair! You have options.
Suggestions for Purchase
You can suggest that the library purchase the book you really want to read. Or video game you want to play. Or movie you want to watch. The librarians who purchase items for the library’s collections are happy to review any suggestion community members (you) make. It’s not a guarantee that the library will buy the item you really want, but librarians take those requests seriously. They are ultimately guided by the library’s Collection Development Policy, yet oftentimes items suggested by community members are purchased. See the end of this post for a quick “how to” on submitting a suggestion for purchase.
Interlibrary Loan
You can submit a request to get the item you want from another library. In case you didn’t know, libraries are all about sharing things. Processes are in place to request items from other library systems across the state, region, and country. To find out more about Interlibrary Loan, click here or visit one of the Reference Services desks on Level Two.
How To: Suggestion for Purchase
- Go to the MORE catalog (https://www.more.lib.wi.us/).
- At the top of the page, click the link that reads “Suggestions.”
- Click “Suggestion for Purchase.”
- A separate pop-up window will appear (if it doesn’t, check to make sure your browser did not block the pop-up).
- Be sure to fill in your name, email, library card number, item title, and select Eau Claire from the drop-down menu. Any other information you have on the item is helpful, but not required.
- If you’d like to have the item placed “on hold” for you (if it’s purchased), be sure to select the “reserve this item” option on the bottom. Additionally, you have the choice to try and Interlibrary Loan the item if it’s not purchased.
- That’s it! If the item is purchased for the library and you selected “reserve this item for you,” it will automatically be placed on hold for you. When it arrives, you will receive a notification however you normally do (e.g. email).
And, as always, please let us know if you have questions. We’re here to help.
We Are Happy to Help!
Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed at the sheer number of books available in the kids department? There are so many topics, a huge age range, audiobooks, graphic novels, picture books, nonfiction, and on, and on, and on! Where do you begin?! Luckily, there is a very easy answer to that overwhelming question: You begin at the Youth Services Desk.
Youth Services staff members can be found at the Youth Services desk during all open library hours, and at the Teen Desk during select afternoon/evening hours…and we can’t wait to help you find your (or your child’s) next favorite book!
If you are feeling independent, we can point you toward multiple resources—both in our room and online—which feature YS staff members’ book recommendations on a variety of topics. However, we are always very happy to help our customers with personalized recommendations, if you prefer to work with us directly.
If you are not yet at the library, and you’d like to begin your searching online, you can find a multitude of staff-built lists by visiting the Book Suggestions page on our website, or by visiting ECPubLibYouth right in our MORE catalog.
In addition to giving book recommendations, our desk staff offers various other services as well! We will happily provide room directions, give scavenger hunt clues, help you track down answers to questions—we even have diapers if you find yourself without. If you or your children need support (or a high five) while you are at the library, our friendly desk staff is always there to help. So be sure to stop by and say hello the next time you are in the library!
And the Winner Is…Young Readers!
Golden Globes.
Grammys.
Oscars.
Youth Media Awards!
It’s award season and, on January 23, the American Library Association recognized its annual selection of the best of the best books through the Youth Media Awards. One of the most well-known awards is the Newbery Medal winner, which is presented each year to the “author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” This year’s Newbery winner is The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers, an adventure featuring Johannes, a free dog, who loves to sprint faster than the speed of light around the urban park he calls home. After a harrowing experience, Johannes becomes determined to free the park’s bison. Yet will the appearance of mysterious rectangles, new buildings, and a strange new hoard of animals prevent him from liberating his friends?
There are a number of different awards that celebrate books for readers from birth through age 18. Check out the winners and honorees! What would you put on this list? What were your favorite books in 2023?
Plus, don’t forget to take a look at our Youth Services staff’s favorite books of 2023.
https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newbery
Looking for a NEW book?
Who doesn’t love the smell and feel of fresh, crisp pages of a brand-new book? Or the excitement of reading a book that just hit the shelves? New items are added to the collection regularly (almost daily!) and are shelved separately from the rest of the collection, making it easy to browse the newest titles. Juvenile New Items can be found near the Youth Services desk, Teen New Items are shelved near the Teen Lounge, and adult New Items are located just inside the library’s front entrance.
Browsing new additions to the library’s collection can also be done on the MORE Catalog. New titles pop up right on the home screen of the MORE app, and can be searched on a PC by clicking New Titles on the catalogs home page. Do you want a sneak peek before the items even hit the shelves? Then click the Coming Soon link to see the titles that have just been ordered.
Browse the new additions to the library’s collection on your next visit to either the library or the MORE Catalog to find your NEW favorite read!
Here comes Storytime!!
I don’t know about you, but I am so excited to start our Winter/Spring Storytime series! Storytime at our library is such a joyful time for children and their grownups (and library staff too!). We offer several storytime options for different ages/developmental levels, and we hope you can find a storytime experience just right for your family.
Our storytimes include not only fun stories, but we also mix in music and physical movement to get everyone dancing and having a blast. If you have any questions about storytime at all, please call 715-839-5007 and our Youth Services Staff will be happy to help.
NEW days and times this Winter/Spring? Yes! Take a close look at our all new storytime schedule, and we hope to see you at the library very soon!!
Favorite Books of 2023
As 2023 draws to a close (Can you believe it?!), Youth Services staff has been reflecting on some of the most exciting contributions to children and teen literature this year. We have compiled our absolute favorites to share with you. We trust there will be titles on this list that will become (or maybe already are) favorites for you and your family as well! The list features a mixture of books that are funny, poignant, creative, mind-bending, and more from our various collections in Youth Services (board books and picture books as well as juvenile and teen graphic novels, fiction, and nonfiction).
➜ Without further ado, here is the list of Youth Services’ Favorite Books of 2023.
What were your favorites this year? Let us know! Want more suggestions for great books for babies, children, and teens? Check out our collection of book lists here and here, or chat with us at the Youth Services desk during your next library visit.
Here’s to another great year of reading!
