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Resources for Librarians Serving Youth

The Professional Development Office wants to make your job as a Youth Librarian easier.  Consider using some of these free resources available to all librarians serving youth in Indiana.  We are committed to serving public librarians, school librarians, and other library staff who serve youth.  Many of these programs are made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Indiana State Library.

Professional Development Opportunities for Youth Services Staff
The Indiana State Library provides and promotes a variety of professional development opportunities for public library youth services staff.

Collaborative Summer Library Program
The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) is a consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries.  The Indiana State Library disseminates information regarding this program to all public libraries in Indiana.  Public libraries also receive CSLP manuals, catalogues, and access to the CSLP website.

CSLP Website
Resources for Summer Program Planning
Summer Program Ideas for Current Year
Summer Program Ideas from Past Years
Indiana Young Readers Center – Adventure Begins program ideas
Reading Program Online Tracking Software options – compiled by the Colorado State Library.

Storytime Kits, LEGO Kits, & Book Discussion Resources
The Indiana State Library provides five types of kits for use by youth librarians across the state:  Book Club Kits, LEGO Kits, DUPLO Kits, Storytime Kits, and Big Idea Storytime Kits.  More information, plus the specifics of each type of kit, can be found on our Storytime & Lego Kits and Book Discussion Resources page.

Please be aware that all Indiana State Library kits are shipped via the INfoExpress courier system.  If your school or library is not part of this service, please work with the closest public library who does to book your kits.

Indiana Children's Authors & Illustrators
The
Indiana Children's Authors & Illustrators website is maintained by the Indiana State Library to provide teachers, librarians, and the general public with lists of Indiana authors and illustrators with published works for children and young adults

INSPIRE
One of the most powerful tools available from the State Library, the INSPIRE databases give the user instant access to a variety of databases, including special portals specifically for youth.  TeachingBooks gives access to supplementary resources for books your youth are already reading.  The Testing and Education Reference Center is where to go for a variety of practice tests.  Try the Hobbies and Crafts database for resources for your next crafting program.  There’s that and so much more!

Talking Books
Do you have young patrons who are blind or low vision?  Take advantage of the services of Talking Books to access free resources.

Listservs for Youth Librarians
The Indiana State Library moderates two listservs specifically for youth librarians.  Try InChildProg if you are interested in programming for children or Yappers if you are interested in programming for teens/YA.  This is an easy way to instantly get connected with librarians across the state.

Professional Development and Consulting
Youth Librarians need their LEUs too. The Professional Development Office at the State Library also has a Children’s Services Consultant available to come to your next Staff Meeting or Round Table to do trainings with you, your staff, or any group of librarians on a variety of youth specific topics.  Email to schedule a training session or to get help on youth related library issues: statewideservices@library.in.gov. You can also call the Professional Development Office at (317) 234-5649 to reach the Children’s Services Consultant.

Indiana Center for the Book
Visit the Indiana Center for the Book for state and national initiatives connecting you and your students to books and the written word.

Grants
There are a variety of grants that youth librarians can apply for to gain funding for special programming or innovative ideas.  The LSTA grant is administered by the Indiana State Library and is for innovative library technology projects with the potential for state-wide impact.  Here are other grant resources for Youth Librarians. 
State Library Grants Portal
Indiana Youth Institute

Materials For Your Library

Track Your Child’s Developmental Milestones Brochures Request Form

Statewide Ellison Die List
As a service to Indiana public librarians, ISL maintains a list of Ellison dies housed in libraries across the state.  Please contact the owning library directly to make a request to borrow one of these Ellison dies.  Contact names and emails are included on the list.  The Indiana State Library depends on individual libraries to notify us when their offerings have changed; while we make every effort to maintain a current list, occasionally changes are made that we are unaware of, so inaccurate information may be present on the list. Please contact us with any corrections at statewideservices@library.in.gov. Also, be aware that each library may have their own policies for loaning dies.
Access the list here.

PDO SW 11-29-2023