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February
2026 | |
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Youth Services Notes |
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From the Library of Virginia
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Dinosaurs 101!
Join Ms. Timshel Purdum, Deputy Director of Education at the Science Museum of Virginia and a Virginia Master Naturalist, on an unforgettable journey into the world of dinosaur hunting, inspired by her hands-on paleontology adventures! Discover the challenges and excitement of uncovering fossils hidden for millions of years. Together, we’ll explore what truly defines a dinosaur, meet their modern-day relatives, and even put some Hollywood “dinosaurs” to the test. |
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Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. EST
This training will be recorded and available for viewing in the Library of Virginia Niche Academy. |
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Dial a Story
Every Wednesday, a new story will be shared with listeners across the Commonwealth. From recent picture books and timeless fairy tales to inspiring folk tales and stories that celebrate equity, diversity, and inclusion, there’s always something magical to discover. Our volunteer readers are the heart of this program that offers a unique blend of picture books and telephone technology to boost reading readiness. |
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Dial a Story Books: March 2026
03/04/2026 I Am La Chiva!: The Colorful Bus of the Andes / ¡Me llamo La Chiva! El colorido bus de los Andes by Karol Hernández Reader: Rose Likins
03/11/2026 The Hare and the Tortoise / La liebre y la tortuga
Readers: Cynthia Temple and Celia Isbrecht
03/18/2026 Wepa / Wepa by J de la Vega
Reader: Lauren Parker
03/25/2026
Is Your Mama a Llama? / ¿Tu mamá es una llama? by Deborah Guarino
Readers: Sue La Paro and Veronica Terry | |
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Nature Backpacks
The updated State Park parking passes (good through December 2028) for the Discovery backpacks are available! A survey was sent to all public library directors to order new passes. If you haven't ordered yet, please contact me for the survey link.
Nearly all Virginia State Parks charge a per car parking fee for entrance. Two parks charge a per person fee: Natural Bridge and Southwest Virginia Museum state parks. Annual Passes include admission for up to 4 at Natural Bridge and Southwest Virginia Museum state parks. |
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Monday, March 16, 2pm ET Beanstack Admin Essentials for Virginia Libraries
https://zoobean.zoom.us/meeting/register/ZxKqnE7SR2ax5yA9LK3gLA
Join the Beanstack team as we walk you through tips and tricks to make sure your Beanstack site is ready for summer reading! We'll cover best practices related to site maintenance, staff access, challenge set up and more. Plus, we'll share our tips to help you have a successful summer! This one hour course is designed for library administrators who are responsible for the setup of their Beanstack site. Attendees should plan to follow along on their Beanstack site.
Wednesday, April 29, 2pm ET
Beanstack Data Training for Virginia Libraries
https://zoobean.zoom.us/meeting/register/SFYs0qA2SLm8DX6Q70Cjgw
Learn the ins-and-outs of Reports and Insights so you can make the most of your data this summer. You'll leave this training with bookmarked reports, data best practices, and tips and tricks to help showcase your library's summer impact. This hands-on session is designed for library staff who manage and track Beanstack data for their library.
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The BCBS/CSLP Project Committee has selected 15 libraries from a pool of 38 applicants to participate in the 2026 Spring Cohort. BCBS is designed to help member libraries build strategies to engage community voices and provide summer services for all members of their communities.
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Selected participants will have the opportunity to engage with a nationwide cohort of library staff to dig deeply into inclusive summer services.
Congratulations to Arlington Public Library (Arlington, VA) and Chesapeake Public Library, Central Branch (Chesapeake, VA) for being selected! |
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ALSC and YALSA Reunite
ALSC is thrilled to announce that, beginning in 2028, the biennial ALSC National Institute conference will shift: it will become both an annual conference inclusive of programming for children and teens reflecting the reunification of ALSC and YALSA, and move to late January. This shift will allow us to combine a top-tier library services professional development event focused on children and teens with the biggest announcement in youth literature!
What does this mean for the coming years?
For 2027, we anticipate another stand-alone YMA event in late January – open to the public – formatted similarly to the 2026 event.
For 2028, National Institute will move annually to the late-January slot, coinciding with the Youth Media Awards Announcements. |
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El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day)
El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), commonly known as Día, is a celebration every day of children, families, and reading that culminates annually on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
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The 2026 Día Reading Lists are now available. These lists, available in both English and Spanish, provide engaging stories representing a variety of cultures and backgrounds to share with children. Four lists are available: Birth through PreK, K to Grade 2, Grades 3-5, and Grades 6-8.
And if you are hosting Día programming this year, please add your event(s) to the National Día Program Registry! |
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2026 Ezra Jack Keats Awards
The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation (EJK Foundation), in partnership with the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), is happy to announce the winners and honor recipients of the 2026 Ezra Jack Keats Award (EJK Award), recognizing exceptional early career authors and illustrators. Winners receive a cash prize of $5,000 and Honors receive a cash prize of $2,000. Since 1986, the EJK Award has celebrated early career authors and illustrators who portray the multicultural world, the universal experience of childhood and the importance of family and community. The award ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 9, 2026 during the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival at USM in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
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2026 Walter Dean Myers Awards
We Need Diverse Books announced the 2026 Walter Dean Myers Awards. The Walter Awards are given in two categories: Younger Readers (ages 9-13) and Teen (ages 13-18). Younger Readers
Winner: The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes
Honor Title: All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson
Teen
Winner: Champion by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld, and Ed Laroche
Honor Title: King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin |
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Your library program can be featured here!
Please submit a photo and description of your favorite program! |
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Upcoming Important Dates & Celebrations
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National and State Conferences 2026 March 2-4: Virginia State Literacy Association (Roanoke) March 12-14: Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children (Hampton)
April 1-3: Public Library Association (Minneapolis) October 1-3: ALSC National Institute (Buffalo NY)
October 18-20: Virginia Library Association (Norfolk) November 19-22: NAEYC (Orlando, FL) |
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