Thanks to Florence LaBeau, the children’s librarian in Woodville, for sharing these three take-aways from sessions she attended at the WAPL Conference in May.  Florence received a scholarship from IFLS, made possible with funding from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction with a federal grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

The WAPL Conference was such a great way to learn from wonderful guest speakers and break-out sessions, work with colleagues and engage in meaningful discussions. I would like to thank all involved in helping me make it there by providing such a wonderful scholarship opportunity to cover costs!

Following you will find some of my favorite take-aways from the conference.

• To help with stress, prioritize tasks. Think positive thoughts like “I can do this” and use checklists if helpful. Keep learning but set boundaries. If a preparation or activity takes longer to plan than anticipated, save for another day if possible. Try to create a routine. Also, use vision boards, write gratitude lists and embrace small wins. Finally,  get ideas from colleagues. They are there to help! (from opening Keynote with Loida Garcia-Febo)
• Offer programs that have variety, movement and learning through senses. Make sure they are actively engaging and meaningful to participants. Support families at each event, teach valuable skills and reward wanted behaviors. Parents enjoy messy activities at the library, so they don’t have all the clean-up at home. Finally, to improve our statistics, make play areas consistently open and rotate toys if possible. Offer art centers and motor development areas.  Always create an invitation to play where parents and children can be engaged! (from the session:  “You Gotta Break a Few Eggs:  The Case for Making a Mess)
• When developing programs, build a bin from a specific time period. Involve the community in this. Have patrons add to it by including models, games, clothing from that period, writing or cooking utensils, etc. Invite a guest or classroom teacher to speak . Invite groups from the area that may be interested in learning about this era.  Have participants dress in clothing from this time period. Add additional ideas from staff and make it fun! (from the session “The Library as a Time Machine: Using Historical Fiction to Build Community, Inspire Readers and Make History Come Alive”).

In conclusion, the WAPL Conference this year was awesome! Learning from others is a great way to enhance library programming. The speakers were so knowledgeable, and I would like to sincerely thank you for this great opportunity. I plan to use these ideas whenever possible to create a positive atmosphere and enhance programming in our library. Thank you!