Youth Services Department

Programming and Outreach

• Teen programs: 9
• Teen attendance: 137
• Teen room attendance: 248
• Teen Volunteer hours: 48.25
• Children’s programs: 63
• Children’s Attendance: 1387

• Laura’s Llamas in the Library were back with new llamas! Laura forged a new relationship with Dakota Ridge Farm to bring in 3 llamas for the program. They were decorated with traditional Peruvian headgear.
• Laura and Jen O. visited the Wilton Wildlife Karner Blue festival. They had a record turn out and circulated books while offering a craft.
• Teen Dungeons and Dragons wrapped up for the year. The presenter generally takes summers off, so too does the group. There were new players this year and we hope to see them again in the fall.
• AnnaRae and Alex headed over to Maple Ave Middle School to take part in a special day of presentations. They were able to talk about the library, teen room, teen advisory board, summer reading and volunteering to some teens and teachers.
• AnnaRae was focused on sustainably using craft supplies that the library already owned. She even managed to use some jars that had been in a cabinet since before the pandemic! Alex, too has been focused on using up materials and making sure every last craft gets taken by a happy family.
• Kate is continuing to offer different programs with the neurodiverse family in mind. While they do not all have a large attendance, the families who attend really appreciate them. She and Katie are working on their Grown-Up Story Time and have plans to relaunch in the fall.
• The additional baby story time was definitely worth adding- new families seem to come every week looking for a place to bring their littles.
• Kristine had a turkey vulture for bookmark bunch this month- it was quite ominous. Arthur the armadillo also made a repeat appearance to the delight of families and staff.
• Other after school programming will continue through mid-June. Paws for Reading, Minecraft, Drop in Crafts all continue to bring in happy visitors.
• School visits to promote summer reading have begun! Librarians are visiting Dorothy Nolan, Geyser, Lake Ave, Caroline and Maple Ave in May and June with almost 100 classes scheduled.

Updates and Projects

AnnaRae reported that the Teen Advisory Board had a special guest for May - Mr. Ike Pulver. The teens really appreciated getting to meet him and learn about his life and career. They have one more official meeting in June, and are hosting their teen Lock-In to end the year.

The Teen LibGuides were highlighted in the SSHS Counseling Dept. Newsletter. Its great to see that they are aware of the library’s resources and are sharing them out.

The statistics on the Teen Services Guide were way up in 2026 compared to 2025- which may be attributed to this nice advertising.

Kristine reports in that the next phase of her work on the Science of Reading and decodables is to infuse story times with more phonics. She created some nice training materials to share with her colleagues and is continuing to work on helping Saratoga families create lifelong readers.

Collections and Display

Teen displays included “Take It Outside,” “It’s Okay Not to Be Okay” for Mental Health Awareness Month and the Teen Advisory Board display “From Classic to Contemporary.”

Kids book displays Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Gardens/Flowers/Pollinators, Cinco de Mayo, AAPHI (Asian American, Pacific/Hawaiian Islander) and author display on Britta Tecken Trup.

Laura and Jamie completed the overhaul of the parenting collection. Parenting was brough back down to the children’s floor with a more narrow focus on topics. Other topics are already being circulated in the adult non-fiction so they will continue to work on those.

Continuing Education

• Several YS staffers were able to attend May staff day- we appreciate the opportunity for the training.
• Catherine attended the WSHWE BOCES Communication Coordinators meeting- this is a full day conference on topics for school librarians. It was a very positive experience, both for the topics on discussion as well as the opportunity to engage with school librarians.
• Kate continues to be on the YSS CE committee and is running for YSS secretary.
• Alex is participating in the RA for All series and looking for ways to adapt their methods to youth services.
• AnnaRae continues to be on the YSS Scholarship committee.
• Kristine has agreed to present on literacy hubs at a Brodart webinar later in the summer.

What We’re Reading

• AnnaRae is reading And Now, Back to You by B.K Borison.
• Pat is reading Ward D by Freida McFadden.
• Kate is reading Life on the Moon by Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr.
• Laura is reading Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell.
• Kristine is reading Real Friends by Shannon Hale.
• Alex is reading Dragonborn by Struan Murray.

Respectfully submitted by Catherine Brenner, Head of Youth Services