Member Meetup: Book Banning
2024-05-21 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Denver)
Member Meetups are an informal way to network with other professionals around a topic relevant to youth librarianship.
In May, we will discuss the topic of book banning in children’s services. To encourage open discussion, Meetups are not recorded, but notes will be shared via blog after the event. Let’s get together to discuss some of the concerns you are hearing from your patrons as well as your concerns as a professional, in general.
Please see below for Zoom link to join.

Member Meetup: Serving Neurodiverse Families
2024-07-25 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Member meetups are a way to discuss current issues impacting our workplaces in a safe place with like-minded individuals.
Join us on July 25, 2024 from 1 PM to 2 PM MST to discuss ways in which we can better serve our neurodivergent families. Do you have any suggestions on types of materials to use, programming suggestions, or books to recommend? How can we better meet their needs?
Click on the Zoom link below to join.

Member Meetup: Decodable Readers
2024-09-11 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Member Meetups are an informal way to network with other professionals around a topic relevant to youth librarianship.
Are you struggling with recommendations to families who have beginning readers? What series or titles of books do you recommend to parents, caregivers, or students? What is working well with this group of young readers and what would you like to add into your collection, if you could, for beginning readers?
Join the meeting via the Zoom link below.

CLELCON24 (virtual conference)
2024-10-03 - 2024-10-04
CLELCON is an annual, affordable conference featuring workshops, keynote speakers and networking around the topic of early literacy in libraries. It is open to anyone who is involved or wants to be involved with early literacy. Learn more and register!

Beyond Bilingual: Making Storytimes ELL-Friendly
2024-10-22 13:00 - 14:00
Libraries are seeing a growing number of immigrant children and caregivers at their programs, but what do you do when storytime leaders and storytime participants don’t speak the same language? Learn how Brooklyn Public Library has developed simple strategies and techniques to make storytimes for young children friendly to parents and children who are English Language Learners by creating visual schedules, incorporating simple props, using translated resources, using Plain Language, and more! Discover how to incorporate multilingual content into your programs even if you do not speak the language of your participants. Hear about BPL’s lessons learned about presenting storytimes in over ten languages throughout the borough.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
DETAILS The webinar will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 1:00 PM Mountain Time. Live captioning will be provided. A recording and transcript will be made available afterwards if attendees cannot participate in real time. Please contact info@clel.org with any additional access needs. The Zoom Meeting link will be provided immediately upon registration after clicking Submit. If registering on the day of, please save this information! A reminder with the meeting link will also be emailed to registrants who sign up in advance.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Jessica Ralli is the coordinator of early literacy programs at Brooklyn Public Library where she coordinates grant-funded programming for BPL’s First Five Years initiative. She has an M.A. in Early Childhood Special Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and has taught in museums, schools, and libraries. Jessica has written about play, early literacy, social justice, and library services to young children in School Library Journal and Library Trends. In 2020, Jessica received the prestigious Library Journal Movers and Shakers Award for her advocacy work in libraries. She is currently co-authoring the award-winning, critically acclaimed First Conversations series supporting early conversations about race, gender, consent, and bodies, published by Rise X Penguin Workshop.
Rachel G. Payne is the coordinator of early childhood services at Brooklyn Public Library where she leads BPL’s First Five Years initiative, manages new early childhood initiatives, develops new programs, and facilitates professional development. She contributed to Reading with Babies, Toddlers, and Twos (Sourcebooks, 2013) and Library Services Birth to Five (Facet, 2015). She has written for School Library Journal (where she authors the “First Steps” column), Kirkus, The Horn Book, and Library Trends. She served on the Caldecott Award (she chaired the 2016 committee), Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award, and Schneider Family Book Award selection committees, and has presented at multiple conferences. She received her master’s degree in early childhood and Elementary Education from Bank Street College of Education, and her master’s degree in library science from Long Island University. Beyond Bilingual: Making Storytimes ELL-Friendly

Member Meetup: Favorite Storytime Books for 2024
2024-11-07 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Member Meetups are an informal way to network with other professionals around a topic relevant to youth librarianship.
Let’s meet to discuss our favorite books to share during Storytime from this past year and discuss new books and books to use for different types of groups (like an All Ages or a Digital Storytime). If time allows, we may be able to share your new favorite songs (or new to you at least), rhymes, or flannels to use as well.
Join the meeting via the zoom link below.

March Member Meetup
2025-03-11 13:00 - 14:00
Join our next meetup to be held on March 11th from 1-2 (MST) to share your own experience and learn from others as we aim to increase our support for emerging readers.

Librarians promote early learning for ages birth to 5 primarily through ECRR. But how do you support children as they transition into reading independently?

Member Meetups are an informal way to network with other professionals around a topic relevant to youth librarianship.

May Member Meetup
2025-05-13 13:00 - 14:00
Join us at our next meetup on May 13 from 1-2 (MST).
We will be sharing our own experiences and learn from others’ experiences as we brainstorm ways to manage program burnout.
In this hour together, we will look for strategies and ways to support and combat the exhaustion and disengagement many librarians struggle with as program burnout sets in.
We host Member Meetups every other month as an informal way to network with other professionals around a topic relevant to youth librarianship.
Today, more so than ever, it seems like librarians have an ever-increasing workload as we attempt to meet the needs of our patrons and community – sometimes with dwindling supplies and budgets as well.
Here is the updated Zoom Link to take you to the meeting.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89721081141?pwd=[REDACTED]
Hope you can join us for a lively discussion!

2025 CLEL Conference - Day One - October 16 - 12 PM to 5:10 MDT
2025-10-16 12:00 - 2025-10-17 17:10
CLELCON 25 will be held on October 16 and 17, 2025
The conference will be virtual this year and will be hosted on our Zoom platform.
Day One – October 16 – 12 Noon to 5:10 PM MDT
Day Two – October 17 – 11 AM to 4:35 PM MDT

CLELCON 25 - Day 2 - October 17 - 11AM - 4:35 PM MDT
2025-10-17 11:00 - 16:35

Member Meetup - Best New Pictures Books of 2025 - 11/13 1-2 PM MST
2025-11-13 13:00 - 14:00
Join us for our last Member Meetup of 2025 where we will discuss our favorite picture books for the year.

CLEL Training Event - Nov 14th 2-3 PM MST - Nature in Storytime
2025-11-14 14:00 - 15:00
Join us as Pippi Graham leads a free seminar called Forest Play the Pippi Way, where we will discuss nature in early literacy programming.
