Youth Services Forum 2025
2025 Youth Services Forum: The Show Must Go On
Sponsored by LibraryLinkNJ, NJ State Library, CSS, and YASS
Friday, December 12th | 8:45am to 3:30pm
Monroe Township Library
4 Municipal Plaza, Monroe Township, NJ 08831
The 2025 Youth Services Forum returns on Friday, December 12, this year making its Broadway debut! During this oh-so POPULAR theatrical event, we’ll be going off-book for a truly showstopping, unscripted experience, leaving plenty of room for improv from theater-goers like you!
We’ll be welcoming a star-studded cast to the stage, and eagerly anticipate shining the spotlight on showstopper Greg Pizzoli, award-winning children’s book author and illustrator! All concessions – breakfast and lunch – are included with admission.
Do NOT throw away your shot! The deadline to register is December 3, there will be no day-of registrations permitted at the theater box office.
Questions? Contact Mia at mreiser@monroetwplibrary.org
Stage Crew
Mia Reiser, Youth Services and Outreach Librarian, Monroe Township Public Library
Karen Bilton, Young Adult & Reference Librarian, Franklin Township Library
Lynnette Fucci, Youth Services Coordinator, Monroe Township Public Library
Melissa Johnson, Event Planner, New Jersey Library Association
Stephanie Middleton, Children’s Librarian, Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library
Mandy Richards, Teen Librarian, Clark Public Library
Katie Salerno, Youth Services Librarian, Somerset County Library
Dana Vocht, Youth Services Librarian, East Brunswick Public Library
Registration Options
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Registration Options
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Price |
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Registration
Registration Ends 12/3/25 at 12:00 PM EST
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$40.00 |
Agenda
| December 12 | |
| 8:45 AM - 9:30 AM |
Concession Stand
Enjoy breakfast, coffee, and networking with your youth services colleagues. |
| 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM |
Opening Act
Opening remarks from NJLA Conference Committee Chair Aaron Pickett; YASS President Jason Weissman; and CSS President Rachael Grabkowski. |
| 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM |
Entr'acte
Move and mingle during this short break! |
| 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM |
Act I
Herding Cats!: Teen Volunteer Management and Organization Read a Little, Talk a Little: Book Clubs for Kids Improv & Understudies: the Importance of Flexibility and Back-up Plans in Children's Programming See Program Description tab for details. |
| 11:20 AM - 12:05 PM |
Act II
Roll for Performance: Creating D&D Programs for Teens Who Lives Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story See Program Description tab for details. |
| 12:10 PM - 12:55 PM |
Act III
Extended Run! The In's and Out's of Running Ongoing Reading Challenges for Children and Teens Book Buzz See Program Description tab for details. |
| 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM |
Intermission: Lunchtime
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| 2:05 PM - 2:40 PM |
Showstopper: Greg Pizzoli
Greg Pizzoli is the Three-time Theodor Seuss Geisel Award-winning creator of the Baloney and Friends graphic novel series, as well as the author and illustrator of picture books such as The Watermelon Seed, Good Night Owl, The Book Hog, and Lucky Duck. He also writes nonfiction for kids, including the New York Times Best Illustrated title Tricky Vic, and PIZZA! A Slice of History. |
| 2:45 PM - 3:05 PM |
Encore: LibraryLinkNJ and MentorNJ + Book Signing
Raffle to follow! |
| 3:10 PM - 3:15 PM | Curtain Call: Closing Remarks |
Act I | 10:30am - 11:15am
Herding Cats!: Teen Volunteer Management and Organization
Follow the volunteer management process from application, job sign ups, and most importantly, data management. Learn tips and tricks to save you time doing monthly reports and letters of recommendation. Discuss best practices and popular volunteer opportunities at your library!
Discussion hosts: Becca Levin, Jason Weissman
Read a Little, Talk a Little: Book Clubs for Kids
Book clubs are not just for adults. Let's discuss tips & tricks to get a kids’ book club off the ground. What ages? How to choose books? How often? And how do we keep them coming back?
Discussion host: Maureen Herman
Improv & Understudies: The Importance of Flexibility and Back-up Plans in Children's Programming
We'll discuss the importance of having favorite songs, rhymes, activities, and stories as go-to's for when things are not going right, as well as creative back-up plans.
Discussion host: Colleen Affrime
Act II | 11:20am - 12:05pm
Roll for Performance: Creating D&D Programs for Teens
Dungeons and Dragons had an unbelievable resurgence in the past few years, and teens are eager to participate. Many have no idea where to start, so why not host it at the library? At both the Piscataway and Springfield library we have found a lot of success in our recurring Teen Dungeons and Dragons clubs. These clubs teach the teens how to play, give them a space to hang out with friends, and have inspired many of them to start their own games at home! However, there’s a lot to think about when starting a Dungeons and Dragons group. How do you play Dungeons and Dragons? What materials do you need? How do you organize it? Come join our discussion where seasoned dungeon masters, long time adventurers, and eager-to-learn newcomers can ask questions, share experiences, and give advice on running Dungeons and Dragons groups.
Discussion hosts: Kaitlyn Wilson and Lu Lynch
Who Lives Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story
The NJ Student Learning Standards for Information Literacy for K-12 students have not been approved yet, but public library staff will play a role in helping young people understand what information literacy is and why it is so important. In considering the four pillars of information literacy – information need, information identification and evaluation, information use, and information creation and distribution – we’ll discuss how you might already be using these pillars in your libraries and will brainstorm how you might incorporate them in future library programming.
Discussion host: Sharon Rawlins
Act III | 12:10pm - 12:55pm
Extended Run! The In's and Out's of Running Ongoing Reading Challenges for Children and Teens
Reading challenges aren't just for summer! We'll "show" you how we run our popular ongoing reading challenges: 1000 Books Before Kindergarten and 100 Books Before Graduation.
Discussion host: Karen Bilton
Book Buzz
Join a representative from Penguin Random House to learn all about what’s new and what’s coming soon!