The OLC is hosting a new conference this spring for library staff who serve children and teens. The Youth Services Conference will be held on Thurs., March 30 at the Salt Fork Lodge and Conference Center in Cambridge. This event is an opportunity to have focused conversations on library services for children and teens, including ways to address learning loss caused by the pandemic and ways to build relationships with kids, parents/caregivers, teachers and other community partners.

The conference will kick off with a panel discussion about handling material and program challenges in the current environment. Members of the Ohio library community will share their experiences with a variety of challenges and the process and policies they used for addressing those concerns. In addition to the general session, this conference features a dozen breakout sessions covering best practices, innovative ideas and successful strategies for serving patrons from birth through high school. Topics include:

• Early Literacy and Speech Delays Post-Pandemic: How Librarians Can Help Foster Speech Development in Storytime
• Budget-Friendly Tween Programs
• Supporting Kindergarten Readiness
• Taking Teen Programming to the Next Level
• Reimagining Summer at Your Library and more

The registration fee is $150 for OLC members (Non-member: $300) and includes a networking lunch.

The complete agenda and session descriptions are available on the OLC website.