Check out the statewide Paint the State Gallery of public art entries in the Idaho Meth Project’s Paint the State contest. The contest was designed to make it possible for teens and their communities to get more involved in the “Meth: Not Even Once” campaign.

Second session at ILA was with Erin Archambeault from Ada Community Library. She shared some of her favorite storytime books, craft ideas, and activities. Erin had all of us jumping around the room, dancing, singing and playing just like the kids from her storytimes at the library. I had a lot of fun and the participants seemed engaged and inspired by the presentation. Thanks Erin!

We have just been treated to a great keynote by Robert Frey from University of Idaho. He told us the captivating tale of "salmon and dove" - a love story of sorts with lessons woven throughout.

Here is the write-up from the conference schedule.

Applications are now being accepted for the Public Library Association's (PLA) intensive library management training, Results Boot Camp 5, to be held October 12-16, 2009, in Seattle, Washington. The deadline has been extended thru September 18, 2009.

Kudos to the planners and presenters for the 2009 Southwest Idaho Library Association Conference. The well-organized conference offered an abundance of sessions, which made it hard to choose! I loved learning more about technology and social networking, and the awesome ways that librarians are hooking teen readers. It was great to network and meet new people in the library field.

March 8-14 is Teen Tech Week. Sponsored by YALSA, this year's theme is "Press Play @ Your Library". Share how your library is celebrating anytime throughout March with stories, photos, and links to your website.

If you missed this year's event, get a headstart on next year. Check out

If you're thinking about participating in Teen Tech Week 2009 (March 8-14, 2009)check out the resources available at:

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw09/home.cfm

Everything from a wiki for sharing ideas, publicity materials, and booklists will make planning and implementing a successful program so much easier.

Critical Learning Skills in the 21st Century: Collaborating for Student Success