Ms. Adrienne's Youth Services Playbook

10/31/2026

Happy Halloween! 👻🎃 Can you find The Pigeon hidden among this spooky scene?

10/31/2026

As seasons change and outdoor activities slow down, this is your reminder not to forget about those after-hours programs to give kids and families affordable, fun things to do! DO NOT SLEEP on hosting a Nerf Wars event! By far the most fun program I held, with our Among Us program in close second. Find both program plans on the blog!

https://youthservicesplaybook.com/2026/02/23/hosting-an-after-hours-nerf-wars-event-at-your-library-everything-you-need-to-know/

If you’re looking for a high-energy program that will have your registration list filled within hours and kids talking about the library long after they leave, Nerf Wars is it. During my time in youth services, this was hands-down one of our most popular after-hours events. It transformed the libr...

10/31/2026

Happy Halloween, Saturday librarians! What’s going on today? 👻

10/30/2026

Happy Halloween Eve! 🎃👻

Hope your day is filled with a little spooky fun, lots of treats, and maybe just the right amount of sugar-fueled chaos!

Speaking of sweet treats, today’s program idea is one from the archives! Edible Sand Art! A fun twist on a classic craft using colorful, flavored cotton candy sugar. Because why just make art when you can eat it, too?

Have a safe and happy Halloween! 🧡

Please tag, share, comment, & like! 💀🎃✌🏼

https://youthservicesplaybook.com/2026/06/29/edible-sand-art-a-sweet-twist-on-a-classic-library-craft/

If you've worked in youth services long enough, you've probably hosted traditional sand art at least once. Kids love layering colorful sand into containers and creating their own unique designs. But what if you could take that classic craft and make it even more exciting? Make it edible. One of the....

10/28/2026

New on the blog! Library Voices: Unfiltered, Vol. 8 — Leah Dudak, Urban Librarians Unite

We spend a lot of time taking care of everyone else in our libraries. We help patrons, support families, put out fires (sometimes literally? 😂), and somehow keep things moving even when the job gets hard. But who takes care of the people doing the work?

For this installment of Library Voices: Unfiltered, I talked with Leah T. Dudak of Urban Librarians Unite about workplace trauma, peer support, and why library workers need spaces where they can talk to people who actually understand what this job is like.

“You cannot self care your way out of a broken system.”

Sometimes the answer isn't another deep breath, a bubble bath, or learning to be more resilient. Sometimes the workplace itself needs to change. And we need to be able to talk about that without feeling like we're somehow failing at a job we care about.

This conversation is especially close to my heart, and I hope it reminds someone out there that they're not alone. Take a few minutes to read the interview, learn more about the work Urban Librarians Unite is doing, and check out the resources they offer for library workers. ❤️

https://youthservicesplaybook.com/2026/10/27/library-voices-unfiltered-vol-8-leah-dudak-urban-librarians-unite/

We talk a lot about how to make libraries better for our communities, but there’s another question we need to ask: Who takes care of the people doing the work?

10/27/2026

We all have a favorite! Let it be known!! 🔊

Love your librarian? Of course you do! ❤️

Nominations are now open for the 2027 I Love My Librarian Award. Ten librarians will win $5,000, and your librarian could be one of them!

Submit your nomination online by Friday, December 18. Learn more and submit your nomination: https://bit.ly/3yiyT9C

The I Love My Librarian Award is made possible with support from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation and the New York Public Library.

10/27/2026

How fun, Warrenville Public Library District!! Great after-hours adult programming, with a community partner nonetheless! 👏👏

Free pizza and b**r will be on the menu at our upcoming after-hours night at the library.

Adult Lock-In: Fall Back Reading Challenge
Friday, November 6 • 7 pm • Ages 21 and up

Party after hours like it’s 1999 with games, crafts, music, free pizza from Rosati's Pizza and refreshments from Two Brothers Brewing Company.

Attendance counts (no it's not high school again) as an extra activity to earn another grand prize drawing entry in our Fall Back Reading Challenge.

Register to let us know you're coming and put in your music requests at the links in the Comments.

10/27/2026

🎉 Librarians & library workers, let’s hear a little humble brag!

We spend plenty of time talking about the hard stuff (because there’s no shortage of that 🙃), but I want to hear what’s going RIGHT!

What’s one thing you’ve done lately that made you think, “Hey, I did a pretty good job with that!”?

Maybe you pulled off a program you’re proud of, tried something new that actually worked, helped a kid find *their* book, built a great partnership, or finally tackled that project that’s been on your to-do list for six months. 😂

Big wins, little wins, I want to hear them all! No one understands these victories quite like this community. We know how much work goes into the little things AND the big things, and we're here to cheer each other on, celebrate the wins, and remind each other why this work matters

PLEASE do not be shy! Drop your humble brag in the comments. This is your permission to pat yourself on the back!!

*Responses may be used in a future Youth Services Playbook blog post. 😁

10/25/2026

I've got some fun stuff coming up on Youth Services Playbook, and I need your help getting the word out!

First up, I'll be sharing a feature with Leah Dudak from Urban Librarians Unite, along with a new post about grab-and-go kits for teens. You know, those kids who somehow never make it to the programs we plan for them. (I heard your cries loud and clear) 😂

Here's where you come in. If you find something useful here, like it, comment on it, share it, talk about it! Don't just scroll on by! The more we interact with these posts, the more likely they are to show up in other library workers' feeds instead of disappearing into the social media abyss. (If you're seeing this on a different page, come give me a visit!)

And if you haven't already, subscribe to the blog so new posts come straight to your inbox, and follow Youth Services Playbook on social media!

I'm a big believer in sharing what works, talking about what doesn't, and helping each other figure this library thing out. We don't have to reinvent the wheel every time we plan a program or run into a challenge. Sometimes, someone else has already been there and can save us a whole lot of trouble. 😉

Let's keep sharing ideas, supporting each other, and making sure good stuff gets seen by the people who need it! Your fellow library workers will thank you!

10/24/2026

In checking some of my blog statistics this morning, I realized my Break-In Bags passive program has now been implemented in more than 100 libraries around the world! Libraries in the US, Australia, the UK, and Canada are using this program, and I still think it’s pretty cool that an idea I created for my own library has made it this far.

If you missed it, Break-In Bags are exactly what they sound like: bags filled with small prizes that kids can unlock by solving logic puzzles. It’s a fun way to sneak in some problem-solving and give kids something to do in the library that doesn’t require a staff member to run an entire program.

Want to try it at your library? I shared the whole idea, how it works, and tips for getting started on the blog (just search "Break-In Bags").

**Help my posts get seen! Please share with your colleagues, tag them, and start a conversation in the comments!**