WISCONSIN DELLS — Librarians from Catholic schools, parishes, and religious education programs will be meeting at the Wisconsin Chapter of Catholic Library Association (WCLA) 2017 Fall Conference on Friday, Oct. 13, at St. Cecilia Parish Center (lower level), 603 Oak St., Wisconsin Dells.
Participants can enjoy a continental breakfast and networking from 9 a.m. until the conference begins with a welcome and prayer at 9:30 a.m.
Merri Lindgren, a librarian at the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) in the School of Education at UW-Madison, will book talk many titles from the CCBC’s Preliminary List for Choices 2018. This bibliography is a best-of-the-year list created annually by the CCBC librarians with approximately 250 titles of books published in the previous calendar year for birth through high school.
Afterwards, attendees will break into groups according to the audience they serve and have an opportunity to exchange helpful information and ideas.
Children’s book author, Carmela Martino, will speak after lunch. Martino’s debut young adult novel, Playing by Heart (Vinspire Publishing), is a historical romance inspired by the lives of two 18th-century sisters, one a linguist and mathematician, and the other, one of the first Italian women to compose a serious opera. She will autograph copies of the new book.
Many WCLA members will recall that Martino spoke at the WCLA Conference shortly after she wrote her first novel, Rosa, Sola (Candlewick Press, 2005). That title received the Catholic Writer’s Guild Seal of Approval and was named a Booklist “Top Ten First Novels for Youth.”
The WCLA annual meeting will take place at 3 p.m.
The cost of lunch is included in the registration fee. The meal will consist of a sandwich of your choice from Great Harvest Bread Co. in the Dells, along with chips, cookie, and bottled water.
A block of poolside rooms has been reserved at the Black Hawk Motel, 720 Race St., near St. Cecilia. Rate is $49 per night for a room with one queen bed and $55 for two queen beds. Bring a tax exempt certificate to avoid paying sales tax. Reserve a room prior to October 5 by calling 608-254-7770 and mention you are part of the Wisconsin Catholic Library Association or go to www.blackhawkmotel.com
Questions about the conference should be directed to Jean Elvekrog, 608-849-9224, or j[email protected]