Ep. 206 Unearthing CSLP Summer Program Resources

Sunshine & Stories Episode 206: Unearthing CSLP Summer Program Resources

Episode Summary:  
The Collaborative Summer Library Program’s 2026 program manual is now live! So the Kates chat about all things summer from toolkits, printables and all that CSLP has to offer to fun ways to interpret this summer’s theme of “Unearth a Story” and the America 250 - Colorado 150 celebrations.  

Outline 

00:00 – Introduction
00:28 – What is CSLP?
01:28 – Tools  
03:33 - Access
05:29 - Learning Opportunities   
08:19 – Rules of Use
11:32 – The Theme and Program ideas
19:13 – Another take? 150/250
25:04 – Closing  

Resources: 

Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP)

CSLP Professional Development - Summer Symposium and other webinars

CSLP Official Summer Library Programming Group (Facebook)

Colorado Youth Services Library Network mailing list

Where to See the Dinosaurs of Colorado 

History Colorado: America 250 - Colorado 150 Commission

America250 

Colorado Tourism Office - Colorado Passport

CO State Library's "Stories of Colorado" collection

"Reimagining School Readiness: Dinosaurs" (CSL Kit) 

Colorado folks, for access to CSLP's 2026 "Unearth a Story" program manual, please contact Kate Brunner at brunner_k@cde.state.co.us. For all other states and territories, please reach out to your CSLP Representative. 

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If you give us a listen, please let us know what you think by completing a short feedback survey for this episode.  

CSL projects like this one are funded in part by the Grants to States program administered by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the Colorado State Library, Institute of Museum and Library Services, or the U.S. Government.  

Transcript

Sunshine and Stories podcast transcript for Episode 206 

[music]  

[00:06] 

Kate B: Welcome to Sunshine & Stories. 

Kate C: The podcast that shines a light on big ideas and bright moments in Colorado’s public and school libraries. 

Kate B: Brought to you by the Library Development Team at the Colorado State Library. 

[00:20] 

Kate C: Hey, y'all, it's Kate.  

Kate B: And Kate  

Kate C: We're back in the studio today, talking about summer reading. 

[00:28] 

Kate C: So, Kate, what is CSLP? 

Kate B: Yeah, so CSLP stands for Collaborative Summer Library Program, and it's a non-profit that's set up with an executive director and a small staff, and then a volunteer board. 

And then we have state reps that all the member states, which we are a member state. I'll talk a little bit more about that in a second. Each member state has a state representative, and so I serve in that capacity. And then there are also all sorts of committees involved, uh, which people can volunteer for. So, actually, everyone in a member state who's listening could volunteer for a committee. We'll talk a little bit more about where you can learn a little bit about that in just a minute, too. In Colorado, we maintain a state-level membership with the Collaborative Summer Library Program, and so our state membership gives, every Colorado library, every branch access to the summer program manual, so they can use that in their summer program design. 

[1:28] 

Kate C: So, we talked about a little bit about a manual. What…  what other resources and tools are there for summer of 2026? 

Kate B: Yeah, so every year, there's a program manual. And that includes all kinds of different ideas and resources, and so we provide the… we pay for the program manual, access to the program manual for all our Colorado libraries. Because we have a state membership, that it's pretty easy for us to do that, thankfully. 

And then, we do, this year, only have the online manual available because the print manual actually costs about 4 times more than the online manual, and so we needed to save some money this year. 

So, we just went with the online version, and it's pretty easy to navigate, I think. Once you log in on the CSLP site, and then you can access the manual, and you'll see that it's organized by topic area, which is the same as it was last year for the Color Our World theme. But this time, you'll see unearth a story, then you'll find categories around that, so… there are activities for all ages underneath each topic. So you can go to the topic you're interested in, and you can see early literacy activities. You can see activities for tweens, for teens, for adults. You can also use this resource for adults, so it's not just for youth services. 

And there's also intergenerational, like, multi-generational ideas, too, so… which I think is really…really fun. The other things you'll find in the manual are things like book lists. Again, sort of organized by age. And then ready-made graphics that you can use for your marketing, including Facebook, social media banners. There are some Canva templates as well that you can open up and then make a copy of, and then use in your marketing or in your flyers. 

There is also a brand guide, so if you want the numbers for the colors, and then you want the fonts and whatnot, that's all in there as well. And plenty of printables, so if there… you want to use, word searches, or coloring sheets or whatnot, those are all in there and already reflect the theme and keep the branding the same, so… and a lot of those resources are available in both English and Spanish, which is really pretty fabulous. 

[3:33]  

Kate C: Wow, sounds like such a great resource. If I’m a library, how do I get access to the manual?  

Kate B:  Yeah, so you need to get the login code is the primary thing, and so if you are in Colorado, you reach out to us.  We do send it out on our Colorado Youth Services Library Network mailing lists, our listserv. 

So, if you're not on that, also reach out to us about how to get on there and get subscribed. But we send it out there, but also if you haven't seen it there, and you're in a Colorado library, please reach out to us and we'll be happy to provide that to you. 

If you are in another state, you need to go to the CSLP website, which is CSLPReads.org. 

And then you can look up who your state representative is, if you don't know that already, and then I would contact them if you haven't heard from them yet. And, uh, see if you can get the access code from them. 

[4:28] 

Kate C: And what about… so, when… when do we start getting access, and how long do we have access to all this information? 

Kate B: So, this year's manual is live, uh, so you can access that one already, uh, with your state code, but your state code also gives you access to the past, uh, program manuals. 

So you can go back and look through those and see if there are any activities from past programs that you might want to utilize in your summer program. 

And you have access all year long. Our membership is an annual membership, so you actually have access to all of those all year long. So, if you do a winter program, or a fall program, or if you just want some program ideas because you're planning for the next, round of programming, and you're kind of like, mm, I don't know what to do yet. 

Or any sort of self-directed programming displays. There are some ideas for those in both the current manual and the past manuals, so you can always go in and access those. 

If you're looking for any kind of ideas. Anytime you're idea hunting, you can actually tap all the Collaborative Summer Library program resources as a member library. 

Kate C: Always good to not have to reinvent the wheel. 

[5:29] 

Kate C: So what other learning opportunities and resources are there available to member libraries? 

Kate B: There are a bunch, actually, which is great. There are a lot of free webinars, there's a few free webinars every year, and there's a day-long, they call it a summer symposium. It happens in December. So it's sort of the reverse of Christmas in July. You get summer and the winter. And then that is happening this year on Thursday, December 4th. We'll be sending out some more information on how to register for that once registration's open. It may be open by the time you're listening to this. 

There is a section that is happening within that summer symposium that I'm kind of excited about. It's a virtual day of training. The Detroit Zoo is coming to talk about different science programming that you could potentially incorporate. 

And so, that's always kind of fun when you've got zoologists in the room, I think. That'll be a good time.  And I think there's a session on marketing, too, so if you're involved in marketing your summer program, you might want to check that out. 

[6:26} 

Kate C: And how do you get access to the webinars? 

Kate B: Yeah, so the registration links are on their site. Like I said, we will also send out a lot of information, but their professional development, they record almost all of it, I think. 

I want to say all of it, but I also don't want to promise you it's all there, because I don't have the website pulled up right now, but it's on their website, actually. And so there is a section for other resources, and you'll be able to find all the learning resources under there. 

There, you can also sign up for their newsletter, so that's another way to kind of keep up with any sort of webinars or anything that are coming up, that's fun. And you can also get all kinds of other ideas that are being shared by other libraries and, like, folks from other libraries and whatnot, It's a pretty good resource, too, to be tapped into. 

[7:14] 

Kate C: I know our Colorado libraries are very creative and innovative. Is there any way for them to share ideas back to the CSLP community? 

Kate B: Yeah, there's a Facebook group if you do the Facebook thing. It gets pretty active, so there are lots of ideas, photos, when people start decorating their spaces, or when they chase down supplies for different things, people will share that there. And there are also Pinterest boards. I think CSLP maintains one, but if you just search, Unearth a Story, you're gonna find a bunch that other people have also started working on already. If you are into the Pinterest thing, you can definitely go check out some boards there. So there's a lot of ways to connect with other people, not just in Colorado, but also in other states. 

I would also encourage some idea sharing if you are in Colorado, on the Youth Services Library Network listserv. So if you're thinking that you might want to do a type of program this summer, and you're wondering if anyone else has done it and has some tips or tricks for you to incorporate or think about over the summer. Please ask, like, on that listserv, so just send an email, and share… you can share ideas that way as well. 

[8:19]  

Kate C: Are there any other rules or things we need to be aware of, um, for CSLP next summer? 

Kate B: There are a few, um, that's good to know about. There are some rules of use, so the theme and the graphics are… and then the slogan for the year are actually copyrighted, so if you're gonna use those, they ask that you keep the don't edit out the little TM, like the trademark, bit on the graphics. That needs to stay there. You can also give attribution at the base of your flyers, just a one-sentence little attribution statement, if you'd like to. And then 

don't edit them out of the graphics, either, so they are… they are all… the intellectual property of CSLP, so because we pay for the membership, we pay for their use. 

If you have any questions and you're not sure, there are… there is a rules of use document that you can access on the website, and you can kind of go through that, uh, and it gives you an idea. And there is an exact attribution statement in that document as well. 

You can also use the slogan separate from the artwork if you want to create your own art, to maybe match your library's branding, so… You can still use the program materials. You could still use the slogan. Again, use the slogan imagery as is, right? And then you could create additional images, uh, branded to your library if you want. 

And really, also, if you're gonna call your summer something else, and you're gonna use other graphics, you can still use activities from the manual, if you would like to, for activity ideas. 

[9:54] 

Kate C: I know a lot of libraries give away an incentive, and that CSLP does have a website with things like water bottles and the logo that you can purchase directly from them, but what if a library this year wanted to use the imagery and maybe put it on their own journal?  

Kate B: So, there is a CSLP store, like you mentioned, and you can order directly. Uh, we do not order any materials for libraries from there, we just don't have the budget for it. But you can order anything you would like from there, yeah, and they do have a wide variety of things; water bottles, t-shirts, tote bags, um, stickers, stamps, like, all kinds of different things, pencils. I can't remember them all. There is a committee that, selects items that are going in the store and works with the vendors who are providing them and stuff, so if that is your jam, they are always looking for volunteers. 

And you can potentially use this CSLP artwork for things like t-shirts, like if you want to get, um, something printed on something like a journal, that's a great idea. You need to have CSLP's permission first. So, if you need help figuring out how to do that, you can reach out to me, and I'm happy to help with that, or reach out to your state rep if you're not in Colorado, and they can help with that. 

You can also contact CSLP directly, and there's some information about that in the Rules of Use document, so you can definitely use that as a reference. If you want to print copyrighted graphics, or the slogan, or whatnot on an item to then use as part of your summer programming, you need to check in with them first and get permission to use it for those purposes. 

[11:32] 

Kate B: So we have a really fun theme this summer, I think, uh, and it is dinosaurs in general, but I think there's some other ways you can think about this summer as well that I think, Kate, you've mentioned a whole lot that fit into this idea of, when we've been talking about it, fit into this idea of unearthing a story, which is the slogan Unearth a Story. 

That I thought maybe we could kind of do a little brainstorming and, um, kick around a few ideas as well, but I know you've kind of already dove into this, because it's a super cool theme, and as you said before, it probably fits Colorado really well, too. Do you want to start us off with what you've been thinking? 

Kate C: Yeah, well, I think the intention really was dinosaurs, paleontology, archaeology. 

But even CSLP's website says; “whether readers are digging into a good book, uncovering hidden stories, or exploring the past. The slogan underscores the joy of discovering… discovery that reading brings. It emphasizes that every person and every community has stories waiting to be found and shared. Through books, programs, and local knowledge.” Which, to me is like, ah, it's like last year, right? There was just so many different ways that you could tap into the theme. I love the idea of doing, like, a Moth story and having people just come and tell a story related to just you know, one quick line, or word, like, balance, and finding what people can relate to that with. 

Kate B: Yeah, I love that idea of the storytelling piece, because this idea of discovery stories and whatnot, and I think there's a lot of different ways to do that, right? Maybe there's some local history opportunities in there as well, you're kind of unearthing stories of the past. And I just think, also, if you think literacy activities, there's probably things you could do about writing workshops and things like that, you know, discovering a story that's, I don't know, been maybe in your head that you haven't put down on paper yet. A lot of options, I think. What are some of the other ideas you've kind of thought of as you've been thinking about this? 

Kate C: I mean, I've seen so many libraries do, fossils in sand and having kids find that, like, such a nice, easy, and yet kids could do that for hours, so such a fun one, too. And I think, you know, archaeology tying into any local partners that are in your community that you can bring in to talk about what's happening, especially in Colorado, I think every time you and I go out to a library or do a workshop, we're always hearing about the ghost train of Yuma, or,  

different things that are happening in communities, the hotel that burned down that's, you know, got ghosts, so I think it just lends itself to Colorado really nicely. Especially with all of our dinosaur tracks and fossils that can be found around the state. Lots of good ties to STEAM as well, and thinking about different ways we can incorporate science and technology that is used for archaeology or paleontology, too. And then just that tie-in to… everyone's story, and really looking at who is maybe not represented in our libraries, and how can we really make them feel welcome, and make them, co-design with them to… really look at their history or things that they love about their culture that they'd want to share. 

Kate B: Yeah, I love that idea of centering community. So, like, get when you're getting started on your program planning, who can you talk to? Like, both who's coming into your library and who don't you see in your library, right? And how can you reach out to them or build a relationship, or get them their input on what they would like to see at the library this summer. I mean, maybe taking those into consideration, too, whether or not they neatly fit the theme, because maybe sometimes you just offer things in the summer because there's a need for them, or there's an interest in them, but… 

As far as adults, I was kind of thinking of the old-fashioned, like, slideshow kind of thing, uh, like, is there anybody in your community who's traveled somewhere like Egypt, perhaps? Like, have they visited the pyramids, or any other sort of site that's known for how much archaeological value it has?  I thought that was maybe a fun way to think about bringing in those community voices, so then you're discovering stories, but the stories are also kind of related to the theme of, like, architecture or archaeology or whatnot. I thought that might be fun. 

And then, I know sometimes thinking of stuff for teens that matches the CSLP theme every year can be a little tricky, so there are definitely teen activities listed in the manual, so for sure go check those out. But I sort of had two that I'm really kind of fascinated about that almost make me wish I was, like, not doing this job and back in the library so I could do them, so… I don't know. Um, if anybody does these and wants to invite me, let me know. 

But I was wondering about, like, a Godzilla movie marathon, because, you know, they're really classic versions all the way up to modern versions, and I don't know, I think, like, the monster kind of theme, you know, I don't know if Godzilla officially qualifies as a dinosaur, but… 

Kate C: Sure, yeah. 

Kate B:  But, you know, that seems like something that might appeal, like, and really, like, any sort of movie that you could really.. 

Kate C: Indiana Jones and the paleontology. 

Kate B: Yeah, Jurassic Park, like, I think there are a lot of options there, depending on what sort of licensing you have access to for movies you can show in your library. 

Kate C: And then, fun way to, like, do movie effects, too, and think about how you make Godzilla look as big, and that's another way to “unearth a story.” 

Kate B: Right, yeah, I don't know, claymation films, build your own animatronic, I don't know, I guess that depends on how ambitious you want to get, right? Make your own Godzilla movie, so that could be a lot of fun.  

Kate C: Totally. 

Kate B: And then I have this other idea I'm mildly obsessed with right now, and it's this idea that, you could take unearth a story and make it unearth your future. And I kind of think it would be really interesting to have, uh, like, a teen career fair, or fold that into some sort of, like, career exploration kind of programming. Or any other program that, for any age group that, encourages people to sort of explore forward. So, not only are they unearthing stories from the past, but maybe they're unearthing a pathway into the future for themselves as well. 

Kate C: We did a speed dating career fair, where we had professionals just talk about… sit with one teen or tween and talk about their path, and I was just thinking that's also a way to unearth your own, trajectory. Not everyone, like, goes to school to become a librarian and then becomes a librarian. We've heard from so many people in Colorado, these amazing different trajectories they've made to get there, which would be a nice way to tie that in and look at, how did people get to where they are now, and then share that with teens as well? 

Kate B: Right, yeah, we've actually been asking folks in our regional workshops to share with us their librarian origin story, its kind of framing it that way, so… I don't know. Could you… yeah, could you invite people to tell their origin stories for how they got into what whatever careers? Or I don't know, or even if they have, you know, expertise that's necessarily their career. Can someone have specific, like, fiber art skills or other art skills, or carpentry, or anything like that, and can you share, like, how you got into it in the first place? As part of maybe teaching those skills, so you're kind of unearthing the past, and again, moving forward into the future. Maybe you encourage the next generation of knitters to get going. 

[19:13] 

Kate C: You never know, another hidden story. Well, so, I know this year is also a really special year for Colorado. It's our 150th anniversary of being a state, which aligns with the United States turning 250 years old, so… How do you see that all fitting together with summer, and where do we go from here? 

Kate B: Yep, it is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this coming summer, uh, and then, like you said, the 150th anniversary of Colorado becoming a state within the United States. So, that may be something that you want to fold into your summer activities as well, if your community's really excited about that, maybe you can leverage that, to really get involved.  

So, one of the things I would say is check out what's already being planned in your local community, because you may not need to reinvent the wheel. Like, you may be able to partner with anyone in the community who is already working on something for this. 

And some people are also starting activities in, like, January, and running them all the way through December of 2026, so there may be the opportunity not only to utilize it during the summer, but you know, maybe tap into some things other times of year. 

The manual, the CSLP manual this year does have a whole chapter, connected to the 250th of the United States, and there is some information in there. CSLP also has a mascot for the theme this year. It was a little dinosaur named Digby, and there are some graphics with Digby in them related to the 250 event as well. So, there are definitely resources there. And then, honestly, you could unearth all kinds of stories, told and untold, from around the state. 

Right? Or even around the country. So there's an opportunity to tap into all sorts of different history themes from all sorts of different groups of people all over the country, and different threads of story, and who has told those stories too, I think. And so, really, some opportunities there. 

And then as far as Colorado is concerned, we actually have what's called the Colorado 150-250 Commission. So at the state level, they are putting together, that commission is putting together an assortment of resources and program guides and things like that. 

It's being led by History Colorado, so they are sort of the lead agency on that. And they have some, what they're calling, signature initiatives, and so we'll put the link directly to the Commission's website in our show notes, so you can go straight to that. 

Also, I would say, if you're in another state, a lot of other states are organizing some sort of commission or state-level lead for the national event, so you can kind of tap into that as well. 

But in Colorado, it looks like we're gonna have some statewide storytelling, so there you go. And it looks like they're gonna have some oral history toolkits. I don't have details around that right now. But it's gonna be like story recording equipment, and that can supposedly be borrowed, so I'm not sure how that system is gonna work yet. I haven't seen anything come out about that, but that is a resource to potentially keep an eye on, and as we get information, we'll also share whatever information we're getting at the State Library. 

But there is also a digital passport, a Colorado passport, and that's been put together by Colorado Tourism, so that's something that you could take a look at. And then I would say they do have, listed in those signature initiatives and educational film series as well as a print-on-demand exhibit that folks can use. And they do have mentioned that they're going to make them accessible to public and school libraries. So, as we get more information about how to do that, we will make sure to send that out as well. 

But if you're interested in historical educational documentaries and whatnot, and maybe folding those into your programming or using the print-on-demand exhibit, it can be printed to very large paper, or also vinyl binder… vinyl banners, so if you have that capability, you'd be able to put that exhibit together. 

I haven't heard anything about traveling exhibits yet, so we'll keep an ear out for that. This is really… you can use what they've prepared to put together your own exhibit locally. So, more details are coming. I think we're gonna continue to see that throughout the end of this year. I think we'll see more and more added to the Colorado resource for that. 

[23:43] 

Kate C: Always an exciting time to see what people come up with, how creative Coloradans and people across the country are, so just looking forward to seeing what people do with this theme, and Summer this year. 

Kate B: Yeah, absolutely, and it's almost like you get a two-for-one special this year, so you sort of have two different themes you could fold them both together, you could choose one if you want. Again, just think about your community, tap into what people are interested in, let them know, even, the themes that are coming up, you know. “Hey, we're interested in potentially folding in these big national and state events that are happening. We also have access to this dinosaur-themed program, what makes you excited about those things?”  

You know, anytime you can sort of center your community, too, I think is, I think it makes it more… even more exciting to plan and to brainstorm if you are able to sort of tap into that, I don't know, hive mind in your community. You might even get a specific ideas from folks the more you talk to them about what's coming. I think that could be fun to do with all ages, so talk to the adults, talk to the parents, but, like, let the kids know. Let them get excited about next summer now. Let the teens know, and ask them, like, what they think would be fun related to those particular themes. 

It'll be exciting to see what people come up with. It'll also be exciting to see what input they get from their communities as well. 

[25:04} 

Kate B: So, I think that about sums up our thinking about the theme, and also that all of the Collaborative Summer Library Program resources that are available to you, and all of the 250-150 resources as well, so I think there's a lot to pull from. And, I'm really glad we had the opportunity to share these with you today. 

[25:24] 

Kate B: That's our sunshine and stories for today, y'all. 

Kieran: If you want to hear even more about what other Colorado folks are up to in their libraries, check out librarieslearn.org for all our past and future learning opportunities. 

Suzi: This podcast is offered at no cost to listeners, thanks to the time, effort, and dedication of CSL library development consultants, as well as our State Library colleagues and all our volunteer guests from across the field. 

Kate C: CSL projects like this one are funded in part by the Grants to States Program, which is administered by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. 

Polly: The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the Colorado State Library, Institute of Museum and Library Services, or the U.S. government. 

All: Thanks for joining us, and we'll. Catch you next time 

[music]