The Missouri State Library provides services relating to youth services through workshops and training sessions, summer reading programming, and discussions to give a venue for networking and sharing information with their youth services colleagues. From early literacy, children’s services, ‘tween services and young adult/teen services, the focus is on instilling a love of reading supported by fun and educational programming, awareness of quality collection materials, and inclusion of technology to attract the younger library patrons.  Services are designed to assist the libraries in tailoring youth services to meet the needs of their community through outreach and programming.  The focus of the page design will be subdivided by age defined groups:

• Early Literacy
• Children's Services
• Tween and Teen Services

Due to the varying definitions of each of these age groups, the discussions for the Youth Services page will be offered only on this page since in many public and school libraries the staff serve Missouri youth from more than one age group and programming and collections development discussions would interest staff serving multiple age groups with varying interests and reading levels. For specific questions about State Library programs, please contact Ann Roberts, Youth Services Consultant for the Missouri State Library.   Workshop information and documents will be posted to the age specific topic area or areas.  Information not limited to one specific age group will be posted at this Youth Services overview.  

• Collaborative Summer Library Program -- The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) is a grassroots consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries.  
• Letters About Literature -- The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in cooperation with affiliate state centers for the book and in partnership with Target Stores, invites readers in grades 4 through 12 to enter Letters About Literature, a national reading-writing contest. In Missouri, LAL is a project of the Missouri Center for the Book and the Missouri State Library.   
• Libraries and Autism  Libraries and Autism provides a customer service training video primarily for library staff to help them serve individuals with autism and their families more effectively.