Attend our next monthly meeting!

Who Are We?

Children’s Services Division (CSD) is open to any Maryland Library Association member with an interest in library services, programs, and materials for children. We’re children’s librarians, media specialists, generalists, paraprofessionals… and we all love kids and libraries.

What do we mean by “Children?”

CSD focuses mainly on children from birth to upper elementary or middle school. The Teen Interest Group (TIG) of MLA focuses on middle school and up, but we often work together, and many CSD members also belong to TIG!

What does CSD do?

Professional development programs! CSD organizes many events throughout the year for members and others to learn from both “outside” experts and each other, (and earn CEU’s!).

Programs and Pre-conferences at the MLA/DLA Annual Conference- CSD joins all the MLA divisions in planning program sessions at the annual conference in May.

BEST- The Black-Eyed Susan Tapestry program in September is a celebration of the best children's and teen books of each year, and a marvelous opportunity to polish your readers’ advisory.

Kids Are Customers- Our annual full-day conference.

Webinars and one-time training events- Brief, timely training on all kinds of topics related to children’s services and literature. 

The Blue Crab Young Reader Award- CSD administers this annual award “to identify and promote the best fiction and nonfiction books” in the early-reader and transitional-reader categories. (Learn more here)

Advocacy- CSD and its members advocate at all levels for high-quality library services to children, and for libraries large and small to have the resources to make those excellent services happen.

Newsletter- CSD’s quarterly newsletter highlights recent library programs, upcoming events & opportunities, tips and ideas, and trends in children’s library services in Maryland. (current & past issues here) 

Networking & Peer Support- CSD meetings, publications, social media, and programs help us connect with our colleagues across the state to share ideas, successes, lessons-learned, and encouragement.

How Can You Get Involved?


Attend a meeting! CSD meetings are held monthly via Blackboard on the second Monday of each month at 12:00. You can collaborate without traveling. Meetings are where we plan our many programs, decide the focus of our activities as a Division, and share ideas.

Write for the newsletter! Dip your toe into professional writing by contributing an article, program recap, book or media review, captioned photos… It’s a low-stress way to share with colleagues. Email submissions to editor Mina Pincus at mpincus@carolib.org. 

Join a CSD Committee! Interested in getting even more involved? Watch out for opportunities to join the Kids Are Customers conference planning committee or the Blue Crab awards committee.

Run a session at Black Eyed Susan Tapestry! Watch out for calls to run book discussion sessions at one of the Black Eyed Susan Tapestry conferences. We do this twice a year; lots of opportunities to participate.

Join our mailing list! Get the newsletter, meeting and event announcements, and occasional updates from CSD. We never spam, and only CSD officers post to it (in other words, it's not a typical listserv that will fill up your inbox). Send an email to mlachildrens@gmail.com with the subject "Join Mailing List" and we'll add you! Read the list archives here.

Attend a CSD program or webinar! Learn from experts of all kinds, as well as experienced colleagues, in programs planned especially for library staff.

Present a CSD program or webinar! Most of the presenters of our conferences, workshops,  and webinars are from right here in Maryland. CSD wants members to grow professionally, and one powerful way to do that is to step up and teach what you know.

Contact Us! Have an idea, question, or message for CSD? Email us at mlachildrens@gmail.com.