Continuing Education Archives

Libraries are seeing an unprecedented number of book challenges and attacks on our nation's libraries. Amanda Jones – a school librarian from Louisiana and author of That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America – talks about her journey from being the target of a harassment campaign to finding the positives and deciding to fight back.

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods who has transformed our understanding of nature-deficit disorder; Westchester Public Library (IL), who deliver nature programming on a tight budget; and Anythink Libraries (CO), who are creating a dedicated Nature Library branch focused on immersive nature-based learning, explore and demonstrate the vital role libraries can play in nurturing a deeper connection to nature.

Dungeons & Dragons is more popular now than ever before, with new players coming to the hobby every day! Join Dungeon Master Luke to learn how to start and maintain a D&D club at your library! Webinar will include: 

-Why run a D&D club at your library? -The benefits of playing RPGs, including facilitating creative problem solving and teamwork 

-How to play D&D -Discuss the roles of the Dungeon Master (DM) and their players, and cover the core mechanic of D&D: the d20 roll 

Whether building a collection from scratch or brushing up on what’s new and noteworthy, this presentation covers best practices for collection development and maintenance, up-and-coming series to keep an eye on, to boost your circulation statistics with appealing titles for elementary through high school readers.

This session provides an overview of research into adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the lifelong consequences of trauma. Special attention will be paid to the behavioral responses to trauma commonly observed among public library patrons. We will explore ways that libraries can move to become trauma-informed, providing customer service that addresses the needs of the whole person. Please note that while ACEs occur during childhood, the repercussions are felt throughout our lives; this session is not specific to children and youth.

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A superb high school librarian, in a discussion of making a place for all stories, explained the groups she was expanding her collection to more accurately and completely represent. When I asked about voices of those living in generational poverty, she paused and very honestly replied, "I never thought about representation and socioeconomics," and proceeded to ask me about titles.

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As Future Ready School Librarians, it has never been more important for us to show what we can do and how we can shine! In this session, Shannon will share lots of ways we can lead and support our districts throughout the school year, and through our journey with remote and continuous learning.

Topics:

Thousands of books come out each year but so many have small or no marketing budgets that make it difficult for a lot of titles to get noticed. How do you find out which of these titles are right for your library, and how do you get them into the hands of your teen patrons? Learn from four experienced teen librarians who care about giving the right book to the right reader. The panelists will also share some great under-the-radar titles that your teens need to know about.

This webinar was recorded on June 11, 2020, and runs approximately 70 minutes.

Join Evanston Public Library's Collection Development Manager Betsy Bird as she guides you through her library's annual 101 Great Books for Kids list for 2018. From fairy tales and folktales to comics and picture book biographies, there's something for every kid between the ages of 2-12 on this list. Betsy talks up some of the keener selections, highlighting both known favorites and the hidden gems that might come in handy for your average children's librarian. Finally, Betsy discusses creating this list and how you can make one for your own library system. Come for the books.

When redesigning the library, there are many design options. Keeping good design principles and student input in mind, how can you rethink spaces when faced with a small budget? Techno-librarian Carolyn Foote will share inexpensive ideas for revamping your library space to create more student friendly, mobile friendly library.

How can we incorporate student input into our library redesigns? Explore a variety of methods for gathering and incorporating student feedback to create a truly student friendly space! Techno-librarian Carolyn Foote will share strategies for reaching students K-12 to rethink library spaces.

Topics/Agenda:
• Importance of student feedback -- the why
• Methods for gathering student feedback (informal and formal)
• Examples of results of student feedback
• Impact of feedback on design

Desired Outcomes:

Is your library in need of a makeover? As we move to technology rich environments, is your library space meeting the needs of students? By exploring design principles, we can plan a more effective space for our students and staff. Challenge yourself to "rethink library!" Techno-librarian Carolyn Foote will help you start with the "why" behind effective design.

Topics/Agenda:
• 21st century library needs
• Overview of design principles
• Identifying obstacles in design
• Building around the mission

Desired Outcomes:

You have a Makerspace; so what's next? Join Brian Pichman from the Evolve Project as he walks you through how to plan, market, and organize your programming events for your Makerspace. Brian will also share successful programming ideas regardless of library type. Allow your public library or school library to foster innovation and offer unique opportunities to encourage more patrons to interact, grow, and learn.
Topics/Agenda:

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In this webinar we will explore several facets of early literacy related to the very the important role you play in supporting children and families with early literacy at your library.

Topics/Agenda

• What is early literacy?
• Why is early literacy so important?
• How can the library help?
• What are some guidelines for choosing books?
• What are some activities?

Desired Outcomes

Many reference and readers' advisory (RA) library staff are more comfortable working with adult patrons based on their training or experience. This session will present some basic readers' advisory geared towards working with teen patrons and teen titles. Attendees will come away with more confidence in their ability to suggest both teen titles to adult readers and adult titles to teen readers.

Agenda:
* Basic readers' advisory for both Adult and Teen patron/titles
* Recommended Adult titles for Teens
* Recommended Teen titles for Adults
* Resources
* Q&A

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