Circulate!
Outreach, Engagement & Other Splendid Stuff
Today is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Once it passes, each evening will remain brighter for several minutes. Those glimmers of extended light shine on a path forward as we continue to navigate an increasingly complex landscape filled with peril, joy, and inspiration.
The past couple of years have been opportunities for a tremendous amount of learning. We've had to become familiar with epidemiology as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact every aspect of our lives. We're boning up on laws around freedom of information as our collections and libraries come under attack. We've learned to connect through new platforms as meetings, professional development, and conferences continue online (and sometimes, in-person). And we've had a chance to practice every tip we've learned in resilience and wellness webinars in the past two years as we push ourselves to continue to provide exceptional services to our communities.
The obstacles we've faced have allowed us to stretch new muscles and think creatively about accomplishing all we imagine. At SALS, we've got lots of fun stuff in the works for the New Year that will support member libraries in their ongoing work with their communities, so stay tuned.
Thanks for being fabulous, and for making us proud of the incredible work you do every day. Happy Holidays & have a wonderful New Year!
Nature is Healing
Short & Sweet
Better Late Than Never
Advocacy Alert
The Great Give Back
The Galway Public Library promoted the entire month of October as a time for giving to support its three-pronged approach to community support. A group of teens came to the library to make cards for patients at the Saratoga Hospital. With the help of other patrons, forty-three cards were delivered. In return, the library received a picture from a smiling patient who was delighted by the effort.
Patrons could also leave donations for the Galway Food Pantry and the County Animal Shelter. In return for their generosity, the library was willing to reduce any accumulated fines -- but only one patron took advantage of the offer.
Way to go to the Easton & Galway libraries, and the rest of our member libraries who took part in the effort.
Listen & Learn
The four workshops will cover understanding who we are and the identities we hold, creating an inclusive culture, becoming anti-racist, and the role of public libraries in deliberative democracy. By the end of the series, participants will be comfortable convening, hosting, and leading inclusive conversations in our communities.
This opportunity is open to all of SALS member libraries but is limited to twenty participants.
Participants will be required to do the following:
Secure the approval of Board/Director
Complete the ALA's Facilitation Training
Attend all sessions from 10 am-Noon on the following Fridays:
Friday, January 21
Friday, February 18
Friday, March 4
Friday, March 18
Host at least one conversation in your community before May 30, 2022
If you would like to be a part of this professional development opportunity, sign up here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BXNSBGD. People who apply will be notified of acceptance into the workshop series by January 15, 2022.
Library Famous
Frozen Tomes
Library Leadership
What does that mean for the future of library leadership? Trustees run on platforms to slash library funding, exercise control over collection development, and challenge programming. Library advocates recommend having strong policies, ethical statements, and recruitment plans in place. And if you haven't yet joined the Freedom to Read Foundation, today's the perfect day to do so.
Grant to Support People Living with Dementia
Applications are now being accepted for the Stephen T. Riedner Grant for Life Enhancing Library Programs for People Living with Dementia. Two $2,500 grants will be awarded in 2022. You do not need to be a member of ALA or RUSA to apply.
Grant submissions could include, but are not limited to:
- Inclusion – welcoming this population into the library/community
- Staff dementia awareness training
- Person-centered focus – address their unique needs as individuals with their interests, abilities, and history.
- Literacy activities that promote the use of books and reading as at least one component of programming (which of course can include art, music, exercise, nature, etc. as well)
- Academic research into reading and dementia
- Developing partnerships with local organizations that also serve those living with dementia
Grant applications are due Feb. 11, 2022.
Penguin Random House Grants for Small & Rural Libraries
The Association of Rural and Small Libraries is partnering with Penguin Random House on a new grant opportunity for small and rural libraries nationwide.
Not all applications will be selected for funding. If selected, grants will be awarded for up to $2,500.
This is a rolling grant application, with batches of applications going under review every 8 weeks beginning December 17, 2021. Applications will be submitted until all available grant funds are distributed.
Submission Window / Award Notification Deadline
- December 20, 2021 - February 11, 2022 /April 4, 2022
- February 14, 2022 - April 8, 2022 /May 27, 2022
- April 11, 2022 - June 3, 2022 /July 29. 2022
Project reports must be submitted by February 1, 2023.
The program will award grants to libraries that demonstrate a true need. Grants are not limited to literacy and may be used for everything from library programming and books to resources like hotspots that help community members access important information. In-kind donations will also be considered.
Have questions? Please contact the ARSL Office at (206) 453-3579 or info@arsl.org.
Learn All the Things!
Digital Navigators (Parts 1 and 2)
Upon completion of this two-part webinar, participants will gain in-depth knowledge of the Digital Navigator model and its associated tools, its impact, and how this field-tested program can be added to a library’s existing portfolio of services.
Part 1: Tuesday, January 11, 2022, 11-12:30 PM Eastern
Register for Digital Navigators Part 1
Part 2: Thursday, January 27, 2022, 11-12:30 PM Eastern
Tuesday, Jan 11, 2022, 11:00 AM
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Program Planning Made Easy
Modern library programming involves incorporating popular trends, research on language and reading acquisitions, as well as developmental milestones, and of course fun! Pulling that off with ease requires solid planning and organization.
In this interactive webinar, Jill Burket Ragase will give you a variety of tools that you will be able to use to:
- Strategically plan your programming calendar
- Use planning time efficiently for maximum results
- Methods to collect titles and activities for future use
- Methods to transform the sea of titles, themes, and random ideas into a cohesive plan
- Incorporate flexibility in your plans to meet evolving conditions
- Tips and tricks for organizing program and storytime themes, programming supplies, and materials,
- Set up shared documents to decrease workload across staff
Program planning doesn’t have to be time-consuming. We’ll discuss strategies for organizing your ideas, work, and materials in a way that maximizes your planning time investment.
Jill Burket Ragase is the founder and co-host of the podcast Book It, a member of the American Bookseller Association’s Education Task Force, and a James Patterson bookseller of the year. She earned her MLS from the University of Kentucky and has worked as both a youth services and collection development librarian.
Register for this webinar here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_u4tq9VtlRbKrhZDf2YjdLQ
Wednesday, Jan 12, 2022, 02:30 PM
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Trauma-Informed Librarianship: Building Communities of Care
Trauma-informed librarianship (TIL) is a vital practice that invites us to be intentional and deliberate about creating cultural shifts in how we approach our work to move towards healing, for our patrons, for each other, and for ourselves. This webinar will introduce participants to what trauma is and how it impacts both individuals and communities; the principles and goals of trauma-informed librarianship; how we can apply this lens to library services in actionable ways to better support survivors in our libraries, whether they are patrons or colleagues; and how we can take care of ourselves too, through 10 concrete self-care strategies.
Guest Speaker Karina Hagelin (they/them) is a chronically ill and disabled queer femme librarian who is passionate about working with library workers and librarians who are committed to creating cultures that center healing through radical empathy, collective care, and social justice work. Blending their lived experiences and expertise on trauma-informed librarianship, they lead diverse groups of librarians and library workers through engaging, interactive, and informative webinars + workshops. Karina is currently based in Ithaca, New York, where they most recently worked as an Outreach and Instruction Librarian at Cornell University. You can find out more about their work on their website, www.karinakilljoy.com.
This webinar is the first in a series on Trauma-Informed Librarianship. You can find upcoming webinars on this topic under our Spotlight Speaker Series.
Code of Conduct
NNLM is dedicated to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for all people, regardless of background or identity. As such, we expect respectful interactions with instructors and learners.
Read the full Code of Conduct here.
Thursday, Jan 13, 2022, 02:00 PM
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Mental Health & Wellness 101 with the Mental Health Association in New York State
Mental Health and Wellness 101 helps participants to understand mental health in a holistic context and utilize basic mental health awareness in order to self-care and help others.
Mental Health and Wellness 101 participants will:
- Increase basic knowledge of mental health to help reduce stigma.
- Understand Mental Health as a continuum of wellness that defines us every day — it is illness, recovery, and all of the space in between.
- Promote wellness, treatment seeking behavior, recovery, and self-care.
- Identify and understand various signs & symptoms of mental illness.
Why is this important?
Consider this: the median time between the onset of mental illness (when symptoms first appear) and when an individual gets appropriate treatment is 10 years. During that time, a person is likely experiencing periods of increased symptomology and periods of wellness. Mental Health and recovery are dependent on an individual’s ability to recognize and manage where he/she is each day on the continuum between wellness and illness and take care accordingly, an important piece to quality of life.
This webinar is being presented by the Mental Health Association in New York State.
Tuesday, Feb 8, 2022, 03:00 PM
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Data Collection and Analysis
Building strong and lasting digital inclusion and digital navigator programs require programmatic data collection, analysis, and management. Participants in this webinar will gain skills in finding and accessing data collection sources.
Tuesday, Apr 5, 2022, 11:00 AM
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Asset Mapping
Participants in this webinar will learn how to gather local asset information and visualize social characteristics of the digital divide on local, regional, and state levels using publicly available data and analysis tools.
