Speaker(s): Group Discussion

Bring descriptions of your most successful programming events to this meeting. We will share what works (and what might not). Be ready to share at least one idea. This program is a great way to get peer feedback and get new ideas for your programs.

Registration required


Intended Audience: YA librarians

Speaker(s): Joyce B. May, Adult Services Librarian, Weaver Library; Jessica Wilson, Reference Librarian, South Kingstown Public Library

Jessica Wilson and Joyce May have 30 years of adult programming experience between them. They will share their ideas and experiences in attracting and building diverse audiences and in planning programs, including book clubs, that attract men.

Registration required

Intended Audience: LORI library staff

Speaker(s): Faith Rogow, Insighters Educational Consulting

In discussions of traditional literacy we often talk about creating “print-rich environments.” But when it comes to media other than books, often the strategy is to keep children away from technology and still expect that they will become productive and literate digital citizens. This workshop explores how to reconcile that contradiction with developmentally appropriate, practical strategies that encourage emergent media literacy.

In a media literacy education approach, it’s not about counting minutes spent with screens; it’s about making the minutes we spend with screens count. In a full and lively day, we’ll model the inquiry and reflection we expect to use with children by engaging in conversations, interactive presentations, and activities to explore:

• How to use media literacy education methods to provide the foundation that young children need to thrive in the digital world
• How to integrate technology in ways that foster curiosity, creativity, communication and collaboration (hint: it’s not just about finding the right app)
• How our approach changes when we think of librarians as Chief Inquiry Officers
• How to design and implement your own inquiry-based media literacy activities
• How to serve as media mentors for families
• How to respond to objections about media and young children without abandoning our own concerns

Rather than distributing hard copies, handouts for the workshop will be shared via Google Drive and we’ll use that platform to exchange ideas during the day, so BYOD (bring your own device). And be prepared for a thought-provoking and engaging day! Access the Google Drive folder here

OLIS is offering this workshop in partnership with the Media Smart Libraries program which was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Grant # LG-07-14-0045-14. Attendance at this workshop can be applied to the Access & Use, Analyze & Evaluate, Create & Collaborate, Reflect, and Take Action Badges.

About the Presenter:

Faith Rogow, Ph.D., founded InsightersEducation.com in 1996 to help people learn from media and one another. A popular speaker and workshop leader, she has shared practical strategies to understand and harness the power of media with thousands of child care, education, and media professionals, as well as students and parents. In ancient times, when TV ruled the media world, Dr. Rogow designed award-winning educational outreach for children’s media, earning renown for her video, Understanding Teletubbies: A Field Guide for Grown-Ups, her groundbreaking article, “The ABCs of Media Literacy,” was one of the first in the U.S. to explore media literacy education methods that are developmentally appropriate for early childhood. Today she splits her time between writing discussion guides for independent documentary films and spreading the gospel of media literacy education. Dr. Rogow was the founding president of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, co-author of The Teacher’s Guide to Media Literacy: Critical Thinking in a Multimedia World (Corwin, 2012), a founding advisor to Project Look Sharp, a founding editorial board member of the Journal for Media Literacy Education, and a contributing author to NAEYC’s two recent anthologies on technology in early childhood (edited by Chip Donohue).

Registration required

Intended Audience: Children's and school librarians

Speaker(s): Faith Rogow, Ph.D. Author and Media Literacy Consultant, Insighters Education

Sometimes it can be hard to watch young people using media technologies and not be concerned. But when we engage youth using our own fears as our primary lens, we're likely to be met with resistance, disdain, or indifference. In this upbeat workshop, we’ll share an alternative strategy that doesn’t require abandoning our concerns: a skills-based, constructivist approach that respects youth media culture in the same way we might respect their ethnicity or religion. Rather than focusing on critiquing teen behavior or media choices, the goal is to help young people see themselves as capable of the inquiry and reflection that they’ll need to successfully navigate the demands of an increasingly complex digital world. You’ll walk away with concrete ideas for activities, as well as an understanding of the pedagogical foundation that make the activities effective so you can design your own activities.

This workshop is part of the Media Smart Libraries program which was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Grant # LG-07-14-0045-14. Attendance at this workshop can be applied to the Access & Use, Analyze & Evaluate, Create & Collaborate, Reflect, and Take Action Badges.

Registration required.

Intended Audience: Public Librarians, School Librarians, Academic Librarians, Library Students

Speaker(s): Keynote Speakers: Tara Sullivan, author; representatives from The Center for Hope and Healing, Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, and Pathways for Change

Looking to make an impact with teens in your library? Join your colleagues for the Eighth Annual Teen Summit, cosponsored by OLIS and the Massachusetts Library System, where you’ll engage in such topics as gender diversity, teen behavior, teaching media literacy and writing workshops.

Plenary sessions include “…Can We Talk? A Sexual Violence Prevention Training for Librarians” with speakers from the Center for Hope and Healing, Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, and Pathways for Change, who will talk about sexual violence recognition, disclosure and recourses; and Keynote Speaker, Tara Sullivan, award-winning author of; Golden Boy and The Bitter Side of Sweet.

Break-out sessions include: “Pain in the Brain: Teens and Library (Mis)Behavior,” “Sifting Through the Noise: Teaching Media Literacy to High School Students,” “Let Them Write!: Setting Up Teen Writing Programs at the Library” and “Let's Talk About Sex (and Gender!), Baby.”

View the full agenda and register online. Lunch is included in your registration fee.

Registration is provided by the Massachusetts Library System (using Eventbrite) and you must register and pay online. There is a minimal, non-refundable fee due when you register.

Intended Audience: YA Librarians, Middle and High School Library Media Specialists