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PROGRAMS AND EVENTS:
Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL): Skilltype for Expertise Sharing - October 30*
Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL): Why Do I Stay? - November 1*
Maryland Interlibrary Loan's (MAILL) FALL FORUM - November 7*
2023 Maryland Statewide Digital Equity Summit - November 9*
Save the Date: How To Be An Ally Book Discussion - November 9*
WebJunction Webinar: Let’s Talk Race: Community Healing through Conversation - November 14*
RESOURCES, PUBLICATIONS AND NEWS:
Penguin Random House / We Need Diverse Books Creative Writing Awards
Ready Now: Supporting Youth and Families During Crisis project
Project Climate - Forging Resilience project
United Against Book Bans - Books for All
New WebJunction Resources
Libraries in the News
Reminder of Topics in the Previous Digest
Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL): Skilltype for Expertise Sharing - October 30*
Monday, October 30; 2 - 3:30 p.m.
Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) is hosting a series of free webinars. This is open to anyone who wants to ask a few more questions about Skilltype and their current updates...bring your questions to this meeting.
Learn more and register here.
Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL): Why Do I Stay? - November 1*
Wednesday, November 1; 2 - 3:30 p.m.
As a follow up to popular series "Why I Left the Profession --DEI Perspective" --- "Why Do I Stay --The DEI Perspective" series is taking a closer look at resiliency and optimism in the face of many obstacles and challenges.
Learn more and register here.
Maryland Interlibrary Loan's (MAILL) FALL FORUM - November 7*
Registration is now open for the MAILL (Maryland Interlibrary Loan) Virtual Fall Forum to be held online Tuesday November 7, 2023 from 10 AM to 2 PM.
Please click here for the agenda information and link to the registration form.
Registration form is also here.
2023 Maryland Statewide Digital Equity Summit - November 9*
The Maryland Statewide Digital Equity Summit will be held on November 9th at The Graduate Annapolis Hotel. This event aims to cultivate statewide engagement and support the establishment of partnerships to advance ongoing digital equity initiatives. Hear from leading experts and panelists in the field of digital equity, and enjoy opportunities to network with individuals from around the state to develop the resources and connections needed to bridge the digital divide in Maryland.
The registration fee for this event is $40 and includes breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and all materials. CEUs have been requested. Additional event details are available on the registration page.
This event is hosted by Marylanders Online, a program of University of Maryland Extension (UME), in partnership with the College of Information Studies. Registration closes November 3.
Learn more and register here.
Save the Date: How To Be An Ally Book Discussion - November 9*
Thursday, November 9; 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
The Maryland Library Association (MLA) Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion panel is collaborating with the Leadership Development Division to have a series of book discussions centered on the intersections of leadership and diversity. These joint book discussions are held at every other Leadership Development Division meeting and the titles have been pre-selected. These meetings are held virtually via Zoom and the link is shared ahead of the meeting.
The November meeting's selection is How to be an Ally by Melinda Epler
Prior to each meeting, discussion facilitators share information about the title selections and any supplemental media materials, such as articles and/or videos. This hybrid book/media model allows attendees to contribute to the discussion even if they have not had the opportunity to read the entirety of the selected book. Additionally, discussion questions are crafted and shared ahead of each meeting, giving attendees time to prepare for the meaningful discussion ahead.
In addition to the book, here are some great resources from Melinda for you to read or view ahead of our meeting:
Registration link available soon.
WebJunction Webinar: Let’s Talk Race: Community Healing through Conversation - November 14*
Tuesday, November 14; 2 - 3 p.m.
Library communities around the country are seeing rising levels of division, distrust, and segregation. Recognizing the need for community healing, library staff at the Richland Library in South Carolina formed the Let’s Talk Race team to explore strategies for deepening community connections and engagement. Since 2016, the Let’s Talk Race team has facilitated more than 250 in-person or online discussions, community forums, and events, reaching more than 4,000 participants, and creating opportunities for civic engagement, community connections, and courageous conversations. Earlier this year, the Richland Library launched the open-source Let’s Talk Race Curriculum, providing a set of easy-to-follow resources for other libraries, museums, and related organizations to implement with their local communities. The curriculum includes facilitation best practices, conversation guides, videos, and more. The curriculum provides a learning pathway to help get started, build facilitation skills, and create conversation guides to hold your own circles of dialog.
Learn more and register here.
Penguin Random House / We Need Diverse Books Creative Writing Awards
Penguin Random House and We Need Diverse Books launched their annual Creative Writing Awards program with a new Freedom of Expression Award. In their announcement, they write, “In the face of book bans and attacks on free expression on the rise in America, Penguin Random House and We Need Diverse Books celebrate the power of books and stories. Applicants to the new award will be asked to answer the prompt, “Tell us about one banned book that changed your life and why.”
The Creative Writing Award was founded in 1993 by PRH. We Need Diverse Books entered the partnership in 2019. The shared mission is to help elevate and support the next generation of writers. Over the years, the program has awarded more than $2.9 million to public high school students for original compositions across genres and formats. Categories include the Michelle Obama Award for Memoir, the Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry, the Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word, and the Fiction/Drama Award. This year will include the inaugural Freedom of Expression Award. Submissions close on January 16, 2024. More information on the award can be found here
Ready Now: Supporting Youth and Families During Crisis project
Would you like to help library staff in your state build community relationships? Are you interested in helping staff be ready for future crises? If so, you’ll want to consider participating in the Ready NOW initiative.
The Ready Now: Supporting Youth and Families During Crisis project, expands on the co-design work implemented in the summer of 2020. This work led to the publication of Library Staff as Public Servants: A Field Guide for Preparing to Serve Communities in Times of Crisis (fondly known as The Field Guide), that outlines four Essential Tasks that libraries and their staff need to embrace to serve historically marginalized youth and families successfully.
Following the publication of the Field Guide, the project team recognized that many library staff would benefit from more training and resources for successful implementation of Field Guide principles. The Ready Now: Supporting Youth and Families During Crisis is delighted to receive funding from IMLS to further expand this work.
That is why we are recruiting teams across the United States to participate in a research study, the first phase of this work. Through the state library administrative agency (SLAA), we would like to seek out and identify one team from your state that may be interested in participating. The SLAA will select one staff member from their agency who works with youth library staff in their state to join this team, along with a front-line staff member who works with youth, and an administrator.
If you are interested in learning more and participating in this project, check out our FAQ and complete our pre-screening survey.
Teams invited to participate in the project will be required to dedicate between 2-3 hours per week over a 10-12 month timeframe, and receive a $2000 payment made to their libraries.
The Ready Now project team includes Dr. Mega Subramaniam (PI), a professor at the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland; Linda Braun, a Consultant at LEO; and Nitzan Koren (co-PI), a PhD candidate at the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland.
If you have any questions, contact the Ready Now team at: readynow@umd.edu and visit our website to learn more about us.
Project Climate - Forging Resilience project
Project Climate, which is part of the UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE), has a new program to address gaps between abstract climate solutions and local realities that prevent action on climate change at societal levels. Forging Resilience weaves together community resilience, civics skills, and knowledge of climate solutions to empower communities to create new futures. We draw on elements of lifelong science learning, art, civics, and community organizing, and we focus on place-based action so that climate impact projections, narratives that convey climate science, climate solutions, and skills needed to take advantage of those solutions are meaningful to residents. Learn more here.
United Against Book Bans - Books for All
Unite Against Book Bans is pleased to invite you to be part of Books for All, a new anti-censorship program for libraries, schools, book clubs, and readers around the country! Please read on to learn how you can participate and help Unite Against Book Bans spread the word.
During Banned Books Week 2023, The New York Public Library (NYPL) launched Books for All to underscore the importance of reading, access to knowledge for all, and the vital role that public libraries play in our democracy. Unite Against Book Bans and the American Library Association are proud to partner in this effort to raise awareness about the unprecedented and alarming rise of book bans and challenges in the United States.
Books for All will focus on teen youth and engagement, since most books currently being banned or challenged are young adult books, though all readers age 13+ are invited to participate. The program features a Teen Banned Book Club with four young adult books that have been the subject of bans and/or challenges, and a Teen Writing Contest that asks teens around the country: “What does the freedom to read mean to you?” A series of virtual events and author talks will be offered throughout the project as well, beginning on November 28.
Interested readers can now download the first Books for All selection, Mark Oshiro’s Each of Us a Desert. Thanks to a partnership with Macmillan Publishers, Books for All will provide unlimited access to each book club title through NYPL’s SimplyE app. There are no wait times or fees, whether you have a library card or not. Books for All also provides free discussion guides for book club picks, ways to get involved in the fight against censorship, button templates, and more.
By being part of Books for All, you can help us amplify the stories, voices, and titles that censors have attempted to repress. We invite you to learn more about Books for All and request a free promotional toolkit. Invite your patrons, members, customers, and friends to join you and spread the word on social media by tagging #BooksForAll and #UniteAgainstBookBans.
Thank you for being a Unite supporter and for standing with us in the ongoing fight to read freely.
New WebJunction Resources
New Courses for Library, Archive, and Museum Staff: Library, archive, and museum staff face similar challenges when it comes to responding to a crisis, de-escalating conflict, and addressing burnout. Four new on-demand courses provide staff in cultural heritage institutions with information and tools to learn about how to prepare for and handle these situations:
- Introduction to Crisis Communications for Libraries, Archives, and Museums
- Crisis Communications Planning for Libraries, Archives, and Museums
- From Burnout to Balance
- De-escalation Strategies for Libraries, Archives, and Museum Staff
Mental Health Resources for Libraries: Many people turn to libraries in times of crisis, and mental health concerns are no exception. And while libraries are trusted havens for community members seeking resources, library staff aren’t immune to the challenges faced by community members. In recognition of #MentalHealthMonth, we've collected resources, both in support of library staff mental health, and for you to help inform and support the work you're already doing to serve your community.
Advancing IDEAs: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, 3 October 2023: This is the latest Hanging Together blog post, part of a regular series on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, compiled by a team of OCLC contributors.
Libraries in the News
By way of the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA):
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Executive Director Tracie D. Hall to Depart from the American Library Association, ALA, Oct 5
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Oregon Libraries Take 2023 Federal Depository Library of the Year Honors, Government Publishing Office, Oct 15
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Federal Judge Extends Injunction Against Montana’s ‘Drag Story Hour’ Ban, Court House News.com, Oct 13
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State Commission Moves To Strike Standard For Library Directors, Montana Free Press, Oct 11
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Leadership Brief: Explorations of Generative AI for Library Systems, Urban Libraries Council, Oct 11
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The US Library System, Once The Best In The World, Faces Death By A Thousand Cuts, The Guardian, Oct 9
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What Not To Say to Public Librarians, Book Riot, Oct 5
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What's Behind The National Surge In Book Bans? A Low-Tech Website Tied To Moms For Liberty, USA Today, Oct 5
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Ala. Governor Asks Library Service To Consider Amendments Addressing ‘Exposure Of Children And Youth To Inappropriate Materials’, WBRC, Oct 4
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Overdue: The Case for Canada’s Public Libraries, Canadian Urban Institute, Oct 4
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Advocating for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), National Digital Inclusion Alliance, Oct 3
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Where The Supreme Court Stands On Banning Books, The Conversation, Oct 2
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S.C. State Library Leaves National Library Group, Charleston City Paper, Sept 30
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California State Librarian Calls for Increase in Federal Support for Libraries, CA State Library, Sept 28
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Having Books In Your Zoom Background Makes You Seem More Trustworthy, NewScientist, Sept 27
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US Senate Resolution Expressing Concerning The Spreading Problem Of Book Banning And The Proliferation Of Threats To Freedom Of Expression In The United States, US Senate, Sept 27
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ALA Welcomes FCC Chair Rosenworcel’s Proposal To Reinstate Network Neutrality Rules, ALA, Sept 26
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Governor Gavin Newsom Signs Bill Blocking California School Boards From Banning Inclusive Books, InfoDocket, Sept 26
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The Most Dangerous Idea In A Library? Empathy, Alabama Reflector, Sept 25
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Proposition to Close Columbia County Library Is Unconstitutional, Court Commissioner Rules, Spokesman Review, Sept 21
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Alabama Public Library Service Director Responds to Gov. Ivey's Concerns Over Library Content, WAAY.com, Sept 20
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Beyond the Veil: Making Sense of the Spirit World; Online Symposium - Starts September 20*
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Climate Action Planning (Part 2): Disaster Preparedness and Community Resilience - September 26*
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Climate Justice - October 3*
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Collaborating for Access: Librarians and Independent Publishers Webinar - October 5*
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Revitalizing Morale: Cultivating a Supportive Library Culture - October 11*
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Preventing Burnout and Fatigue: A Masterclass with Loida Garcia-Febo - October 12*
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The State Library Resource Center (SLRC) presents: An Introduction to Copyright and Intellectual Property in Libraries - November 15*
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Career Success Month: Future of Work: Call for Participation! - Jan 22 - Feb 23, 2024*
- Howard County Library System (HCLS) Project Literacy - Pathways to Success - Applications DUE September 22*
- Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Bechtel Fellowship Opportunity - Applications DUE October 15*
- WebJunction Resources
- Libraries in the News
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