It’s group supply order time!
It is time for the annual group supply order. Please return your order form by end of day Wednesday, February 19. Please refer to Sarah’s email from January 30, which included complete instructions and details.
There are also some surplus supplies available on a first-come, first-served basis. Sarah sent that email and spreadsheet out on January 31.
Sarah’s happy to answer any questions you have (szymanski@ifls.lib.wi.us), or submit a HelpDesk ticket. The group purchase calendar is on the website.
400 of your stories going with us to Madison on Tuesday
Well done! This is a reflection of the high level of services you offer to your community members, and their enthusiastic support and engagement. We’re delighted to share this with our elected officials! As soon as Reb finishes putting all those comments in a publication, she’ll make it available as a PDF.
A fun opportunity
Shared by Laura Turpin (St. Croix Falls Public Library).
Illinois-Indiana and Wisconsin Sea Grants are collaborating to create engaging, place-based activities aimed at enhancing Great Lakes literacy among elementary students in grades 3-5. We are in the early stages of development for this endeavor and want to ensure that what we develop meets your needs. As such, we are seeking feedback from 3rd-5th grade educators (formal or non-formal) and school librarians on what resources would best help them seamlessly incorporate Great Lakes literacy into their classrooms and programs. Our goal is to develop a standards-aligned product or program that integrates science, social studies, or art with literature.
If you are interested in joining us for a one-hour virtual feedback session in late February or early March, please fill out this Google form. If you know an elementary teacher or librarian who might be interested, please forward this message on.
Spotlight on resources
Don’t miss this webinar!
Leah had the opportunity to see the presenter Shelley Harris at the Power Up Conference in Madison last spring. She is engaging, passionate, and very practical, and Leah highly recommends the two webinars she will be presenting! Great for every size library, you’ll come away with suggestions for how to make your library work for the whole community, including folks with disabilities. Relevant for any time of year, and especially when thinking about summer programming! Look for the follow-up webinar specifically focused on programs coming up on March 12.
- A Community for All: Disability Inclusion in Libraries
- February 19, 1-2:30 pm
- Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ErjJPmIlRLGTZSlwsx3uTQ#/registration
“When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.” (Rudine Sims Bishop)
This is also true for community settings! To best serve patrons with disabilities, we need to understand their community, culture, and needs. Together, we will
- build a foundation of disability knowledge
- explore disability experiences,
- learn how to provide safe and inclusive spaces,
- consider how to serve patrons through our collections without causing harm.
Although the examples are youth focused, they can be adapted for any age. Please contact Leah (langby@ifls.lib.wi.us) with requests for accommodation by January 30.
Presenter Shelley Harris, MLIS, is a children’s librarian in Oak Park, IL with a passion for early literacy, serving and celebrating the disability community, and exploring technology. She has a younger brother with a rare genetic syndrome who has used AAC for almost 30 years, which inspired her to earn a Bachelors in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She previously worked as a 1:1 paraprofessional with deaf and autistic children and has helped program her brother’s communication devices for decades. Everything she has learned from these experiences is funneled into creating inclusive and engaging library services and spaces for disabled kids and tweens, and helping families connect with services in the community. She can often be found practicing storytime songs with her black lab, Bingo.
Supplies 1.5 contact hours for library director certification. Will be recorded and captioned.
Blog Spotlight: Connect to Mental Health Programming
Leah had a heart-breaking conversation with a library director this week who was reeling from a two recent local deaths from suicide, and looking for resources for potential programming to help her community address significant mental health concerns. Lots of communities are facing this crisis, and I thought that some of the information I gathered for her might be useful to others. Read the whole blog post.
Wild Wisconsin recording of the week
The Small Spaces, Big Opportunities webinar with David Vinjamuri left attendees excited about practical and easy-to-implement changes they could make to show off their collections better and increase circulation. One attendee from a very small library commented that she implemented some of his suggestions from an earlier appearance and saw their circulation triple! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly recommended.
The recording is available upon request, you can fill out a form to access it here: https://www.wildwiscwinterweb.com/david-v-recording.html