WebJunction

Highlighted Content

• How to Run an Expungement Clinic At Your Library: Staff at the Worcester County Library (MD) were offering workforce development services for their community when they learned how many patrons encounter roadblocks due to their previous criminal history. Staff also knew that expungement – the process by which a record of criminal conviction is destroyed or sealed from state or federal record – could be helpful and so they set up an expungement clinic to pair patrons with a pro bono attorney who could assist with the process. Learn more about their story and how you might begin to set up an expungement clinic at your library.
• Resources for Advancing IDEAs (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility): A new blog series from OCLC Research shares a collection of information, stories, and tools on timely IDEAS topics. This includes book lists, interviews and articles, webinars and toolkits produced by a variety of sources.
• Redefining Public Libraries in a Post-Pandemic World: Key Resources from Urban Libraries Council: Public libraries have proven during that they are essential community assets, and patrons and community members alike continue to hold up libraries as one of the most trusted institutions as they work together to overcome key challenges in the COVID-19 era. These resources from the Urban Libraries Council highlight how leadership and collaboration can establish new models, techniques, and approaches that all libraries may utilize in leading their communities into a stronger post-pandemic future.

WebJunction Webinars for You

These upcoming webinars are open for registration. If you can’t attend a live session, all WebJunction webinars are recorded and available for free in the Course Catalog.

Emerging Tech Trends for 2022 and Beyond

Tuesday, August 30, 2022 ◆ 3:00 pm Eastern ◆ 60 minutes

Registration: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/emerging-tech-trends-for-2022-and-beyond.html

Technology has changed the face of libraries and is continuing to change how we work and how we deliver services to customers. In fact, the past few years have pushed us, and in some cases made us scramble, to discover and experiment with new technologies and tools, to train our staff and community, and to look for new ways of doing our core activities. This presentation introduces emerging technology trends and shows how those trends are reshaping library services. Examples are provided of how to incorporate and adapt these evolving trends into libraries. Learn what trends to look for, find out the difference between a technology trend and a fad, and get ideas on how your library can respond to technologies as they emerge.

Community-Led Planning for Equitable, Responsive Services

Thursday, September 15, 2022 ◆ 3:00 pm Eastern  ◆ 60 minutes

Registration: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/community-led-planning.html

You want to serve your community equitably and well, but you have endless possibilities and finite resources. How do you know which direction to go? Community-led planning is a strategy that invites community participation in service design and implementation by sharing power. Whether you’re creating a system-wide strategic plan, a single program, or anything in between, using community-led planning techniques can set you up for outstanding success. Discover the results of new research into how libraries can become more equitably community led. Then learn how to apply these concepts to create highly relevant, inclusive services for—and, more importantly, with—your community.

Civil Legal Issues of Natural Disasters: Libraries Can Help

Thursday, September 22, 2022 ◆ 3:00 pm Eastern  ◆ 60 minutes

Registration: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/civil-legal-issues-of-natural-disasters.html

Natural disasters strike everywhere. In their wake, communities are left reeling and many people turn to their libraries for support and information. Your library may have plans to secure its facilities and collections in order to keep the doors open, but are you prepared to support patrons’ civil legal issues that arise? A host of urgent needs emerge around FEMA applications, landlord-tenant disputes, property issues, required documentation, and more.  Libraries can play a crucial role connecting people with civil legal issues to resources and information that can help. Join this webinar to learn how to apply reference skills to support community members through this civil legal turmoil and guide them toward positive outcomes. A legal aid attorney and a law librarian will share insights based on their personal disaster experiences to introduce library staff to civil legal issues that may arise during a variety of natural disasters.

And building on its Creating Pathways to Civil Legal Justice foundational course series, in September WebJunction will be launching a new set of courses, Navigating Civil Legal Issues of Natural Disasters, which will address how libraries can support the civil legal information needs of patrons that arise in a natural disaster. We’ll share more about the coming courses in the webinar.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Shannon White
Library Development Manager
Library of Michigan, 702 W. Kalamazoo, Lansing, MI 48909
Whites29@michigan.gov  517-335-1507 | www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan