Upcoming WebJunction Opportunities

Highlights

Conscious Child Family Book Discussion Kits on Racial Equity, Identity, and Justice: The Oxford Lane Library in Ohio developed these family discussion kits after a local group reached out for help. The library has generously shared their great work, including each of the discussion guides, for other libraries to use and adapt locally. The aims for the kits are to 1) To celebrate diverse voices; and 2) to help facilitate family discussions about racial equity, identity, and justice.
Skills for Community-Centered Libraries: A Webinar Series with the Free Library of Philadelphia: Like many libraries across the nation, the Free Library of Philadelphia is undergoing a paradigm shift. Their extensive collections offer boundless discoveries, but increasingly their focus is not only on what is housed within their walls and on their servers, but how they are engaging with their communities. To address this shift and support staff, the Free Library of Philadelphia created the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries curriculum to train over 300 full-time library staff. In a webinar series this summer, the library will share their resources and experiences in deploying this program.
Learning Group Facilitation Guide: Courses that are designed to be self-paced often pose challenges for the learner, especially around feelings of isolation and lack of motivation. This guide provides a framework for organizing, structuring and leading a group of learners through self-paced courses on any topic. Once you understand the value of learning in groups, you will gain insights into setting up the logistics, facilitating discussions and guiding a group toward learning success. The guide has been updated with new resource and an overview video.

WebJunction Webinars

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.

Prioritizing and Promoting Self-Care to Avoid Burnout
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 ◆ 3:00 pm Eastern ◆ 60 minutes
Registration: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/prioritizing-and-promoting-self-care.html

Are you prioritizing your own needs in your workday? Ever-increasing and evolving demands for library services, heavy workloads, and multiple requests from the public can create an environment for staff burnout. While some stressors are unavoidable, prolonged exposure to them can cause detachment, pessimism, and a loss of enjoyment in the library profession. Join us to explore the physical, behavioral and emotional barriers that lead to burnout, as well as methods to mitigate workplace stressors. We’ll look at specific stress-relieving techniques to introduce into your daily activities, and explore ways to bring self-care strategies to all staff in your organization.

Food Access and Seed Libraries in Rural Public Libraries
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 ◆ 3:00 pm Eastern ◆ 60 minutes
Registration: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/food-access-and-seed-libraries.html

Are you looking for ideas to "grow" a seed library and improve access to food for your community? Presenters from small and rural locations in South Carolina will share their experiences with seed libraries (inside branches, at outreach events, and on board a bookmobile) and community refrigerators, and highlight the value of partnerships. You’ll gain knowledge on how to start a seed library from the ground up, how to collaborate with community organizations not generally considered as library partners, and learn better practices for making your library an access point for those experiencing food insecurity.

Let us know if you have questions. Feel free to explore all of the WebJunction resources 24/7 at www.webjunction.org

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