MI Library Quest – Winter Edition

Extra! Extra! MI Library Quest comes back this winter! Help foil a master thief set to steal a major Michigan landmark on Valentine's Day. Teens will follow the clues left on library websites from across the state, to track down the thief and bring them to justice. Any completed form will also enter the teens into a prize drawing held at local libraries. Contact milibraryquest@gmail.com for more information or fill out this form to become a participating library. Deadline to sign-up is December 11^th.

Collaborative Summer Library Program
D+I: Accessible Library Services and Library Programs with Empathy

Dec 10, 2020
11:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Are you trying to figure out how to make your library more accessible? Do you need help planning programming for children who need adaptations to use the library or to attend an event? The Collaborative Summer Reading Program's Diversity and Inclusion committee has invited Kaitlyn Hodges (Special Needs Librarian at Virginia Beach Public Library) and Kelsey Dunckle (Librarian at Harris County Public Library) to show us some of their ideas. Free training on Zoom!

Sent on behalf of the Diversity and Inclusion committee. They have room for 200 attendees, first come, first served. However, it will be recorded & available on the @CSLPreads YouTube channel. If you have any questions, please contact Committee Chair Joel Bangilan at jbangilan@gmail.com.

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76948273470?pwd=M2ExcStDR29NL3VER0Rtcm5IZGZHZz09
Meeting ID: 769 4827 3470
Passcode: zu9qGu

Resources

On the National Day of Racial Healing, individuals in organizations and communities come together to explore their common humanity and build the relationships necessary to create a more just and equitable world. The National Day of Racial Healing will be on January 19, 2021. Racial healing is a process that restores individuals and communities to wholeness, repairs the damage caused by racism and transforms societal structures into ones that affirm the inherent value of all people. Learn about opportunities to support racial healing through library programming and download a Library Action Kit: https://healourcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Designed-Website-Resources-Libraries2.0.pdf.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Libraries: Progress and Promise

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives and practices in library services have continued to grow and gain support over the past several years. However, now we need to ask ourselves, are we not only talking the talk, but walking the walk when it comes to EDI.

Are the EDI initiatives and plans we developed years ago still working? Did they ever work? Are we seeing a positive impact from these efforts in our communities? What about among our staff and ourselves personally? We must thoroughly and honestly answer these questions to keep moving forward.

Join Amigos Library Services on December 2, 2020 for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Libraries: Progress and Promise. The day's sessions will guide you on taking a closer look – both inward and outward within your library's service community – at EDI and explore what initiatives in your library have worked, ones that have not and new ones that show promise. Registration closes November 30, 2020 at 9:00am EST/8:00am CST. Register: https://www.amigos.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1416

ALSC/Candlewick Press “Light the Way” Grant

The award consists of a $3,000 grant to assist a library in conducting exemplary and replicable outreach to underserved populations through a new and innovative program or an expansion of work already being done. Applications due December 16, 2020.

In the News…

Michigan’s most vulnerable students have limited learning options during the pandemic – Chalkbeat, 11.19.20

Ready to Read MI

LM has purchased copies of PLA’s 2021 Early Literacy Activities Calendar for public libraries across Michigan, as well as the ECRR Toolkit for Serving Early Childhood Educators. Directors received the links to download on 10/2/20 via a LibPass email. If you haven’t received that resource, please message me directly from an official work email at LancasterC5@Michgian.gov. This program is supported in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Ready to Read Michigan Training Series

The Library of Michigan invites you to join “Mother Goose on the Loose,” Betsy Diamant-Cohen, as we take the Ready to Read Michigan program to a new level – with Ready to Read Michigan Parent & Early Childhood Educator workshops designed for you to host right in your own library’s community. Betsy will be presenting three virtual trainings to equip you with the information, skills, and ready-to-use tools to promote early literacy through your library.

Participants are expected to attend each training session live with access to a microphone and camera for interactive activities. Anyone who misses a session is expected to view the recording of the session before the next week’s training. Registration is for attendance of all three training sessions.

Space is limited and the training is for public library staff in Michigan, working directly with children and their caregivers.

Training I
The How, What, and Why of Early Literacy Skills
Thursday, December 3, 2020
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
Since its conception in 2018, Ready to Read Michigan has been striving to empower public library staff to engage parents and caregivers of children ages 5 and under, with the 5 Practices of Every Child Ready to Read. Join us for an introduction or a refresher on the how, what and why’s of early literacy skills and best storytelling practices.

Training II
Seedlings, Sprouts, & Bloomers: Help Your Child Grow and be Ready to Read! – Parent/Caregiver Workshops
Thursday, December 10, 2020
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET

This training will cover the new set of workshops on Ready to Read MI designed for you to present to or parents and caregivers of children ages 5 and under. The Library of Michigan encourages you to present these for your community in the coming year.

Training III
Building Early Literacy Skills through Songs, Rhymes, & Books: Ready to Read Michigan for Early Childhood Educators
Thursday, December 17, 2020
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
This training will address the important role played by Early Childhood Educators in the development of children from birth to age five, familiarizing you with tips and tools on how to conduct a two-part workshop for them at your library, using the new materials produced by Ready to Read Michigan. The Library of Michigan encourages you to present these in your community in the coming year.

Register to attend all three sessions: https://libraryofmichigan.z2systems.com/np/clients/libraryofmichigan/event.jsp?event=339.
Participants are expected to attend each training session live with access to a microphone and camera for interactive activities. Anyone who misses a session is expected to view the recording of the session before the next week’s training. Space is limited and the training is for public library staff in Michigan, working directly with children and their caregivers.

The project described was supported by the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Initiative (PDG B-5), Grant Number 90TP0002, from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of Child Care, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The next MiYouth meeting is Wednesday, December 2^nd, 1:00 PM ET. I’ll share the link and additional details next week.

Be well,

Cathy Lancaster

Youth Services Coordinator

Library of Michigan
702 W. Kalamazoo St.
Lansing, MI 48915
My Pronouns: She/Her - See www.mypronouns.org to learn more.

LancasterC5@michigan.gov | 517-335-8129 | www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan
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