Have you registered for our Virtual Institute yet? We have a bunch of great programs and speakers lined up! Some include:
Breakfast for Bill Program
“Family Matters: Sharing Generational Love in Children’s Literature” featuring Minh Lê, Siman Nuurali, Bao Phi, and Kao Kalia Yang!
General Session
“We Are Water Protectors” featuring Michaela Goade and Carole Lindstrom.
These are just two but there are many others! You can find them listed on the schedule posted on the #alsc20 website.
Educational Programs
This year, our educational programs fall under our themes of: Collaborate, Include, Innovate, and Respond. Below is a random selection of one program associated with each of these themes.
Collaborating to Create Welcoming Spaces for Children, Youth and Families
Where do you start when you want to make a change to a library space? How do you create buy-in with stakeholders who hold different knowledge and multiple perspectives? This session will present how Hennepin County Library answers these questions and include a panel of librarians, project managers and architects to answer your questions. Whether your project is large or small, you will leave with a toolbox of ideas and strategies you can use immediately.
You Look Like Me! Challenges, Strengths, and Opportunities for BIPOC Library Staff Working with Children
In a field overwhelmingly staffed by white women, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) library staff providing service to children have unique challenges, strengths, and opportunities. Panelists, representing a broad spectrum of job titles and work environments, will share their own experiences. This program is intended for BIPOC attendees, who will have opportunities to connect, share, and learn more about how to find support, pursue their own professional goals, and grow in the profession.
Virtual and Augmented Reality: Designing Immersive Learning Youth Programs
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) platforms provide immersive opportunities for children to interact with learning in new ways. How can libraries use VR and AR to enhance the learning experiences? Learn about various VR and AR programming such as virtual field trips, science experiments, coding, sports, and painting. An overview of interactive learning apps available on Oculus Go© and Merge Cubes©, and AR non-fiction options will be discussed.
Kindergarten Readiness: Fostering Well-Rounded Preschoolers
Given the higher expectations of children entering kindergarten, librarians must commit to engaging preschoolers and caregivers while simultaneously preparing them for what lies ahead. To achieve these goals, the presenters developed a plethora of programs in libraries with different demographics, budgets, and spaces. Learn how you can use their ideas to help your library’s children and families bond and learn through dramatic play and hands-on discovery, helping them to get ready for kindergarten and beyond.
This is just a very small preview of what’s to come for the 2020 Virtual Institute! This two-day event will take place October 2 – 3 and I hope you’ll join us online. Registration will close on September 30.
A big thank you to the members of our Institute Planning Task Force and ALSC’s Continuing Education Officer, Sarah Polen, for all of their hard work thus far in putting together an amazing event!