Category: Community Forum

Community Forum

How to Host Your Own “Political Party” (and Inspire Civic Engagement)

| Guest Contributor|1 Comment
We the Voters image

As we try to navigate the constant flow of political news and information (and misinformation) that seems to be taking over all of our screens and our lives these days, it can often feel overwhelming and isolating. How did our country become so politically polarized? How can we better understand our democratic process? How can we talk about these issues with each other in a productive, nonpartisan way? And how can libraries help us stay civically engaged and informed?

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Blogger Nina Lindsay

Open Forum on Diversity, Inclusion, and Our Work, Post-Election

| Nina Lindsay|4 Comments
Because the World Is At Their Fingertips and the World Can Be a Scary Place

It has been a tumultuous week for all of us who work to create a better future for children through libraries. We know, from the responses to the Unity. Kindness. Peace. booklist shared last week that you are stepping up to support your community in the face of violence witnessed or enacted, and in response to fear, trauma, and confusion.  And we know that we as librarians, and as ALSC, have much more to do. Our work as an organization must firmly defend the rights of all children and forge paths to equity for marginalized communities.

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Blogger Dan Bostrom

Join the ALSC Community Forum on Summer Reading & Learning

| Dan Bostrom|Leave a comment

The ALSC Board of Directors and ALSC President Andrew Medlar will be hosting an ALSC Community Forum live chat on the topic of summer reading & learning. This forum will include a live text discussion with the newly appointed ALSC Summer Reading & Learning Task Force. Join us to discuss how libraries across the country are finding new and engaging ways to keep kids reading and learning in their communities and explore ways in which ALSC can help assist members in their work. ALSC’s next forum will be held on Thursday, February 25, 2016 at: 2pm Eastern 1pm Central 12pm Mountain 11am Pacific Members are invited to check out the National Summer Learning Association’s new Summer Learning Policy Snapshot in preparation for this discussion. Accessing the Forum ALSC Community Forums take place on Adobe Connect. A few days prior to the event, ALSC members will receive an email with a…

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Blogger Dan Bostrom

Participate in the Next ALSC Community Forum

| Dan Bostrom|1 Comment

The ALSC Board of Directors and ALSC President Andrew Medlar will be hosting an ALSC Community Forum live chat on the freshly updated ALSC Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries. Join us to discover how these recommended professional standards, newly revised to reflect our ever-evolving field while honoring our best traditions, can support you and your colleagues in providing the best service possible to the kids in your community. This event will be co-hosted by the ALSC Education Committee. ALSC’s next forum will be held on Monday, November 9, 2015 at: 2pm Eastern 1pm Central 12pm Mountain 11am Pacific Members are invited to logon to learn more about the revised competencies and to discuss their implications on the field. Accessing the Forum ALSC Community Forums take place on Adobe Connect. A few days prior to the event, ALSC members will receive an email with a URL link to…

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Blogger Dan Bostrom

Next ALSC Community Forum, Tues., June 2nd

| Dan Bostrom|Leave a comment

ALSC members are invited to the next ALSC Community Forum! The ALSC Board of Directors and ALSC President Ellen Riordan will be hosting an ALSC Community Forum live chat on the topic of media mentorship. ALSC’s next forum will be held on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 2pm Eastern/1pm Central and will also serve as a virtual release party for the new Media Mentorship in Libraries Serving Youth white paper. Members are invited to logon to learn more about the paper, discuss its implications on the field, and share experiences as media mentors in their own communities. Accessing the Forum ALSC Community Forums take place on Adobe Connect. A few days prior to the event, ALSC members will receive an email with a URL link to the forum. You can also find a direct link to the forum from the Community Forum site. Questions? Contact ALSC Membership and Marketing Manager,…

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Blogger Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers committee

Professional Development Opportunities for Serving Special Populations

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Earlier this week ALSC held an online forum to continue the Day of Diversity conversation from Midwinter. I chair the committee, Library Services to Special Population Children and Their Caregivers, so I thought about the conversation in terms of special populations served by our libraries. “Special populations” is rather weird terminology (“underrepresented” may be a better term). What is considered a special population really depends on each library’s community. A special population in Richmond, CA may not be a special population in Nashville, TN. Even within a city, special populations may vary from branch to branch. Forum attendees generated lots of suggestions about how to make our libraries more diverse, welcoming places for everyone in the community. This is a huge task – one that requires ongoing assessment to learn who is underrepresented in your community and at your library, one that requires ongoing training of library employees. To this end, I searched…

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Blogger Dan Bostrom

Participate in the next ALSC Community Forum

| Dan Bostrom|Leave a comment

The ALSC Board of Directors and ALSC President Starr LaTronica will be hosting two ALSC Community Forum live chats on the topic of the topic of adding STEAM to your Summer Reading Program. The forum will include live audio from ALSC President Starr LaTronica followed by a discussion led by the School Age Programs and Services Committee. ALSC members are invited to attend to discuss these topics and what their libraries are doing to meet these needs. Your two opportunities to join in the discussion are: Monday, April 28 at 11 am EST Wednesday, April 30 at 3 pm EST ALSC Community Forums take place on Adobe Connect. Later this week, ALSC members will receive an email with a URL link to the forum. Visit the ALSC website for more information about using Adobe Connect. There are also links to previous ALSC Community Forums chats. Questions? Contact Dan Bostrom or…

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