New (and not so new) librarians often struggle with outreach and community engagement. Even when it’s taught in LIS programs, it does not always come with real, hands-on experience developing and maintaining partnerships. This isn’t surprising since building relationships in communities takes time and trust and can’t be rushed to fit a fifteen week semester. Through their own research and practice, LIS faculty can build a network of community connections for students to tap into during their time in graduate school. LIS faculty may have existing partnerships with schools, including day cares and Head Start programs, museums and cultural institutions, afterschool and recreation providers, and clinics and social services agencies, all possible sites for experiential learning. One way to help graduate LIS students engage with community-based library services is through an internship. For the fall 2024 semester, Queens College GSLIS student Gena Mizzi and her faculty mentor Dr. Vikki Terrile…
Tag: homelessness
November is National Homelessness Awareness Month
While the numbers vary widely depending on the definitions being used to count, over 1.2 million school-aged children were identified as experiencing homelessness during the 2021-2022 school year. Hundreds of thousands more very young children also experience homelessness every year. These numbers are not improving; recent news headlines from around the U.S., in big cities, small towns, and everywhere in between, are reporting record numbers of children and families experiencing homelessness.
An Interview with Rex Ogle
Last month, the Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers Committee (LSUCTC) rolled out its second toolkit page for children’s librarians. This page was devoted to providing programs and services for children facing homelessness and/or financial insecurity. Author Rex Ogle, who wrote the debut memoir Free Lunch about his experiences with poverty during childhood, offered a few additions to our toolkit. We invited him to chat with us about how librarians can help children in this often overlooked population.
New Toolkit to Help Youth Experiencing Financial Insecurity and Homelessness
The Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers (LSUCTC) committee is devoting the 2020-2021 calendar year to creating a vibrant, dynamic toolkit that provides ALSC members with up-to-date resources for working with marginalized populations. Each toolkit page will provide professional and leisure reading recommendations, support for programming, and materials for families. As dynamic documents, these pages will continue to grow and develop as we find new resources, share our experiences, and continue to learn. October’s LSUCTC Toolkit focuses on youth and families experiencing homelessness and financial insecurity. One national estimate concluded that the number of public school children in grades pre-kindergarten through 12th who experienced homelessness during the 2017-2018 school year was a staggering 1.5 million (source: National Overview from the National Center for Homeless Education). With the current instability brought about by the pandemic, it seems reasonable to assume these numbers have increased. Youth experiencing homelessness may try…