Mohawk Valley Library System

Category: Teen Services

  • Free Webinar – Creating Accessible Digital Content

    Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2023
    Time: 12:30 PM – 1:15 PM
    Place: Online at https://nyslibrary.libcal.com/event/10288264
    Presenter: Sarah McFadden & Al Oliveras
    Cost: Free

    Please plan to join us for the next online Summer Reading Lunch & Learn session scheduled for Thursday, March 23 on “Creating Accessible Digital Content.”

    Accessibility is especially important as you plan for Summer Reading programs and other events, and create promotional materials to share information within your communities and library networks.  You want to make sure the content is inclusive and accessible for ALL members of your community!

    This session will cover the basics of web accessibility and some simple practices for creating accessible digital content across the library organization, with an emphasis on creating inclusive and accessible materials to support Summer Reading at your library.

    Presenters are Sarah McFadden and Al Oliveras, of the New York State Library Digital Services Unit.

    The program will be recorded and available for future viewing.  Questions?? Contact Sharon Phillips at nyslyouth@nysed.gov

     

  • YSS Spring Conference

    The 2023 YSS Spring Conference will be held in Lake George at the Courtyard Marriott on Friday, April 28th.  We hope you’ll join us at the “Queen of American Lakes” for a great line-up of speakers, workshops, and networking opportunities. The event features a full day of programming for those working in youth and teen services. 

    Highlights include the keynote address by Alex Gino, breakout sessions on a wide variety of topics, a luncheon with Chris Grabenstein, and a Space Science Institute Preconference Workshop (the eclipse is coming!).  It’s a great opportunity to network with staff from area libraries and to come away with some new ideas from your colleagues across the state!

    Check out the link below for the brochure and registration details.  Early bird registration rates end on March 17.

    https://www.nyla.org/2023-yss-spring-conference/

  • Grant Opportunity – ALA Great Stories Club

    The ALA Great Stories Club is a thematic reading and discussion program that engages teens facing difficult challenges through literature-based library outreach programs. Applicants may choose to apply for one of the following themes: “Deeper Than Our Skins: The Present is a Conversation with the Past” and “Finding Your Voice.”  The grant themes explore questions of race, equity, identity, and history. Implementation is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Up to 50 libraries will be selected to receive a “Deeper Than Our Skins” grant, and up to 50 libraries will be selected to receive a “Finding Your Voice” grant.

    Participating libraries will work with small groups of approximately 10 teens; provide up to four theme-related books for each participant to keep as their own; and convene opportunities for exploration and discussion of relevant humanities content among peers. Book discussions will be led by an experienced programming librarian, often in cooperation with staff from a partner organization or department, such as teachers and counselors.

    Grantee benefits include 11 paperback copies of up to four books on the reading list; a programming grant of up to $500; a virtual orientation training workshop for library project directors; and additional resources, training, and support from ALA’s Public Programs Office. For more details, visit the website: https://www.ala.org/tools/programming/greatstories/apply. Applications are accepted from January 18 — March 15, 2023.

  • Grant Opportunity – WGY Christmas Wish

    WGY Christmas Wish benefits children 19 years and under in the Capital Region and Great Northeast. A special emphasis is given to critical care services and recreational programs for ill, underprivileged and homeless children. WGY Christmas Wish looks to benefit children directly.

    If you are a not-for-profit, tax-exempt children’s organization, you can request funding by filling out a Christmas Wish Application. To be considered for this year’s allocation, the application form must be submitted by January 31, 2023.

  • Free Webinar – Cultivating Affirmation & Belonging for LGBTQIA+ Youth with the Kaleidoscope Youth Center

    Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2022
    Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
    Place: Online at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_U8NQW1wcSdy1HxWJv3kl5g
    Presenter: Amanda Erickson, Kaleidoscope Youth Center in Columbus, Ohio
    Cost: Free

    The Collaborative Summer Library Program’s Inclusion Committee is proud to share their 2022 annual online training session.

    Examine statistics related to discrimination within libraries/schools and risks that LGBTQIA+ youth face on a day-to-day basis in their communities, then discuss ways that library professionals can improve the general climate of libraries and summer reading programs through various strategies from simple word choice to organizational policy change. An interactive safe space for all your questions will be moderated by a CSLP Inclusion Committee member following the presentation portion. Digital resource handouts will be provided.

    Outcomes:

    • Participants will learn about implicit bias, the complexity and depth of gender, and explanation of acronyms.
    • Participants will be given strategies to create a welcoming environment in their Library and their Library’s summer reading program for LGBTQIA+ youth.