Mohawk Valley Library System

Category: Workshops & Webinars

  • Free Webinar – Calm, (Legally) Cool and Collected – Tactics for Libraries Facing Book Challenges and Collection-based Protests

    Date: Thursday, December 2, 2021
    Time: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
    Place: Online at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sXJmYi18RQOe5o2DH9Ee3w
    Presenters: Stephanie ‘Cole’ Adams

    Using applicable library ethics and law as a foundation, this practical and action-oriented session will work through the roles, responsibilities, and possible tactics of every person working at and supporting a library when a community needs to weather a content challenge, protest, and/or obscenity charges based on materials in their collection.

    90 minutes, 30 of which are reserved for participant questions.

    Attendees will receive a summary chart and template response plan to help a library facing a challenge assess and organize the possible response roles, responsibilities, and tactics to use for response.

    We invite you to submit a question for Cole – there will be a place to do that during the registration process. The deadline to submit questions is November 24th.

    WNYLRC piloted the “Ask the Lawyer” program and this session was inspired by a question sent into the service. This session is sponsored by the Empire State Library Network. If you have any questions, contact Caitlin Kenney (ckenney@wnylrc.org) or Sheryl Knab (sknab@wnylrc.org).

    Free to ESLN Members (MVLS libraries, select CDLC as your ESLN Council). Registration is required.

  • Free Webinar – Rekindling from Burnout : Lessons and Strategies for Public Library Workers

    Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2021
    Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
    Place: Online at https://infopeople.org/civicrm/event/info?id=1009&reset=1
    Presenter: Abigail Garnett, Alicia Pritchard, Lawrence Fiorelli

    Library workers provide support for patrons in distress on a regular basis. A hard and busy day might leave us depleted. Though we feel the effects of secondary trauma, we may not have the tools to describe and process the experience, leading to our own emotional distress. Without a practice of self-care and a network of support and solidarity, the stress of service work can evolve into guilt, cynicism, numbness, chronic exhaustion, and diminished creativity–legitimate responses that contribute to burnout.

    In this webinar we will discuss: Trauma exposure at the library, how our library’s “Rekindling from Burnout” project came about, and strategies & actions you can try at your library to build resiliency and networks of support. Additionally, we will share several resources created and curated by the Brooklyn Library staff.

    We consistently put in the effort and energy to make our libraries welcoming spaces that connect our communities to the resources they need. As we all recalibrate to new strictures and shift our service model accordingly, we are witness to the increasing challenges children, teens, families, adult learners, and job seekers face. An informed approach embracing a variety of self-care strategies can shift staff culture towards resilience, preventing burnout and elevating patron services.

    At the end of this one-hour webinar, participants will:

    1. Recognize and define signs of secondary trauma and burnout
    2. Receive resources to address burnout and learn strategies for self-care
    3. Brainstorm actions steps they can take at their library, either free or funded

    This webinar will be of interest to: All library staff who want to revitalize and remember why they started, learn practices for resiliency, and bring more communication skills to their work.

    Webinars are free of charge, you can pre-register by clicking on the Register Now button on the InfoPeople page. If registering with less than 30 MINUTES from the start of the webinar you can join directly from the thank you page by clicking the Join Now button. If you pre-registered you will receive an email with login link and a reminder email the day before the event. All webinars are archived for later viewing at http://infopeople.org/training/view/webinar/archived.

  • Online Training for Trustees – Trustee Handbook Book Club

    Join co-authors of the Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State Jerry Nichols and Rebekkah Smith Aldrich for this fun and informative series! Each month trustees are encouraged to read a chapter of the Trustee Handbook and send in questions that the authors will address at live events later this year. Trustees from all public library systems in New York State are welcome. Library Directors from across the state are welcome to attend as well.

    Program details can be found here. https://midhudson.org/trusteebookclub/ And, participants can submit their questions ahead of time by clicking here.

    Sessions will be held as follows:

    Tuesday, November 16, 2021 from 5:00-6:30pm: Library Board Meetings  |  Register Here

    Tuesday, December 14, 2021 from 5:00-6:30pm: Personnel  |  Register Here

    The first session, focusing on Duties and Responsibilities, was held on Tuesday, October 19. A recording of that session, along with a post-session tool kit for followup, is available here.

    Ron Kirsop, Pioneer Library System executive director, and Brian Hildreth, Southern Tier Library System executive director, will be co-moderating these events.

  • CLSP Summer Symposium

    Date: Thursday, December 02, 2021
    Time: 11:30 AM – 4:30 PM
    Place: Online at https://www.cslpreads.org/summer-symposium/
    Cost: Free

    Save the date for the first annual CLSP Summer Symposium! If you or your staff are interested in programming ideas, outreach and partnerships, or promotion and marketing of your library’s summer programming, then this day is for you! Sign up at the link above.

  • Free Webinar – Storywalks® for the Win-Win-Win : Programming, Partnerships, Pandemic Friendly

    Date: Tuesday, November 09, 2021
    Time: 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
    Place: Online at https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/webinars/index.html
    Presenter: Mary Fellow, Upper Hudson Library System; Lorie Brown, Southern Tier Library System

    StoryWalks® are the perfect social-distancing outdoor literacy experience! In this webinar, you’ll learn:

    • Options for producing a StoryWalk® and their associated costs
    • Finding StoryWalk® partners and thinking creatively about locations
    • How to choose the best titles for StoryWalks® (and why some great picture books aren’t good StoryWalk® choices)
    • Essentials of StoryWalk® production & presentation
    • Not just for kids: StoryWalks® for different age groups