Mohawk Valley Library System

Category: Workshops & Webinars

  • Free Webinar Series – Crisis Communications for Nonprofits

    Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 AND Tuesday, May 19, 2020
    Time: 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM on May 12, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM on May 19
    Place: Online at https://tinyurl.com/y8p8wm4t
    Presenters: Michael Meath
    Cost: Free for ESLN (CDLC) members but registration REQUIRED and includes both parts

    Description:

    Crisis communications consultant and interim chair at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University Michael Meath will lead a two-part online workshop designed to provide participants with a simple formula to follow to help preerve their organization’s reputation during its most critical hours.

    The world of crisis communications has changed dramatically. People no longer wait for organizations to put together lengthy responses that explain and justify their actions. At the same time, without thoughtful, careful responses a crisis can grow worse with great velocity. “Crisis Communications for Nonprofits” will give organizations an actionable plan to properly and appropriately handle the unexpected.
    Learning Objectives:

    1. Discuss the circumstances and situations that can create a crisis or sensitive situation;

    2. Explain the techniques and processes that help mitigate crises situations, provide the proper level of engagement by the organization, and help its leadership communicate effectively at a critical time;

    3. Describe organization preparedness, approach, response during a crisis, and modified behavior following crisis situations;

    4. Explain the role and power of social media during a crisis; and

    5. Discuss the key approaches to effectively managing the news media during sensitive situations.

  • Free Webinar – Productivity 101

    Date: Thursday, May 14, 2020
    Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
    Place: Online at https://scrlc.org/events/view/6170?view=1
    Presenters: Jill Hurst-Wahl
    Cost: Free

    Productivity. It’s important, but we often struggle with how to stay organized so that we are productive. We struggle with email, time management, and managing workloads. We want to delegate tasks, and even say “no” to some, but we struggle with the best way of doing that. In this interactive webinar, you will learn and use methods for these areas, and become more productive. Both paper and digital methods will be discussed.

    Learning Objectives: After this webinar, participants will be able to:

    • Use effective techniques for organizing tasks across days, weeks, and months.
    • Adopt methods for staying on track and getting the correct tasks done, at the right time.
    • Create communication guidelines that will make email less burdensome, and a more effective tool.
    • Delegate tasks so that the responsible parties can undertake them without intervention.
    • Say “no” to tasks, when “no” is the correct answer.

    This webinar will be of interest to: All library staff.

  • Free Webinar – How Foundations and Friends Can Support Their Libraries During COVID-19

    Date: Thursday, May 07, 2020
    Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
    Place: Online at https://ala-events.zoom.us/webinar/register/4715863641127/WN_FMuwzLQPRi2YE-TRgPzcwQ.
    Presenters: Jonna Ward, Michelle Jeske, Nanci Morrison, Karen Pierce
    Cost: Free

    The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact on public library budgets and spending. How can library Foundations and Friends of the Library groups best support their libraries during this time? Hear from library directors, a library Foundation director, and a Friends Board President on how their organization’s priorities are shifting, and what initiatives they are planning to meet their library’s changing needs.

    Registration is open and free to all regardless of United for Libraries membership. Register for the webinar at https://ala-events.zoom.us/webinar/register/4715863641127/WN_FMuwzLQPRi2YE-TRgPzcwQ. Can’t join live? Register anyway and you will receive a link to the recording.

    Jonna Ward joined the Seattle Public Library Foundation in 2001 and is the CEO. During her leadership, the Foundation has grown to be the largest public library foundation in the country based on assets under management. She is the co-founder of the International Public Library Fundraising Conference and creator of the #LibraryGivingDay concept.

    Michelle Jeske is the Denver City Librarian, head of the 26-location urban library system with more than 4.4 million annual visitors. Prior to the Denver Public Library, Jeske worked for the TLC CARL Corporation, San Antonio Public Library and New York Public Library. Michelle serves on the Public Library Association (PLA) Board of Directors and is currently the PLA President-Elect.

    Nanci Morrison is President of the Board of the Friends of the Palm Springs (Calif.) Library. She joined the Board in 2012, became Secretary in 2014, added Vice president in 2016, and became President in 2018. 

    Karen Pierce is Director of Slippery Rock (Pa.) Community Library and has more than 13 years of experience in rural and small library development. The Slippery Rock Community Library Friends Group has twice won the Friends Group of the Year award from Pennsylvania Citizens for Better Libraries.

    United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, is a division of the American Library Association with approximately 4,000 personal and group members representing hundreds of thousands of library supporters. United for Libraries supports those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries, and brings together library trustees, advocates, friends, and foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. To join, please visit www.ala.org/united or call (800) 545-2433, ext. 2161.

  • Free Webinar – Welcoming Generation Z to our Libraries

    Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2020
    Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
    Place: Online at https://infopeople.org/civicrm/event/info?id=900&reset=1
    Presenters: Lauren Hayes
    Cost: Free

    How much do you know about Generation Z? Born between 1997 and 2012, Generation Z is starting to come of age. Researchers are identifying defining traits of this generation that have a direct impact on library services and programming. In this session, the presenter will share research findings on Generation Z and then apply the findings to the work we do in the library so that we meet the needs of this new group of young people.

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

    • Be able to identify characteristics of Generation Z.
    • Be able to adjust current resources and services for Generation Z.
    • Be able to create new resources and services for Generation Z.

    This webinar will be of interest to: All librarians and library staff. Specifically, teen librarians and library managers will benefit from understanding Generation Z.

    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.

  • Free Online Mini-Conference : Libraries Stepping Up! Serving the Needs of Communities in Crisis

    Date: Thursday, March 26, 2020
    Time: 1:00 PM – 6:30 PM (4 1-hour sessions with 1/2-hour breaks)
    Place: Online at https://library20.com/page/crisis
    Presenters: Panel listed below
    Cost: Free (just need to join Library 2.0 – also free)

    This special pandemic mini-conference features 4 1-hour sessions… join one or join them all. Topics are:

    1. Self-Care During a Crisis : Breathe, Think and Grow
      1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
      As libraries deal with the global crisis of 2020, staff have many difficult choices to handle every day. From deciding whether to stay open to managing the constant flow of information, the work can be all-consuming. In this webinar, we will talk about how to take time out of your day to focus on yourself and to nourish your own growth.

      Participants will:

      • Learn methods and exercises for staying in the moment and remaining mindful while dealing with stress and uncertainty
      • Spend time discussing their challenges and how they are working to handle them, while planning mindfully for the future
      • Focus on healthy self-care activities

    2. Why and How to Promote your Online Services During the Quarantine
      2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
      We are certainly “living in interesting times” … and working in them too. Even if your building is closed, your library is still offering services—but are you telling people that?

      While it’s tempting to look at these pandemic-related closures as much-needed downtime, librarians don’t have that luxury. People still need you. In fact, people who haven’t used libraries in years need your boredom-breaking services and your long-trusted guidance, too. So it’s vital to keep marketing your libraries now, for three reasons: 1) telling people what’s available online and how to get it; 2) being the trusted source of info that people expect; and 3) proving your value to retain funding after the crisis.

      In this webinar, specially created to help your library be as useful as possible during the current Coronavirus pandemic, library marketing maven Kathy Dempsey will share her best advice on these topics:

      • Working at home (Dempsey has worked at home for 10 years)
      • Turning today’s chaos into a Crisis Communications Plan in the near future
      • Exactly what services and products to promote (some might surprise you)
      • How to get the word out, beyond your own social media followers
      • How to approach messaging in trying times
      • Why today’s promotion will help secure next year’s library funding
      • Why to scratch out mini marketing plans to make your work effective
      • Resources for self-care and for social sharing

        In a time where everyone is inundated with information, the world still needs their librarians and librarians. The “new normal” will likely have super-tight budgets, so proving how essential you are during this crisis may well determine whether your organization survives the virus.

    3. Serving Patrons in a Crisis
      4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
      Helping people make decisions based on facts and evidence is what libraries of all types do everyday. With libraries closing to the public and reducing services because of COVID-19, how can we continue to provide the facts in this fast-paced changing environment? And how can libraries provide the services that their communities will need to remain vital to the health and welfare of their communities?

      This interactive and informative webinar will help attendees find the latest resources and information available to help them serve their patrons and communities, as well as looking into how libraries are responding to community needs of today and will focus on the work ahead as we shape the future of library services after the pandemic passes.

    4. Preparing your Digital Branch for Increased Use
      5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
      As libraries engage in social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are placing new emphasis on our online services. Is your organization ready?

      In this interactive and Informative program, we will discuss how to prepare your digital branch for an influx of users, and examine best practices for virtual reference and digital collections as you work to meet your community’s needs.