Search results: 5

Active Learning and Community Discovery

Format: Self-paced Course
Developed by: WebJunction, in collaboration with Project for Public Spaces (PPS)
Length: includes 1.5 hours of recorded instruction, plus 5-6 hours of reading and assignments; the community discovery process is open-ended but plan on 1-2 months to make meaningful use of the community engagement tools.

Overview: introduces the concepts of active learning and placemaking, and the tools and process for community discovery

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Recognize the shift in the library’s role in its community
  • Define the key characteristics of active learning in a library setting
  • Recognize effective strategies for authentic community discovery of community needs and interests
  • Use community data sources to describe community and identify target audiences of discovery
  • Utilize appropriate tools, methodologies, strategies to conduct community discovery activities related specifically to active learning opportunities at the library
  • Recognize the value and potential contributions from partners and volunteers

Lead Course Developer: Betha Gutsche

Category: Making Space for Active Learning in Your Library

Bridgebuilding: Fostering Community Engagement and Dialogue

Format: Webinar, original date September 14, 2023
Hosted by: WebJunction
Length: 1 hour

Bridgebuilding is an approach for promoting engagement and dialog between groups of people with different perspectives and experiences. Recognizing libraries as trusted community spaces, IREX, in collaboration with Shamichael Hallman and with support from More Perfect, created the Bridgebuilding Resource Hub to support and enhance the bridgebuilding capabilities of public libraries, to help combat rising levels of distrust and division in our communities. Join this webinar to learn about the free tools in the Bridgebuilding Resource Hub, including methods for both conducting bridging activities and programs, and for measuring their effectiveness. Public library staff who have offered programs will share their experiences, the partners that they worked with, and what they learned. 

Presented by: Tara Susman-Peña, Shamichael Hallman, Matt McLain, and Seth Smith

Category: Programming

Engaging Beyond Our Walls: Libraries Connecting Communities through Outdoor Games and Stories

Format: Webinar, original date September 26, 2024
Hosted by: WebJunction
Length: 1 hour

Discover how libraries across the country are creating their own outdoor games and interactive stories that showcase local history, landmarks, and voices. These playful activities, often designed by library staff, include texting with murals, audio tours by Black feminist historians, ghost scavenger hunts, and "I spy" quests for architecture and culture. These low-tech creations are part of a national project, Engaging Beyond Our Walls, which aims to connect libraries with their communities in innovative ways. Learn how over 50 towns and cities have already joined in, using free templates and training from the Playful City Lab of American University and the DC Public Library. Find out how these do-it-yourself tools can help libraries of all sizes tell their own stories and build stronger places. Whether you're looking for a small or big project, this webinar will provide you with inspiration, resources, and real outcomes that can catalyze community engagement.

Presented by: Benjamin Stokes and David Quick

Category: Programming

Libraries Count

Format: Self-paced course
Developed by: WebJunction and the Libraries Count team
Length: 8 hours

Libraries Count is designed to empower library staff to infuse early math content into library settings, especially with young children and their families from diverse backgrounds. This course contains 10 modules, beginning with the what and why of early math; equity, diversity, inclusion, and access (EDIA); and working with families. Then on to specific math content areas of numbers, geometry, measurement, operations, and patterns. As you go along, there are opportunities to reflect on and share your knowledge to the early math conversation. 

Learning Objectives
After successfully completing this course, you will be able to:

  • Evaluate your own relationship to math.
  • Identify key topics in early math and related skills that develop in young children ages 3-5.
  • Recognize that early math learning opportunities happen anywhere, any time, and are for anyone.
  • Evaluate how the concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and social justice can be integrated into library staff’s efforts to support early math programming for young children and their families.
  • Identify ways to enhance family engagement to create equitable early math activities for patrons who are underserved.
  • Describe 5 ways to embed or enhance the early math in your children’s library programs.

Promoting Voter and Civic Engagement at Your Library

webinar iconFormat: Webinar, original date June 6, 2023
Hosted by: WebJunction
Length: 1 hour

National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) is a nonpartisan civic holiday aimed at creating awareness of voter registration opportunities for those who may not otherwise register. Libraries can play a crucial role in promoting voter engagement and education by providing registration forms, hosting candidate events, and offering resources such as voter guides and sample ballots. Libraries can also serve as community hubs for voter engagement activities, bringing together local organizations and elected officials to promote voter participation. Join this webinar to learn about the types of resources and services your library can provide to support voter registration and civic engagement. By participating in NVRD, libraries of all sizes and types can help ensure that all citizens have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote and participate fully in our democracy.

Presented by: Kian Flynn, Lynda Reynolds, Lauren Clossey, and Anna Snyder

Category: Outreach