As we begin the end of summer, I am sure we are all planning for next year. I hope you will reach out to me to share any ideas you would like to see as inclusive offerings.
Stay healthy and enjoy the sun,
Sherry
Resources:
-
Color blind glasses to give away! Apply by August 5th. EnChroma invites you to sign up to support International Color Blindness Awareness Month (September) to generate awareness for color blindness and its effects and promote your organization’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion. If you’re a business, school or organization you can choose to receive two pairs of EnChroma glasses — that you must agree to give away to color blind people (students, guests, staff, the public) however you wish (a drawing, someone in need — you decide). Be aware the glasses are not to keep and loan but to give away — and you must be an organization, not an individual.
-
-
Are you interested in serving ALL children in your communities? Are you wondering how you might make your spaces, programs, and services more inclusive for children with disabilities and their families? This webinar recording is a culminating product of the IMLS-funded (LG-246297-OLS-20) Services for Children of All Abilities in Libraries: An Exploration (SCALE) project. The webinar was designed to convey how libraries can be more than just welcoming for families of children with disabilities.
-
A customizable flyer (for your library programs and services) and an Inclusive Library Spaces and Programs for Young Children self-assessment are both available on the webinar recording site on YouTube.
-
-
IMLS Discretionary Grants: The Department of Public Instruction is involved as a partner in three discretionary IMLS grants. Wisconsin libraries will be engaged throughout the three year grant cycles, but will likely look different in each grant.
-
“Empowering & Innovating Games-based Library Services: National Best Practices for Gaming Collections & Programming” The project builds on an ongoing initiative by the Washington State Library to support tabletop role-playing games in jails, as well as public, tribal, and community college libraries.
-
-
Digital Inclusion and Literacy:
-
Public Library Association expands digital literacy training funding opportunity, powered by AT&T The 2024 workshop incentive will provide libraries with the funding and resources necessary to teach basic digital literacy skills using PLA’s DigitalLearn courses and training materials. This year’s incentive will support 50 large libraries with $10,000, and 50 small libraries with $5,000, with an overall goal of reaching more than 5,000 learners across the country. The just-released 2023 Public Library Technology report details the essential role of libraries and library staff in advancing digital equity and inclusion in communities of all size. The new PLA Digital Navigator Workshop Incentive will support digital navigators at public libraries utilizing DigitalLearn materials to support library patrons with ongoing, individualized guidance with their devices, connectivity, and digital skills. PLA will award 35 libraries with $4,000. Libraries must have existing digital navigators to apply.
-
Biden-Harris Administration Opens Applications for $1 Billion Digital Inclusion Grant Program The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the availability of nearly $1 billion to fund programs that ensure communities have access to devices and skills needed to fully participate in the digital world, regardless of their background or circumstances. This is the first funding opportunity from the Digital Equity Act’s $1.25 billion Competitive Grant Program and is part of the “Internet for All” initiative, a key component of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
-
-
Prison Banned Books Week: This year’s Prison Banned Books Week, happening from September 15th-21st, will focus on the rise of tablets inside. While tablets offer unprecedented access to loved ones and outside allies, they have also been used to curtail paper literature. Additionally, content on tablets is highly limited–with titles largely in the public domain, published in the nineteenth century. Accessing the content is costly, despite that, companies acquire these titles for free. ALA is calling for public library catalogs to be made available on carceral tablets. Library content is for community use and detained and incarcerated people are part of our communities. If you would like to receive a free, branded display which includes a QR code to prisonbannedbooksweek.org, a complimentary copy of Books Through Bars: Stories from the Prison Books Movement, and space for you to curate a list of titles to educate patrons on the carceral censorship or broader carceral issues please fill out this form.
Continuing Education:
-
Library Advocacy and Storymaking: The Hero’s Journey from Community to Page, UW iSchool, August 5 – September 1, 2024 (4 weeks). This course explores the impact of advocacy stories in a shifting library landscape and how to implement library advocacy through strategies that both uncover and inspire community heroes. Participants will workshop their own short library advocacy story using a storytelling model in which the library user is the central figure in the tale of how they use their library to access what they need to create the community they want.
-
Ready for Reentry, August 13, 1 pm. Individuals reentering the community from jail or prison may come to your library facing many unique challenges that impact their ability to make a smooth and effective transition into society. Learn about online resources and programs you can point to that can help them navigate the reentry journey in areas that impact them the most: housing, employment, education, healthcare and legal barriers. Helping them access these tools is an initial step in helping these individuals rebuild their lives.
-
New Title II ADA Regulations for Websites and Mobile Apps: What Libraries Need to Know, August 13, 1 pm. In April, the Department of Justice (DOJ) published a final rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure the accessibility of web content and mobile applications (apps) for people with disabilities. This final rule clarifies the obligations of state and local governments to make their websites and mobile apps accessible to people with disabilities. This new rule applies to a majority of libraries, including the 85% of libraries that are state or local government entities, as well as public school and public college libraries, state libraries, and special libraries that are state or local government entities. In this webinar, the Department of Justice (DOJ) will provide an overview of the new requirements under the final rule, exceptions, compliance deadlines, and answer pre-submitted questions. This will be a LIVE session only and will not be recorded. Attendees are encouraged to review the following DOJ Resources:
-
Telehealth 101: What libraries need to know, September 9 – October 7, 2024. Libraries in locations across the United States are beginning to offer their patrons access to telehealth services as a strategy for addressing inequities in digital access to healthcare. This NIH free class introduces telehealth, why it’s important, and how it enables people to have greater access to quality healthcare. Explore how different libraries provided patrons in their communities with access to telehealth services. This class will address privacy and ethical concerns, and review the technology and infrastructure needed to launch a successful telehealth program in your library. The class will consist of three one-hour modules.
-
Wellness in the Library Workplace, September 16 – 27, 2024. Are you a dedicated library worker who helps your community find valuable health information? While you empower others, it’s crucial to consider your well-being. The connection between individual and community well-being is undeniable. Creating a workplace that fosters employee wellness helps improve staff health and patron services. Join the NIH in this free 2-week, 4-CE class to explore strategies for enhancing your well-being and cultivating a healthy work environment.
-
The Art of Inclusive Hiring and Onboarding, Nov. 11 – Dec. 8, 2024. Delve into the process of seamlessly integrating new hires into your organization. Onboarding is more than just orientation; it’s about creating an experience that sets the stage for long-term employee success and engagement. In this UW iSchool course, we explore the theory and art behind effective onboarding practices, equipping you with the knowledge and skills to transform new hires into valuable contributors from day one. From making a great first impression with inclusive hiring practices to designing and implementing a comprehensive onboarding program, your team will have everything they need to succeed. Foster a sense of belonging, accelerate productivity, and increase retention at your library by mastering your hiring and onboarding skills.
Consumables:
Diverse Holidays in August:
August is International Peace Month and a time to reflect on the First World War. On August 16, 1926, TIME Magazine wrote: “At Rheims, martyred memorial city of World War destruction, 4,000 pacifists from 30 countries assembled last week for the Fifth International Democratic Peace Conference. Nine hundred of the delegates were young Germans, representing almost every German city. At the first session, the present month of August 1926, was proclaimed “international peace month,” the delegates voting to encamp in tents upon the onetime World War battlefields of France through Aug. 29, ‘in order to pursue an intensive study of international peace work.’”
August is also National Black Business Month, celebrating the Black-owned businesses across the country. Black business owners account for about 10 percent of U.S. businesses and about 30 percent of all minority-owned businesses. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, that amounts to approximately two million companies owned by African Americans.
August 1 – Lughnasadh/Lammas: Pagan holiday and one of eight Wiccan sabbats; occurs halfway between the summer solstice (Litha) and the fall equinox (Mabon). This holiday celebrates the grain harvest.
August 3 – Esther Day: a day of love between family and friends in honor of Esther Earl, the teenager who inspired John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars
August 9 – International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on August 9 each year to promote and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples around the world. The date commemorates the first United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations meeting in Geneva in 1982.
August 13 – Tisha B’Av: Day of mourning to commemorate many tragedies that have befallen Jewish people, many occurring on the ninth of Av (fasting and work restrictions).
August 18 – Ghost Festival: Known as Zhongyuan Festival in Taoism (also spelled Daoism) and Yulanpen Festival in Buddhism, A day when the living perform rituals to relieve the suffering of the ghosts of those who’ve died, as well as to honor parents and ancestors.
August 19 – World Humanitarian Day: This day was designated in memory of the 19 August 2003 bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killing 22 people, including the chief humanitarian in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. In 2009, the United Nations General Assembly formalized the day as World Humanitarian Day (WHD).
August 19 – Raksha Bhandhana: Also known as Raksha Bandhan, a celebration of harmony. The tying of the rakhi (woven bracelet) signifies a special bond of unity and affection between two individuals including but not limited to brothers and sisters as well as security and police officers and their communities.
August 23 – International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition: The night of 22 to 23 August 1791, in Santo Domingo (today the Dominican Republic) saw the beginning of the uprising that would play a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. It is against this background that the UNESCO International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is commemorated on 23 August each year.
August 26 – Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated over the course of 2-3 days by Hindus all over the world. During the festival, drama-dance enactments of the life of Lord Krishna is played out in ‘Krishna Lilas’. This is followed by all-night vigils with the singing of devotional songs, fasting, and a festival the following day where specially made sweets and delicacies are distributed and enjoyed by all.
August 26 – Women’s Equality Day: which commemorates the August 26, 1920, certification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that gave women the right to vote. Congresswoman Bella Abzug first introduced a proclamation for Women’s Equality Day in 1971. Since that time, every president has published a proclamation recognizing August 26 as Women’s Equality Day.
August 31 – Paryushana Parva, a Jain festival lasting about eight to ten days that are observed through meditation and fasting. Its main focus is spiritual upliftment, the pursuit of salvation, and a deeper understanding of the religion.
August 31 – International Day for the People of African Descent: The International Day for People of African Descent was celebrated for the first time in 2021. Through this Observance, the United Nations aims to promote the extraordinary contributions of the African diaspora around the world and to eliminate all forms of discrimination against people of African descent.
Sherry Anderson (she/her)
Director – Northern Waters Library Service (NWLS)
Inclusive Services Consultant for NWLS and Wisconsin Valley Library Service