March Inclusive Services Update

by | Mar 1, 2024 | Inclusive Services

Inclusive Services
We’ve all seen the word stress so much that we may tend to ignore it. But we can’t ignore the impact of stress on our daily lives. Most of us have experienced or are experiencing a sense of being overwhelmed as if everything were too much. While stress can have serious repercussions on our health and overall well-being, sometimes, simply taking time to pause and rest the mind can be enough to feel better in the moment. This short article offers a quick way to help cope with stress. It’s a really simple breathing exercise called five-finger breathing. You may find it useful the next time you start to feel overwhelmed.
Best,
Sherry

Resources:

  • Inclusive Internship Toolkit: A practical guide for teen internships -Summer internships can be a great way to reach new audiences, develop new connections, and provide leadership opportunities for staff. If you are planning on hosting a teen intern this summer, or are curious and don’t know where to start, PLA’s Internship Toolkit is a start-to-finish guide to implementing an internship program at the library. Based on PLA’s Inclusive Internship Initiative (III), the free, downloadable toolkit includes templates, best practices, and case studies to make your program a success.
  • Period Poverty Resources at the Library: Period poverty is the lack of access to menstrual hygiene products due to financial constraints. Period poverty not only exacerbates gender inequalities but also hinders educational and economic opportunities for those affected. Learn more about period poverty and explore free, reliable resources to help you and your patrons explore facts and information about menstruation.
  • ALSC Early Childhood Programs & Services Committee Toolkit on Trauma: The toolkit aims to inform librarians and library workers who work with youth about various traumas experienced by young children, identify their impact on communities with young children, and support families, caregivers, and educators working with young children who may have experienced trauma. (Note: In this toolkit, “young children” refers to the early childhood years of birth through age 8.)
  • CCBC Choices 2024 Now Available CCBC Choices 2024 is a digital publication that recommends 238 books published in 2023 for children and teens. Each book entry includes full bibliographic citation, annotation, age recommendation, cover image, and where custom lists can be created. The publication also includes an introductory essay and a name/title index. A citation list is also available, which includes bibliographic information only. The CCBC is presenting two webinars to highlight selections from CCBC Choices 2024. The webinars will take place on March 20 and April 17. Find more information about these online opportunities, as well as other outreach events around the state, on the CCBC events calendar.
  • Libraries Transforming Communities receives $10 million in additional funding: ALA announced that it has received $10 million in support of its Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC) initiative to continue providing libraries with tools and resources to serve people with disabilities. A substantial portion of the funding, $7 million, will be distributed in grants of $10,000 and $20,000 to small and rural libraries. The next LTC call for proposals will be announced in fall 2024, and up to 300 libraries will be awarded funding. To be notified when the opportunity opens, sign up to receive ALA’s Programming Librarian e-newsletter.
  • Black Deaf Resources: Bridging Deaf Cultures (BDC) member, Joan Naturale, created an InfoGuide for the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) entitled “Black Deaf Resources”. This resource guide provides information about prominent Black Deaf people as well as historical and cultural information about the Black Deaf community in the United States.

Continuing Education:

  • Disabilities in Society, Seventeenth to Twentieth Century — An Overview for Higher Ed March 7, 1 pm:  Join us for an exploration of Gale’s newest primary source archive. Disabilities in Society, Seventeenth to Twentieth Century provides ample historical evidence demonstrating how society has interacted with and regarded individuals considered to have disabilities.
  • Viewing Eclipses Through a Cultural Lens March 12, 12 pm: Eclipses aren’t just an amazing space science event, they’re also a cultural touchpoint for people worldwide. Join STAR Net and astronomer, educator, and senior scientist at the Exploratorium Dr. Isabel Hawkins for an informative discussion of how eclipses are viewed and celebrated culturally worldwide!
  • Blue Marble Librarians: Libraries Helping Their Communities Prepare for Extreme Weather and Foster Socially and Ecologically Conscious Culture March 12, 2 pm: Join for a talk with four leading members of the Blue Marble Librarians, a Massachusetts based group of librarians focused on sustainability, environmental education, and extreme weather preparedness. Learn about the history of the group, their involvement with the Boston-based nonprofit, Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW), CREW Climate Hubs, the annual Climate Prep Week, and how to get involved with these environmental initiatives. They will also cover the impacts that climate change has on mental health. Participants will come away with concrete examples of what they can do at their own libraries to support sustainable programming, climate education, and mental health resilience as well as ways to get involved with nonprofits doing similar work.
  • Supporting Transgender Individuals: A Conversation with Ben Greene Thursday, March 14; 1 p.m. Ben Greene is a transgender advocate and educator who has spoken internationally on topics surrounding transgender inclusion. After coming out at 15 in a small town, Ben has devoted his career to spreading empathy, education, and storytelling around the trans experience and how to show up as an ally. He is a fierce advocate for transgender youth, regularly speaking in their defense at the Missouri State Capitol, and is publishing a book for parents and families of transgender youth. Contact Jamie at WVLS () for the registration link. The recording of the live training will be available for four weeks.
  • Fostering Connection: Addressing Library Employee Loneliness, A Region 6 Spotlight Speaker Webinar March 26, 2 pm: Recent headlines have proclaimed that prolonged isolation is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. National and international studies have unveiled a startling truth: 50-80% of employees grapple with loneliness in the workplace. This phenomenon transcends borders, affecting employees worldwide. In libraries, this issue manifests as an acute sense of isolation, with staff feeling disconnected both from one another and from their professional purpose. Recognizing the urgency of this concern, this session aims to explore the causes and consequences of loneliness among library staff and provide practical strategies to create a more inclusive and supportive workplace environment.
  • Trauma Sensitive Schools Spring Webinar – April 9, 9 am: Join the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin Safe and Healthy Schools Center for a FREE Trauma Sensitive Schools spring webinar featuring Alex Shevrin Venet, author of Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education! How are trauma and inequity present in our schools, and with limited time and resources, how should teachers respond? In this webinar, Alex Shevrin Venet will introduce the framework for equity-centered trauma-informed education and its guiding principles that help educators help students, especially those impacted by trauma. We’ll explore proactive priorities for transforming the school environment, as well as ways to tap into larger efforts for change. Registration: Please follow this link to register. Registration is limited to 500 participants. Contact  or  with registration questions.
  • Toward One Wisconsin 2024: A Conference on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion May 7-8, 2024 Eau Claire, WI. Conference Theme: Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers. Whether you’re just starting and overwhelmed, or you’re a leading advocate in your community, this conference will provide best practices, insights and implementation tools to help you take the next steps. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about and discuss the work of diversity, equity and inclusion, and how to move from talk to action.
  • LibsWork Meeting: RETAIN KY, February 13, 2024: Hear from Kimberly Wickert about the federal program Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN). The goal of RETAIN is to help individuals return to the workforce following an injury or illness and reap the benefits of gainful employment. Kimberly plans to discuss RETAIN Kentucky program goals, appropriate outreach to persons who have disabilities, and inclusive communication that library staff can use.

Spring UW iSchool Classes:

Consumables:

Diverse Holidays in March:

March is National Women’s History Month, celebrating the contributions and achievements women have made to American history. It’s also Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

March 1-19: Nineteen Day Fast, Sunrise to sunset fast where members of the Baháʼí Faith also pray to reinvigorate soul and bring closer to God.

March 1: St. David’s Day, is a day of parades, concerts and festivals of music, language and culture.

St David’s Day traditions include proudly pinning national Welsh emblems, the daffodil or a leek, to your lapel.

March 8: Maha Shivaratri, A celebration of the wedding night of Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati.

March 8: International Women’s Day, celebrating women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements and highlighting women’s rights.

March 10-April 9: Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim year and a holy month celebrating when Mohammad received the revelations of the Quran, spent fasting, reflecting, and praying.

March 14: Equal Pay Day, this symbolic day denotes how far into the year women must work to be paid what men were paid the previous year.

March 17: St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday celebrating the patron saint of Ireland.

March 20: Ostara, a holiday celebrating the spring equinox observed by Pagans and Wiccans.

March 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, declared by the United Nations in 1966 to honor the killing of 69 people at a demonstration against South African apartheid.

March 21: Nowruz/Norooz, Persian New Year, a day of joy, celebration and renewal. It is held annually on the spring equinox.

March 24: Purim, a Jewish holiday marking when the Jewish community in Persia was saved from genocide, celbrated by giving charity and feasting.

March 24: Palm Sunday, a Christian holiday commemorating the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It is the last Sunday of Lent and the beginning of the Holy Week.

March 25: Holi, a Hindu and Sikh spring festival celebrating spring and new beginnings with bonfires, bright colors, and feasting.

March 25: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, declared by the United Nation in 2008 to honor and remember slaves who died.

March 28: Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), the Christian holiday commemorating the Last Supper, at which Jesus and the Apostles were together for the last time before the Crucifixion. It is celebrated on the Thursday before Easter.

March 29: Good Friday, a day celebrated by Christians to commemorate the execution of Jesus by crucifixion. It is recognized on the Friday before Easter.

March 31: Easter, a holiday celebrated by Christians to recognize Jesus’ return from death after the Crucifixion.

March 31: International Transgender Day of Visibility, a time to celebrate transgender and non-binary people around the globe and acknowledge the courage it takes to live openly and authentically, as well as raising awareness around discrimination and violence that transgender people face.
Sherry Anderson (she/her)
Director – Northern Waters Library Service (NWLS)
Inclusive Services Consultant for NWLS and Wisconsin Valley Library Service