August 12, 2021 As COVID-19 cases increase across Alaska, youth services librarians are re-evaluating how they will deliver children’s programming this fall. During this chat, nurse practitioners from the Juneau Public Health Center shared information on the risk the COVID-19 virus poses to children, described common symptoms of the Delta variant and health precautions libraries should follow. Kari Petersen, Program Coordinator for the Petersburg Public Library shared information on the alternative children’s programming her library has been offering.
Guest presenters: Elaine Hickey, Public Health Nurse II, Sabrina Meredith, Public Health Nurse II and Kari Petersen, Program Coordinator for the Petersburg Public Library

September 9, 2020 Public libraries have a long history of supporting homeschooling families, who are often heavy users of community resources and develop close associations with local libraries. Homeschooling was growing in popularity prior to the COVID 19 pandemic. According to statistics from the US Department of Education the homeschool population has doubled from 1 to 2 million in the last decade. The pandemic has led to large increase in the number of families choosing to homeschool their children. During this webinar, we will discuss how public libraries can support homeschooling families.
Guest presenters: Janet Madsen, School Library Consultant for the Alaska State Library & Samantha Blanquart, Early Literacy Outreach Coordinator

September 8, 2020 These kits are circulating, reusable kits you can add to your collection with STEM and discovery items and books and other materials. During this webinar librarians from across Alaska shared their experience with these kits, how they financed them, and how they’re using them in their communities.
Panelist include:

• Elizabeth Moreau Nicolai, Anchorage Public Libraries
• Ani Thomas, Kodiak Public Library
• James Adcox, Kenai Community Library
• Amanda Lyons, Seward Community Library & Museum

August 12, 2020 As children’s librarians, we offer storytime and other preschool programs to our patrons and are key partners with parents, caregivers, and teachers to help children become prepared for school and learn to read. During this webinar, participants learned about ways to engage caregivers in their storytime and to encourage caregivers to continue to support their child at home to master the early literacy components that children need to become successful readers.

June 22, 2020 A panel of Youth Services Librarians comprised of: Claudia Haines, Homer Public Library, Elizabeth Nicolai, Anchorage Public Libraries and Susan Jones, Fairbanks North Star Borough Library shared their library philosophy of evaluation and practices.

Supplementary Materials:

• Slides: Youth Services: Programming, Evaluation, & Reporting [Powerpoint, 1 MB]
• Slides: Youth Services: Programming, Evaluation, & Reporting [PDF, 739 Kb]

April 8, 2020 Many children do not have the opportunity to attend formal early childhood programming and families in our community rely on the library as a safe, welcoming space for their children to play and to encounter books. Even small libraries should have some kind of early literacy play space in their library. During this webinar, you can learn some tips and techniques to maximize the space that you have available to create a place where families can read, sing, play, talk, and write together.

February 12, 2020 As children’s librarians, we offer storytime and other preschool programs to our patrons and are key partners with parents, caregivers, and teachers to help children become prepared for school and learn to read. During this webinar, participants learned about intentionality and how using storytime books, songs, and other literacy activities intentionally will support the early literacy components that children need to master to become successful readers.

• Early LIteracy Planning Toolkit [PDF, 695 Kb]
• Early Literacy Planning Tool Worksheet [Word, 579 Kb]

April 25, 2019 In 2018, the Anchorage Daily News reported that "Alaska students’ math and reading test scores below national average on ‘nation’s report card’." During this webinar Janet Madsen, Alaska State Library School Library Consultant, Julie Niederhauser, Alaska State Library Public Library Coordinator, Anne Morgester, Library Supervisor for the Anchorage School District, and Elizabeth Nicolai, Youth Services Coordinator for the Anchorage Public Library discuss how libraries can respond, where barriers to student learning occur and where the opportunities exist.

Supplementary Materials:

• Slides: Barriers to Learning [PDF, 991 Kb]
• Email Ann Morgester for her "Library Cards for All" slides