CE NEWS

April 12, 2019

Table of Contents

• April is National Poetry Month!  
• Haines Fish Trivia Program
• Civic Engagement and Libraries
• Webinars You Don’t Want to Miss
• Out of This World Summer Reading Resources
• STAR Net Library Webinars

National Poetry Week Poster for 2019

April is National Poetry Month!

In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Library of Congress has added 50 newly digitized recordings to the online Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature which was created in 1943 and contains nearly two thousand recordings of poets and prose writers.

The Academy of American Poets is encouraging everyone in the United States to participate in Poem in your Pocket Day on April 18^th by selecting a poem, carrying it with you and sharing it with others at grocery stores, in libraries, at work or anywhere.

A selection of poems and suggestions for celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day is available from the Poem in Your Day PDF   

Fish Trivia

The Haines Public Library’s Fish Trivia program is slippery, slimy, fishy fun!

Jolanta Ryan, Education Coordinator for the Haines Public Library shared the following information about their fun Fish Trivia Program. The Haines Public Library partners with the local watershed council and they bring in sea creatures once a week during lunchtime so children may learn about them, touch them and sample seafood. Each week there is also an opportunity for children to answer trivia questions about the sea creatures and one student a week wins a prize.    

Civic Engagement and Libraries

Public libraries have a role in advancing civic engagement in the communities they serve.  The Urban Libraries Council Leadership Brief: Libraries Leading Civic Engagement describes why libraries need to be intentional in this area.

"Civic engagement is a cornerstone of democratic society representing promise, opportunity and responsibility. During these increasingly fractious times, strengthening the foundations of civic engagement-volunteering, voting, participating in civic and social organizations and engaging in activities that strengthen community an seek common ground-is particularly important. Promoting and supporting successful civic engagement requires deliberate, consistent and purposeful outreach to:

• Encourage people to contribute to their communities in meaningful, productive and sustained ways
• Create an environment in which people of all ages and from all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds feel they have a voice, a role and a valued place in their communities
• Build capacity to tackle challenging or controversial issues, heal community wounds when needed and embrace community change
• Strengthen democracy and build strong communities. "

Civic commons are spaces where people of difference backgrounds and beliefs can come together, exchange ideas and learn about one another. Public libraries serve as a civic commons by partnering with other local organizations to host community forums in the library,  where community members can identify and discuss local topics of concern. Information on public deliberation process can be found on the series of four recorded webinars available from the Programming Libraries website, Convening/Moderating Forums @ your library.   

A Handbook for Deliberative Community Forums prepared for the City of Pittsburgh by The Program for Deliberative Democracy, Carnegie Mellon University and The Art of Democracy includes information on setting an agenda for the forum, developing briefing materials and surveys, recruiting resource panelists, participants and recruiting and training moderators, developing a plan for analysis and sharing the results. 

The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation's Resource Guide on Public Engagement contains resources to get you started, examples of collaborations that work, the core principles for public engagement, and goals of dialogue and deliberation. For more information visit the American Library Association Center for Civic Life which includes an extensive list of links to resources and training materials.

Webinars You Don’t Want to Miss

• AnyAbility: Serving Adults with Disabilities

             Tuesday, April 16, 2019 10:30

• The Power of Small: How Rural Libraries Help Their Communities Thrive

             Thursday, April 18, 2019 11:00 am

• Helping Children Succeed Through Family Engagement 

             Tuesday, April 23, 10:00 am

• Addressing Alaska Student Reading Scores through School and Community Collaboration

             Wednesday, April 24, 2019 3:00 pm

Out of This World Summer Reading Resources

The following STEM and space theme resources from the STAR Net Library will be of interest to librarians creating summer reading programs around the "Universe of Stories" theme.

• Clearinghouse "Universe of Stories" Collection
• STEM in Libraries
• Hands-on Fun with STAR Net
• Out-of-this-World Activities

STAR Net Library Webinars

•  Exploring Lunar Phases: How Your Library Can Support Science Learning – April 23, 2019 at 1:00 pm   

 Explore lunar phases through hands-on activities and discussion! The moon has held our imaginations captive and sparked our curiosity since prehistoric times. Its changing appearance influences calendars, myths, and cultures around the world. 

• Mars in May-May 2, 2019 at 12:00 PM

 With summer right around the corner, this webinar will showcase several hands-on STEM activities about Earth’s red neighbor. Join the STAR Net team to discuss programming ideas, NASA resources, and, of course, fun, hands-on STEM activities that will surely be a crowd-pleaser at your library.  
 

 Visit the CE Calendar for a complete listing of free webinars and training events.