Free, online, continuing education events for the week of February 4 from the Wyoming State Library Training Calendar. Descriptions are below. You can subscribe and view the events in your calendar software, or you can find all the events at library.wyo.gov/services/training/calendar.
All times MST
Tuesday, Feb 5 (10-11 am)
Diversity in Comics (Utah State Library)
“Diversity in Comics” Amanda Jacobs Foust (Douglas County Libraries), a longtime graphic novel selector and the co-host and producer of the In the Library with a Comic Book podcast presents a unique opportunity for librarians working in any environment to learn about next-level graphic novel collection development, with a special emphasis on building a diverse collections. Amanda will share her collection development best practices, favorite resources, and philosophical approach to building and curating a diverse graphic novel collection. Everyone who works with graphic novels in their library or wants to learn more about these wildly popular materials will have something to gain from this webinar. In this interactive and informative webinar, we will cover: Current state of diversity in publishing Why we need diverse comics Publishing trends and change in comics.
Tuesday, Feb 5 (10-11 am)
Fake News (Washington State Library)
Are you seeing a growing need in your community for better information literacy, especially when it comes to discerning online news? Join Di Zhang, Adult Services Librarian at The Seattle Public Library, to learn about resources and best practices for engaging students and community members around media literacy, and how to develop curriculum resources to teach about fake news.
Tuesday, Feb 5 (12-1 pm)
Library Volunteers: Tapping into Community Engagement (State Library of Iowa)
Volunteerism is changing. Libraries now have the opportunity to engage highly skilled volunteers who can bring unique their expertise to bear on the library’s mission. This webinar will showcase the potential for your community whether your library is large or small. Actual success stories of innovative library volunteer engagement will be shared.
Tuesday, Feb 5 (12-1 pm)
Developing a Strategic Plan for Volunteer Engagement (VolunteerMatch)
Are you engaging volunteers with an eye to the future? Do you know what your volunteer program should look like in 3 or 5 years? Join us as we talk about the fundamentals for creating a strategic plan for volunteer engagement for your organizations. This webinar will include components that should be included as well as ideas for working with organization leaders to include strategic goals for volunteer engagement in your organization’s overall strategic plan.
Tuesday, Feb 5 (12-1 pm)
Diverse Titles for Youth and Young Adults (Booklist)
Does your collection reflect the varied faces, beliefs, and experiences of your community? Check out Booklist’s free, hour-long webinar spotlighting diverse books for children and teens.
Tuesday, Feb 5 (12-1 pm)
Early STEM Exposure Through Career-Focused PBL (Education Week/Defined STEM)
In this webinar, leaders from one school district will explain how they shifted to a career-focused project-based learning model to expose their students to STEM content and careers as early as kindergarten.
Tuesday, Feb 5 (12-1 pm)
Starting Small with Project Outcome (Public Library Association)
Libraries may feel too overwhelmed with limited staff and resources to take on something new like measuring outcomes, which is why starting small and scaling up is the best method for success. Starting small helps libraries increase their staff’s comfort with and expertise in outcomes measurement; capitalize on trial-and-error learnings; and build a structure for peer support of data collection and use. Participants in this webinar will hear from a veteran Project Outcome user on their experience starting small by evaluating the library’s Small Business series and scaling up to library-wide programming.
Tuesday, Feb 5 (12-1 pm)
Beyond Diversity How BIAS Could be Making or Breaking your Business (InSync Training)
BIAS – we all have it whether we are aware of it or not. But are you aware of the Biases people may have about you and what it may costing you in your business. In this 1 hour program, we help you gain insight into how biases are formed, and use proven tools to gain awareness and overcome these biases to drive sales, leadership effectiveness and help others opt-in.
Tuesday, Feb 5 (3:30-4 pm)
Zoom Features (Technology & Innovation in Education)
Join TIE Learning Specialist, Julie Erickson, as she shares details about utilizing the tools of Zoom. Looking at ways of doing a screen cast that could be beneficial for students, staff, and streamlining communication.
Wednesday, Feb 6 (9-10 am)
R(e)building a Library Program with Community Feedback as Your Guide (Texas State Library and Archives Commission)
Do you have a program in your library that could use refreshing? Are you meeting resistance at changing a program that has existed for a long time in its current form? Library Management Consultant Kyla Hunt will guide you through the process of examining your library programs with an eye geared towards change. Time will be spent on how to identify a program that needs revamping, garnering responses from your community, and communicating the change to your patrons.
Wednesday, Feb 6 (9-10 am)
NCompass Live: You Make Me Want To Break Out (Nebraska Library Commission)
Escape rooms are popping up all over the country as groups go in and test their logic and problem solving in order to escape a locked, themed room. Breakouts take the idea of escape rooms and bring them into the classroom. Students and teachers of all ages can participate and all students are engaged in the lesson. After running and writing many breakouts for the past 2 years, Meredith Fickes, School Librarian at Mickle Middle School in Lincoln, will be sharing tips, tricks, and knowledge for both running and writing breakouts.
Wednesday, Feb 6 (10-11 am)
It’s Not Your Imagination… Identity Conversations Really Are Different Today (Association of Library Service to Children)
Language and understanding of identity are quickly changing. We are now understanding that because we are people we are biased. At the same time, what is normal for kids today is not the same as it was for most adults. This webinar will help you gain strategies for having meaningful conversations even when challenged by the topic.
Wednesday, Feb 6 (11-11:30 am)
Web Accessibility in a Nutshell (Accessible Technology Coalition)
Use of the Internet is increasingly enmeshed and vital in education, business, and daily life. However, various barriers prevent equal access and limit equal opportunity to the Web for people with disabilities. This episode of ADA Live! will highlight the basics of web accessibility including: why it is important, the ADA and other laws, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and common barriers to web access. Discover some tips and best practices to help you get started in providing more accessible and usable web applications and digital materials to a diverse audience.
Wednesday, Feb 6 (11-12 pm)
How Savvy Marketing Translates to More Donations (Bloomerang)
Without great marketing, it is difficult for donors — and prospects — to feel connected to your work. Many nonprofit communicators “inherited” marketing. Often on top of the job you expected and are actually trained to do. With everything you have to juggle, priority is often placed on the “sales” and the next deadline. Marketing, however, is a critical part of fundraising. And it’s what sets up the donor for your ask. Without marketing, every call is a cold call. In this session, Beth Brodovsky will show you what savvy nonprofit marketers do to build engagement and turn it into action.
Wednesday, Feb 6 (11-12 pm)
I Wish I’d Thought of That: Showcasing the Best of Fundraising Examples (Network for Good)
Ready for eye candy campaigns that make you wish YOU’D thought of that? Buckle up, buttercup. We’re firing up the very best fundraising examples from budgets small and large, digital and print, social and SO MUCH MORE! Be inspired and delighted with eye-candy examples and concrete tactics you can implement in your next fundraising campaign.
Wednesday, Feb 6 (12-1 pm)
Grant Trends and Common Mistakes: Make Your 2019 Applications Shine! (TechSoup)
It is not radical to say that grantseeking is a competitive process. As pools of eligible funds continue to shrink and those in need continue to grow, it is difficult for nonprofit organizations to keep their heads above water. This free webinar is here to help. We will review trends in what funders are looking for in grant applications so that you can create the strongest applications possible. In addition, we will identify common mistakes and suggest solutions and resources to help you avoid these pitfalls. We will have plenty of time for live questions and answers, so be prepared to bring your biggest concerns for discussion.
Wednesday, Feb 6 (12-1:30 pm)
Autonomy Support: A New Approach to Managing Challenging Behavior (Early Childhood Investigations)
Increasingly, it is known that executive function skills are important in school readiness and school success, in graduation rates and workforce success. Studies have even found that young children with executive function skills are more likely to be healthier and wealthier in their 30s, regardless of their IQ or socio-economic status. That has led researchers to wonder: what do parents and teachers do to promote their children’s executive function skills. One of the important answers is Autonomy Support! Join this compelling webinar by renowned experts, Ellen Galinsky and Erin Ramsey, to find out more.
Wednesday, Feb 6 (12:30-1:30 pm)
Online Fundraising Best Practices for Nonprofits (Firespring)
In this educational session, Jay will share best practices—including detailed formulas that every nonprofit should be using—to track the effectiveness of their fundraising efforts.
Wednesday, Feb 6 (1-2 pm)
Balancing Books and Social Issues: Homelessness and Trauma (Infopeople)
With numerous budget cuts to social services programs, public libraries are encountering more individuals experiencing homelessness, and poverty. For many, a library may be the only place of refuge from the weather, or noise from a downtown cityscape. The increasing volume of need arising in many communities may leave library workers feeling ill-equipped or overwhelmed. During this webinar social worker Elissa Hardy will explore some solutions.
Wednesday, Feb 6 (2-3 pm)
Give Them Something To Write About: Teaching Across The Curriculum With NYT-Inspired Daily Prompts (New York Times)
Every school day The New York Times Learning Network (NYTLN) publishes fresh writing prompts inspired by current New York Times articles, photography, art and even graphs. Join NYTLN editors, along with guest students and their teachers, to explore how to use our thousands of free writing prompts for everyday low-stakes writing practice across the curriculum.
Thursday, Feb 7 (12-1 pm)
Federal Data Strategies (Federal Depository Library Program)
This talk will provide insight into public domain and open data policies and how they are made. The status of open data policies in the Federal Government is changing with new laws and rulemaking. Viewers will come away with a better understanding of U.S. Federal policies and laws regarding data.
Thursday, Feb 7 (1-2 pm)
School Readiness Webinar Series, Part 2: Re-imagining School Readiness: Key Findings from Research (Infopeople)
The Reimagining School Readiness Toolkit is a suite of research-backed resources created for librarians to help families prepare children ages 0 to 8 for success in school and in life. The toolkit was developed by the Center for Childhood Creativity at the Bay Area Discovery Museum (link is external) in collaboration with the California State Library (link is external). This 4-part series of webinars will introduce librarians to the research, practical implications, and resources offered in the toolkit, which is available in its entirety for free online.
Thursday, Feb 7 (12-1 pm)
Introduction to Library Carpentry (National Network of Libraries of Medicine)
How can librarians remain strong in an ever-changing landscape of new software and research skills? Get involved in “The Carpentries” by learning and eventually teaching software code to improve researcher’s data toolkits! Learn about the history of the Carpentries (Software, Data and Library) and their mission to empower the library community to use software and data in their own work.