Free, online, continuing education events for the week of July 3 from the Wyoming State Library Training Calendar. Descriptions and links are below. You can subscribe and view the events in your calendar software, or you can find all the events on our Training Calendar.
All times MDT
Tuesday, Jul 4 (10-11 am)
Fighting for the First Amendment: Some Thoughts On Religiously Based Censorship (EveryLibrary Institute)
Conservative religious groups have long sought to control what people may see, read and experience. While many Americans may believe we’ve thrown off the yoke of religiously based censorship, experience says otherwise: Attacks on public libraries and school libraries continue apace across the country, and they’re often led by religious groups. This session will put these attacks in historical context, explore current trends and offer some thoughts on how to respond to the new wave of censorship.
Wednesday, Jul 5 (9-10am)
Nonprofit Websites That Build Community: How to Know If Your Site is Effective (Nonprofit Learning Lab)
Nonprofit websites are complicated! They have to speak to several audiences (program participants, donors, partners, and many others) while still representing your work well. With so many competing requirements, it isn’t easy to know if things are actually “working.” By knowing what to look for, you can identify areas for improvement and ensure your online presence supports your mission and grows your community. Participants will walk away from this workshop with a better understanding of how to evaluate if your website is serving as an asset for your organization, how to identify problems within your nonprofit’s website, and the steps to take to fix those problems!
Thursday, Jul 6 (9-10am)
Advanced Nonprofit E-Newsletters: How to Get People to Donate (Nonprofit Learning Lab)
Are you frustrated that few people give through your e-newsletter? Do you want to solve your problems and help your e-newsletter make money for your nonprofit? Join Mazarine Treyz for this free webinar on July 6th and learn: Potent Calls to Action for your E-newsletter, 16 kinds of headlines to help your donors give, The 5 reasons people share your e-newsletter and specific words to get Donors to Click Donate, based on Treyz’s 15+ years of experience in helping nonprofits raise more with email than ever before.
Thursday, Jul 6 (10-11 am)
Ethics and Privacy in the Age of AI (Blackbaud)
ChatGPT is the fastest-growing consumer application in history—and that’s just one rapidly expanding frontier of the AI landscape. Before your organization jumps on the bandwagon, it’s critical to consider the ethical, privacy, and other legal issues that you should keep in mind when using generative AI tools. Join Blackbaud’s chief data officer Carrie Cobb and privacy leader Cameron Stoll for a rousing conversation about these issues.
Thursday, Jul 6 (10-11 am)
Purityrannical Crusade: The Origin and Future of the Great Library War (EveryLibrary Institute)
Before 2021, burning books were confined to literature and film. Now, groups are waging a crusade, passing purityrannical laws and policies against libraries and librarians who dare to keep the “offensive,” “explicit,” and “obscene” works of marginalized communities in their collections. Yet the speed at which this has happened has left many wondering: What is obscene and sexually explicit? How did we get here? What is this really about? Where is it going? What can we do about it? This webinar breaks down the long and complex history, policies, and case law behind these purityrannical crusades.
Thursday, Jul 6 (12-1 pm)
How Storytelling in Summer Will Move Your Fall Fundraising Needle (Bloomerang)
Summer months are considered a “slower” time for fundraisers. But successful nonprofits find ways to connect with their donors during the ”off-season.” This fast-paced, fun, interactive session dives into the power of making authentic, bold, clear word choices, and it MAY forever change how you communicate your organization’s needs.
Thursday, Jul 6 (1-2 pm)
Indigenous Stories are for Everyone: The Importance of Picture Books for Indigenous Resurgence (Mackin)
Don’t miss this opportunity to join an all-star panel of Indigenous/Native American authors and illustrators as they discuss the power of bringing their culture into the hands and minds of young children through picture books. Moderated by Michael Hutchinson (Swampy Cree), author of the Mighty Muskrats series, the panel features Alfreda Beartrack-Algeo (Lakota), author and illustrator of The Cottonwood Sings, Andrea Fritz (Coast Salish), author and illustrator of the Coast Salish Tales series, and Peggy Janicki (Dakelh), author of The Secret Pocket. These educators and storytellers will touch on topics like the use of Indigenous language in English books for young readers, the importance of visual art in connection with storytelling, and how they understand their role and responsibility as an Indigenous voice creating fiction and nonfiction for diverse groups of children. Bring your questions and join the conversation!
Friday, Jul 7 (11-12 pm)
Community Navigator Program: Search Engine Optimization SEO 101 (Wyoming Small Business Development Center [SBDC])
We hear the acronym “SEO” all the time…but what exactly does that entail? This SEO 101 webinar will answer exactly that! We will talk through techniques for conducting basic keyword research that every business owner should do for their business. Next, we’ll review strategies for using those good keyword phrases that you’d like to be found by in order to demonstrate to search engines that your content is relevant, so that you may draw more traffic to your web site. Finally, we’ll cover how to set up your Google My Business page, and how to use all of the social media platforms where you have a presence, to improve your SEO.
Friday, Jul 7 (12-1 pm)
Data Librarianship (Federal Depository Library Program)
Learn how librarians are working with Chief Data Officers (CDOs) to implement a data catalog and establish data governance processes within departments and agencies. Learn the role librarians are playing to engage data stewards, users, and owners to develop programs for data literacy.