Take It Away & More
Free Workshop–Emotional Self-Defense: Building Resiliency Through Mindfulness
Information & Registration: https://forms.gle/Wp8pAY7QGMm5XFNZ8
Why we do what we do–asking the right questions about research.
From ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children National Research Agenda for Library Services to Children (0-14).
CSLP’S DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE: LIBRARY SERVICES FOR CUSTOMERS WITH ACCESSIBILITY ADAPTATIONS
Teach an Hour of Code™ 2020
Google has just released a new unplugged set of activities for Hour of Code 2020, a celebration of Computer Science Education Week which started on December 7!
Hour of Code™ activities may look different in 2020 for many educators, students, and families, so to support a variety of learning environments, we’ve created a free new lesson that can be used completely offline and without a computer. CS First Unplugged includes a printable booklet that contains three computational thinking activities in which students (grades 4-8) learn about how computer science helps us communicate and stay connected with people around the world.
For those looking to participate in Hour of Code with a connected device, CS First’s Dialogue lesson is a great one to engage with this year. This beginner-friendly activity includes video-based instruction to guide students as they program a conversation between two characters. They’ll use Scratch, a block-based coding language, to animate and bring their story to life with movement, dialogue and more.
CS First Unplugged and Dialogue are both available in English and Spanish. Lesson plans and solution guides for educators (or parents and guardians!) are provided so that anyone can teach and learn with Hour of Code™ — no prior CS experience required.
You can review our digital lesson plans and materials for educators here.
We’d love your help spreading the word, sharing the activities, and helping youth — especially those with limited access to devices or internet — take part in this year’s Hour of Code. Please consider:
- Posting on social media. Below is a sample social post that you can customize.
- Retweeting about Hour of Code and CS First.
- Share the sample newsletter blurb below as an email, or add it to your organization’s next newsletter.
Thank you, and happy CS Education Week!
Beacons of Strength-Library–How??
The Institute of Museum and Library Services recently blogged about Libraries being a Beacons of Strength, providing mental health resources to cope with COVID. We are all experiencing the mental health fall out of Covid-19 in one way or another, be it how we operate our libraries, the interactions with our staff and patrons, and experiences within our own personal lives. How can I be a Beacon of Strength to my library, my staff, co-workers , patrons and family when I am struggling?
You are NOT alone. We are Librarians. We have resources. The National Library of Medicine provides free, research based resources to public libraries. Katie Scherrer, who was here to train NH Librarians in 2019 in her Stories, Songs, and Stretches!® program writes about Mindfulness in Times of Extreme Stress. The Mighty recently posted It’s OK Not to Be OK: A Digital Toolkit for Prioritizing Your Mental Health with some great resources. My library friend Richard Moniz, co-author of The Mindful Librarian has updated his Annotated Mindful Resource List. (Side Note: He is a co-author of The Dysfunctional Library – Challenges and Solutions to Workplace Relationships that might be of interest to some.)
One of the best resources we have is each other! Explore online mindful librarian groups. Regularly talk with other like Librarians via zoom or telephone. I don’t have to tell you the amount of self-help material on the market right now–again–we are librarians. Even before Covid-19 entered our lives, what was the number one prescription for failing mental health–Get Outside–Get Moving and we just happen to live in a most perfect state to do that. I dug my cross-country skis out and took a brief run around the house just last night. We are hardy Northern New England folks. A little snow and cold doesn’t shut us down. But, if it does–I am never one to say no to the hot chocolate and good book by the fire scenario.
If you would like to join the Mindful NH Librarians group, drop me a line. We meet via zoom every other Wednesday for discussion, sharing of ideas and good old support. These are closed non recorded zoom session where privacy is one of our top agreements. We have been working on material in the free Palouse Mindful Based Stress Reduction program online which even in a group has been a bit daunting. Therefore, the group will be exploring other practices in mindfulness and stress reduction and finding little ways to incorporate mindfulness in our lives everyday. If you are more interested in just the resources from the group, I recently started a Mindful NH Librarians Facebook page where I post links to resources such as the Mighty’s digital tool box and inspirational meme’s. I am currently scheduling a workshop for Mindful NH Librarians with Liz Korabek-Emerson, Korabek Training, Building Resilience Through Mindfulness for mid January.
I want you to know that I appreciate how hard you are all working to continue to meet the needs of your community under the terms of Covid-19. It is Not easy! If you feel like you need help, direction or just a sympathetic ear for a bit–Get it!!! We may pride ourselves as The Strong Librarian, but like everything, that is just a label. As one of my Mindfulness coaches Kain Ramsay eloquently said yesterday, “Label’s are for tin cans..not for human beings.” Do not restrict yourself to a label. You are human. Seek help and support when necessary.
Best,
Deborah Dutcher
Virtual Programs with Teens
from Teen Librarian Cindy Shutts: Cindy Crushes Programming www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com
Staying Grounded In & Out of the Library: Practical Applications of Contemplative Practices for Librarians
Kristina S. Lang – Georgia State University
Description
The benefits of mindfulness have been demonstrated in a variety of settings, and it has been utilized in different types of therapies for decades. From Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in the 1970s to newer incarnations such as Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT), there is much to be gained from mindfulness-based treatments. This poster will touch on the major aspects of mindfulness as a therapeutic element and explore what this means for librarians as we focus both on self-care and the application of contemplative practices, helping participants to gain a better understanding of self-reflective activities.
Watch the presentation:
New Year New Ways
Hello NH Librarians. There is not a single one of us operating in the same way we were at the beginning of this year. I am so proud to be part of a profession that despite all its difficulties, has quickly risen to the challenge and been very creative in continuing to meet their communities needs. Just because it is Not business as usual,we can still continue to train and deliver research based programs to our families.
I am happy to announce the sign-up to join one of the Reimagining School Readiness cohorts starting next spring. In 2021 NH joins 12 other states in Year 2 of the The Bay Area Discovery Museum (BADM), in collaboration with the Pacific Library Partnership (PLP) and the California State Library (CSL), in a train-the-trainer program to equip librarians with the resources to help families and children ages 0-8 prepare for success in school and inlife.
The Reimagining School Readiness Toolkit is a set of free, online research-backed school readiness activities and resources designed to provide librarians with strategies and downloadable content for caregivers to prepare children for school.
This research based program aligns with NH’s play-based model of learning for Kindergarten adopted in 2018. Our goal in offering this program to NH Librarians is to:
•provide training in current school readiness research and
strategies to modify programming to align with research
• Supply free research-backed activities and tools online that
can be adapted by any community
• Provide ongoing professional development opportunities for
library staff
Our first cohort of NH Librarians will begin around March/April 2021. We are being granted some funds to help us provide participating libraries with some resources and would like an estimate of interested libraries to enable us to order enough supplies. The training for NH Librarians is estimated to be a half-day training (offered virtually) and actual participation will be required. May more than one person participate in the training from one library? Absolutely! We also anticipate offering a second cohort in May/June. Sign up HERE
Don’t forget to sign up for the special Youth Services Tuesday Together Talk with Cellissa Hoyt, State Director, State Early Learning Alliance of New Hampshire & State Director, Vroom and Mind in the Making on January 12, 2021@ 10 am. Fill out this Registration Form and shortly before the event you will be sent the zoom log in. Sign up HERE
I have enjoyed our Together Talks this past year but next year starting in March I will be holding an every other month YACHT (Young Adult/Children Hot Topics) club. The idea comes from my counterpart in Iowa and is being now used in Washington with great success. Participants will read/listen to/watch the resources, then we’ll get together to discuss them and how they can apply to our work as Children & Youth Librarians in New Hampshire. On the opposite month will be a similar group for Adult & Senior Librarians. I do not have a catchy name for this group yet–suggestions appreciated.