Index
- Streamline for Success: Library Programs & Services Reboot in April
- Thoughtfully Fit Balance: Communicate With Confidence
- Proposals sought for virtual Lake Superior Libraries Symposium 2021: Mapping Our Identity
- Wisconsin expands Medicaid coverage of residential substance use disorder treatment for members
- StarNet offers upcoming webinar opportunities
- IMLS releases Retrospective on 15 Years of African American History and Culture Grants
- Continuing Education Calendar
Streamline for Success: Library Programs & Services Reboot in April
We all want our library services to be strong and strategic, but how do you ensure that your library is producing meaningful, intentional services that support your mission, rather than simply falling into the traps of “more is more” or “we’ve always done it this way”?
This workshop will lead participants through perspectives on creating and implementing mission-driven library services with a design thinking lens. Participants will have an immediate opportunity to put their learning into practice in this interactive workshop. The workshop will include two 3-hour sessions, with two weeks between sessions. Participants will also be able to continue working with the presenters during select open office hours after the workshops.
Learning Outcomes: Participants will learn to
- conduct a library service audit and needs assessment,
- identify a desired service goal,
- apply design thinking principles to developing strong library service plans, and
- utilize tools to enact and iterate a streamlined plan.
The ideal audience for this online workshop is Library directors and adult and youth services managers. Presenters are Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser (St. Paul Public Library, MN) and Amy Koester (Skokie Public Library, IL). Both sessions of this two-part workshop will be held online.
- Session 1 (choose one)
- 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Tuesday, April 6
- 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 6
- 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Wednesday, April 7
- Session 2 (choose one)
- 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Tuesday, April 20
- 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 20
- 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Wednesday, April 21
Register now! This workshop is open to public library staff and 60 seats are available for each session. CE contact hours: 6. Maximum 3 people per library may register.
Streaming for Success is co-sponsored by Wisconsin Library Systems and the Department of Public Instruction, with funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the form of Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
Thoughtfully Fit Balance: Communicate With Confidence
This March 23 webinar will help you transform the conversations you have with your colleagues and clients to find the balance of courage, compassion, and curiosity.
Join presenter Jill Mueller to gain self-awareness about your communication tendencies that will help you have better relationships -- so you have the skills to handle every situation with confidence.
Note: this workshop will NOT be recorded.
Proposals sought for virtual Lake Superior Libraries Symposium 2021: Mapping Our Identity
The organizers of the Lake Superior Libraries Symposium (LSLS) invite breakout session proposals for the ninth conference, which will be held virtually on June 11, 2021. There will be no registration cost for this year’s conference.
This year’s theme, Mapping Our Identity, invites attendees to explore the varied identities of libraries and library workers and how those identities shift in response to external events, personal development, changes in communities, and more. At LSLS21 we will ask, and hopefully start to answer, the questions of “Who are we?” “Who do we want to become?” and “How are we getting there?”
Possibilities for presentation topics include:
- Redefining Boundaries -- How have we, as individuals or organizations, broken barriers to create a new sense of who we are? How do we balance our work with our personal lives, especially as many of us now work from home? What do we do - and just as importantly, what don’t we do - to reinvigorate and advance our missions?
- Expanding Our Reach -- What partnerships have we been involved in, and how have they changed how we position ourselves? How have we reached out in response to recent national and global crises? What types of programming, marketing campaigns, tools, or services have we implemented to reach farther than we used to?
- Defining Ourselves -- How do our personal identities intertwine with the identity of being a library worker? What happens when we shift jobs or professions partway through our careers? How does learning about our past influence who we are and who we’re becoming?
- Protecting Our Identity -- How do we ensure the security of the data we collect, the information and resources we steward, and the systems we use? How do we help our patrons protect their identities? How do we show that we value and advocate for the diverse identities of our communities, despite continued marginalization of and violence against some groups?
- Perceiving Libraries -- How are libraries perceived, by library workers and by our communities? What do we find helpful about how library workers are perceived, and what might we like to change? How do we capitalize on the positive perceptions or address what’s misunderstood?
Successful breakout session presentations will be applicable to many types of libraries and showcase effective and innovative practices. The 60-minute breakout sessions should include 10-15 minutes of question and answer. Panel presentations, particularly those representing a diversity of library types, sizes, and/or locations, are strongly encouraged. LSLS 2021 will be held virtually. The steering committee will provide more information about the virtual format to breakout session presenters upon notice of their presentation's acceptance.
Breakout session presenters should submit proposals at z.umn.edu/proposals. All proposals should be submitted by March 14. Presenters will be notified of acceptance in April.
LSLS allows library staff to share their expertise, learn from their colleagues, and network to develop a stronger community of information professionals. Staff from all types of libraries are encouraged to attend. The event is organized and supported by library staff and educators from Minnesota and Wisconsin; for a full list of our supporters, see http://lakesuperiorlibrariessymposium.com/about/supporters/.
For questions about proposals and submissions, please contact Lisa Wheeler at [email protected]. A complete listing of speakers and agenda will be released in April.
Wisconsin expands Medicaid coverage of residential substance use disorder treatment for members
After extensive consultation with health care providers, counties, tribes, and other stakeholders, Wisconsin will cover the treatment for substance use disorder in a residential setting for members of most of its Medicaid programs beginning Feb. 1. The treatment offered uses a “whole patient” approach that is clinically effective, reduces overdoses and deaths, and helps people sustain recovery. Health care providers will determine whether their patients require this level of care using criteria from the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
“Addiction doesn’t just affect the individual,” said Wisconsin Medicaid Director Jim Jones. “It affects their families, loved ones, and communities. The services offered under this benefit are critical to providing the most appropriate level of care for many of those dealing with severe and long-term addictions.”
Services offered in the residential setting under this benefit include: assessment and treatment planning, counseling, medication management, case management, peer support, and recovery coaching. Medication-assisted treatment is also included, because the use of certain medications to relieve the withdrawal symptoms and psychological cravings that cause chemical imbalances in the body must be available to members when clinically recommended.
Since 2017, Wisconsin’s Medicaid program has covered residential substance use disorder treatment on a limited basis through the Comprehensive Community Services program, allowing treatment in smaller facilities with 16 or fewer beds. The new benefit will be offered under a Section 1115 Waiver from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to cover treatment in larger treatment facilities, which account for approximately 2/3 of the available beds in the state’s residential substance use disorder treatment facilities certified by the Department of Health Services Division of Quality Assurance.
While the benefit covers treatment, Medicaid cannot cover room and board expenses related to residential substance use disorder treatment. Members will need to use other sources to pay for room and board. The benefit also does not include coverage in non-treatment residential settings, such as sober living homes, recovery residences, or community living arrangements.
Information and statistics about substance use disorders can be found on the DHS website. People looking for substance use treatment and recovery services are encouraged to use the Wisconsin Addiction Recovery Helpline. The helpline is free, confidential, and available 24/7.
StarNet offers upcoming webinar opportunities
StarNet has several upcoming programs that may be of particular interest to public libraries and the customers they serve.
- Mars Perseverance: Mission Overview and Countdown to Mars -- Tuesday, Feb. 9, 11:30 a.m. -- Join NASA scientist Justin Simon for a FREE NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) interactive webinar. He will share an overview of the Mars Perseverance Rover and its countdown to Mars, scheduled for Feb. 18, 2021. This presentation will last about 45 minutes followed by an optional 15 minutes of Q&A. (register). Note: Registrations received after Monday, Feb. 8 at 11:59 p.m. Central time will only be eligible for the archive recording.
- ViewSpace Question & Answer Session -- Wednesday, Feb. 10, 1:30 p.m. CT -- This Q&A session gives libraries a chance to learn about and find creative ways to utilize ViewSpace in their spaces, on their websites, and combine with programming. ViewSpace is a web-based collection of digital interactives and videos highlighting the latest developments in astronomy and Earth science. ViewSpace gives you the opportunity to explore our planet, solar system, galaxy, and universe through videos that can be played on demand or as a looping exhibit and through digital interactives that allow you to explore objects and materials from different perspectives. Provided free with the support of NASA, ViewSpace is developed by a team of scientists, educators, and communication specialists who collaborate to ensure that content is accurate, up-to-date, engaging, relevant, and accessible to a wide audience. (register)
IMLS releases Retrospective on 15 Years of African American History and Culture Grants
The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced the release of a comprehensive evaluation of the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) program over the past fifteen years. The IMLS grant program began in 2006, and over the past fifteen years, has invested around $22.5 million in 110 organizations across 31 states. AAHC grants support activities that build the institutional capacity and promote the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums.
The full report and a one-page summary fact sheet are available on the IMLS website.
"IMLS has been supporting African American museums and Historically Black Colleges and Universities for many years, with the goal of forwarding the tremendous work they do in telling our nation’s history,” said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. “These institutions, many of them small, are in need of funding and resources like never before. This evaluation will help IMLS strategize ways to improve engagement, address barriers and challenges to grant applications, and forge new partnerships with other stakeholders and funders.”
The Urban Institute conducted the study using a mixed-method strategy to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the program, the universe of eligible organizations, and the profile and institutional growth of AAHC grantees. The investigators augmented analysis of administrative data with interviews and surveys of stakeholders. The resulting report provides an overall assessment of how well the grant program has performed relative to the goals articulated in its enabling legislation.
“We are very pleased with this comprehensive third-party evaluation—the first of its kind since the inception of the AAHC grant program,” said Paula Gangopadhyay, Deputy Director of the Office of Museum Services. “This study provides IMLS with a well-informed roadmap for our future efforts to strengthen the capacities of African American museums and HBCUs, especially as we are seeing a record increase in the application pool."
Highlights from the Study
Interviews with awarded applicants revealed the overwhelmingly positive impact of AAHC grants. Most cite the program as having enabled their museum to significantly expand its outreach, build capacity, strengthen professional training and development, improve financial resilience and sustainability, preserve and increase access to collections, and more effectively connect with audiences.
Other findings from the evaluation include:
- Since its inception, the AAHC program has received applications from more than half, or 55 percent, of the overall pool of eligible organizations.
- Between 2006 and 2020, IMLS awarded 215 AAHC grants totaling $22,582,233 to 110 organizations.
- Awards have been granted across 31 states.
- Nearly half of awarded applicants have received an award more than once.
- Applications from HBCUs have increased and have had higher success rates than non-HBCUs.
For more information about the AAHC program, please visit the IMLS website.
Photo shows grantees attending the IMLS AAHC convening in Jackson, MS, in 2019.