My first workshop in Kansas

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-06-13T20:24:43Z

Hey everyone!
I just got an email from the library (Marathon County Public Library in Wausau, WI) where I did my first training in January, and one of our panel members just completed the first of an 8-week program of computer classes for Spanish speakers at the library. She said everyone who registered showed up, and three families signed up for library cards with their children. They feel the word-of-mouth publicity will help get even more people.

The person I worked with said they had been thinking about offering these classes at the library for some time, but participating in our workshop really got the ball rolling. They are also going to contact the reporter, who covered the workshop for the local paper, to see if he'd like to do a follow-up story.

Jamie

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-06-04T22:48:08Z

It's been two months since I presented my final workshop. I have a feeling that like the attendees, the workshops will leave a lasting mark on our libraries because of the positive influence on future services. Here at my library, we have concluded a reading discussion group of the book Journal: The Short Life and Mysterious Death of Amy Zoe Mason by Joyce and Kristine Atkinson for over 70 literacy students (mostly ESL). This fall, we will begin offering computer classes on Thursday evenings and Saturdays (in Spanish) in addition to one offered on Monday afternoons. We received the American Dream Begins @ Your Library grant and will offer practice interviews for the new citizenship exam and classes for using Rosetta Stone. Students will be able to check out laptops with that software so up to 10 simultaneous users can access it at one time. It has been exciting to be part of this program and seeing an increase in services for our Spanish speakers.
Susan Chandler
Sterling Municipal Library
Baytown, TX

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-04-22T12:50:42Z

Hello again!

I just finished Philadelphia workshop last Friday. What a great city! And the library is wonderful, with so much to do and see. They just added a small cafeteria, which is perfect for spending all day at a workshop.

We had 2 visitors from Michigan, and the group did a great job. We had laughs and a lot of ideas. Although the room was pretty warm, they were able to stick to the program. The most exciting part was the community leaders participation, as they found out great programs at the library they can offer to their members.

Lots of prices and a rewarding day!
Susana

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-04-03T23:16:26Z

Hi Everyone,

I am back from PLA and catching up on the discussion boards. Thanks to all of you for continuing to post about your workshops!

WJ staff at our PLA booth had many people tell them how much they have gotten out of the SLO workshops (thanks to all of you). And many had success stories to share about the outreach activities they are implementing.

Keep up the good work!
Laura

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-29T13:54:38Z

Hello!
I had my first workshop this past Thursday at the Easton Public Library in PA. Thanks to Claudia and the people from Easton, everything ran perfectly smooth. The room was ready, the food was on time, all panelists showed up and the equipment worked properly. Sounds like a dream come true!

As many of you have expressed before, I tied up the timing of some slides and gave more time to exercises and discussions, which I think is the key to create enthusiasm. Also, because it is their opportunity to ask questions and "stretch" ideas. I tried to make the exercises as "real" as possible, and many times played devil's advocate, by challenging their responses from a cultural point of view.

PA added a third section in our folders with complete information about the state's demographics by county, the main community agencies and organizations in each area with contact information, and a list of Latino media, also by region. With that information handy, they were able to work on a complete action plan by choosing who they should contact and what media they would use. I think that was very useful material -although does not replace the research work they have to do- but it helped to see a more realistic process of where to go and what to do. I think it is a great tool if you can provide that information in advance.

The panelists were very enthusiastic about participation and strategic partnership, and they stayed for lunch, which increased the bonding aspect of the session. I encouraged them to follow up with the local libraries, and I think much will be happening soon.

The session went very well, and participation was very rewarding. At the end, I usually ask participants to tell me one main thought they are taking home that day, as a reminder of the whole session's different aspects, and also to see which ideas stuck better. The answers were great! Most participants agreed on having improved marketing skills, the need of taking baby steps, the importance of relating to community leaders, the need of building Spanish collections and for computer training, etc. Really good answers.

I noticed that some participants's level of computers skills was not advanced. We only had one participant that offers regular computer training at her site, so that is another barrier that will have to be addressed by each library in order for workshop participants to use WebJunction fluently. I totally empathize with them as I am a digital immigrant myself!

The other tough part is making the case, and to overcome discouragement, especially in the present political climate. I tried to emphasize the personal and professional rewards of working with Latinos, and suggested starting with small steps and low expectations.

Overall, it was a great experience, and we ended on time!!!

Now, I'm heading to Philadelphia, with a larger and more challenging group. Thanks for sharing all your experiences.
Susana

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-24T16:44:26Z

Hi, Everyone!

My first workshop was conducted in Lubbock, TX. I had a small group. Everyone participated and a lot of good ideas were shared. I did get nervous at first, but felt better as the workshop continued. I had 3 community leaders for the panel and they shared information of how they are involved in diversity.

My second workshop was conducted in Midland, TX. That one went real well also. I had only 7 in the group. They were very enthusiastic and they shared what they have been doing in their libraries. The Friends of the Library are a very influential group who have helped the Midland County Library. They have volunteers in the branch libraries and they have helped built/remodel the main library. 2 community leaders showed up for the panel and they also had very interesting information to share.

I really enjoyed conducting the workshops. I hope everyone else is doing fine with theirs.

Minerva Alaniz

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-19T18:32:29Z

Happy to report I heard from one of our librarians who attended our first workshop back in the fall. Based on what she learned at the workshop she went back to her library and started Spanish story hours. She reported that it has been a huge success. They are having more children at the Spanish storyhours than at the English. She has also been approached by some English speaking parents who want their children to attend to become exposed to the Spanish language.
Pam Jaskot, NC

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-17T17:04:53Z

I conducted a workshop in Pendleton, Oregon for 8 participants on 3/14/08. Great group of Community Leader Panelists-they were wonderful. This was the first workshop that I conducted by myself and it's a lot of work! Good group of participants with lots of ideas.
Jo
Team Oregon

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-16T17:09:59Z

Montana had another great workshop on March 15 in Billings. We ended up with 5 people for the whole day and one extra for part of the day. I was expecting 8 people total, but one got sick and one was a no-show. There's been a lot of viruses going around lately. I was grateful not to get sick prior to the workshop!

The community leader panel was a hit - as usual. It was an intimate, friendly group. After an hour, we continued discussion as we ate lunch together. It was eye-opening for the participants.

Regarding Module 6: I chose to supply each participant with their own laptop computer so that we could surf WebJunction rather than run the demo. This was great. It gave the participants a chance to investigate WJ on their own and register right then. They also learned from one another when they found interesting things. It opened up the site much more for the participants than if they passively viewed the demo. And, at the end of the day, it is good to have hands-on rather than passive activity. Maybe by surfing it once, they will have tendency to re-visit.

I had 2 high school volunteers who were my go-fers for the day. That really helped. They helped me carry supplies and kept time for me. They waited for participants and community leaders at the front door of the library and escorted them to the workshop room. I also had signage, but the volunteers were great.

The Billings library staff that attended came away with an exciting action plan. It involves partnering with a group that won't be able to participate until Fall 2009. Kind of far away, but it is in the works!

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-10T21:31:51Z

I have just completed my last workshop in TX. It was a small but vocal bunch. I had hoped to start with a small group with my first workshop in January and gradually take on more participants to get a better feel of the curriculum but in the end, it all worked out well.

I had only one panel member show but was he an inspiration! Your panel members are a very important part of your program! I wish I could have taken him to all of my workshops. Overall, the day flew with this small group of 6 and there were plenty of ideas to go around.

It was a little difficult to do some of the exercises with a small group, so I decided that we do them together. I think it worked out well.

Good luck Texans!

Norma

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-09T21:21:48Z

Team Oregon just presented it's 6th of 9 workshops in beautiful Hood River, Oregon which overlooks the Columbia Gorge. I was a bit nervous since I had not conducted a workshop since November but thank goodness my fellow state trainer, Lucy Iraola agreed to co-train with me. We had a small group of 7 but they had lots of enthusiasm and insights. A great group with great ideas-I look forward to hearing what they do in the future. As always the Community Leader Panelists was the big hit of the workshop-they were all very involved with the Spanish speaking community and are doing tremendous work. They represented HeadStart, The Next Door project, La Clinica and they were involved with other agencies/organizations in the area. I think the group would have been happy to have the panelists there all afternoon. I also had one of the Hood River staff as a liaison to the Hood River library-she helped enormously with the set up of the workshop. And did I already say the meeting room looked over the gorgeous Columbia Gorge? Just the icing on the cake for such a great workshop!
Jo (Team Oregon)

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-07T00:43:45Z

Hi Molly,

The guide is currently posted here as a pdf: http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=19573

However, let me ask the folks in Beaufort County if they would be willing to share an editable version. Good idea!

Laura

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-07T00:26:50Z

This pointing guide is fantastic. When the guide is posted to WJ, will it be an editable version that librarians can adapt for their own individual libraries?

Molly

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-05T16:21:55Z

Well, last week I presented my last workshop in Fennimore, Wisconsin, a small community in the south western corner of the state. A snowstorm the night before kept 3 people away, but luckily we are a hardy bunch!

The thing that really struck me about this workshop was how much less energy it took to do a workshop for people who were really positive about outreach, and saw a clear need in their communities. The Spanish speaking population in the other parts of the state I visited is much more invisible, but in SW Wisconsin, librarians are really seeing a need for more services.

I was lucky to have Barb Huntington as a guest presenter again. We had good luck using a few of the interactive ideas posted by other workshop presenters, and I think this helped to keep things lively and fun.

This has been a terrific experience, and I can definitely see ways that it will have a lasting affect on the way I do my work. So thanks to everyone involved!

Leah

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-04T00:36:36Z

Molly - these are all such great projects! Please encourage the folks working on them to apply for the Diversity Fair Scholarship to attend ALA and present at the OLOS Diversity Fair this June. More information is available here: http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=15003.

And trainers are eligible this year too! So those of you out there who have not only been delivering workshops but also implementing your own outreach projects, PLEASE apply.

Laura

Re: My first workshop in Kansas

2008-03-04T00:30:57Z

Janelle - I am glad to hear your first workshop went well!

If you have the email of the person at the correctional facility, (if she can receive emails), please point her to the great resources for serving the incarcerated that Emily pulled together last summer: http://webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=17846

Cheers,
Laura

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-04T00:26:46Z

Susan,
How great to hear that one of your workshop participants has already scheduled computer classes and invited the community leaders she met at the workshop to speak to the PTA! You obviously made an impression!

Laura

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-03-01T04:59:46Z

I completed my first and second workshops 2/15 in Nacogdoches and 2/18 in Friendswood. It had been such a long time since our training that even with good notes, I wanted a little additional help with the thought development so I took the WJ SLO online course and it did the trick. My first workshop had 15 and the second had around 25.
Once I returned home, I transferred the notes from the participants that I had recorded so I didn't lose the great ideas that were shared.
I had panel members from the local school district councilor's office and university social work faculty at the first workshop and from Catholic Charities and United Way at the second one. Predictably they were well received and identified as one of the favorite things from the workshops. Just this week, I got an email from one of the attendees at Friendswood saying that she had already scheduled computer classes for parents at her school and invited the panel members to speak to the parents at a PTA meeting, too.
One interesting thing that was shared by the woman from Catholic Charities was about hosting a CHARLA. I had not heard about these meetings where Catholic Charities's lawyers meet with immigrants and go over the paperwork required to become a legal resident. In this safe place, people in Texas illegally can find out if they qualify to become a legal resident or not. Because it is hosted by this organization, they don't have to fear that authorities will be there to apprehend them. The lawyers then meet with the qualified folks to let them know what the next steps will be to complete the process. It seems like a great partnership opportunity for a library.
Susan Chandler

Re: Trainer Reflections on Workshops

2008-02-29T21:18:53Z

Idaho has completed 7 of the 9 workshops! It has been a whirlwind month. At this point we have had a little over 80 participants at the workshop and have received some great feedback.

Typically, the Community Leader Panel is the high point of the day. It is so great to see the networking and connections that occur during this 2-hour time frame (we have it just before lunch and they usually join us).

At the end of the day, the common comment is "thank you - I have so many great ideas to go."

It has been very rewarding to be involved in these activities.
Shirley

My first workshop in Kansas

2008-02-29T15:19:56Z

My first workshop in the Western part of Kansas was held yesterday, Thursday, February 28 at the Pioneer Memorial Library in Colby, Kansas. We had 6 people participate in the workshop. Unfortunately we had 3 people who were signed up that were not able to attend due to being sick. I am hoping these 3 will be able to attend one of the other workshop I am holding next week. I know that they were all really excited. One of the 6 participants worked at a Community Corrections Facility. She was very interested in the whole program and expressed interest in one of us or someone else from the state having a similar class or speaking to correctional facilties across the state. For part of the class we also had the Director of the local Community Foundation join the other 6. She was able to contribute a lot and also reminded the participants that community foundations are starting to pop up in most of their communities and would be great partners or places to find community foundation. She heard about the class from her Mom who was one of the class participants. This group was very relaxed and friendly. There was lots of open discussion and revelations. We did the name exercise at the beginning and discussed the structure of names in most Latin countries. We then looked at examples of libraries who have adapted library card applications to help with this. Most of the librarians were very receptive to this and thought it would be something that would be easy to adjust.

Our community panel was great!! We had someone from the local community college and I also brought along the Bilingual Coordinator from our local library, Dodge City Public Library. The participants learned a lot from the community college's experience teaching ESL courses and the bilingual coordinator's experience with learning English 5 years ago and outreach work at the library.

I feel like the afternoon went well, too. I did the advertisement exercise with several advertisements in Spanish. We also did the marketing exercise with some of the marketing strips some of the other groups have used. I adapted the marketing strips to have some Kansas specific services/programs and also for smaller libraries. Most of the libraries attending were from rural areas.

I wish I would have spent more time on the Culture section of the workshop. The particiapnts struggled a bit when we got the exercise. Next time I will make sure to spend more time on the culture differences and also give more examples. We also had way too much food!, but the library we hosted it at will definitely enjoy it for the next few days.

All in all I think the workshop was effective. The participants had good things to say and were also eager to share it with their coworkers and community members.

Janelle Jarboe, Southwest Kansas Library System
Dodge City, Kansas

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