Skills for Community-Centered Libraries: A Webinar Series with the Free Library of Philadelphia
Like many libraries across the nation, the Free Library of Philadelphia is undergoing a paradigm shift. Their extensive collections offer boundless discoveries, but increasingly their focus is not only on what is housed within their walls and on their servers, but how they are engaging with their communities. To address this shift and support staff, the Free Library of Philadelphia created the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries curriculum to train over 300 full-time library staff.
WebJunction is thrilled to be partnering with the Free Library of Philadelphia on a series of webinars on the Community-Centered Libraries project, highlighting facets of the... Read more
Telling the Story of Food: Why Food Literacy Matters to Your Library

Rebecca Antill was a presenter in the WebJunction webinar, Strengthening Communities: Food Access at Your Library. Here, she shares additional information about food literacy programming and resources made available through the South Carolina State Library.
Over the past three and a half years of our food literacy initiative, SC Read Eat Grow, the one question I have heard over and over again is, "Why should a library be involved with food and nutrition?" For the South Carolina State Library and our statewide partner organizations, the answer is simple: food is a basic need for every person. Yet there is an... Read more
Social Library, Volume 167

We continue the Social Library series with more examples of the innovative ways libraries connect with their communities. This edition includes a video series with professionals presenting on their careers, passive programming for families, celebrating milestones with partners at meal pick up sites, Medicare counseling appointments, and a community music and art project celebrating the Hmong community. If you'd like your library to be featured in an upcoming edition of the Social Library, let us know via social@webjunction.org or find us on Facebook.
Los Angeles Public Library in California, has been hosting weekly online sessions with professionals discussing their...
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Free April Webinars for Library Staff

As we look beyond the first year of living in the time of COVID, libraries and their communities continue to move through uncharted territory. Fortunately, the field is committed to sharing what's being learned through multiple online platforms. Take a look at this month's list of over 90 free webinars, symposia, festivals, workshops, and forums, covering 22 different topic areas, from advocacy to volunteers. Thank you to the Wyoming State Library for collecting this list of learning opportunities! It's updated monthly on the Free Training page, where you can also view the offerings by topic.
For additional training, check...
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We're Not Complete Without You: A Collaborative Puzzle Art Project

As libraries continue to look for ways to create meaningful community connections during the pandemic, it was exciting to see this wonderful idea shared in the Programming Librarian Interest Group on Facebook. Thank you to Paula Wagner, Reference Services Manager at the Barberton Public Library in Ohio, for outlining how she implemented a collaborative puzzle art project.
Like many of the ideas gathered from the Programming Librarian Interest Group on Facebook, I had previously seen someone else post (thank you to that person!) about a successful puzzle project at their library. It seemed like the perfect program to engage...
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COVID-19 Resources
REopening Archives, Libraries and Museums (REALM), research partnership
Keeping Your Hours Current in Online Searches
Library Storytimes during COVID-19, Part 1 and Part 2
Recent Social Library Editions, highlighting how libraries are responding to COVID-19
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Upcoming Webinars
27 April 2021
Smart Spaces are Community Places
In this webinar, learn design thinking principles that can be used in collaboration with the community, to identify and meet space and programming needs for active learning.
04 May 2021
Training New Supervisors for Success: Don't Start from Scratch
This webinar, hosted in collaboration with ALA's Learning Round Table, presents ready-made resources to help implement supervisor training at your library.
18 May 2021
Prioritizing and Promoting Self-Care to Avoid Burnout
This webinar will focus on self-care strategies for library staff, to respond to the physical, behavioral and emotional impacts of workplace stressors.
03 June 2021
Building Connections with Community Assets
Explore strategies for connecting with community assets in-person and online as a step toward developing a more community-centered library.
08 July 2021
On Implicit Bias and Communication
Reflect on how life experiences, traditions, and beliefs impact communication and explore strategies for facilitating deeper discussions and stronger connections as steps toward developing a more community-centered library.
05 August 2021
Exploring the SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results) Model
Explore the SOAR model as a strategy for developing asset-oriented initiatives as a step toward developing a more community-centered library.