Libraries give their communities access to amazing online resources with enormous potential to improve lives and build skills, but these databases and digital courses are a challenge to promote and often underutilized. The St. Joe County Public Library has had success with Bendable, a life long learning platform that pairs online learning with in person connections. Community engagement and outreach are at the heart of our strategy, and we work directly with community members, organizations, and businesses to curate learning opportunities. These strategies focus on workforce development and partner networks. This webinar will provide an introduction to Bendable and also explore strategies for learning-centered engagement and outreach that can be implemented by any library.
Presenter Jennifer Henecke began working at the St. Joe County Public Library in 2018 in the Communications Department. She received her Master of Library Science in 2021 and currently serves as the Library’s Chief Engagement Officer. She loves working at the Library because it is the place where everyone truly belongs and you can find people from all backgrounds sharing the same space. She also loves fixing up historic homes and will drive hundreds of miles for good vegan food.
Date Recorded: 6/28/2023
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenter: Jennifer Henecke, Chief Engagement Officer / St. Joe County Public Library
The programming section on the Indiana Public Library Annual Report has always been a bit tricky to navigate – even before recent years saw the addition of virtual programming to the mix. In this webinar, we’ll focus on how to determine if something is considered a program, what statistics to track, and how to break them down for the report. We’ll also address common questions related to programming section and preview the (relatively minor) changes coming in the 2022 report.
More and more libraries are incorporating Makerspaces as part of the available resources for the public. With a focus on lifelong learning, creativity, and innovation, makerspaces can offer people an opportunity to explore new hobbies, interests, and job skills by providing tools and resources that they may otherwise not have access to. Is your library looking to begin or expand a makerspace? Not sure where to start or how to take the next step? In this presentation we will share an overview of the La Porte County Public Library Exchange, a makerspace located in La Porte, Indiana; what the Exchange offers; and lessons learned along the way that may be helpful to consider when starting or expanding your library’s makerspace.
Libraries aren’t just hubs for learning and knowledge sharing, but places where imagination, curiosity and play should be front and center. Join Elan Lee, CEO and Co-Creator of award-winning gaming and entertainment company Exploding Kittens, as he explores how libraries can integrate gameplay in unique ways and demonstrates how to use regular objects to turn the ordinary into extraordinary.
Join EBSCO trainer, Lisa Jones, for an overview on the new features in EBSCO databases.

This session will include a demonstration of Canva, the web-based graphic design and publishing tool. Learn tips and tricks that will help you do more with Canva and help you create graphics that capture the attention of your audience. Questions submitted before the webinar will help guide the presentation.
The Indiana Center for the Book at the Indiana State Library and the Arkansas Center for the Book at the Arkansas State Library partnered to present a program featuring Nate Powell on the theme “The Graphic Arts and the Reading Experience.” This program focuses on the use of comics/graphical arts to communicate as a mass medium as well as how a graphic writer envisions, creates and curates the reading experience. Teen as well as adult librarians will enjoy hearing from Nate.
Find out about the marketing tools available to promote INSPIRE in your library. We will show you how to go beyond pens and pencils to social media, promotional videos and more.