Building on the ideas presented in the Digital Inclusion 101 webinar, this webinar will further detail the resources available to bridge the digital equity gap.
Presenter: Emma Woods, Digital Inclusion Fellow / Indiana State Library
Emma is an Americorps member serving through the American Connection Corps program run by the Purdue Center for Regional Development and Lead for America. In her previous role, she served the Uplands region of Indiana in developing county and regional-level digital inclusion plans.
Date Recorded: 06/14/2023
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) are an immersive tool to help students engage with and experience curriculum material in an enjoyable way while also practicing key social emotional and problem-solving skills. Join Steph Campbell, an engineering professor, a TTRPG writer, and owner/writer for TTRPGkids as they share their experiences from both pre-K and college level applied TTRPG experience.
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.
Our LGBTQIA+ youth are increasingly under attack and subjected to constant bullying. Participants will learn how to easily identify themselves as an ally: a port in the storm. Participants will also receive resources and advice on how to navigate the troubled waters with these formative young people. Questions were submitted in advance for this webinar and the presenter guided participants through best practices for a variety of scenarios.
The staff of the North Manchester Public Library strive to meet the needs of their community in a variety of innovative ways. Unique programs and resources strengthen community relationships, center the library as an integral part of community life, and undergird literacy. In this webinar, Sarah Morbitzer, Children’s Department head, will share the ways NMPL is working to promote food security, physical activity, sensory integration, accessibility, and curiosity in learning.
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.
Community inquiry is inquiry, questioning, and exploring of, for, and by communities. A library can facilitate inquiry sessions both internally with staff and/or externally with their stakeholders and users. Libraries can use community inquiry tools and techniques to reframe and take a fresh look at complex questions and challenges which stall and even halt innovation and positive change. Community inquiry creates the chance to create lasting impact for and with communities. This session will overview community inquiry techniques, discuss possible hurdles, and walk you through one librarian’s experience utilizing community inquiry to support curiosity.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of social workers will grow 12% from 2020 to 2030 to meet an increase in demand. Further, with the growth of telehealth and telemedicine visits continuing beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals are finding more ways to reach their healthcare providers. However, in rural areas, finding local providers and reliable Internet access can create a barrier to access. As public libraries have long been viewed as the central hub for information, gatherings, and broadband service, their pivot to serve as a place for patrons to meet virtually with social workers comes at an opportune time. This presentation will show how three public libraries developed a pilot program – titled “Because You Matter” – with the Indiana University School of Social Work to coordinate weekly telehealth visits with social work students and library patrons. They’ll share successes, failures, and what they learned to improve the program in the future. 
It’s a daunting tasks for librarians to consider how best to welcome visually impaired patrons into their libraries. However, with a better understanding of what vision loss is, you can make quick, easy, and inexpensive changes to your library that will open the doors more fully to those with vision loss. Learn more about vision loss and how to quickly and easily change your flyers and presentations, physical space, technology, and signage to be more accessible.