Learn how to approach your practice, programs, and partnerships through a social emotional lens and better support yourself, colleagues, and your community. 

Course Description 

Effectively serving the needs of your community requires an understanding of how to support their social and emotional needs in addition to their information and practical needs. It also requires self-care strategies and engagement tools for yourself, colleagues, and staff. You need to put on your own oxygen mask before you can help others! 

Join us for this guest speaker program and online workshop, where you’ll learn from experts how to support the ‘whole patron’ in your practice, programs, partnerships and services.

You’ll complete assignments to create your own initiative over 3+ weeks in an interactive online classroom environment with personal coaching from an expert in the field. In addition, you’ll have access to bonus content—rich supporting materials you can explore at your own pace, including a series of webinars from Library Journal and School Library Journal contributors, readings, activities, and videos.

The live sessions run on Tuesday, March 29, April 5 and April 12, from 2:00-4:00 pm ET with an ongoing facilitator-led workshop over 3 weeks. All sessions will be recorded and can be viewed at your convenience. Don’t miss this opportunity!

When you attend this interactive online course, you’ll come away with:  

• Tools for supporting the emotional well-being and self-care of staff and colleagues

• Methods for dealing with conflict resolution 

• The building blocks for incorporating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into your practice and programs  

• Strategies for identifying and securing supportive community partners to help deliver needed services

Who should take this course

Any librarian or educator who wants to bring a whole person approach to their practice and institution.

Live sessions are also available on demand 

Can’t make a live session? All guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on demand following the initial broadcast.

Certificate of completion provided 

15 professional development credits are available

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co

Inspiring Live Guest Speakers + Project-Based Learning

Engage with presenters via live video stream, visual presentations, and chats, and workshop practical solutions and personal work in a group environment, with guidance from an advisor.

Online Course Features

• Instructor-led online course features personalized interaction over 3+ weeks

• Real-time guest speakers and conversation via live video stream (with recordings available afterward)

• Workshop assignments to help you make progress on your goals

• Individualized attention from course facilitators who work with you in a coaching environment in the workshop to help sort out challenges

• Ongoing group conversation via discussion forums

• Supporting resources (articles, videos, worksheets) in the online classroom to provide a foundation for your work

• Access all course content for six months after the course ends

• Bonus: Register early and get immediate access to archival video recordings from related courses and other bonus content

Curriculum Advisor

Megan Emery Schadlich

MLIS, Author, Speaker, and Creator of The Healing Library 

Group Rates

Discounted registration fees are available for groups of 3 or more. 

To get details on group pricing, contact us.

By registering for this event you confirm that you have read and agree to our Code of Conduct.

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co.

Week 1: Supportive Programs for Staff - Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Solidarity as Strategic Plan

Hierarchies, silos, vocational awe, toxic positivity, imposter syndrome, low morale, theatrical listening…. As we evolve in our profession, more and more new terms related to dissatisfaction seem to pop up. Meaningful support of staff should be rooted in recognizing our issues and then participating in genuine teamwork through solidarity and communication.

In this session, you’ll learn how to be an advocate and ally for yourself and staff members or colleagues by setting clear, value-driven intentions directly into your institution’s driving documents at multiple levels: strategic plans, vision statements, needs assessments, and action plans. 

Speaker: 

Callan Bignoli, Director of the Library, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Social Emotional Communication: How To Develop Compassionate Communication as Personal Philosophy

Strong leadership skills ideally extend to all library staff as they take ownership of their individual roles and contributions to the library at large. Best-in-class communication practices benefit from strong social-emotional skills and can be the ticket to reaching patrons and colleagues during challenging times. In this session, library director Sonia Alcantara-Antoine (Baltimore County Public) shares her strategies for communicating openly and honestly as she works to shift organizational culture, connect with over 600 employees, and engage the Baltimore community in her second role as a director. She’ll share lessons learned from participatory decision making and tips for communication strategies you can adopt as an individual or as part of your department or team. 

Speaker:

Sonia Alcantara-Antoine, Director, Baltimore County Public Library

Week 2: Programs and Services to Support the Community - Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Community Programs That Change Lives  

In this rapid-fire session, you’ll hear from several minds behind new initiatives that address the needs of community well being. Each panelist will present a short snapshot of their latest work, and the group will host an extended Q+A session to answer your questions about partnerships, parameters of success, budgeting, and whatever else you want to know!

Projects: 

The Healing Library

Learn about The Healing Library, a series of kits to help ease healing from trauma, and the way Anne Arundel County Public Library adapted the unique lending program to meet their community’s SEL needs. 

Presented by Megan Schadlich, creator of The Healing Library, and Laura Efrom, Assistant Branch Manager, Anne Arundel County Public Library (MD)

Bicycle Lending Initiative

Get a behind-the-scenes look at how community need for transportation grew into a bike lending program and wellness initiative at Anythink Libraries in Colorado. Presented by Ricardo Cardenas, Commerce City Branch Manager, Anythink Libraries

Intergenerational Community Circles

Learn about this Restorative Justice based program that combines peace circles and intergenerational community reads–building community, offering support, and more. The program is led by trained library staff, community partners, college students, and local middle grade students who all act as guides  through thought-provoking and challenging discussions of titles like Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You and the March series at Oak Park Public Library in Illinois. Originally intended to be in-person, the program launched during the pandemic and has been a success in a virtual setting. Presented by Tatiana Swancy, Restorative Practices Coordinator at Oak Park Public Library (IL)

Speakers:

	Megan Schadlich, MLIS, Author, Speaker, and Creator of The Healing Library
	Laura Efrom, Assistant Branch Manager at Anne Arundel County Public Library
	Ricardo Cardenas, Manager at Anythink Commerce City library
	Tatiana Swancy, Restorative Practices Coordinator at Oak Park Public Library (IL)

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Restorative Justice as Organizational Culture

Restorative justice is practice that focuses on repairing harm, healing for the people directly involved, and for the community at large. The restorative approach relies on proven techniques of forgiveness and empowerment rather than punishment. Oak Park Public Library (IL) has been a leader in restorative practices to strengthen families, schools, and communities, as it has led conferences and other programs on the topic. In this session, you’ll learn how restorative justice can also guide a powerful shift within an organizational culture. There will be actionable takeaways, like de-escalation techniques, that you can include in your practice immediately, as well as resources to measure the success of outcomes, ways to continue learning about restorative justice and how to engage with other libraries already doing this work.

Speaker:

Stephen Jackson, Director of Equity and Antiracism, Oak Park Public Library

Week 3: Whole-Person Partnerships with Mental Health, Social Work, and Other Organizations - Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Lessons From The Social Workers in Rural and Small Libraries Project

Learn ways that small, rural or underfunded libraries can partner with social workers or social service organizations to address needs in the library community. Licensed social worker Tiffany Russell was the first Social Services Manager at Niles District Library (MI). She’ll share insights into the transformational program, The Social Workers in Rural and Small Libraries Project, which has helped connect librarians and patrons to available resources and deepen their understanding of social services available to patrons. She’ll help spark ideas for wide ranging community partners and provide grant writing tips to support this work.

Speaker:

Tiffany Russell, Social Workers in Rural and Small Libraries Project

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Whole Person Librarianship: Lessons from the World of Social Work to Modernize Librarianship 

Partnerships aren’t a possibility for every library, but the lessons learned from social-work-library collaborations can bring profound change to the practice of librarianship. 

In this session, you’ll learn about Whole Person Librarianship – the application of social work to improve library public service –  and how it can serve you. Author, librarian and instructor Sara Zettervall will share examples of the evolution of social work partnerships in libraries, discuss  how to strategically choose and prepare for these types of partnerships, and how to set healthy, supportive boundaries to grow personally, professionally, and as a community.
 

Speaker:

Sara Zettervall, author of Whole Person Librarianship