Recent incidents such as the wind damage, flooding, and temporary closure of Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix, the loss of McNary Community Library due to fire, and widespread wildfire and flooding issues across the state underscore the necessity for solid disaster mitigation and recovery plans. Even with preparation and recovery  plans in place,  disaster is devastating.  Libraries may not be directly impacted by disasters in their areas, but they can often provide important resources for resiliency and recovery as the community grapples with immediate threats and disasters.

Don Byrne, a nationally-recognized expert on risk management, community resiliency, and business agility, assisted the New Jersey State Library in creating disaster preparedness tools, checklists, and workshops for libraries in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. He also recently co-led a full-day disaster preparedness and community resiliency workshop for the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

In this workshop, participants will:

• Learn how crises unfold and the valuable roles librarians play in helping communities manage disasters.
• Step through the development of a disaster recovery plan for their facility.
• Learn when and how to use various checklists and other tools to prepare for future disasters.
• Learn how to budget for a disaster so that resources will be available to assist in community recovery.
• Receive help in creating strategies for dealing with the operational challenges that arise during and shortly after a disaster.
• Learn how to work with local emergency management explaining the role libraries have in promoting community resiliency.
  
  

Library Friends, Board Members, and emergency management are welcome to register and attend. Workshops will be held in Prescott Valley, Payson, St. Johns, and Sierra Vista. Attendees are recommended to bring a laptop for the workshop.

Libraries Ready to Code is an initiative of the American Library Association, sponsored by Google, which aims to ensure libraries have the resources, capacity, and inspiration to embrace activities that promote computational thinking (CT) and computer science (CS) among our nation’s youth.

ALA is accepting grant proposals of up to $25,000 to join a cohort of libraries that will 1) implement CT or CS programming for and with youth via their library; and 2) collaboratively develop a Ready to Code toolkit with the goal of enabling any library, regardless of geography, expertise, or affluence to deliver programming that promotes computer science and computational thinking among youth.

Applications are due August 31st.

Too often libraries look at volunteer engagement as something that's nice to have, and never realize the true potential of volunteers. But, our organizations become more successful, responsive, and effective when we look at volunteers as a key component to our library's success. In this session we'll discuss creating a connection between the work volunteers do and your library's mission. You'll learn how to design volunteer opportunities with real impact, and how to tell the story of that impact both within your organization and to your community. Attendees will leave with sample mission-driven position descriptions and a worksheet to help craft their library's story of volunteer engagement. 

This webinar is part of a 3 year Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program award for the project "The Get Involved Collaborative: A Multi-State Approach to Increasing Volunteer Engagement." 

This webinar will be recorded and made available for on demand viewing on the Get Involved Clearinghouse.

In this training, the Seven Essential Life Skills: Focus and Self Control, Perspective Taking, Communicating, Making Connections, Critical Thinking, Taking on Challenges and Self-Directed, Engaged Learning are introduced to participants through a three day workshop. Each day is a combination of engaging activities, informational powerpoint slides and child development research videos. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will feel confident in their understanding of the seven essential life skills and ways in which they can support children and families' learning and practice in these life skills.

• We begin by engaging library staff in an experiential process of self-reflection and self-discovery where they experience their own competence in each of the Skills, probe why the Skill is important in their own lives and take responsibility for proposing strategies to improve the Skill in themselves.
• We then connect the adults’ experiences to the research on the Skill in children’s lives—why it is important and how it can be promoted—through videos that present the most respected and compelling child development research on the Skill in an accessible way.
• We provide specific evidence-based activities that participants can use to promote the Skill in children.
• Each participant then makes specific plans to promote the Skills in themselves and in children.
  
  

August 30                     9:00 am - 4:30 pm

August 31                     8:30 am - 4:30 pm

September 1                 8:30 am - 3:30 pm

Please only register if you are available to attend all three days.  

The First Things First (FTF) Early Childhood Summit brings together professionals, stakeholders and supporters of early childhood education and health to share innovative strategies, research and best practices that help kids be ready for school and set for life.

The Read On Arizona Literacy Summit will be held on the second day of the summit on August 29 at 2:15 p.m. at the Phoenix Convention Center.  The Literacy Summit will highlight the importance of early literacy, its long-term impact on communities and our state, and the critical steps to making third grade reading proficiency a reality for Arizona's children.

There is no cost to attend the Read On Arizona Literacy Summit, but registration for the FTF Early Childhood Summit is required.  Be sure to register by August 20th to avoid late registration fees.

ARCC AmeriCorps program is a new project and resource to Arizona through the Civic Service Institute at Northern Arizona University. ARCC AmeriCorps is a statewide program focused on assisting Arizona high school aged youth and their families with college and career readiness.  

Partner sites host ARCC AmeriCorps members, who can perform a variety of assignments related to assisting prospective college students and their families prepare for a postsecondary education. Americorps is currently recruiting partner sites for the 2017-2018 program year.

While the priority deadline for 2017-2018 has passed, applications to host an Americorps member at a partner site will be accepted on a rolling basis, with the next deadline being September 1st.  Still interested but not able to make the September 1st deadline?  Now is a great time to begin planning a submission for next year.  A prospective partner webinar is available online, and further information can be requested by email.  

Law touches almost all areas of our lives, and can be quite complicated. Issues can arise when purchasing a car or renting a house, drafting a will or planning to ensure that loved ones are cared for after the unexpected passing of a family member, and there are many sources one can consult for assistance. One of the first sources to look is the State Bar of Arizona’s website. The State Bar of Arizona exists to ensure that attorneys meet the ethical and competency standards to best serve the citizens of Arizona, and is overseen by the Supreme Court. On their website, users can find information to help them decide whether or not they may need to consult with a private attorney, tips for how to best communicate with an attorney, and basic information  and FAQ’s on topics such as child custody, estate planning, and employee rights.