February 2024: Issue 13

A Newsletter to Reflect, Inform, and Inspire

By: Melanie Miller, Alfred Box of Books Library

Storytimes are arguably a cornerstone of library services. They are early education for our youngest community members. Storytime programs are mindful about early childhood milestones, consider developmental milestones, and focus on early literacy skills such as laetter recognition, letter sounds, phonological awareness, and print orientation. These are skills we probably take for granted but are the building blocks to learning. That said, there is a lot of learning happening in storytime!  

How do we level up our storytime game and incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion? Here are a few key tips: 

1. Book Selection - When selecting books, choose books with illustrations showing characters of many races, ethnicities, body sizes, and abilities. Be mindful of the illustrations and how the text describes these characters. Make sure they are depicted positively. Alternatively, evaluate the books you would typically select. Who is represented? Who is missing?  
2. Themes- When selecting a theme, consider the inclusivity of that theme. For example, in December, rather than a Christmas theme, I like to have a cookie theme. Cookies are a staple of the holiday season, and little ones enjoy decorating and sampling! Consider who a selected theme might be excluding.  
3. Create partnerships- Are there resources within your community that you might partner with to bring cultural awareness to your storytimes? Do any of your local families want to share a special song, book, activity related to a tradition their family shares? While it is not the job of people of color to educate white folks, I have found that many families love the opportunity to share. We’ve had Chinese New Year storytimes with families sharing their traditions, foods, and celebrations. It makes them feel welcome to share a part of their culture with others. And it helps others understand and appreciate their fellow community members.  
4. Talk to families- Through natural conversation you can learn about the families that attend your storytime programs and learn what would help and support them. For example, if their child has a disability that might make it difficult to sit and listen quietly, perhaps you can offer fidget toys, or break up your storytime into shorter segments. If children are sensitive to light and noise, perhaps you offer a sensory storytime.  

The key takeaway for incorporating DEI into storytime is being intentional. From planning the storytime session, selecting books, activities, and interacting with caregivers, be intentional. 

By: Kelly Povero, Watkins Glen Public Library 

The term “Civic Season” refers to the period of time between Juneteenth and Independence Day. Institutions across the country are coming together to prioritize civic engagement within their communities. The initiative is committed to re-imagining traditional approaches to civic education, making it relevant and accessible to the diverse youth population that often frequents libraries, while remaining non-partisan. Civic Season will also celebrate America’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026. There is no better time to get started than now!  

What is civic engagement? 

Civic engagement refers to “individual or collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern. Civic engagement can take many forms, from individual voluntarism to organizational involvement to electoral participation” (American Psychological Association). 

Understanding Civic Season 

Made By Us is a nationwide organization working to connect young adults with accurate, trustworthy information to increase participation in civic life. Made By Us developed a Design Fellows Program that pairs an 18-29 year-old fellow with a selected organization to plan initiatives that serve the Gen-Z population. Beyond that, they’ve created easy-to-adapt programs such as A Slice of History, a podcast called Democracy Vibe Check, interactive zines, and a Teen Vogue series called Overlooked History that highlights under-recognized figures and events that shaped the world.  

Civic Season is one of the many programs established by Made By Us. Don’t worry! Registration is encouraged but not required, and you do not need to be a part of the fellowship program to join. Civic Season, similar to The Great Give Back, is an opportunity for libraries to offer meaningful programs between Juneteenth and Independence Day. Made By Us encourages the use of its pre-made templates and program ideas so that we, too, can promote civic engagement in our communities. 

Why is this important? 

It is essential as information professionals to recognize the critical role that civic engagement plays in shaping the future of our society. Civic Season – and civic engagement in general – has a great and positive impact on shaping informed and engaged citizens. For librarians, it provides a structured framework for incorporating civic education into programs and services. This allows us to promote a sense of responsibility and community involvement, which often leads to continued engagement over a length of time.  

The Impact of Civic Season on Young Adults 

Civic Season serves as a valuable resource to bridge the gap between theoretical civic education and practical engagement. By offering insights, programs, and activities, it equips library professionals with the tools and knowledge needed to engage young adults in civic life. From understanding the electoral process to advocating for important issues, Civic Season programming empowers librarians to guide young adults in becoming informed and responsible members of society. 

Popular Program: A Slice of History 

Inspired by their ‘Pizza to the Polls’ program, Made By Us created ‘A Slice of History’ to encourage local meet-ups over two popular things: pizza and history. They determined that the 18-30 year-old population seeks informal, social learning spaces. The concept was to reimagine the ever-popular pizza parties in elementary school during the 1990s and 2000s.   

Take this idea and run with it! Whether you team up with the local Historical Society or create an interactive trivia night, this type of program is easy to adapt. Made By Us suggests similar program themes such as ‘A Slice of Mystery’ (showcase cool items from your collection that aren’t always available to the public), and ‘A Slice of Bingo’ (share history from the past by having participants find facts around the library and fill in a bingo card).  

How can my library participate?  

Civic Season 2024 will run from June 19 through July 4. Register your organization at thecivicseason.com, but registration is not required! The Civic Season Toolkit can also be found on the website and includes documents such as: What is Civic Season Fact Sheet, Engagement Guides for Leaders, How To: Featured Program Templates, How To: Slice of History Meet-Up, Graphic Assets, Style Guides, and more.  

Libraries play a crucial role in shaping the next generation of leaders and thinkers. Civic Season becomes a valuable ally in this endeavor, offering librarians the tools and insights needed to promote civic engagement. Consider partnering with neighboring libraries to host joint programs or market your programs together to reach a wider audience.  

Links and Resources 

• historymadebyus.com 
• thecivicseason.com 
• Democracy Vibe Check: The Civic Season Podcast 
• What is Your Civic Superpower? Quiz (A fun example of how Made By Us is reaching Gen-Z) 
• Civic Season Toolkit 

Sources 

• American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Civic engagement. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/education-career/undergrad/civic-engagement#:~:text=One%20useful%20definition%20of%20civic,organizational%20involvement%20to%20electoral%20participation.  

Seek and Share Information About Israel and Gaza With Empathy and Care 

By: Alex Andrasik, Penn Yan Public Library

The world has watched in horror since October 7, 2023 as chaos and violence have overtaken the Gaza Strip. The brutal and indefensible attack launched by Hamas on that day, resulting in the capture of hundreds of Israeli and international hostages, has been met by the Israeli government and armed forces with a brutal campaign of reprisal that has unjustifiably and disproportionately affected Palestinian civilians, including thousands of children and dozens of journalists. While the global community engages in acts of protest and counter-protest, and pressure for a ceasefire from world leaders goes largely ignored, the true human toll of the carnage risks being lost in clouds of dis- and misinformation in this, a humanitarian emergency that has been colored by celebrity influencers, televised and streaming PR campaigns, and even a Super Bowl ad. 

It’s an understandably sensitive and complicated subject for many of us, with members of our communities falling all across the spectrum of responses, and many others finding themselves so unclear about its background and current status that they’d just as soon block it out. As information professionals, though, it’s important that we inform ourselves as best we can. This might not be a subject we want to develop programming around at this stage, but we should be able to seek and deliver accurate answers to any questions our patrons bring to us, as well as an empathetic view of all those affected in the region and beyond. In order to do so, it may be helpful to prime ourselves with a perspective that’s often lacking in mainstream portrayals of the tragedy. To that end, here are a few tips to consider when thinking and sharing information about the situation in Gaza. 

• Language matters. Some refer to the events in Gaza as a war, others a conflict, and still others a genocide or ethnic cleansing. The individuals captured by Hamas have almost invariably been referred to as hostages, while the many more Palestinians taken without charge by Israeli forces are often called prisoners. One news outlet may refer to the civilians caught in a bombing as casualties, another as victims; one outlet may use a passive voice construction while another chooses the active voice. Words like terrorist, refugee, settler, colonist, native, and more get attached to many different kinds of people on all sides of the situation. When assessing a source, pay close attention to these choices. Think about which seem the most accurately-deployed, and which seem designed to elicit particular emotional reactions. And most importantly of all, think about which terms seem to allow the people they’re connected with to be perceived as human, as deserving of empathy, and which do not. There will be times when it's unavoidable and necessary to use emotionally-charged language, and contexts where more impersonal language may be more appropriate, but it’s up to each of us to assess these choices and try to determine what their intent is. There are reasonable standards for determining whether to apply charged words like genocide to a situation, such as the application of international law or the determination of accredited observers; take a look at this resource for more details. 
• Seek information; don’t let it be fed to you. When many of us open a new Internet browser tab, it’s automatically populated with news headlines from around the Web. Some of these are from reputable, high-quality sources, and others…are not. As with anywhere else on the Internet, the goal is revenue-generating clicks, so the content on these landing pages (and ads elsewhere on websites and social media) are designed to produce outrage and the need to read the material in question. Divert a significant stream of outrage-clicks away by changing your homepage from that default toward just about anything else. (This is a great tip to share with patrons when having conversations about media literacy.) Then, if you can, listen to friends who have connections to the Israel/Palestine region; don't necessarily treat them as the most effective sources of factual information - though they could be - but rather as a way into understanding how people for whom the situation holds real stakes are feeling and reacting. Use this practice as a means to connect and empathize more deeply with your friends and the real people impacted by violence. All that said, however… 
• Be careful who you follow. Don’t rely entirely on social media or opinion pieces to determine your views on the situation in Gaza. Go to the source: learn more about the real history of the region and its conflicts, and our nation’s role in them. Once you have a solid foundation, you can determine which contemporary sources are most in line with reality, as well as your own values. (Do note, however, that especially in situations like this one, where local journalists have been targeted and there may be media bias at play even in traditionally trusted outlets, that information spread via social media from people on the ground, or spread by their friends and relatives outside the region, can be extremely valuable and trustworthy.) Finally, be wary of your personal tendency to experience reflexive distrust (“Since this one source has been proven to be false, all other sources must be untrustworthy too!”) or “yo-yo” trust (“If this one source is sharing false information, any other source sharing other information must automatically be accurate!”). Use a broad array of information sources, and bring a healthy mix of trust and skepticism to each of them. 
• Be wary of extremes and absolutes. A lot of the discourse around this issue frames observations in ways that make it seem like “everyone” feels one way, or “no one” is doing the right thing: “Everyone who protests Israel’s actions is antisemitic!” “No one is talking about what’s really happening to Gazans!” Often a deeper look will reveal these to be false absolutes: for instance, many of those protesting Israel most vocally are, themselves, Jewish, and there is a great deal of coverage of the suffering of Gazans in both traditional and social media. These extreme assertions might be honest expressions of the speaker’s emotion, how they feel about what they’re observing around them, and thus might deserve grace and understanding; on the other hand, they might be deliberately exaggerated on the part of a group or individual seeking to stoke conflict, and should be dismissed. Either way, look beyond the “easy,” blanket claims anyone is making for a truth that is often much more nuanced. 
• Bottom line: be willing to ask yourself hard questions, and to answer them honestly. Thinking about the Israel/Palestine region, ask yourself, who has the power and who is oppressed? Who is allowed to be considered human, and who is behaving in dehumanizing ways? Whose lives and deaths are allowed to matter, and whose aren’t? Around the world, whose voices are being uplifted, and whose are being suppressed? 

As we navigate this difficult topic, let’s always remember that there are real people suffering real harm and death in the region, and that some of our patrons may be truly suffering along with them. Let’s remember, too, that Jewish people are more than Israel and that Israelis are more than this war; that Palestinians and Muslims are more than victims and statistics. People on both sides are artists, doctors, peace activists, and more. They’re all human, caught in terrible circumstances stoked by forces and ambitions beyond their responsibility or control. May they all know peace in this world. 

Join the DEI Committee!

Are you interested in working with other Southern Tier Library System folks on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and social justice initiatives? Consider joining the DEI Committee!

Open to all; please email DEI Committee Chair, Sally Jacoby Murphy, to express interest: murphys@stls.org

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