A Message from the State Librarian
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We at the State Library continue to see the resiliency of Arizona libraries as you have been serving your communities during the pandemic, even from behind closed library doors and from your homes. It has been inspiring to talk with many of you during virtual meetings like the community conversation last month co-hosted with AzLA. We looked beyond COVID-19 and talked about how libraries are preparing to reopen buildings to the public, incorporating new service models that have been instituted in the past few months.
You all have unique resources and circumstances that will impact decisions concerning reopening your physical facilities, making it impossible to issue one set of recommendations that will work for every Arizona library. To assist you as you consider the options, we are gathering plans from other states and posting them on the
Library Development’s COVID-19 Resources
page.
We will add plans for Arizona libraries also as they become available
.
Also included with the COVID-19 resources are safety practices that are foundational to reopening plans. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has commissioned a
research study
to inform safe handling of collections and reopening practices for libraries and museums. As soon as results are published, we will add that document to the webpage. In the meantime, there is other information, including the
recording
of a webinar IMLS hosted on March 30 with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As Arizona’s State Library Administrative Agency, we have been allocated CARES Act funding to
prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. After careful data analysis and listening to the needs that have been expressed, we have developed three funding opportunities that are designed to support your outstanding efforts as you serve your communities. Please read below and don’t hesitate to
reach out
if we may be of assistance as you plan for the future.
Holly Henley
State Librarian
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Resources & Opportunities
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CARES Act Funding Opportunities
The purpose of CARES Act funding is to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, including to:
- expand digital network access,
- purchase internet accessible devices, and
- provide technical support services.
Using data such as Poverty/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), unemployment rates and broadband availability, State Library staff have developed three funding opportunities for Arizona libraries of all types.
CARES Express - Deadline for applications is May 15, 2020.
Apply here
!
This funding opportunity allows libraries to request devices and kits purchased by the State Library:
- Chromebooks for circulation and in-house use.
- a virtual engagement toolkit which includes a videorecorder or iPad, tripod and wireless microphone.
- “germbuster kits” with sanitizers, disinfectant wipes, masks and gloves when supplies are available.
CARES Expanded - Deadline for applications is May 22, 2020
.
Apply here
!
This opportunity allows library staff to request funding to support a variety of projects, such as:
- Hotspots or tablets and phones to use as hotspots for checkout to customers, with priority given to students and those needing to access unemployment/employment resources.
- Laptops/Chromebooks/tablets/devices with data plans or hotspots. These devices can also be used to equip existing bookmobiles or outreach vehicles to provide access to under-connected neighborhoods.
- VR/AR/XR devices for workforce development training.
- Trained library staff and/or paid consultants to assist Arizonans with digital literacy, workforce development and broadband adoption.
- Security cameras for parking lots where WiFi is available while building is closed.
- Portable shelters such as tents or awnings in library parking lots to provide shade for materials pick-up and/or WiFi use.
- Portable sneeze guards that would work best in your public areas.
- Other ideas that align with the CARES Act primary goals.
CARES Supplemental
This opportunity depends in part on availability of funds and is currently scheduled for launch in late summer. The focus will be on partnerships with museums and workforce development organizations. CARES Supplemental projects may be managed by State Library staff or may be funded as subgrants, and would include activities like the following:
- Job Help & Small Business Hubs with trained staff, computers, and dedicated spaces or kiosks.
- Library/Museum partnerships to provide online access to museum collections for museums with reduced hours due to effects of COVID-19.
- Wi-Fi Access Points to expand wireless network (Wi-Fi extenders and repeaters, additional access points, satellite dishes, solar umbrellas).
- Internal upgrades to strengthen wireless network (replacing outdated modems and routers).
- Fixed Network Solutions such as television white space or similar use of Educational Broadband Service.
- Software subscriptions to assist with virtual programming.
- Coding club to devise solutions for pandemic prevention and protection (e.g., robots or drones to deliver curbside services instead of library staff to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus).
Details about CARES Supplemental will be presented in a future newsletter.
Selection criteria for receiving materials, services, or grant funding will include:
- Broadband access data
- Poverty/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Unemployment data
- Public Library Statistics
- Census data
- Library Survey data
- Stakeholder input
- Statewide distribution of funding
For more information about CARES Act funding, please contact
Jaime Ball
.
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Arizona Reading Program Outreach:
A Special COVID-19 Opportunity
This year’s public health emergency has forced libraries to provide access to library services in nontraditional and creative ways. With so many concerns about the safety and well-being of patrons, libraries will likely not be offering a traditional summer reading program in the library building. Therefore, we are offering a special opportunity for libraries to help families increase access to books.
The
Arizona Reading Program Outreach: Special COVID-19 Opportunity
will supply new paperback books to libraries serving our most vulnerable families during the Covid-19 crises.
Program Objectives:
- To increase access to books in the home of young children, reaching those children and families/caretakers who are the most vulnerable during the Covid-19 crisis.
- To provide new, paperback books to children who may not have access to digital books and other online education resources.
- To encourage out-of-school time reading and learning during this time when libraries are closed or have limited access.
Public libraries may request up to 250 new paperback books. Books must be accompanied by summer reading and/or literacy materials to encourage participation in reading and learning activities. We will closely monitor the program, its supplies, and reserve the right to adjust these limits, up or down, as needed.
The library shall provide books to their community using
one OR both
methods described below:
- The library shall provide the books as part of a “Grab and Go” style summer reading program.
- The library shall work with a local partner who is providing emergency food services during the Covid-19 crisis.
Program Restrictions:
- Books provided through this program will NOT be used to stock Little Free Libraries or other book give-away programs.
- Books provided through this program will NOT be used as prizes, incentives or awards.
- Books provided through this program can NOT be added to the library’s circulating collection.
Timeline:
- May 10, 2020 1st Round applications deadline
- May 13, 2020 1st Round applicants notified of acceptance
- Aug 30, 2020 Project summary report due
Selection Criteria:
Library requests will be prioritized based upon greatest need using
Census Data
.
- What percent of children under 18 years old live under the poverty level in your county/tribal community?
- What percent of homes in your county/tribal community have access to broadband internet?
Applications are now being accepted
here
.
1st Round deadline May 10, 2020.
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Discount Internet Offers for your Patrons
The COVID-19 health crisis has shed light on the need for home internet service, and the large number of Arizona households in all kinds of communities without access. Some internet service providers have responded with new or improved discount broadband plans, that will only be available for a short time; others continue to offer plans that were created prior to the crisis.
The
Arizona Commerce Authority
has created a video guide on additional resources that may be useful for your patrons to get connected, such as how to use a cell phone as a hotspot. The video is available in English and Spanish.
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Libraries Connecting You to Coverage
Access to current and reliable health information is imperative for the well-being of all Americans, and public libraries are frequently a trusted, “go-to” resource as people navigate complex issues of health care, insurance, aging, and more.
Libraries can
ACT NOW with premade social media and communications assets for health insurance and health literacy:
A healthy community requires that all different sectors of it—across demographic groups with varying health needs—have access to information and resources to address health care concerns, prevention, support programs, and more. As essential anchor institutions, libraries can act now to educate their staff and communities about the options they have, the resources they need, and how to prepare for the uncertainty ahead.
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P3: Propagating Promising Practices
The Providence Public Library in RI is looking for pilot libraries for their IMLS grant
Propagating Promising Practices
(P3), which will give 6 public libraries across the country the chance to learn about and pilot one of three practices for supplementing adult education: mobile learning, learning circles, and learning lounges.
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Professional Development News
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ALA Virtual: Community Through Connection
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ALA Annual Conference in Chicago has been cancelled. However, ALA has recently announced that they will be offering
ALA Virtual: Community Through Connection Event
. This will be an online event that will take place from June 24-26, 2020. It will consist of educational programming, special author events and social networking. Registration for this event will open on Monday, May 11, 2020. The Arizona State Library has a limited number of continuing education scholarships to attend this event. The scholarship application can be found on our
website
. If you are interested in this opportunity, please fill out the application and email it to Ann Marie Creegan at
acreegan@azlibrary.gov by May 15, 2020.
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2020 Association of Rural and Small Libraries Annual Conference
Each year the
Association of Rural and Small Libraries
hosts a conference for library staff from rural and small libraries. This conference is designed with topics specific to the needs of these libraries. Topics range from children’s programming to fund-raising, to dealing with boards, to keeping up with technology and more.
The theme for this year’s conference is
SOAR with Libraries: Sharing our Amazing Resources
. It will be held in Wichita, Kansas from September 30- October 3, 2020 and as of this writing, the conference committee is still planning to host an in-person event.
Early bird registration begins on June 15. The Arizona State Library offers Continuing Education Scholarships to attend conferences like this one.
Scholarship applications
can be found on the Continuing Education page. Please email the completed application to
Ann Marie Creegan
for consideration.
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New!
Niche Academy for
Arizona Library Staff
With libraries closed to walk-in customers and many staff working remotely, this is a great time to catch up with continuing education and professional development. To help staff gain access to quality tutorials, the Arizona State Library has purchased access to
Niche Academy
. Niche Academy is a collection of webinars and tutorials that are produced specifically for libraries.
The Academy for Arizona Library Staff
has a collection of over 200 tutorials arranged by category.
Would you like to use this time to refresh your knowledge of professional ethics? Find the tutorial
“Code of Ethics for New Directors”
in the Leadership, Management and Career category. By the end of the tutorial, you’ll be able to understand the importance of ethics in the library profession and will learn ways to implement elements of the Code of Ethics in your library.
Has your library recently started offering reference help through live chat or phone calls? The tutorial
“Reference Interviews in Live Chat” has some useful information that may help with the transition. It can be found under the Reference Category.
T
here is also a webinar on
"Best Practices for Developing Employees’ Soft Skills"
. In this webinar, you will learn the five basic dimensions of soft skills and different ways that soft skills training can improve employee effectiveness.
Check out the tutorial on
"Lateral Reading".
Lateral reading is a strategy for analyzing online reading and can help you identify fake news for both yourself and your patrons. You can find this tutorial in the Reference Category.
If you have any questions or problems accessing these tutorials and webinars, email
Ann Marie Creegan
.
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YALSA Webinars Now Available
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The Arizona State Library has purchased a subscription for Arizona Library staff to access the YALSA member or subscriber only webinars. Email
Ann Marie Creegan
for access. The upcoming webinar is:
May 14, 2020; Thursday, 11:00 am
Join recent Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award Committee members in a discussion of all things teen nonfiction! Find out why certain titles rise above the rest, and how that plays into a substantial collection that is equitable, diverse, and inclusive, as well as appealing. You will also learn about ways to sell the content to your users, and methods to encourage library staff to target potential nonfiction readers (and who they might be).
There are also many archived webinars on these different topics that you can access as well.
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The Arizona State Library now has a subscription to
PCI Webinars
, giving Arizona library staff access to one live webinar a week and to the webinar archives. PCI Webinars offers webinars specifically for library staff. Email Ann Marie Creegan at
acreegan@azlibrary.gov
to register.
Here are the live webinars for May and June (all times Pacific Time):
PCI webinars offers hundreds of archived webinars specifically for library staff. Find the available webinars
here
.
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Upcoming WebJunction Webinars
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Access to WebJunction’s self-paced online library courses is now available and free to all library staff members. Simply create an account at
http://learn.webjunction.org
and then explore the catalog of library-focused courses and archived webinars. Certificates of completion will be available to you for any of the courses or archived webinars you complete from the catalog.
Upcoming webinars:
Join this webinar to explore how public and school libraries can initiate collaborative relationships and the types of programming that can benefit from these partnerships. Learn how to market or publicize your services to teachers and school librarians and identify the best times of year to communicate with local schools.
When: April 8, 2020
Time: 1:00-2:00 pm Central Standard Time
Nearly 80 public libraries in the U.S. have collaborated with social work programs or schools of social work, to provide valuable learning opportunities for social work interns, and to connect community members with crucial services which exist beyond standard library offerings. Libraries or social work educators looking for ways to initiate collaborations with social work interns should join this webinar to understand the benefits, and a few challenges, to partnering with an institution or individual. Explore the types of intern assignments at the library that align with key social work competencies, from needs assessment to 1:1 patron referrals, and from staff training to outreach programs. And finally, discover how these internships can work for libraries of all types and sizes, including those in small and rural communities.
When: April 29, 2020
Time: 1:00-2:00 pm Mountain Standard Time
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Upcoming
Infopeople
Courses
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Infopeople
offers a variety of webinars and self-paced online courses on topics of high interest for library staff. Webinars are free, and the Arizona State Library has purchased a block of registrations for the online courses. Arizona library staff may register for courses by sending an email to
Ann Marie Creegan
, containing:
- The course name and dates
- Registrant’s name
- Registrant’s email
- Library name
- Library address
- Library phone number
Upcoming courses:
At the completion of this course learners will be prepared to assess the need for adulting skills in their communities and to develop programming that addresses those needs. Participants will explore applicable skills and resources that can help to prepare students for adulthood and beyond. The focus will be on life skills that are not taught in elementary and secondary schools, but that are vital components that we all need to become both a successful and a well-balanced adult. Through course readings and activities, learners will discover how to coordinate, plan and present a successful adulting program and will use planning templates to help streamline the process.
When: May 5-June 1, 2020
Whether working with customers on a public desk, participating in a short-term project to improve workflow or meeting weekly with a team to alter services to accommodate shifting budgets, work involves interactions with groups of people to get things done. In this online course, you will learn the characteristics of highly effective teams.
When: May 5-June 1, 2020
This four-week course will provide weekly readings, practical assignments, and supplementary resources. The instructor will share best practices, examples, and useful tips and techniques that can be applied immediately in your own library and community. During the course, you will participate in discussion forums where you can share your ideas and experiences and learn from other course participants.
When: May 12-June 8, 2020
In this course you will watch a set of short video lectures each week. Then you’ll complete hands-on assignments where you install and use software, apps, or services that protect your security and privacy. The instructor will be available to help you with any questions you have about them. You’ll also create your own security/privacy plan based on best practices for assessing your risks. After learning these methods, you’ll make a plan for training your library users on these best practices. You’ll also get a list of supplementary readings and podcast episodes for learning more about any of the topics covered.
When: May 12-June 8, 2020
Webinars from InfoPeople
Topics include best practices for creating shareable metadata, as well as simple tools and strategies to use in preparing and sharing your digital collections.
At the end of this one-hour webinar, participants will:
·
Be familiar with six key areas of metadata enhancement for better discovery within aggregations and search engines.
·
Have an understanding of the relationship between local metadata considerations and those necessary for optimal discovery within aggregations.
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Be equipped with various tools and processes for creating shareable metadata records and enhancing existing records.
When: May 6, 2020 12:00 pm
At the end of this one-hour webinar, participants will:
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Be able to identify at least three things that keep many libraries from offering adequate programming and services to adult
s with developmental disabilities, as well as responses to those barriers.
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Be familiar with what is meant by a library “culture of inclusion” and how it supports programming.
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Understand the importance of involving self-advocates in planning and implementation, and of partnering with organizations in the community.
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Be able to identify at least three types of library programs that would be fun and interesting for an adult with developmental disabilities.
When: May 21, 2020 10:00 am
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Library Services is part of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State. The branches of Library Services include Library Development, the State of Arizona Research Library, the Arizona Talking Book Library, and E-Rate. Library Services programs and activities are supported in part with federal funds from the
Institute of Museum and Library Services
.
Holly Henley
State Librarian and Director of Library Services, Archives and Records
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