This Week at ULC
Newsletter | March 24, 2021
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AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT UPDATE |
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On March 11, President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law, which includes the $7 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund to support libraries in building connected communities through the FCC's E-Rate program. ARPA has also allocated $200 million in funding to The Institute of Museum and Library Services, which will support grants in every U.S. state and territory. Beyond the E-Rate and IMLS funding, ARPA includes more than $360 billion in support for state, local and tribal governments, which may offer additional support opportunities for libraries.
ULC is actively reviewing the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund request for comments and preparing talking points and draft comments.
Below are two upcoming free webinars related to ARPA:
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Pictured (left to right): Ethel McCollough, Lillian Childress Hall, Margaret J. Kyle, Marcia Learned Au
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Celebrating the Women of EVPL
Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library
All month long, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library has recognized Women’s History Month with featured book lists, new informational videos and historical displays. In a recent blog post, the library also highlighted four leaders who led the library through transformational change during their time at EVPL.
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Engaging Community Members Through Reading
Carlsbad City Library
The Carlsbad Reads Together program connects community members and spurs discussion about the selection of books at the same time. This year, the book selections include Educated by Tara Westover (adults), The Reader by Traci Chee (teens) and Nothing Stopped Sophie by Cheryl Bardoe (children).
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Expanding Digital Access to Students
Chattanooga Public Library
Chattanooga Public Library has partnered with Hamilton County Schools to provide students with safe access to thousands of titles through one app without the use of a separate library card. When students log in to Sora, they can now access the school’s book collection as well as the library’s juvenile and young adult digital collection. “Students can now easily access our digital book collection with their student IDs, and we can ensure that our e-book and e-audio collection offers everything on the K-12 curriculum lists,” said Lee Hope, head of children’s services at Chattanooga Public Library.
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Named a Finalist for IMLS Community Impact Award
Memphis Public Library and Information Center
Earlier this month, the Institute of Museum and Library Services announced that Memphis Public Library is among 30 finalists for the 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities. “As unfortunate as the pandemic is, it has highlighted more than ever the dedication, creativity, hard work and innovation of MPL’s staff, volunteers and support organizations like the Board of Trustees, Memphis Library Foundation and the Friends of the Library,” said Library Director Keenon McCloy.
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Community Street Sheet
Kansas City Public Library
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To reach vulnerable populations during the pandemic, Kansas City Public Library’s community resource team created a printed resource sheet – a reliable communication tool – to reach people who don’t have access to technology, the internet and digital media. Updated weekly and distributed to more than 200 community agencies, the Street Sheet provides information about critical resources such as shelters, meal services, COVID-19 testing and other health services.
As a result, all Kansas City residents can access a broad menu of essential resources and the library reaffirmed their commitment as a vital community connector.
Click here to learn more about this groundbreaking work, which earned Kansas City Public Library a Top Innovator distinction for the 2020 ULC Innovations Initiative.
Click here to review all 260 submissions to the 2020 Innovations Initiative.
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Tips from the Innovators
- The communication of information is the key — ask, listen and provide according to the need. The Street Sheet is a product of established relationships with our patrons experiencing homelessness and trusted community partners.
- Design the Street Sheet from the position of an individual living on the street. What would their very basic needs be at this time? And keep them current.
- Ask community partners what they need. The Street Sheet was a request by the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness early on in the pandemic.
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CONNECTING AND ENGAGING TWEENS AS "STEM PALS" |
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Librarian Kelsey Hughes Pens ULC Blog Post
Prince George's County Memorial Library System
Discover how Prince George’s County Memorial Library System used technology to foster connections between tweens in two different parts of the country, all while growing their intellectual curiosity and confidence with STEM.
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DIGITAL NAVIGATORS UPDATE |
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Q&A with Melissa Rodriguez
Salt Lake City Public Library
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ULC is connecting with Digital Navigators for one-on-one discussions of their work on the forefront of this exciting new initiative. Read the fourth interview in our one-on-one discussion series, featuring SLCPL's Melissa Rodriguez, to learn how Melissa offers guidance to patrons in need of digital assistance.
Melissa began working for the Salt Lake City Public Library a little over two years ago, starting as an assistant at the Day-Riverside Branch before becoming involved with the Digital Navigators project
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NEW ON ULC'S MEMBER KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE |
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Central Arkansas Library System
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The Indianapolis Public Library
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Rethinking Summer Learning to Reverse the "COVID-19 Slide"
Webinar
March 30 | 1-2 p.m. ET
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ULC Collections Leaders
Member Group Conference Call
March 30 | 4-5 p.m. ET
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ULC HR Professionals
Member Group Conference Call
April 5 | 3-4 p.m. ET
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Connecting Communities with Teleservices: Learning from the Digital Navigators
Webinar
April 8 | Noon-1 p.m. ET
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ULC Deputy Directors
Member Group Conference call
April 8 | 3-4 p.m. ET
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ULC Communications and Marketing Leaders
Member Group Conference Call
April 21 | Noon-1 p.m. ET
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Tools for Middle Grade STEM Success
Webinar
April 22 | 1-2 p.m. ET
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UPCOMING ULC WEBINAR MARCH 30 |
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Rethinking Summer Learning to Reverse the "COVID-19 Slide"
San Francisco Public Library, St. Louis Public Library
When COVID-19 hit and San Francisco went into shelter-in-place, San Francisco Public Library had to unplan more than 1,000 public summer programs and contend with the challenge of losing most of its front-line library staff to disaster service work. Also experiencing the uncertainty of the pandemic, St. Louis Public Library was scrambling to find ways to reach its customers and promote summer learning.
Join ULC on March 30 to hear from leaders at San Francisco Public Library and St. Louis Public Library about how they recreated summer learning plans to engage their community, captured data to inform their programming and maintained and developed partnerships to ensure they are reaching those suffering the most inequity during the pandemic.
Featuring:
- Michelle Jeffers, Chief of Community Programs and Partnerships, San Francisco Public Library
- Joe Monahan, Manager of Youth Programs, St. Louis Public Library
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Reimagining Summer Learning During the Pandemic
Click here to discover how other ULC libraries across North America have adapted their summer learning offerings to keep kids, teens and adults learning all summer long.
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NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION EVENTS |
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In its third and final year, the National Book Foundation’s Literature for Justice program continues to offer literature as a vehicle for conversations on the topic of mass incarceration, partnering with the Center for Imagination in the Borderlands and the Million Book Project on events that feature Literature for Justice–selected authors and committee members.
The new Spring 2021 schedule has been released, with events featuring Reginald Dwayne Betts, Susan Burton, Dionne Brand, Natalie Diaz, Ruthie Wilson Gilmore, Nicole R. Fleetwood, Sarah Haley, and Rachel Kushner! These events are free and open to the public, but attendees must register.
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Chatham Area Public Library
Chatham Area Public Library (Ill.) is the latest library to sign our Statement on Race and Social Equity! Find out how 205 public libraries are actively working to foster a more just and inclusive world.
Twitter.com
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