Program Spotlight from Diversity & Outreach Section

As a section formed in 2013 from the Special Populations Section, Bookmobile Roundtable, and GLBTI Roundtable, the Diversity & Outreach Section strives to bring programs to the NJLA Annual Conference that empower our peers to engage underrepresented communities. We aim for our program attendees to walk away with renewed energy to serve their community in unique and meaningful ways!

This year we are so excited to offer a slate of programs that explore the ever-evolving nature of outreach services, from inclusive programming to social work in libraries. Below, we’ll highlight a selection of programs and activities.

What does it mean to fight the opioid crisis from inside the library? Are librarians first responders? Is NARCAN training right for your staff? Librarians Fighting the Opioid Crisis: A Conversation Starter will offer an interactive discussion in which there are no easy answers. Our library colleagues who have had NARCAN training will share their first-hand experiences. Community health professionals from Mental Health New Jersey will provide useful resources and educate on what opioid addiction looks like in our communities. Together, we’ll explore how to respond to the opioid epidemic with education, compassion, and action.

Let’s talk shop! Join us for an Outreach Librarian Meet-Up at Coastal Craft Bar. This meet-up is for anyone who calls themselves an Outreach Librarian, or does any type of outreach work, from the Bookmobile to the Pop-Up Library and beyond. We’ll connect and share stories while unwinding after a whirlwind conference day!

Don’t forget to pack a donation! The Home & Away Donation Drive will benefit both Covenant House, a local Atlantic City teen shelter, and a school library in Coamo, Puerto Rico impacted by Hurricane Maria. D&O and Urban Libraries have partnered with ALA and REFORMA’s Adopt-a-Library program to bring this drive to the conference. We appreciate any and all contributions, including gift cards, clothing, books, and monetary donations.

With our friends in Children’s Services, Reference, History & Preservation, Small Libraries, Urban Libraries, and Young Adult Services, we are also presenting and co-sponsoring the following programs:

Exclusively Inclusive: Tips and Strategies from Professionals Outside Libraryland

Wed. 5/29 @ 2:00pm-5:00pm, Wildwood 12&13

Do you struggle with knowing how to develop inclusive youth services programming? In this presentation, you will hear from experts from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, including a physical therapist, occupational therapist, pediatrician, and audiologist. You will learn tips and strategies for ensuring your programs are accessible to ALL children with various needs. Join your colleagues for a highly interactive panel discussion on this important topic!

Exploring our Past: African American Genealogy

Thu. 5/30, 3:10-4:00pm, Wildwood 10&11

This program is designed to help librarians who receive reference questions about African American genealogy. Attendees will learn from experts in the field about some noteworthy organizations and strategies to help field these questions.

Rethinking Outreach to Visiting Populations and Non-Residents

Fri. 5/31 @ 11:30am-12:20pm, Wildwood 24&25

Visitors and non-residents are an often-untapped population looking for vital information about your community while they are in town. Whether they are tourists, international students, traveling businesspersons, or looking to relocate, the library is a source of unique mirco-information these patrons are looking for. Through increased outreach to tourist destinations and building community partnerships the Cape May County Library is rethinking how they approach an important portion of their population. This presentation will focus on some new ideas that you can do in your library to reach out to this group.

Library Social Work: Engage the Fusion

Fri. 5/31 @ 11:30am-12:20pm, Wildwood 12&13

We all know that the modern work of libraries aligns with social work, but more libraries are actually starting to hire social workers on staff. Join colleagues from some of the first East Coast libraries to join in: New Jersey’s own Long Branch Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library in New York. Hear how it all came to be, how to sell it to the board of trustees, the community impact, the opportunities, and all about the new PLA Social Worker Task Force.

A Queer Idea

Fri. 5/31, 11:30am-12:20pm, Wildwood 6&7

Although Newark Public Library enjoys a tradition of increasingly pronounced inclusiveness in services, collections, and programs--Director Jeffrey Trzeciak has initiated additional engagement with underserved populations. The most recent project is a partnership with the city’s LGBTQ center, granted a first-floor room in the Main Library (see http://newarklgbtqcenter.org for some details). Reference and circulating collections will also inhabit this space, and a new position has been created: this reference librarian will be a liaison with LGBTQ communities in the greater Newark area. Please join a lively discussion of this and other such overtures.

Small Budget, Big Impact: Cost-Effective Programming

Fri. 5/31, 3:40-4:30pm, Wildwood 6&7

You can plan creative and engaging programs on a limited budget with limited staff. We will be discussing some innovative ways small libraries can make a big impact with programs. This program will discuss ways to implement programming with limited resources. Topics will include using the expertise of community members to offer free/low-cost programs, etc. Audience participation is also welcome.

Prepared by Ally Blumenfeld, President of the Diversity and Outreach Section and Head of Information & Adult Services, Elizabeth Public Library