From monthly webinars, to an e-course, to ALA Annual, YALSA has a lot of opportunities for you to take part in professional learning this summer.
Summer Webinars
First up is the June 16 webinar titled, Content Creation Tools for You and Your Teens. The session will be facilitated by Nick Grove from the Meridian Library. Nick is the digital services librarian at the Meridan (ID) technology center, unBound, in the heart of downtown Meridian. Anyone who participates in the webinar will leave knowing:
- How to decide what content creation tools to use with and for teens.
- How content creation can help support teen 21st century skills development
- Where to go next to learn more about the topic
The July 21 YALSA webinar is titled Connecting Teens & Community Inside and Outside the Library. It will be facilitated by Salvador Avila who is the Enterprise Library Branch Manager with the Las Vegas – Clark County Library District and a TechArt Studios learning lab coach. Anyone who participates in the webinar will leave knowing:
- The value of supporting teen 21st century skill development through library activities
- Why it’s important for library staff to act as a coach to teens involved in library activities
- How to integrate coaching into library activities for and with teens
- The value of building community partnerships as a way to help teens succeed
You can learn more about these webinars by visiting YALSA’s Webinars page.
Summer E-Course
On July 11 and running through August 8, Jennifer Velásquez, Teen Services Coordinator of the San Antonio Public Library., will facilitate an online course titled Beyond Booklists: Serving Today’s Diverse Teens. The course gives participants the chance to learn about available tools to help them identify the diverse teen populations in their service area and explore ways to design, implement and evaluate more in-depth services and programs for the diverse teen population and recent teen immigrants. Participants will also gain skills in addressing issues such as language barriers, cultural differences, and institutional support.
Learn more about the course on the YALSA website.
YALSA @ ALA Annual Conference
YALSA has a wide-array of programs happening at ALA Annual in Orlando from June 24th-27th. You can see a full list of programs on the YALSA wiki. You can choose from award and author programs including the Michael L. Printz Award Program and Reception, the Coffee Klatch at which attendees get to talk in speed dating style with a range of authors, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award brunch. Programs throughout the conference geared at teen services range from advocacy for teen services, cultural competence, and teen volunteers.
One program not to miss is “What’s New in YALSA & How You can be a Part of It” on Saturday, June 25, from 8:30 to 10AM. This is your chance to learn about YALSA’s new organizational plan and how you can be involved in moving the plan forward.
A program taking place on on Monday, June 27 is 50+ Tech Tools facilitated by Desiree Alexander. Check out the Snack Break video Desiree created for YALSA. It will give you an idea of what’s in store at her program.
Summer is a great time to learn something new and/or hone skills that you already have. Check out all that YALSA has to offer on their online learning page and the 2016 Annual Conference wiki page.
