Recent political campaigns and philosophical confrontations online and in the press have destroyed lasting friendships, frayed family ties, and alienated neighbors and co-workers. Social media has devolved into a battleground of nasty diatribes and personal slurs.

The Discovery Model is about first listening to the other person’s point of view and being able to understand their values and the world they live in. The point? It’s about strengthening and sustaining workplace, personal, and online relationships, not trying to win the argument du jour. And learning to live in peace on the same planet with people you disagree with.

For libraries and other organizations looking for financial and political support, influence begins with empathy. Do you know the other person’s priorities? How your political opponents find the information that guides their decisions? What misunderstandings they might have about your positions? And, most importantly, what mistakes might you have been making when communicating your values and advocating for your causes?

This webinar will include the concept of listening with a “clean heart and fresh eyes,” the 75% rule, why emotions can be more important than facts, questions that elicit information, building trust and respect, turning enemies into allies, and how the Discovery Model might change your opinions as well.

AGENDA

• Introduction: The Elephant and the Wise Blind Seers
• The Key Idea: Are Conversations Battles to Win or Lose?
• The Rules of The Game: Agreements About Civility
• Start with Commonality and Foundation Ideas
• Precision in Language and Concepts
• Verifying and Evaluating Information
• Avoiding Common Critical Thinking Mistakes
• Next steps

OUTCOMES

• Build and maintain positive relationships based on trust and respect during divisive political times, even with political opponents.
• Attract people who want to discuss issues and learn instead of debating them as competing in a reality-show contest.
• Create safe public environments for difficult conversations.
• Win financial and political support for institutions and causes.
• Set an example of civil behavior for the people you serve.

Creating contemporary library spaces that support human behavior can sound intimidating. What are natural social behaviors? What do people seek out in spaces, and what makes them appealing to our senses? And how can we design our library spaces with these things in mind?

This free webinar will provide a basic understanding of the natural human behaviors and instincts that drive our everyday lives, such as the desire to be in a secure environment and the need to have a vision of your surroundings. You will learn how you can design library spaces to promote comfort and security through the details – everything from the pitch of the seat and the ability to maintain your personal bubble, to the sightlines, improving comfort for instincts that trigger our internal fight or flight response. Furniture that works well in library spaces puts our instinctual fears at ease and allow us to spend time tucked away in the comfy chair reading a novel or at a computer completing a task. It’s time to understand why this happens and how to better design libraries with these things in mind.

Participants will be able to:

• Create an understanding of human behavior in the context of public spaces and libraries
• Display the unique and varying ways humans interact with furniture and space in libraries.
• Describe the work and usage patterns that typically emerge in libraries.
• Show what furniture and design concepts best address how people behave in libraries.

This webinar addresses several of LLAMA's Foundational Leadership Competencies including evidence-based decision making, forward-thinking, marketing, communication skills, and problem-solving.

Presenter: Joe S. Agati is an industrial designer. By observing “key user insights,” he has been able to develop products that positively impact people’s lives.

On the webinar are XP Lee Program Manager for Policy & Special Projects with the Minnesota Council on Foundations to share how philanthropy in Minnesota is supporting the community work and Joseph Lachman ACRS Civic Engagement Program Manager with Asian Counseling and Referral Services who will talk about how their organization that is focused on mental health is building coalitions and advocating for a full census count in underserved communities.

Can a nonprofit transform the way it attracts and utilizes volunteers? Traditional volunteer programs in libraries of all sizes need to be redesigned to work with today’s volunteers – many of whom have limited time to give and expect to have their expertise put to good use. Does your Friends group need assistance in graphic design, technology, social media, event planning, leadership, or public relations? How does an organization design roles for volunteers with new skillsets, and where do you begin to look for people to fill these positions?

Reaching volunteers as vastly different as Baby Boomers and Millennials is challenging, but both groups want to make an impact. Discover new approaches to recruit volunteers that are reshaping other nonprofits such as online recruitment and using virtual volunteers to work remotely on library projects. See how these changes can have an impact on your organization and help the Friends succeed in their mission.

Learning Objectives:

After the webinar, attendees will be able to: Identify current trends that require a shift in traditional volunteer management practices; Inventory their organization’s needs that can be met by the expertise and skills of new volunteers; Design effective job descriptions establishing explicit expectations of training, investment of time, and clearly delineated tasks; Prepare an achievable recruitment plan to locate skilled volunteers to meet the organization’s needs

Presenter:

Carla Lehn began her career as a VISTA volunteer and, after receiving a Masters in Community Development from the University of California, Davis, worked for United Way for over a decade. Before joining the California State Library staff in 2001 to work on statewide literacy, volunteerism, and community engagement initiatives. Carla’s most recent book, From Library Volunteer to Library Advocate: Tapping Into the Power of Community Engagement, was published by Libraries Unlimited in June 2018.

Cost and Registration:

The charge for the webinar is $25 for NYLA personal or organizational members (who are not members of the Friends of Libraries Section) and $35 for those who are not members of the New York Library Association. Group registrations are also available ($75 member rate/$99 nonmember rate). Interested participants may choose to join NYLA prior to registering for the webinar to receive the NYLA member rate. However, at the time of registration, a NYLA member may not add FLS to their existing membership in order to attend the webinar at no cost. Registration is closed 48 hours prior to the start time of the webinar.

There is no cost to attend for existing personal and organizational members of the Friends of Libraries Section of NYLA. The FLS membership must be active on August 1, 2019, and the membership expiration date must be after the date of the webinar. Elected officers of Friends Group organizational members of NYLA are also eligible for this benefit, as long as these individuals are included on the “Elected Officer Registration Form” on file with Lois Powell, NYLA’s Director of Membership Services. When registering, FLS members need their assigned user name and password to qualify for an “FLS Member Reg Pass” that will waive the webinar registration fee.

Registration will open Wednesday, August 14. Registration is through the NYLA Online Membership Center and a credit card is required for payment. Checks and purchase orders are not accepted.

Awful Library Books is coming to the Capital District!

Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner of Awful Library Books fame will present this workshop on collection development. When not running their popular blog, they are both public librarians in Michigan.

This program will discuss how to assess the overall quality of a library collection, including the benefits and methods of taking a physical inventory, analyzing collection procedures and workflows, and the life cycle of a collection. Most importantly, participants will learn how to measure a collection’s quality. The presenters' holistic approach to collection management will help all types and sizes of libraries to keep pace with the demands and expectations of their communities.

CDLC is fully subsidizing this workshop. The workshop is free, but registration is required.

Consumers are faced with increasingly complex scams and schemes used to defraud millions of people each year. As libraries strive to increase the digital and information literacy skills of their patrons, and provide timely and effective strategies for fraud protection, keeping up with options for consumer protection can be overwhelming.

This webinar will explore the free resources available in multiple languages and formats provided by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that can be used by your patrons to protect their identity and to recognize and avoid scams. You’ll also hear how Johnson County Library is partnering with local agencies to provide programs and resources to empower consumers in their community.

Presented by: Carol Kando-Pineda, Counsel, Division of Consumer and Business Education, Federal Trade Commission; and Marty Johannes, Careers/Personal Finance Librarian, Johnson County Library (KS)

As communities across the country experience the impact of the opioid epidemic, public library staff are finding themselves on the front line of this public health crisis. How should libraries engage? Public Libraries Respond to the Opioid Epidemic with Their Community is an IMLS-funded project led by OCLC and PLA to expand libraries’ capacity to support their communities. The project studied a diverse set of communities where the library is an active partner in addressing the epidemic and facilitated discussions with library leaders and a range of government, public health, and community organizations.

Presenters will share insights gained from the case studies and emerging practices, opportunities, and challenges, and share resources to help library staff guide their libraries’ response to the opioid crisis. This is the first in a series of webinars on this topic, highlighting the project findings.

Presented by: Lynn Silipigni Connaway, OCLC; Michelle Jeske, Denver Public Library; Marion Rorke, Denver Dept of Public Health and Environment; and Kendra Morgan, WebJunction