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Knowledge is Power: Great Lakes Literacy through Reading
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Understanding Dementia
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Luncheon Keynote: Bridging the Gaps – Connecting LGBTQ+ Identity and Story with Jenny Kalvaitis and Kristen Whitson
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The Dynamic Duo: A Tale of Two Organizations Coming Together to Work Towards a Common Goal of Strengthening Families
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Building Strong Families and Thriving Communities through Family Support
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How to Say the Hard Things: Lessons Learned in Years of Crisis
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Beyond the Community Conversation
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Digital Accessibility in Libraries
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Games, Learning, and Libraries: Harnessing the Power of Play in Wisconsin
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Rural Language Resources: Building a Shared Spanish Language Collection
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Analyzing Your Collection: Tools to Diversify & Maintain Your Children’s Collection
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Connect Your Patrons to Financial Literacy Resources to Pay for College & Education
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Depositing Joy: Programming and Services for Families Experiencing Homelessness
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Community Engagement Through Reading Challenges
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Luncheon Keynote: The Power of Community, Conservation, and Crime Fiction
Resources:
- ALA Building Library Capacity Grants: Libraries and Institutions are encouraged to apply for ALA Building Library Capacity Grants which will assist libraries that are or will serve incarcerated persons or justice-involved persons. Up to 16 grants of $10,000 each will be awarded and applications are due by April 12th, 2024.
- Press Release:www.ala.org/news/press-
releases/2024/03/… - Grant Details:www.ala.org/aboutala/Building-
Library-Capacity-Grants - Grant FAQs and Webinar Recording:www.ala.org/aboutala/…
- Questions? Please email
- Press Release:www.ala.org/news/press-
Continuing Education:
- Trauma Sensitive Schools Spring Webinar – April 9, 9 am: Join the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin Safe and Healthy Schools Center for a FREE Trauma Sensitive Schools spring webinar featuring Alex Shevrin Venet, author of Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education! How are trauma and inequity present in our schools, and with limited time and resources, how should teachers respond? In this webinar, Alex Shevrin Venet will introduce the framework for equity-centered trauma-informed education and its guiding principles that help educators help students, especially those impacted by trauma. We’ll explore proactive priorities for transforming the school environment, as well as ways to tap into larger efforts for change.
- Registration: Please follow this link to register. Registration is limited to 500 participants. Contact or with registration questions.
- Although this webinar focuses on schools, public library staff may find applicable tips and resources for their work.
- Wisconsin Libraries Talk About Race: Navigating the Terrain of Change with Dr. Alonzo Kelly
Thursday, April 25: 9:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m., East Branch, Brown County Library (Green Bay)
Thursday, May 9: 9:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m., Wintergreen Conference Center (Wisconsin Dells)
Discover ways to create inter-culturally inclusive work and learning environments for all! Increase your knowledge and ability to problem solve, communicate confidently, and foster more collaborative work environments rooted in authentic relationships with dynamic executive coach, professor, and 3x best-selling author Alonzo Kelly. Dr. Kelly is recognized as one the nation’s leading experts on leadership development, strategic thinking, and planning. Travel assistance is available. More details and registration information can be found on the website.
- Developing and Establishing Indigenous Pedagogy Collections for the Library and Classroom – April 29, 4:30pm -6:00pm: Have you ever wondered where you can find accurate and authentic resources about Indigenous people and nations of Wisconsin and the United States? Do you have questions about how to best be respectful and culturally sensitive when choosing these materials? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, join us and hear from a distinguished panel of Indigenous knowledge curators to learn strategies for cultivating resources and materials for your classroom or library. Our panel comes from a variety of settings and experiences, providing participants with a broad amount of information and resources for a variety of school and library settings.
- Spring UW iSchool Classes:
- Trauma-Informed Care: An Introduction for Libraries April 8-May 19. Taught by the amazing S. Bryce Kozla, this class will teach you how to apply a trauma-informed lens to improve your service, space, and work culture.
- Creating a Welcoming Space for Immigrant and Refugee Families April 8-May 5. Through this course, you will learn about and explore best practices for cultivating a welcoming space and supportive library services to immigrant and refugee children and families both in and beyond the physical library walls.
- Toward One Wisconsin 2024: A Conference on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion May 7-8, 2024 Eau Claire, WI. Conference Theme: Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers. Whether you’re just starting and overwhelmed, or you’re a leading advocate in your community, this conference will provide best practices, insights and implementation tools to help you take the next steps. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about and discuss the work of diversity, equity and inclusion, and how to move from talk to action.
Consumables:
- Ho-Chunk Nation Opens First Library: Congratulations to the Ho-Chunk Nation and the Library Board members who hosted a soft opening for the newly created tribal community library at the District 1 Community Center in Black River Falls on February 19th. The tribal library is the first for the Ho-Chunk Nation. Here is a little preview of the library; there will be a grand opening in May 2024!
- Unmasking Your Potential: Defeating Imposter Syndrome in Underserved Communities
- Passive programming as a wellness strategy for the overworked outreach librarian
Diverse Holidays in April:
April is Autism Awareness Month. Autism Awareness Month aims to celebrate and promote acceptance for the condition that occurs in one in every 54 children as of 2020 in the United States. Autism, a complex developmental condition affecting the patient’s ability to interact, communicate, and progress, has not one but many subtypes. First held in the year 1972 by the Autism Society, Autism Awareness Month emphasizes the need for public awareness to promote acceptance, celebrate differences, and be more inclusive toward autistic individuals around us.
Through April 9: Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim year and a holy month celebrating when Mohammad received the revelations of the Quran, spent fasting, reflecting, and praying.
April 1-21: Songkran Festival, the Thai New Year, also celebrated as the Buddhist New Year.
April 2: World Autism Awareness Day, meant to raise awareness of the developmental disorder.
April 6: International Asexuality Day. International Asexuality Day celebrates the full asexual spectrum: asexual, greysexual, demisexual, and all other ace identities.
April 6: Laylat al-Qadr, the holiest night of the year for Muslims, celebrated on the 27th day of Ramadan and commemorates the night that the Quran was revealed to Mohammad.
April 9: Chaitra Sukladi/Gudhi Padwa/Ugadi, the start of the Hindu lunar calendar is celebrated in a spring festival.
April 10: Eid al-Fitr: (also known as Sweet Eid or Lesser Eid) is one of the most important festivals in the Islamic calendar. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset throughout Ramadan (the 9th month of the Islamic calendar). Once they see the Shawwal moon, people start the celebration for Eid al-Fitr, which lasts for three days.
April 12: National Day of Silence, a protest against bullying and harassment of LGBTQIA+ individuals by students who take a vow of silence.
April 13: Vaisakhi, also pronounced Baisakhi as well as Basoa, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is seen as a celebration of spring harvest primarily in Northern India.
April 14: Puthmandu, or Tamil New Year. This festival is celebrated in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Mauritius, Malaysia, and others. This day is signified as a new beginning. People celebrate this day as the day that would bring them a new start with new opportunities.
April 16: Rama Navami, A celebration of the birth of Rama (incarnation of Lord Vishnu) to King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya in Ayodhya.
April 21-30: Rivdan, a Baha’i festival celebrating when Baha’u’llah resided in paradise and proclaimed his mission as God’s messenger.
April 21: Mahavir Jayanti, celebrates the birth of Mahavira, a contemporary of the Buddha, and is the most important religious holiday in Jainism.
April 22: Earth Day, promoting sustainability and environmental protection.
April 23 -April 29: Passover or Pesach, an eight-day Jewish festival celebrating when Israelites were freed from slavery in ancient Egypt.
April 23: Hanuman Jayanti, is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of the Hindu deity, and one of the protagonists of the Ramayana, Hanuman.
April 24: Armenian Martyrs’ Day, honoring the 1.5 million Armenians killed by genocide in Turkey.