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February 2024 |
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Adult Services Notes |
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Library of Virginia Training |
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Dementia Friendly Library Challenge Extended |
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The Dementia Friendly Library Challenge has been extended through February 29 (an extra day due to the Leap Year!).
Take the Dementia Friendly Library Challenge to learn more about dementia and how you and your library might best serve both dementia patients and those who care for them. You can also earn a DFL sticker and bracelet! |
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News from Library Development & Networking
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Survival ASL for Librarians |
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According to the CDC, about 5% of Virginia residents over 18 are dealing with deafness or serious difficulty hearing. This represents over 340,000 members of our communities.
Transparent Language has launched a new class on basic ASL for library staff hoping to better serve Deaf and hard of hearing patrons. In about 15 hours of study time, you’ll be able to fingerspell using the Manual Alphabet; greet patrons and show them around the library; communicate about basic library services such as finding, checking out, and returning materials; and more.
This is a great opportunity to create a more welcoming library environment for your patrons. |
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To get started, login (or create an account) to Transparent Language from your library website and choose the American Sign Language for English Speakers class. Then click the Browse tab and choose Survival ASL for Librarians.
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Addressing Secondary Trauma Stress |
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Helping professions are prone to secondary trauma stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Workplace stress causes physical, emotional, social, and cognitive changes and can result in poor service, absenteeism, and high turnover.
This recently added training can help libraries and library staff develop strategies to address workplace stress at both the individual and organizational level. |
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Niche Academy is open to all Virginia library staff members and library associates such as trustees and Friends board members. If you do not have a Niche Academy account, please use your library email address to sign up. If you do not have a library work email, you may register with a personal email, and we will contact you to confirm that you are affiliated with a Virginia library.
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Genealogy and Local History Grants |
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The Virginia Genealogical Society offers a variety of grants to support libraries that maintain "an archival program of material that assists researchers of Virginia genealogical and historical information."
The VGS is seeking grant applications from Virginia public libraries, and encourages libraries who might be interested in applying to review the options on the VGS Grants Page and to contact Virginia Genealogical Society Executive Director, Teresa Kelley, admin@vgs.org, with any questions.
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Readers' Advisory Tips and Tricks
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Politics and Prose Reading Challenge |
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Here's a fun reading challenge for 2024 from the folks at Politics and Prose, one of DC's premiere independent bookstores. This would be a great list to use with your readers to prompt ideas. You can also join the Politics and Prose online reading challenge to add your titles and see titles others have shared.
NoveList Plus also has put together some great reading challenges for 2024. Here's the February Challenge.
Lots of great ideas for a new reading year! |
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Health & Fitness Literacy |
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The new year can be a great time to start a fitness program at the library, but it can be a challenge to keep these programs sustainable, especially without funding to hire outside instructors.
The Cannon Falls Library in Minnesota took an interesting approach, getting fitness instructor certification for a staff member.
Read more about this innovative project. |
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Featured Virginia Programs
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Williamsburg Regional Library
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WRL ComicCon 2023
Williamsburg Regional Library hosted its first-ever ComicCon in July 2023. Activities including a keynote talk by award-winning author Alix E. Harrow, a costume contest, a taiko drumming demonstration, filk performances, video and board gaming, cosplay panels, vendors, a used book sale by the Friends of the Library, talks from local experts on AI and the Lunar and Martian NASA missions, face painting, henna tattoos, fairy hair, and a food truck. Approximately 900 people attended.
There were many positive comments, including from people who came to the library for the event who had not been in a long time. |
For more info, contact Allison Norfolk, anorfolk@wrl.org |
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Washington County Public Library
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12 Days of Christmas Crafts with Penny |
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The Washington County Public Library helped patrons get into the holiday spirit by hosting a Christmas crafts series between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Library Technician Penny Cook leads monthly Crafting at the Library classes, and she focused this holiday series on easy to make Christmas ornaments, including a hand-painted Santa seashell, a Grapevine Wreath ornament, a pine cone elf, and a Clay Pot Gnome.
The days and times of the series varied to capture as wide an audience as possible and over 140 people participated.
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For more info, contact Jill Minor, jminor@wcpl.net
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Recent articles on topics of interest to Adult Services |
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